Crab-stuffed mushrooms are creamy, cozy, and so easy to make. These little bites are perfect for entertaining, disappearing the moment they hit the table!
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Sweet crab, creamy center, savory Parmesan, and a golden, buttery topping.
- Budget Tip: Canned crab meat tastes great and keeps this appetizer affordable.
- Make Ahead: Stuff the mushrooms up to 24 hours ahead or freeze for last-minute guests. They can be baked right from frozen!
- Yield: This recipe doubles or triples easily, making it a go-to party appetizer for game days or holiday gatherings.
Ingredient Notes
- Mushrooms: Pick large white mushrooms or brown creminis, making sure the caps are dry and firm for the best texture.
- Cream Cheese: Soften the cream cheese for easier mixing; this creates a creamy filling. Low-fat cream cheese works, but won’t be as rich.
- Crab Meat: Canned or frozen crab both work, though I love canned for this recipe. Drain well for a firmer filling, and choose lump-style for the best texture. Swap crab for chopped shrimp or use buttery baked salmon.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds salty, savory depth to the stuffed mushrooms. Swap for Asiago or Gruyere. Try adding a little cheddar along with a scoop of caramelized onions to add even more savory goodness.
- Topping: Seasoned breadcrumbs add a golden, crispy topping; panko can be used instead for a lighter crunch. Add a pinch of oregano, Old Bay, red pepper flakes, paprika, or Cajun seasoning to switch up the flavor.
Easy Step Breakdown
- Combine the cream cheese filling ingredients (full recipe below).
- Clean and hollow out the mushrooms.
- Stuff each mushroom and top with buttery breadcrumbs.
- Bake until tender and golden.
Storing & Reheating
Refrigerate cooked stuffed mushrooms in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes to keep the topping crisp.
Freeze unbaked stuffed mushrooms for up to 3 months and bake straight from frozen, adding about 10 minutes to the cooking time.
Perfect Party Bites
Did you make these Crab Stuffed Mushrooms? Leave a rating and comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 large mushrooms
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 6 ounces crab meat canned or frozen
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Topping
- ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Thaw crab meat if frozen (drain if canned). Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Mix cream cheese until smooth. Stir in crab meat, green onions, parsley, garlic salt, and Parmesan.
- Wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel to remove any debris. Using a small spoon or tomato corer, remove stems and spoon out the insides of the mushroom. Discard (or freeze for soups).
- Divide the filling over the mushroom caps. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over mushrooms.
- Bake 18-20 minutes or until cooked through and tops are golden.
Video
Notes
- If desired, mix the cream cheese with a hand mixer to get a light, fluffy filling. Additional cheeses can be added; cheddar and Gruyere are great options.
- Mushrooms can be stuffed and refrigerated for 24 hours in advance and baked just before serving. They can also be frozen and cooked right from frozen (you’ll need to add about 10 minutes to the cooking time).
- Reserve the mushroom stems and chop them to add to soups, stews, or casseroles.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Party Food, Seafood, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
1 package Boursin herb & garlic cheese makes a tasty substitute for regular cream cheese.
Thank you for the great recipe.
Ooo, that sounds like a delicious substitute!
MY HUSBAND SAID THESE WERE THE BEST STUFFED MUSHROOMS HE HAS EVER EATEN AND I AGREE. THANKS FOR SHARING
These were a hit for a Thanksgiving appetizer. I one and a halfed the recipe and made 24 mushrooms. Worked great. I used Private Selection wild caught crab in a plastic container that I bought at Fry’s (Kroger). It was in the refrigerated section. I used Panko parmesan and garlic bread crumbs.
We made these tonight, measured and weighed all ingredients, according to the recipe, unfortunately for us they are not that good. Didn’t really have much crab taste, all we could taste was mushroom (which we both love) but not great in this recipe, and cream cheese. I guess we’re not big lovers of cream cheese, just not that flavourful, in our opinion.
Can I use snow crab ? Do you think it will have a nice crab flavor?
Yes, I think it would work well.
Those are absolutely excellent! I often order them at a local restaurant in Montreal, where they are called Mushrooms Neptune. Another variation is to stuff the mushroom caps with escargot and garlic butter. Either way, they are excellent and addictive!
Easy recipe but very bland. Cream cheese overpowers the crab and seasonings. I would suggest doubling the filling ingredients except for the cream cheese. I might even add dash of hot sauce! The buttered panko topping is a nice touch.
Delicious!
These are delicious. Restaurant quality and the best recipe I’ve ever tried. My family loves them!
delicious!!!
Very good. I pre-roasted the mushrooms to prevent sogginess as suggested by Americas Test Kitchen.
These mushrooms are everything you think they should be. My friend made these for our party and they were an absolute hit. How convenient that they can be. frozen! look no further for a great appetizer!
Thank you so much for leaving a comment, Dawnee! ❤️
hi! I love your recipes so much. The flavor in these mushrooms was TO DIE FOR! The only issue I had was with the wateriness of the mushrooms. I know there is a technique on how to avoid this but I surely don’t know it! Any advice on how to eliminate the water? They were kind of gloopy and they sort of leaked all over the place. Thank you!
I’m sorry that happened to you, Elena! Did you wash your mushrooms? That can make them watery. Or if the crab meat was not drained really well it could have made them watery.
I followed the recipe and wouldn’t change a thing, we loved them. I did also have some smaller mushrooms and filled those too, I actually preferred those. Thanks for the great really fast recipe.
So glad you loved it, Terri!
I followed the instructions. I didn’t taste the crab AT ALL. Very salty. It could b a nice dish but needs serious tweeking.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe as much as we do, Joe!
The stuffed mushrooms with crab oh my it was the most easiest and delicious recipe. I give it a thumbs up.❤️We used real crab
We adore this recipe. We use the filling to stuff large Portobello mushrooms as a main course meal item. We did add a little shredded Italian blend cheese under our Panko crumbs. Tonight we added shrimp to the crab mixture. So good with a salad and some sliced French bread. Thank you for sharing such a great and simple recipe.
So, in the picture of ingredients it shows garlic powder. On the list of ingredients it lists 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt. I used garlic salt with full intention of using garlic powder. I hope these turn out good still.
Either will work just fine Brandi. You may need to a dd a little salt if you use garlic powder instead of garlic salt, but it will be delicious either way!
What canned crab would you suggest? Most of the time I prefer fresh crab legs but I know those aren’t always on sale.
Any canned crab should work just fine in this recipe Alison!
these were good. Partially as a review and partially as a reference for future me-decrease bread crumbs and cheese slightly.
Hi! Planning on making these this week and wanted to confirm that you used 1-ounce (1/3 cup, weighed) of parmesan cheese. Also, are the bread crumbs seasoned? They appear to be in the ingredients shot but I don’t see that mentioned. Going shopping and want to make sure I have everything right! Thanks!
Yes, this recipe uses 1 ounce of grated parmesan. And I do use seasoned breadcrumbs if I have them on hand! Enjoy Shannon!