Seafood dishes remind us of summer days, but we can also enjoy them during the cold weather. Crab casserole is a perfect example. It’s the perfect crab bake. It’s creamy and cheesy, and you can serve it as a hot dip or as a main dish with a side salad.
You can even serve it on toast. It is extremely versatile. I had never thought that crab casserole recipes could be so delicious until I was researching recipes for brunch.
This recipe was a huge success, and I served it with little toast squares. You can either make it with real lump crab meat or with imitation crab. It’s delicious both ways, easy and fast to make.
If you love crab as much as I do, check out these other recipes: Best-Ever Crab Cakes and Cheesy Crab Rangoon Dip.
Crab Casserole Ingredients
- Imitation crab. I love imitation crab. I have to confess I like it more than lump crab meat, but you can use real crab meat if you prefer.
- Green onions. I generally only use the green part, but for this dish, I used the whole onion.
- Mayonnaise. As you know, mayo is made with eggs and oil, and they provide the necessary fat in this ingredient to make it smooth and help all other ingredients cook properly.
- Sour cream and cream cheese. This lactic pair provides creaminess to the dip. They give this dip its body.
- Swiss cheese is a bit more pungent than most cheeses, and it pairs perfectly with all the mild flavors this casserole has and elevates the flavor of the crab.
- Mustard and garlic powder. When a casserole contains this much cream and cheese, it needs a bit of a kick. Too much cream can make a dish boring and too mild in flavor. This is why these two are very important.
- Shredded cheddar adds to the wonderful flavors and is visually very appealing. If you only added Swiss cheese, this dish would turn out too bland-looking.
How To Make Crab Casserole?
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Using a large mixing bowl, mix crab meat, green onions, sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, garlic, and mustard powders using a rubber spatula until all ingredients are well combined.
- Mix in the shredded Swiss cheese until it is evenly incorporated.
- Spoon the mixture into a baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until the mix is hot and bubbly. 5 minutes before baking time is over, sprinkle ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese and continue baking until the cheddar cheese is melted.
Can You Freeze Crab Casserole?
It is a very nice dish to have in the freezer for when you have company over. All you have to do is take it out and microwave it for 3-4 minutes, or put it in the oven for 45 mins. You can freeze it for up to 4 months.
What To Serve With Crab Casserole?
I like to serve it as one of several finger foods or appetizers, like Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos, Cream Cheese Sausage Balls, and sweet finger food like Funnel Cake Bites.
If I am serving it as a brunch option, I’ll include these other recipes in the list: Farmer’s Casserole, Brunch Casserole, and my favorite Breakfast Sausage Egg Boats and Homemade French Toast Sticks. So you see, this dish can be used on multiple occasions.
Store and Reheat Instructions
If you refrigerate or freeze the casserole, either place it in an airtight container or wrap the baking dish with plastic wrap and foil. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
To reheat it, you can either microwave it for 1-2 minutes if it was refrigerated or for 5-6 if it was frozen. I recommend mixing it halfway through the heating time.
You can also reheat it in a 350F oven for 10 minutes if refrigerated or 20 if frozen.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure to take the cream cheese out of the fridge 20 mins before making the dish so that mixing it will be easy.
- If you want your casserole to be chunky or smooth, chop the crab meat accordingly,
- Use the whole green onion, the white part included. If you don’t have green onions, you can use regular white onion, but chop it finely.
- Shred your cheddar cheese so it will melt properly. Pre-shredded cheese does not melt properly.
Looking for more great-tasting dip recipes? I think you might enjoy these:
Crab Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb imitation crab meat, chopped or shredded
- 3 green onions, chopped (white and green parts included)
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese for topping
Instructions
- In a big mixing bowl, combine the crab meat, mayonnaise, green onions, sour cream, cream cheese, garlic powder, mustard powder, and salt. Preheat the oven to 350F
- Mix in the shredded Swiss cheese
- Scoop the mixture into a baking dish and bake for 20-25 mins until hot and bubbly. 5 minutes before the cooking time is over, sprinkle ½ cup of shredded cheddar on top and continue baking until the cheddar cheese is melted
Awesome