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These easy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms are rich, cheesy, and downright irresistible. Ready for the oven in just 15 minutes, this mushroom appetizer recipe is bubbling over with Italian flavor.
I could eat Crab Stuffed Mushroom filling the way other people eat raw cookie dough: cold, unbaked, and by the spoonful. But once that easy, cheesy filling is baked to golden, bubbly perfection in a mushroom cap? It’s game over.
Speaking of games, this easy appetizer recipe is ideal as part of your tailgate spread or holiday buffet. They’re easy enough for a weeknight (prep time is a mere 15 minutes!) yet elegant enough for a special occasion. I hate to play favorites but Crab Stuffed Mushrooms rank among my personal top 10 Culinary Hill recipes ever. Bet you can’t eat just one!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cream cheese: You’ll need 4 ounces, or half of a “brick,” for this recipe. Put the rest to delicious use in a half batch of Cream Cheese with Pepper Jelly, Cream Cheese Frosting, or Cream Cheese Wontons.
- Italian Seasoning: From a store-bought spice blend, or to make your own Italian Seasoning, in a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of dried basil, 2 tablespoons of dried oregano, 2 tablespoons of dried rosemary, 2 tablespoons of dried thyme, and 2 tablespoons of dried marjoram. This recipe only calls for 1 teaspoon, so store extra in in an airtight container.
- Imitation crab meat: Also labeled as crab sticks, krab sticks, imitation crab, or seafood sticks, this is white fish mixed with binders and seasonings and pressed into stick form to resemble the flavor and texture of crab. Find it in the seafood department at most major supermarkets.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: This melts like a dream and I love its flavor in Crab Stuffed Mushrooms. Monterey Jack or Parmesan also work well.
- Baby portobello mushrooms: Or white button mushrooms. Just be sure to clean whichever you choose (more tips about how to clean mushrooms below) and remove the stems.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Stir in crab meat, scallions, and mozzarella cheese, then season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). You will have about 2 cups filling.
- Divide filling evenly among mushroom caps. Place on the baking sheet 1 inch apart.
- Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until filling is hot and bubbly.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This stuffed mushroom recipe makes about 16 pieces, enough for 8 servings, 2 pieces each. You will have more or fewer servings depending on the size of your baby portobello mushrooms.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Make the filling 1 day in advance and refrigerate until you’re ready to stuff the mushrooms.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I don’t recommend submerging them in water for an extended period of time, but a quick rinse and a spin in a salad spinner is a great, America’s-Test-Kitchen-approved way to clean mushrooms. You can also wipe them down with a clean, damp kitchen towel if you prefer to clean mushrooms that way.
Mushroom sizes vary, so you may have some extra. Enjoy it scooped up with crudites or spread on crackers or baguette slices.
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Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened (see note 1)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (see note 2)
- 4 ounces imitation crab meat finely chopped (see note 3)
- 2 scallions green parts only, sliced
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (see note 4)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound baby Portobello mushrooms stems removed (see note 5)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Stir in crab meat, scallions, and mozzarella cheese, then season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). You will have about 2 cups filling.
- Divide filling evenly among mushroom caps. Place on the baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until filling is hot and bubbly.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cream cheese: You’ll need 4 ounces, or half of a “brick,” for this recipe. Put the rest to delicious use in a half batch of Cream Cheese with Pepper Jelly, Cream Cheese Frosting, or Cream Cheese Wontons.
- Italian Seasoning: From a store-bought spice blend, or to make your own Italian Seasoning, in a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of dried basil, 2 tablespoons of dried oregano, 2 tablespoons of dried rosemary, 2 tablespoons of dried thyme, and 2 tablespoons of dried marjoram. This recipe only calls for 1 teaspoon, so store extra in in an airtight container.
- Imitation crab meat: Also labeled as crab sticks, krab sticks, imitation crab, or seafood sticks, this is white fish mixed with binders and seasonings and pressed into stick form to resemble the flavor and texture of crab. Find it in the seafood department at most major supermarkets.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: This melts like a dream and I love its flavor in Crab Stuffed Mushrooms. Monterey Jack or Parmesan also work well.
- Baby portobello mushrooms: Or white button mushrooms. Just be sure to clean whichever you choose (more tips about how to clean mushrooms below) and remove the stems.
- Yield: This stuffed mushroom recipe makes about 16 pieces, enough for 8 servings, 2 pieces each. You will have more or fewer servings depending on the size of your baby portobello mushrooms.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Make the filling 1 day in advance and refrigerate until you’re ready to stuff the mushrooms.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Everyone loved them. Easy to make. Definitely a hit.
Glad it was a hit! Take care, Dee! – Meggan
Tried this for first time
Awesome
So glad you loved them, Mjd! – Meggan
Cami cook the stuffed mushroom caps at home before taking them to a party and then serve them cold…I don’t want to take up the hostesses oven with my stuff.
