When you’re looking for an easy but elegant appetizer that your guests will devour, this Cold Crab Dip recipe is your answer. No baking, no broiling, no heating required, and this creamy dip can be made in advance to ease your dinner party workload.
Obviously, being from Maryland, I have strong feelings about all things crab. Using high-quality crabmeat is key, even better if you can find local crabmeat. A little Old Bay seasoning is also required.
From there, all kinds of delicious crab dishes are born, from Maryland Crab Cakes to Crab Stuffed Shrimp to this Cilantro-Lime Crab Salad. And of course, the best crab dip around!
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Why Make This Recipe
I love a baked crab dip, but sometimes you want a crab dip that doesn’t require oven time. This is especially true when you’re planning a holiday meal, and have too much to do right before your party starts or need the oven space for something else. A cold crab dip to the rescue! This one is creamy, delicious, and packed with lump crabmeat.
🥗 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.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
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.
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 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, lemon zest, 6 ounces of softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ cup chopped fresh chives. Use a hand mixer on medium-low speed to make the mixture smooth.
Gently stir in crabmeat. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add more salt, Old Bay, or lemon juice to taste.
Garnish with more chopped chives and a sprinkle of Old Bay to serve.
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.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Cold Crab Dip
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.
👩🍳 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.
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!).
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.
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 and bubbly. Then try one of these:
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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📖 Recipe
Cold Crab Dip
No baking, no broiling, no heating required, and this creamy crab dip can be made in advance to ease your dinner party workload.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lump crabmeat
- 1 lemon
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, plus more to garnish
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ 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 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 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, or lemon juice to taste.
- Garnish with more chopped chives and a sprinkle of Old Bay to serve.
Notes
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.
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 Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 205Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 778mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 16g
Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.
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!
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