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
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How can I make these slightly spicy or is this not recommended ?
I would try adding a sprinkle of cayenne or some finely chopped jalapenos to the filling! If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Zhanna!
Just made these tonight and boy were they goobled up fast. Followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfect. Best we have ever had.
I did have some crabmeat mixture leftover, so I made it into a patty and pressed in breadcrumbs then fried up. Wowza!
We squeezed lemon over them and simply enjoyed. I’m going to use this recipe for crab Rangoon!!
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Okay, I have made about 5 of your quick and easy recipes so far and all were fabulous! I am making this Christmas Eve and am looking forward to it. I will let you know the happy faces this brings. BTW I have to tweak and substitute when items aren’t available at my local store. But you cook times and seasonings are always spot on.
I’m so glad you’ve loved the recipes Nancy! Merry Christmas.
The mushroom caps were so tasty
I’m so sad – this recipe didn’t work for me at all. The filling because super liquid-y and melted all over the baking sheet. They’re basically inedible.
Oh no! I am sorry to hear that Lauren. We’ve made this recipe many times and not had that issue so I can’t say for sure what happened. Thank you for trying this recipe.
Make sure you drain the crab well no matter if it is canned, fresh, or frozen. This is a really good recipe.
Did you maybe wash your mushrooms? That can make them watery.
Regardless, sorry that happened to you! I just made these and not a drip was on the baking sheet. They set up so well.
mine did that too. I blame the canned crabmeat, looked nothing like in the video. I opened the Bumblebee can and it looked like cat food. full of water and not texture
So quick and very easy to make. My family loved this appetizer
This is probably a dumb question, but do you cook the crabmeat first ? I’ve never used canned crabmeat before so I’m not sure what the process is. Thanks.
Great question! Canned crab does not need to be cooked. You’ll want to drain it very well. Enjoy.
I never make comments on recipes I make, but I had to make this one. This recipe is amazing! My parents and I loved it and I will be making again! I did big portobello mushrooms instead of tiny ones and made a little extra filling. Cooked the same time and heat. It was perfect highly recommend!
I LOVE this recipe! As is, it is fantastic, but I just had to expand-o-ize the recipe sooooooo I used my food processor and chopped the mushroom stems, threw in some parsley and a green onion from the garden, a clove of garlic, a grind of black pepper, a dash of lemon pepper, about 2 T of mayo and 1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese to bind it. I then folded in the crab and put it into a zipper bag. I snipped off the corner and piped it into the mushroom caps. I ground up leftover ‘redlobster’ biscuits and smashed them onto the tops. They were so fabulous, I just had to share! Cheers! And PLEASE, keep posting your wonderful ideas! We LOVE them!
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe MJ, thank you for sharing!
How do you freeze these?
Hi Helen, once prepped you can freeze them in an airtight container or a zippered freezer bag.
Yummy recipe, but found it a tad bland, so I added some roasted garlic salt instead of regular, added some smoked paprika and added a touch of lemon juice. Absolutely phenomenal, I’m low carb so instead of Panko I topped with cheddar and did it in a deep dish so the family could dip some chips or bread in the left over “sauce” it was AMAZING
As a longtime chef I make a variation of your recipe that’s a dinner rather than appetizer. I use giant white mushrooms (one fills the palm of your hand), fresh Alaskan King crab legs (I live in the northwest where it’s often available), and the same ingredients you use. Aside from the flavor, King crab (carefully cracked) has such huge sections that it allows me to cut it into chunks that I gently fold into the cream cheese mixture. I grate my own bread crumbs (from a dried French loaf) and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and after stuffing the mushrooms and topping them with bred crumbs I lightly spray the tops with olive oil to help the tops brown.
The prep time is less than 20 minutes, and two caps per person with a fresh Caesar salad alongside makes a fantastic meal!
I just made them tonight for my daughter and her fiancee. Too bad I can’t post a picture here because they turned out gorgeous.
Keep up the good work on how to make and serve healthy and delicious food!
Oh my gosh, that sounds absolutely amazing!! Thank you for sharing, it would be such a great meal!
I made these as one of our appetizers for Easter, when we had guests for dinner. They were fantastic! I was happy to find 3 packages of large Crimini mushrooms, which were all pretty much the same size. I used real crab meat, b/c that’s what I was brought up having. I tried Shirimi once, and I’ll never use it again for ANYTHING! Once you get the real deal, there’s no going back. Everyone loved these mushrooms, & wanted the recipe. I gave it to them, and referred them to your terrific cooking blog. Happy New Year, Holly! Thanks for your recipes.
Thank you for sharing with your guests Angela, so glad everyone loved them! Happy new year you to and your family!
Delicious, best crab stuffed mushrooms I’ve ever made or tasted!!!
Why thank you Nanette!
I want to try this stuffed mushroom recipe but what’s with the “thinly sliced” onion, wouldn’t you want it to be chopped and diced fairly small??
It’s green onion so thinly sliced works in this recipe. You can chop them if you prefer.
Hi Holly,
Here I am again asking questions. As far as I know, they don’t make the little 3 ounce packages of cream cheese and if I use 4 ounces I’ve got 4 left over ounces of cream cheese. It doesn’t hold over well. Why can’t we use the whipped cream cheese. It is so good and holds up well. I use it on sandwiches with chopped black olives. If I did this, would I still use 4 ounces.
Hi Shirley,
While I usually whip my block of softened cream cheese, I don’t see why you couldn’t use the pre-whipped kind and have wonderful results.
wrap left over cream cheese in saran wrap put in a ziplock type bag freeze it.
Your question makes no sense. Where do you get 3 ounces from? This recipe calls for 4 oz. of cream cheese. “Philadelphia” (brand) makes cream cheese in 4 oz. packages. They’re usually right next to the 8 oz. packages in the dairy cooler.
Better yet, have some strawberry jam on hand. Give the kids some bread let the spread the cream cheese over it with jam. Gone within 30 seconds. Works with roomates, husbands, wives, etc.
Dry or fresh bread crumbs for the Crab Stuffed Mushrooms?
As it’s for the topping, either will work. I usually use dry because I have them on hand.
It looks so good! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Happy Holidays Holly to you and your family! Thank You for always giving us the best recipes ever!! You are a life saver! :)
You’re so welcome. Thank you Yvonne! Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Is this real crab or imitation crab?
Both will work in this recipe Evelyn. Enjoy!