This creamy, cold Crab Dip is the recipe I built during ten-plus years as a personal chef and refined as a Maryland native who takes her Old Bay seriously. It’s packed with sweet lump crabmeat in a tangy cream cheese base brightened with fresh lemon, Dijon, and chives. No oven, no broiler, no last-minute scramble.
What sets it apart from most easy crab dip recipes? Other recipes are quick to whip everything together in a bowl all at once, which shreds the crab into paste. I’ll walk you through how to build the base first with a mixer, then fold the lump crabmeat in by hand. No wading through a sea of cream cheese to find your crab. And, the flavor! In a word, it’s delicious, and it’s the reason this dip has disappeared from more dinner party platters than I can count.
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Why Make This Recipe
I love a baked crab dip, but sometimes the last thing you want during a holiday meal is one more thing fighting for oven space, or one more thing to babysit while guests are walking in the door. That’s where this cold crab dip earns its spot on the menu.
Even better, this dip tastes better the next day. Mix it the night before your party and by the time you pull it out, the flavors have had a chance to meld into the perfect balance. Creamy, packed with lump crabmeat, and ready when you are.
Crab Dip Ingredients
- Crabmeat: Lump is perfect for this crab dip—no need to spend the big bucks for jumbo lump crab meat, given that it is just going to be mixed into a dip. Of course I prefer Maryland blue crab meat, but use what you have available in your area.
- Cream Cheese: This brings the dip together in a creamy, cheesy way. I prefer full-fat for my cream cheese, as you really can’t beat the flavor and texture. If you want to lighten up the dip a bit, try using crème fraîche instead of cream cheese.
- Mayonnaise: Hellman’s (Best Foods) is my favorite brand, but use what you prefer. You could replace it with a bit of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Leave this out if you don’t have it, but it does add a little savory depth of flavor to the dip.
- Old Bay Seasoning: A Maryland essential! If you don’t have Old Bay, you could add a little bit of chili powder to the dip.
- Garlic Powder: If you love garlic, feel free to mince up some fresh garlic and use that instead.
- Chives: Fresh chives are perfect in this recipe for both the dip itself and for garnish. Possible substitutions would be Italian parsley or green onions.
How to Make Crab Dip
Let's start!
- Dump 1 pound lump crabmeat into a colander over the sink. Rinse crabmeat in cold water, then gently squeeze clumps of crabmeat to remove as much moisture as possible and carefully pick out any pieces of shell. Set cleaned crabmeat aside in a medium bowl.
2. Juice and zest one lemon. You should end up with about 2 teaspoons of zest and 3 tablespoons of juice.
3. In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ cup chopped fresh chives. Use a hand mixer on medium-low speed to make the mixture smooth.
4. Gently stir in crabmeat. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add more salt, Old Bay, or lemon juice to taste.
5. Garnish with more chopped chives and a sprinkle of Old Bay to serve.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
If the cream cheese is too cold, it will be hard to combine the dip ingredients in a smooth mixture, even with the mixer. Pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds on 50% power if you forget to leave it out at room temperature long enough to soften it.
Want to make a spicy crab dip? Add more Old Bay seasoning, or try adding a little cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce. Make it cheesier by adding in some parmesan cheese.
This easy crab dip recipe is the perfect appetizer for your holiday celebration. Pair it with some other delicious appetizers like Baked Camembert with Hot Honey, Truffled Deviled Eggs, or Cranberry Brie Bites. Perfect for Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, or whatever you are celebrating. Great for summer parties too, since you won’t heat up your kitchen to make it.
Got leftovers? Put some crab dip between two tortillas, add a little grated cheese on top, and turn into crab quesadillas.
What to Serve With Crab Dip
Serve dip with crackers, tortilla chips, or pita chips. It would be delicious smeared on a piece of Garlic Baguette. Or go low carb and serve with sliced cucumber, carrots, or bell peppers (or serve with all of the above!).
Storage Tips
Store any leftover crab dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will last for up to 3 days. Or, wrap the serving bowl tightly with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.
Crab Dip FAQs
Yes, this dip is excellent for making in advance. It may even be better after the flavors have the chance to really meld. Make it up to 24 hours in advance and keep chilled until ready to serve.
You can. I very much prefer using fresh crab meat, but imitation will definitely work. Just chop it into small pieces before stirring into your dip.
Other Festive Crab Recipes
If you love crab as much as I do, you might want to check out some of these other recipes that feature crab. First, try this Hot Crab Dip recipe for when you want something baked. Then check out my Best Crab Meat Recipes post or try one of these:
More Recipes To Try
If you try this easy Cold Crab Dip recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
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Cold Crab Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lump crabmeat
- 1 lemon
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning plus more to garnish
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives plus more to garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dump crabmeat into a colander over the sink.
- Rinse crabmeat in cold water, then gently squeeze clumps of crabmeat to remove as much moisture as possible and carefully pick out any pieces of shell. Set cleaned crabmeat aside in a medium bowl.
- Juice and zest one lemon. You should end up with about 2 teaspoons of zest and 3 tablespoons of juice.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and the next 8 ingredients. Use a hand mixer on medium-low speed to make the mixture smooth.
- Gently stir in crabmeat.
- Add pepper, plus more salt, Old Bay, lemon zest, or lemon juice to taste.
- Garnish with more chopped chives and a sprinkle of Old Bay to serve.
Notes
If the cream cheese is too cold, it will be hard to combine the dip ingredients in a smooth mixture, even with the mixer. Pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds on 50% power if you forget to leave it out at room temperature long enough to soften it. Want to make a spicy crab dip? Add more Old Bay seasoning, or try adding a little cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce. Make it cheesier by adding in some parmesan cheese. Storage Tips:
Store any leftover crab dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will last for up to 3 days. Or, wrap the serving bowl tightly with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this cold crab dip with cream cheese, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Kristin says
This was amazing! I brought it to a party and it was gone in less than 30 minutes. Everyone raved at how good it was. Thanks for the recipe!
Molly Pisula says
Love that! Thanks so much, Kristin!
Fern V Jacobs says
An easy classic. I spent the farm and used jumbo lump crabmeat. It came out awesome! This is my go-to for crab dip
Molly Pisula says
Lol, "spent the farm". Yup, jumbo lump will do that to you. It's soooo good though!
Sandra says
Hi
Can I add lobster meat to this dip with the crab?
Molly Pisula says
Ooh, now that's a fun idea! Sure, you could definitely add lobster meat in there. You might also add some lobster meat as a garnish on top. Yum!
Molly Pisula says
After years of making only baked crab dip, I came up with this recipe as a quicker way to enjoy decadent crab dip. Now I think I make this version even more than my original hot baked version! Season with lemon and Old Bay to your taste. I think you'll love this!
Tom Trenschel says
Way to lemony for my taste. i didn't taste anything enforcing the delicate flavor of lump blue Crab. kind of overpowered with lemon. added additional garlic and Hellman's to try neutralize the lemon. In the end, a bit disappointed at no flavors enhancing the crab.
Molly Pisula says
Thanks for commenting. I love lemon, and think it complements the crab nicely in this dip, but I agree that starting with 2 tablespoons may be too much for some people. I adjusted the recipe to start with a lower amount. Then add to taste if you're a lemon lover!
Mimi Rippee says
Do you really serve this cold? Or room temperature?
Molly Pisula says
Cold! It's lovely that way. I also have a warm baked Crab Dip recipe on my site, but this one is designed to be eaten chilled.
Mimi Rippee says
I’m fascinated by this! Thanks!