Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
These crab stuffed mushrooms make the best appetizer or easy meal! Full of tender spinach, crunchy bacon, succulent crab meat, and melty cheese, this mushroom recipe is the perfect party app.
In this house, we are big into tapas style dinners. Sometimes a good charcuterie board or some easy appetizers is just more satisfying than a traditional dinner. These crab and bacon stuffed mushrooms have become one of our favorite options, especially for special occasions or holidays!
While this crab recipe feels indulgent, it’s still on the healthier side of things! It’s low in carbs with a dose of fat making them keto-friendly and filling. These mushrooms are naturally gluten-free, nut-free, and egg-free, too.
I used the oven to bake these, but feel free to grill these according to the instructions in my Grilled Portobello Mushrooms. They would be great for a tailgate party! For a smaller batch, try them in the air fryer with these instructions instead.
Want more similar recipes? Try these Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Mushrooms, Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms, or Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms!
Ingredients
- Mushrooms: I used small portobello mushrooms, but feel free to use white mushrooms if that is more convenient for you.
- Cream cheese and Sour cream: Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature for the best texture in your filling. The blend of both helps create a beautifully smooth mixture.
- Garlic powder and Italian seasoning: Simple and delicious seasonings to add more flavor
- Spinach: You want frozen, chopped spinach that has been thawed and squeezed dry. If you only have fresh spinach, you’ll want to lightly steam it and squeeze it dry before using it.
- Lump crab meat: Pat this very dry before adding to prevent soggy mushrooms
- Mozzarella cheese: Use shredded, part-skim mozzarella, not fresh mozzarella as it has too much moisture.
- Bacon: Cooked, chopped. This adds a great, salty crunch.
How to make crab stuffed mushrooms
This easy appetizer or side dish is super easy! You will need a bowl and a baking sheet as well as this step-by-step guide.
Dry everything
The key to this recipe is making sure you’re working with dry ingredients to prevent your mushrooms from becoming soggy. Your spinach should be thawed, and then you need to squeeze as much moisture from it as possible. I first squeeze it with my hands, then add it to a clean dish towel and ring out as much water as possible. Then I let the spinach sit on the dish towel while preparing the mushrooms, then I ring it out again. I know, it seems excessive, but this really is the key to the best texture! While you’re doing this, have the oven preheating to 375 degrees F.
Prepare mushrooms
Clean your mushrooms and pat them dry with a paper towel. Remove the stems and set the mushrooms aside.
Optional: If you find mushrooms bitter, you might prefer to use a ½ teaspoon to hollow out the mushrooms and remove the gills. Be careful to leave enough of the mushroom intact for the filling to stay put.
Make filling
In a mixing bowl, add your softened cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, chopped & dried spinach, crab meat, mozzarella, and bacon. Gently mix until well combined.
Stuff mushrooms
Gently spoon the mixture into the cap of each mushroom and place on a lightly greased baking sheet or casserole dish.
Bake
Place the mushrooms in the preheated oven and bake for 20-24 minutes. When the tops of the mushrooms are golden brown and the mushrooms are tender, you’re ready to remove them from the oven.
What to serve with stuffed mushrooms
This easy recipe is a filling option that can work with so many different dishes for tons of different occasions! Pair with a simple salad and a cup of leftover soup for a filling, healthy dinner. Add it to the appetizer table with Bacon Deviled Eggs, Chicken Parmesan Potato Skins, and Blackberry Brie Bites. For a game night, serve with a charcuterie board and slow cooker dip for a variety of snacks to make everyone happy!
Storage Tips
- Fridge: Allow the stuffed mushrooms to come to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend lining the container with a couple paper towels to soak up any extra moisture, preventing the mushrooms from becoming soggy. These will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: You’ll get better taste and texture if you freeze them before cooking. Once you’ve stuffed the spinach mixture into the mushrooms, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet or plate and freeze for 2-4 hours. Once the mushrooms feel frozen through, you can carefully place them in a freezer bag and store up to 3 months. These can be a bit fragile, so try to keep them somewhere they won’t get crushed by other things. Freeze the same if the mushrooms are already cooked, but expect them to only last about a month.
Best way to reheat stuffed mushrooms
These mushrooms are best reheated in the oven or the air fryer. For the oven, place your mushrooms on a baking sheet or casserole dish and reheat in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. The closer your mushrooms are together and the more mushrooms you’re heating, the longer it will take. If you are only reheating 1-2 servings at once, the air fryer can be the perfect option to reheat stuffed mushrooms without making them soggy! Air fry at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms are heated throughout.
The microwave can make the mushrooms a bit soggy, so if it’s your only option, I recommend at least reducing the power level to 50% and lining the plate with a paper towel to absorb more moisture. If your mushrooms have been frozen, skip the prep time and cook them straight from frozen! Follow the same cooking instructions, but you’ll need to add a few minutes to the cooking time to ensure your mushrooms are cooked through.
Tips and Suggestions
If you’ve never made stuffed mushrooms before, there are a few little things you need to be sure you do to get them just right! Here are my tips for amazing Crab Stuffed Mushrooms:
- Be sure to mix your ingredients well. This will help every bite to be delicious, as well as keeping the ingredients contained to the mushroom
- Stuff your mushroom tightly! You don’t want a lot of extra space in your mushroom, or your ingredients may not fully fill the mushroom.
- Hollow out your mushrooms with a spoon (I use a 1/2 teaspoon) before stuffing- this gives more room for your filling!
- Be sure to use brick-style cream cheese. This provides the best consistency for the filling.
- If you are preparing these Crab and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms beforehand, prepare as described and then place in the fridge before baking.
More delicious appetizer recipes:
Get the Recipe: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 16 ounces small portobello mushrooms
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 6 ounces lump crab meat, patted very dry
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 tablespoons cooked chopped bacon
Instructions
- Before you begin thaw the spinach and squeeze as much liquid as possible. This is crucial, if you do not remove the liquid from the spinach it will result in very soggy mushrooms. I squeeze the spinach dry with my hands, add it to a clean dish towel, and ring as much water as possible. Allow the spinach to sit on the dish towel while you prepare the mushrooms, then ring it out again.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Wash the mushrooms and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove the stems. If desired, you can use a metal ½ teaspoon to hollow out the mushrooms. Set the mushrooms aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, chopped spinach, crab meat, mozzarella and bacon.
- Stuff the mushrooms with the spinach mixture. Place the mushrooms on a lightly greased baking sheet or casserole dish.
- Bake the mushrooms 20-24 minutes or until the tops of the mushrooms are golden brown.
