Creamy, seasoned lump crab meat is baked to bubbly perfection in individual savory pie crust cups.
These individual hot crab dip cups made in a muffin pan are better than the typical skillet version for several reasons:
- The crisp, buttery pie crust is far more satisfying than crackers.
- Each bite is single-serve, so there’s no double-dipping or shared utensils to worry about.
- They store and reheat easily—much better for leftovers than a cheese-crusted skillet.
They’re simple to make and deliver on flavor. A couple of practical notes up front: working with pie pastry can be a bit fussy. Instead of cutting perfect circles, I cut the crust into thick strips, place one piece across the bottom of each muffin cup, and form a wall around the sides by overlapping and pressing the pieces together. Chilling the filled shells briefly helps them hold their shape.
This recipe often yields slightly more filling than fits into a 12-cup muffin pan (roughly 3/4 cup extra). That’s normal because ingredient packages come in set amounts. Use a small ramekin or tiny skillet for the leftover filling and bake it as a small dip, or freeze it to bake later.
Two other tips for excellent crab dip: use a small amount of a savory, umami-forward seasoning to deepen the flavor, and choose good-quality crab meat—fresh lump crab will make a big difference. The final trick is adding heavy cream to keep the center of each cup indulgently creamy, since the pastry needs time in the oven to brown.
Recipe: Individual Hot Crab Dip Bites
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- Author: Jess Pryles
- Yield: makes 12
Ingredients
Scale
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
2 teaspoons savory seasoning or to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
8 oz heavy cream
1 lb lump crab meat
8 oz grated cheddar, gruyere, or jack cheese
2 x 9″ rolled pie crusts, defrosted
1 egg white
Instructions
- Prepare the muffin pan. If it’s not non-stick, spray each cup lightly with oil. Cut the pie crusts into circles to fit each cup, or cut thick strips and press one across the bottom and another around the sides, overlapping and sealing the edges. Chill the shells while you prepare the filling.
- Whisk the egg white lightly until foamy and brush a thin coat on the inside of each pie crust cup—base and sides. This helps seal the pastry and prevents sogginess. Return the pan to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Old Bay, savory seasoning, and Dijon mustard until smooth.
- Fold in the lump crab and heavy cream gently so the crab stays in chunks and the mixture stays creamy.
- Spoon the filling into each prepared crust, filling to the top.
- Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the cups. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the tops are golden.
- Let the cups cool slightly, then remove them from the muffin tin and serve warm.
- Category: seafood