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–+ servings
A tray of cooked crab legs and lemons
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5 from 4 votes

How To Cook Crab Legs (3 Ways!)

Learn how to cook crab legs in under 10 minutes with three easy methods — boiling, steaming, and baking!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: How To Cook Crab Legs
Servings: 2 people
Author: Lisa Bryan

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 clusters of snow crab or Dungeness crab legs (or 6 individual king crab legs) thawed

Crab Dipping Sauce

  • ⅓ cup melted unsalted butter
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Boiling Crab Legs: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the crab legs in the pot, gently bending at the joints if needed, to make sure they're completely submerged in the water. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until heated through.
    Boiled crab legs
  • Steaming Crab Legs: Fill a large pot with an inch of water, and place a steamer basket on top. Bring the water to a boil. Place the crab legs in the basket, and steam for 8 to 10 minutes, or until heated through.
    Steamed crab legs
  • Baking Crab Legs: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Arrange the crab legs in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes (depending on size), or until heated through.
    Baked crab legs
  • Crack the legs open. Once the crab legs are cooked, use crab crackers or kitchen shears to open them up. Dip the crab meat in the garlic butter sauce and enjoy!
    A tray of crab legs and sauce

Notes

  • Add a bit more time to each cooking method, if the crab legs are still frozen. 

Nutrition

Calories: 83kcal | Protein: 18g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 830mg | Potassium: 202mg | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg