Cheesy Vegan Crab Dip | A Maryland Favorite!

Creamy, cheesy, and surprisingly fishy, this Vegan Crab Dip is guaranteed to please! Trumpet mushrooms take the place of crab meat in this tasty recipe.

Growing up in Maryland, it was pretty much a given that crab dip would be present at a social event. It’s a local favorite, traditionally made with lump crab meat, Old Bay, a few other spices, and alll the dairy. Today I’m excited to share my totally vegan, dairy-free, and crab-FREE version with you! 

Thanks to a few simple plant-based swaps, I was able to make this recipe taste almost identical to the original. The biggest challenges were the crab meat and seafood flavor…but we’ll touch on that in a bit.

I made this recipe in collaboration with a few other vegan  bloggers — we all chose foods that reminded us of our hometown. After you’re done here, don’t forget to check out this Stinger Sub, Haitian Jackfruit Enchiladas, and Vegan Frisco Burger!

INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN CRAB DIP

You’ll only need 9 plant-based ingredients to make this recipe. Some of them are a little harder to find in stores, but I promise the hunt is worth it!

• King Oyster Mushrooms: these mild-flavored mushrooms have a long, wide stem – which, surprisingly, makes the perfect imitation crab meat once cooked!
• Silken Tofu & Cashews: I opted to use the combination of tofu and cashews to replace the sour cream, cheese, and mayo in traditional crab dip. Silken tofu adds texture and protein, while cashews add a nice creaminess
• Nutritional Yeast: this gives our dip its cheesy flavor! If you wanted to get extra fancy, you could sprinkle the top of this dip with 1/2 cup of store-bought vegan cheese as well.
• Dulse Flakes: dulse is a type of seaweed, and these small flakes help give our crab dip its “fishy” flavor! You can find them at some grocery stores, or purchase online.
• Lemon Juice: adds a nice tangy flavor to the dip
• Spices: Old Bay, powdered mustard, and Worcestershire sauce are all essential here! Heads up: most Worcestershire sauce isn’t vegan, so make sure you purchase a vegan version (I used this one)
• Avocado Oil: sautéing our mushrooms in avocado oil helps to add more richness to the dish, and also eliminates extra moisture from the mushrooms before baking in the oven.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CRAB DIP

Overall this dip is straightforward and easy to make. Shredding the mushrooms is the hardest part, but I’m going to break it down for you, so don’t you worry!

1. Use your fingers to peel of the darker “cap” of the mushroom. I did this to make the crab meat look more realistic; otherwise the dark mushroom tops would show through the dip. You can alternatively choose to simply slice off the mushroom caps and use in another dish!
2. Use your hands to break up the mushroom cap (if using) into “chunks” — this forms more lumps in the crab “meat”. Slice the stem into thin “sheets”, then use a fork to shred each piece against a cutting board. Moving in a slightly random pattern will produce shreds of different sizes.
3. Use a knife to roughly chop the shreds and make them smaller, then combine the shredded mushroom with the pieces of the cap to form the crab meat. I found that the combination of using the stems and caps gave the most realistic texture: 

Now all that’s left to do is sauté the mushrooms, blend up the rest of the dip ingredients, and combine the two in a saucepan. Transfer the dip to an oven-safe baking dish, then bake for 15 minutes. I also opted to broil my Vegan Crab Dip for an extra 4 minutes to get the top nice and brown!

You can serve this Vegan Crab Dip with crackers, bread, celery, or whatever the heck you want! It’s sure to please, and is an ideal recipe for game day, parties, or whenever the craving strikes. This dip is best served fresh and warm, but leftovers will also keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend reheating them in a saucepan with a splash of plant milk or water, to get them nice and creamy again.

If you’re looking for more veganized dip recipes, you’ll also love this Vegan Buffalo “Chicken” Dip, this Vegan Spinach Dip, and this Vegan Spinach & Artichoke Dip!

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

Cheesy Vegan Crab Dip

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Creamy, cheesy, and surprisingly fishy, this Vegan Crab Dip is guaranteed to please! Trumpet mushrooms take the place of crab meat in this tasty recipe.

• Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
• Prep Time: 30 Minutes
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
• Category: Side
• Method: Oven, Stovetop
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup (135 g) raw cashews, soaked in water overnight*
• 2 heaping cups (217 g / 7.5 oz) shredded Trumpet Mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other neutral oil)
• 8 ounces (230 g) silken tofu
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) filtered water
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1–2 teaspoons dulse granules (use more for a stronger fishy flavor)
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 teaspoon Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 375F and set a small 9×13″ or similar pan aside.
2. Shred the Mushrooms: Use a knife to cut off the mushroom cap from the stem. Use your fingers to peel of the darker “cap” of the mushroom (just a thin layer), and then break it up into small “lumps”. Slice the stem into thin “sheets”, then use a fork to shred each piece against a cutting board. Moving in a slightly random pattern will produce shreds of different sizes. Finally, use a knife to roughly chop the shredded mushrooms into smaller, random pieces and combine with the mushroom caps. (See blog post photos for more visual help).
3. Sauté & Blend: Heat the avocado oil in a medium nonstick pan; once warm, add the shredded mushrooms and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have released some moisture and their volume is smaller. In the meantime, blend the soaked cashews, tofu, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, mustard, and sea salt together on high until a thick, smooth, and creamy sauce forms. Add this sauce to the pan with the mushrooms; turn the heat off, and stir until well-combined. Transfer the dip into an oven-safe baking dish, then smooth out the top with a spatula.
4. Bake: place the dish on the top of your oven rack and bake for 13 to 15 minutes. If you’d like to brown the top, broil the dish for an additional 2-4 minutes after baking, but be careful that it doesn’t burn!
5. Serve: warm with crackers, bread, and celery, or as desired! Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days and are best reheated on the stovetop with a splash of plant-based milk.

Notes

• Cashews: if you forget to soak your cashews overnight, cover them in boiling water at let sit for at least 20 minutes.
• Substitutions: I have not tested any substitutions for this recipe. That being said, I believe you could swap the tofu for a vegan cream cheese and add in up to 1 cup of dairy-free cheese to this recipe for a more gooey, cheesy flavor!
• This recipe was inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction!

Keywords: vegan crab dip, healthy crab dip, gluten free crab dip