This easy Crab Dip, made with real lump crab meat, is rich and creamy dip full of delicious flavors! This cheesy party appetizer is baked and bubbly in 30 minutes and is a scoopable delight that your guests will love!
Need more easy appetizer recipes to try? These Shrimp Avocado Cucumber Bites are so quick and easy. This Street Corn Dip is loaded with flavor and this Rotel Dip is always such a favorite!
Table of contents
Easy Crab Dip with Cream Cheese
Crab dip is one of my favorite low carb party foods to whip up because truth be told, as elegant and impressive as this perfect appetizer is, it’s ridiculously easy to make! With 5 minutes of prep time, the entire dip is ready, baked, and bubbly in half an hour.
This cream cheese crab dip is the fancier version of a traditional hot dip! You won’t find any imitation crab meat in this recipe, we’re using lump crab meat which is the real deal. If we’re serving a holiday appetizer might as well go the extra mile!
It’s great as a game day appetizer or potluck, and it’s the best when you’re setting up snacks for movie night! You can even make this creamy savory dip with a little extra spice if you’d like. Add a few dashes of hot sauce or use pepper jack cheese.
However, it won’t last long with whomever you enjoy this dip, so go ahead and make a double batch!
What to serve with hot crab dip?
We love to dip tortilla chips, sliced baguette, and pita chips into it! You can also serve it with fresh vegetables, your favorite crackers, breadsticks, you name it.
If you’re serving it in a bread bowl, serve it with the bread you reserved when you hollowed out the loaf.
Ingredients/shopping list
- Cream cheese: Bring it out to room temperature ahead of time so it’s soft enough to cream and mix with the other ingredients. You want to avoid using the spreadable kind in the container, so this helps the block become soft enough so you don’t have lumps of cream cheese not blended.
- Sour cream: This is a common addition to cream cheese dips. It’s rich and creamy without being as thick as cream cheese, so it helps to lighten it up. Use full-fat or light sour cream. You can also plain greek yogurt.
- Lemon juice: Really brightens up the flavors and works nicely with crab meat.
- Old Bay seasoning: A popular flavor addition to all kinds of seafood dishes. If you have a favorite seafood seasoning, you can use that instead.
- Hot sauce: Optional, but a great way to add some heat if you desire. Use whichever you have on hand. You can also stir in some diced jalapeno.
- Colby Jack cheese & Monterey Jack cheese: Both are divided and used in the dip and baked on top of the dip. Add a tasty, flavorful, sharpness as well as an ooey gooey melty texture.
- Green onions: Also divided and used in the dip as well as for garnish!
- Lump crab meat: Real crab meat that usually comes in a can. You can also buy it from your local seafood counter, however, you’ll need to use it sooner rather than later. You can store cans for longer.
Variations/ Substitutions
1. Bake the dip in a bread bowl for a fun presentation!
2. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
3. Add a dash of white wine.
4. A dash of Worcestershire sauce adds great umami flavor too.
5. For a different cheese, you can use a sharp cheddar, Jalapeno Monterey Jack, or American cheese, if preferred.
6. Use any kind of crab meat you prefer, as long as it’s not imitation (which isn’t actually crab at all). Blue crab, jumbo lump, or claw meat are options.
7. Add a topping like crumbled Ritz crackers or other butter crackers.
How to Make this Hot Crab Dip Recipe
This recipe will come together in a few simple steps!
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, and seafood seasoning. If you’re using hot sauce, add that in too. Mix everything to combine.
Step 2: Add ½ cup of both shredded cheeses and the sliced green onions.
Step 3: Then, dump in the crab meat and stir gently to combine.
Step 4: Spread the crab meat into the bottom of a greased baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese.
Step 5: Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is melted, the sides are bubbling and the dip is piping hot!
Carefully remove it from the oven, let it sit for a few minutes, then dig in!
Tips
- This crab dip is best enjoyed the day you make it.
- I highly recommend shredding your own cheese from a block. It melts better than pre-shredded packaged cheese.
- While this crab dip is typically served warm, you can serve it as a cold dip. It just means you’ll prepare it without baking (just make sure here are no raw ingredients in it.)
- Find a can of lump cream meat in your local grocery store, usually by the tuna cans.
FAQ’s
Yes! Get a head start and prepare it overnight. Spread it into the dish and cover it with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake and serve it the next day.
It truly is best eaten right away and it’s usually gone fast enough that leftovers aren’t an issue! However, if you do have any left, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two.
For a quick reheat, the microwave will do the trick. If you’ve got a larger amount you can reheat it in the oven until it’s warmed through.
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Crab Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (½ large lemon)
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning or other seafood seasoning
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce optional
- 1 cup Colby jack cheese shredded ,divided
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese shredded ,divided
- ¼ cup green onions thinly sliced plus more for garnish
- 8 ounces lump crab meat
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. (8 or 9 inch)
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, seafood seasoning, (and hot sauce if using) and mix together.8 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- Add in ½ cup each of both cheeses and the sliced green onions.1 cup Colby jack cheese, 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, ¼ cup green onions
- Then add in the crab meat and gently stir to combine.8 ounces lump crab meat
- Pour the crab mixture into the baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.1 cup Colby jack cheese, 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
- Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until bubbling and hot.
- Garnish with more green onions and serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or sliced baguette.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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Lori
This recipe is easy to make and is always a big hit at gatherings.