Cream Cheese and Crab Roll Appetizer Recipe

Cheesy Crab Roll is a perfect, easy to make appetizer to bring to any gathering. In about 30 minutes you have a hot dish ready to go.

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Let me start by telling you that I call this an appetizer, but it can be filling enough for a meal. At least, Justin and I had it for dinner one night. But really, cheesy crab rolls are a perfect appetizer to bring to a potluck since it’s a great bite-sized party snack. It doesn’t take long to make and uses easy ingredients.

Growing up, I didn’t eat a lot of seafood. My mom is severely allergic so we never had any in the house. Since college, I’ve tried more seafood and found that I do enjoy some of it. I still don’t like any that’s really fishy, but mild seafood works for me. That’s why we cook with tilapia for most fish meals. With all of the other flavors in the cheesy crab roll, the taste of the crab is not overpowering, which is exactly what I wanted.

We used a tube of crescent rolls and kept it as one big piece for the dough. You could also get a refrigerated pizza dough similar to the crescent rolls. I think the crescent rolls give it a bit more of a flaky crust, though.

Also, make sure you use lump crab. It comes in a can and is usually near the tuna and other canned seafood. You could use fresh crab meat, but that’s going to be much more expensive. If you enjoy lump crab, you should also try our hot crab dip.

Serving Suggestions & Tips

• Mix in some diced red onions, a dash of Worcestershire sauce or lemon juice, hot sauce, old bay seasoning, sesame seeds, garlic powder, or black pepper. 
• You can dry the lump crab in a paper towel to avoid being too soggy. 
• Optionally, combine a few spoonfuls of crab with the cream cheese mixture then spread the crab mixture in a straight line on the crescent rolls. 
• In place of lump crab meat, you can use imitation crab, but it won’t have quite the same flavor. Make sure you dice it up very small so it mixed well with the cream cheese. 

Crab Roll Step by Step

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 green onion (chopped)
• 1 tsp dill
• 1 can crescent rolls
• 6 oz lump crab meat
• 1 egg

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, green onions, and dill.

Roll out the crescent rolls and pinch the seams together.

Place the lump crab meat down the center of the crescent rolls leaving room on both ends for rolling it up.

Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the crab meat.

Gently roll the crescent roll over the fillings into a log shape and flip it so the seam is down. Brush it with an egg wash.

Move the roll to a preheated baking stone or a baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Slice and serve warm. We had it with tartar sauce on the side to dip.

Cream Cheese and Crab Roll Appetizer Leftovers

Storage: Once the leftovers cool to room temperature, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. 

Reheating: The best way to reheat this is in an oven under medium heat, about 300 degrees, until warmed through, about 4-5 minutes. 

Recipe

Cheesy Crab Roll

Cheesy Crab Roll is a perfect, easy to make appetizer to bring to any gathering. In about 30 minutes you have a hot dish ready to go.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Course:

Appetizer

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

crab

|

cream cheese

|

seafood

Servings: 10 pieces

5 from 5 votes

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 green onion (chopped)
• 1 tsp dill
• 1 can crescent rolls
• 6 oz lump crab meat
• 1 egg

Recommended Equipment

• Mixing Bowls – Stainless Steel
• Whisk – Wire
• Pastry Brush
• Baking Stone
• Baking Sheet

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, green onion, and dill
• Roll out the crescent rolls and pinch the seams together
• Place the lump crab meat down the center of the crescent rolls leaving room on both ends for rolling it up
• Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the crab meat
• Gently roll the crescent roll over the fillings and flip it so the seam is down
• Brush it with an egg wash
• Move the roll to a preheated baking stone or a baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the dough is golden brown
• Slice and serve warm

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Nutrition Facts

Cheesy Crab Roll

Amount Per Serving (1 piece)

Calories 179 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 7g35%

Cholesterol 49mg16%

Sodium 411mg17%

Potassium 75mg2%

Carbohydrates 10g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 340IU7%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 33mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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