How to Cook Snow Crab Legs {Boil, Bake or Steam}
Learning how to cook snow crab legs at home is much easier than you might think. Most snow crab legs sold at the grocery store are already cooked, so you’re simply reheating them until they’re hot and ready to eat. This recipe adds plenty of flavor with butter, fresh lemon, garlic, and your choice of lemon pepper or Old Bay seasoning.
Serve your crab legs hot with lemon wedges and melted butter for dipping.
First step: snap one crab leg off from the cluster. Then snap it at the middle joint so you get two easy-to-handle pieces. Gently bend each piece until the shell breaks, and the meat will just slide right out. Add a squeeze of lemon, dunk it in the melted butter, and chow down. When you’re done with all the legs, you can crack open the last bit of the cluster with your hands and use a baby fork to get out all the little bits of meat.
Start the same way you did with the legs: break it off, then break it apart at the hinge. Snap off the pincers, and you’re left with the meaty part of the claw. This has a tougher shell than the legs, so the best way to get it open is to use a nutcracker on the shell. Or, if you’re not too picky about manners, you can just crack it with your teeth. Once you get the shell to crack, you can peel it back and slide out the meat.
Plan on 1 to 1½ pounds of snow crab clusters per person for a main course, or about ½ pound per person when the crab is one part of a bigger seafood spread. Clusters average ¾ to 1 pound each, so that comes out to roughly one to two clusters a person.
The number sounds high because shell is most of that weight.
Hungry adults who are eating nothing but crab will go through 2 pounds without blinking, but put biscuits and corn on the table alongside and 1 pound a person holds up fine.
Overnight in the refrigerator. The best option. Set the clusters in a colander over a bowl so the melting ice drains away instead of pooling, and give them 10 to 12 hours on a low shelf.
Cold water, in a hurry. Seal the crab in a bag, submerge it in a bowl of cold water, and change the water every 20 to 30 minutes. Most clusters are ready in 30 to 60 minutes.
You can cook snow crab legs from frozen if dinner snuck up on you. Add 3 to 4 minutes to whichever method you are using and expect the meat to be slightly wetter than it would be from thawed.
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How to Cook Snow Crab Legs (Oven Baked)
- Thaw crab legs, if needed. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line the baking sheet with foil. Place snow crab clusters on foil lined baking sheet.
- Squeeze lemon over crab legs evenly. Lay ¼ cup butter, cubed on top of crab legs.
- Sprinkle crab legs with lemon pepper and minced garlic. Place crab legs in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
- Serve warm with lemon wedges and your second 1/4 cup of melted butter for dipping.
How to Boil Snow Crab Legs
Boiling is a quick way to heat snow crab legs, especially if you’re cooking several clusters at once. Since most store-bought snow crab legs are already cooked, you only need to warm them through.
- Fill a large pot about halfway with water and bring it to a boil.
- Add a pinch of salt, if desired.
- Carefully add the thawed snow crab legs to the boiling water.
- Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until the crab legs are heated through.
- Remove the crab legs with tongs and let any excess water drain off.
- Serve immediately with melted butter and fresh lemon wedges.
Tip: Avoid boiling the crab legs for too long. Overheating can make the meat dry and harder to remove from the shell.
How to Steam Snow Crab Legs
Steaming is one of the best ways to reheat snow crab legs because it gently heats the crab without submerging it in water.
- Add about 1–2 inches of water to a large pot and bring it to a boil.
- Place a steamer basket or metal colander inside the pot, making sure the water does not touch the crab legs.
- Add the thawed snow crab legs to the steamer basket.
- Cover the pot with a lid.
- Steam for 5–7 minutes, or until the crab legs are hot throughout.
- Carefully remove them with tongs and serve with melted butter and lemon.
Tip: If your crab legs are especially large or very cold when they go into the pot, they may need another minute or two to heat through.
Here are more seafood recipes we love!
- Instant Pot Bang Bang Shrimp
- Easy Tuna Patties
- Life Changing Tuna Melts
- Crab Cake Balls Appetizer
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
How to Cook Snow Crab Legs
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Ingredients
- 4 pounds Snow Crab leg clusters
- 2 lemons 1 juiced, 1 sliced for serving
- ½ cup Divided ¼ cup cut and cubed, ¼ cup melted for serving
- Lemon pepper or Old Bay Seasoning to taste
- 2 teaspoons garlic
Instructions
- Thaw crab legs, if needed. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line the baking sheet with foil. Place snow crab clusters on foil lined baking sheet
- Squeeze lemon over crab legs evenly. Lay ¼ cup butter, cubed on top of crab legs
- Sprinkle crab legs with lemon pepper and minced garlic. Place crab legs in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
- Serve warm with lemon wedges and your second 1/4 cup of melted butter for dipping.
Notes
How to Boil Snow Crab Legs
Boiling is a quick way to heat snow crab legs, especially if you’re cooking several clusters at once. Since most store-bought snow crab legs are already cooked, you only need to warm them through.- Fill a large pot about halfway with water and bring it to a boil.
- Add a pinch of salt, if desired.
- Carefully add the thawed snow crab legs to the boiling water.
- Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until the crab legs are heated through.
- Remove the crab legs with tongs and let any excess water drain off.
- Serve immediately with melted butter and fresh lemon wedges.
How to Steam Snow Crab Legs
Steaming is one of the best ways to reheat snow crab legs because it gently heats the crab without submerging it in water.- Add about 1–2 inches of water to a large pot and bring it to a boil.
- Place a steamer basket or metal colander inside the pot, making sure the water does not touch the crab legs.
- Add the thawed snow crab legs to the steamer basket.
- Cover the pot with a lid.
- Steam for 5–7 minutes, or until the crab legs are hot throughout.
- Carefully remove them with tongs and serve with melted butter and lemon.
What to serve with crab legs:
For a vegetable, you could go for a green salad, coleslaw, or a simple steamed veggie like asparagus or green beans. For a starch, serve rice or potatoes, or these Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits.Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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Originally Posted: December 2020
Post Updated: August 2026
Why do you recommend putting 1/4 cup butter cubed on top of crab legs while baking?
Do you use that for the dipping butter afterwards?
Yep! The second 1/4 is for dipping. The cubed butter on top while baking is has been my “secret weapon” for making the tastiest crab legs around 🙂
Most crab legs you buy are going to come pre-cooked and flash Frozen from the processor, if you would like to try to keep the meat a little moisture try steaming them for about seven or eight minutes it will add to the moisture content
I’d like to know how to steam the Crab Legs?
OMG yesssss I LOVE LOVE LOVE crab legs. Just wish my family would eat them haha. This recipe is perfect and easy to follow and make.