Fill mushroom caps with homemade deviled crab and smother in garlic butter sauce for an easy mouth-watering appetizer. There’s no cream cheese so the flavor of the crab shines in these crab stuffed mushrooms. Ready in just under 30 minutes.

Deviled crab in mushroom caps on a black plate with a lemon piece

This is one of my go-to appetizer recipes because they’re so easy to put together.

I can make it earlier in the day, stick them in the fridge until it’s time to cook, pop them into the oven and in about 15 minutes I’ve got food ready for hungry guests.

They are fairly versatile too, you can serve them at a formal dinner party, but aren’t so fancy and expensive to make that you couldn’t carry them to a tailgate or casual backyard BBQ.

You can even pair with a salad for a light summer dinner.

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INGREDIENT NOTES & SUBSTITUTIONS

Mushrooms – I use button mushrooms that are on the larger side. Buy the ones that are creamy-white and have the least amount of blemishes on them. Dirt is fine, you can wipe that off.

Save a few of the stems for adding to the filling. It will add some additional flavor and moisture.

Portobellos can be used, but if you’re using the super large ones they will use a lot more filling and will take longer to bake. I would also scrape the gills out before stuffing.

Butter – I use salted butter. When using unsalted butter I would suggest adding a touch of salt to the filling as well as the garlic butter.

Garlic – I prefer to use a couple of cloves of fresh minced garlic. Substitute with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.

Onion – any kind of onion will work here, you just need 1/2 cup diced.

Bell Pepper – Any color can be used. I prefer to use red for presentation.

Crab Meat – Any type pf crabmeat can be used in this recipe. Since it’s being mixed with other fillers, I just use canned crab meat, it’s cheaper.

If you prefer lump crab or want to steam your own crab legs and use that meat, it will be fine. You’ll need to break it up into smaller chunks that will fit into your mushrooms caps.

Pick through all types of crab make sure there are no small pieces of shell or cartilage remaining.

Parsley – Fresh or dried parsley can be used. This can even be omitted if you just don’t any of either.

Italian Seasoning – 1/4 teaspoon of basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary can be used as a substitute.

Parmesan Cheese – I use the grated kind from the green can.

Breadcrumbs – Plain, panko, Italian, or homemade breadcrumbs can be used.

White Wine – Any dry variety can be used. You’re cooking it with butter and garlic so even the cheap cooking wine you find in the grocery store will work.

1/2 cup of chicken broth plus 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice can be used as a substitute for the wine.

Garlic Powder – I use garlic powder in the butter sauce so it doesn’t burn during the baking.

Optional Cheese – you can add cheese to the top of these stuffed mushrooms just like the restaurants do, simply add some small cheese slices to the tops and place back into the oven for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.

Lemons – Serve with fresh lemon slices for squeezing over the top. Seafood and lemons always go together.

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat an oven to 350⁰F.
Spray a 9 X 13 pan with baking spray and set aside.
Gently remove the stems from 20 large or 30 medium-large mushrooms by grabbing the stem near the gills and gently “snapping” it off. You may need to rock it back and forth on a few of them.
Reserve the mushroom stems and place the mushroom caps, gill sides up, in the baking pan.
Dice about 1/4 of the mushroom stems and set aside.
Melt 1/2 cup of salted butter in a skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 cup diced mushroom stems, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup diced bell pepper, and 1/2 cup diced onions. (Photo 1)
Cook until everything is slightly softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. The larger the vegetables are diced, the longer it will take. (Photo 2)
Remove from the heat and add 12 ounces crab meat (about 1 cup), 2 teaspoons parsley, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, and 1/2 parmesan cheese.
Mix until everything is well combined and all the liquid has been absorbed.
Fill the mushrooms caps with about 1 tablespoon of crab filling. I use my small cookie scoop to fill the caps evenly. * (Photos 5 and 6)
Melt an additional 1/2 cup salted butter in a small saucepan, add 1/2 cup white wine (or 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1 tablespoon apple cider), and 1 teaspoon garlic powder and stir to combine. (Photo 7)
Spoon the garlic butter sauce over the filled mushrooms. (Photo 8)
Place into the preheated 350⁰F oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked to your liking. ** 20 minutes will leave the centers of the mushroom cap slightly off white like the inside of a deep-fried mushroom.
OPTIONAL – Sliced or shredded white cheddar or mozzarella cheese can be added to the tops of the mushrooms. Place back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt.
Serve hot with lemon wedges.

* The stuffed mushrooms can be covered tightly and refrigerated at this point and baked within 2 days.

PRO TIPS

Once the mushrooms have been filled they can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for 2 days and baked when needed.
Portobellos can be used in place of the button mushrooms. Remove the gills and increase the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes.
12 ounces of crab meat is approximately 1 cup. More crab can be added if desired.
Pick through any crab meat and discard any shell or cartilage pieces.
Substitute 1/2 cup chicken broth with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice for the white wine in the garlic butter for an alcohol-free version.
Cheese can be added to the tops of the baked mushrooms.
- Bake an additional 5 minutes after adding cheese. Sliced white cheddar and mozzarella are great for this.