Hi Pat, sure! I don’t see why not. Take care! – Meggan
Love the stuffing best I have made and I have tried many. This recipe is so easy. Added a dash of Tabasco and topped with melted butter mixed with panko bread crumbs and broiled last few minutes to brown.
Thanks Terri, that topping sounds delicious I’ll have to try it next time I make these! – Meggan
I love these stuffed crab mushrooms! I used the large portobello mushrooms (3 1/2” across) so I had to bake them for about 40 minutes. They did end up sitting in a pool of water/juice, so I put them on a wire rack and baked them for another 5 minutes. Voila! No soggy mushrooms.
Thanks Jacki, glad you loved them! – Meggan
Here is another crab dip recipe
Cream cheesr softened
Sour cream
Diced onion not to much maybe 1/4 cup
Dill seeds i like a couple of teaspoons
Salt
Pepper
I dont measure i just put together. Mix together then add about or almost 1 lb. Of real dungeons crap thats been pick though. I like to rinse my crap with cold water then put in cheese cloth to squeeze out water. Put in small casserole dish and bake about 350f. 30 to 45 minute or untill bubbles and golden brown. Goes great with cocktail rye bread or crackers or stuff mushrooms.
Wonderful!
I did them with a smoker rather than the oven, smoked about 2 hours on 135 than cranked up to 350 and pulled them off as soon as the smoker hit it to crisp up the extra layer of mozzarella I added to the top.
Whole family loved them- will definitely be remaking down the road!
How many are the nutritional facts for?
Thanks
Hi Lisa, it would be for about 2 to 3 stuffed mushrooms. Since they vary in size, it will depend on how many there are per pound in the pack you purchase. I hope this helps! – Meggan
They’re in cooking! What can you do with any leftover filling? Thanks.
Hi Donna, my first thought is to put some on a slice of baguette, top with cheese and bake until the cheese melts. Good luck! – Meggan
My husband and I whipped these up tonight and OMG they are so good !
We will be making them again and again and again !
Thank you for sharing your recipe
These look amazing! How do I wash the mushrooms and get the water out to stuff. Anytime I’ve ever made them in the past there is too much water that comes out to stuff the mushrooms.
Hi Dawn, my favorite way to wash mushrooms is in a salad spinner. I know people freak out about submerging mushrooms in water, but I really feel like unless you do that, the mushrooms just aren’t clean! Does anything make me crazier than watching Rachel Ray briefly dab her mushrooms with a damp cloth?! But I digress. I soak them in water, swish them around, and spin them out in a salad spinner (a dry towel would probably also work). There IS another trick to getting more water out, but I didn’t like it when I tried it. In the America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks, they advocate for microwaving the mushrooms on a plate (upside down) for like, 5 minutes or so, to remove the water. The mushrooms shrink down a lot and it definitely works. But personally I thought the resulting mushrooms were just too small for stuffing. Does this make any sense at all? If you want to know more about microwaving the mushrooms, just let me know. I can give you all of the exact details. -Meggan
Can you make these ahead and freeze raw, and bake later?
Hi Susan, I think so! I can’t really think of any reason why not. I’ll put it on my list to test so I can post an absolutely definitive answer, but I really don’t think you’d have any issues. I’ll reply back after I’ve confirmed, but feel free to go ahead with it if you have any sort of tolerance for risk. Thank you for the question! -Meggan
Hi Meggan,
I doubled the ingredients and added half crab meat and half cooked tiger prawns, ( I live in Australia) I think you probably call them shrimp?
A huge success, thank you for sharing your amazing recipe.
Helen.
Thank you so much Helen, yes we call them shrimp! Prawns = same thing. So grateful for your support!
How many are in a serving? I am making these for a party. 40 people. How many times would I have to multiply this recipe by? Thanks!
Hi Elena! That partly depends on what else you are serving to eat (is it just appetizers? Will there be dinner also?). Also, what size mushrooms did you find? I think people like Martha Stewart plan on 3 pieces per person, but I’d probably assume 4 pieces just to be safe (and obviously some people will eat more or fewer than that). Personally, for 40 people, I’d multiply the recipe by 5 or 6 (probably 6 so you can use all the cream cheese instead of having an extra half of a block lying around). And if you want, maybe pick up just one extra pack of mushrooms for any extra filling. And feel free to substitute white mushrooms if you can’t find 6 packages of portobellos! They work too. Good luck and thank you!
“Baby Portobello’s”??? What’s wrong with the bun-sized ones? LOL
TRUE STORY. LOL
I like your narrative before the Ingedientshow. Try using spicy cheese once to add a lil.email snap.
Sounds like a great idea Suzanne! And thanks. :)