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Table Of Contents hide
- Why You’ll Love This Hot Crab Dip Recipe
- How To Make Crab Dip
- Recipe Variations
- Storage Instructions
- What To Serve With Hot Crab Dip
- More Easy Crab Recipes
- Tools To Make Crab Dip Recipes
Whenever I’m entertaining, I love to have at least one creamy, cheesy dip, because those are always a hit. And this hot crab dip recipe definitely fits the bill. My 5-minute cold crab dip is my go-to when I’m in a rush, but when I want a warm, but still easy crab dip, making that adjustment is super simple.
Why You’ll Love This Hot Crab Dip Recipe
- Rich crab flavor with plenty of lump crab meat
- Smooth and creamy dip
- Quick 5-minute prep in one bowl
- Easy to make ahead
- Crowd pleasing appetizer
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this crab dip recipe, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Lump Crab Meat:
I highly recommend using jumbo lump crab meat, like this. It will make the best hot crab dip recipe with big crab chunks! If you don’t have any, here are some alternatives:
- Backfin crab meat, which is a combination of small pieces of lump crab meat and flakes of white body meat, is a cheaper alternative that is okay to use, but the texture of the dip won’t be as good as using only lump crab.
- Claw meat is the cheapest kind and you won’t get any chunks, but it does have a hearty crab flavor.
- If you have leftover fresh crab meat (such as from making crab legs), this is an excellent choice and tastes even better than the kind from a can.
- Imitation crab meat works from a recipe standpoint, but the flavor and texture is completely different.
Other Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese – The base of this hot crab dip recipe. Use full fat cream cheese for best flavor, but light or neufchatel works fine, too. Make sure your cream cheese is softened at room temperature, so that it mixes in well.
- Sour Cream – If you want to lighten it up a bit, substitute Greek yogurt.
- Mayonnaise – Make homemade mayo or use store-bought; either will work in this hot crab dip. You can also use only sour cream or only mayo instead of both, but combining them tastes better in my opinion.
- Lemon Juice – Brightens the flavor. Lemon almost always goes well with seafood dishes like this one. Fresh lemon juice is the most flavorful, but bottled lemon juice can be a convenient time saver.
- Old Bay Seasoning – This classic seafood seasoning makes an easy crab dip without messing with multiple spices individually, and it gives it a delicious, classic flavor.
- Cheddar cheese – We’re using shredded cheese, so buy it shredded to save some time or shred it yourself. Feel free to swap some of the cheddar for others, such as mozzarella or parmesan cheese.
- Chives – These add delicate flavor and a pop of color. You could also use thinly sliced green onions instead.
- Hot sauce – This is called hot crab dip because it’s warm, and while I add a dash of hot sauce, it isn’t spicy. If you like some heat, add more hot sauce or even some finely diced jalapenos.
How To Make Crab Dip
This section shows how to make hot crab dip, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Mix the creamy base. In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Old Bay seasoning, until smooth. Use a hand mixer to make this easy!
TIP: Soften your cream cheese if you need to.
If your cream cheese doesn’t mix smoothly with the other ingredients, you can microwave the mixture for about 30 seconds to soften it, then stir until completely uniform.
- Add the cheese, chives, and hot sauce. Stir until uniform. Taste and adjust hot sauce and/or Old Bay seasoning if you like.
- Add the crab. Fold in the crab meat using a spatula.
TIP: Be gentle when folding in the crab.
You want lumps of crab throughout the dip, so don’t overmix.
- Bake. Spoon the mixture into a small baking dish (this one is the perfect size). Smooth the top. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake crab dip until hot. If desired, garnish hot crab dip with more chives. Serve with your favorite dippers (see below for ideas).
Recipe Variations
If you want to take this dip to the next level, try one (or more) of these additions:
- Garlic – Add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Worcestershire Sauce – I decided not to include this due to the sugar content, but many crab dip recipes add this sauce for flavor depth and light sweetness. Feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons if you like.
- Salt – I don’t usually find it necessary to add any salt, since the cream cheese, cheddar, and Old Bay seasoning are already salty, but feel free to adjust to your taste.
- Bacon – Make bacon in the oven (my favorite method for crispy bacon), air fryer or microwave, crumble it and mix it into the dip.
- Spinach Artichoke – Stir about 1/2 cup drained frozen spinach and 1/2 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts to the dip, or simply add crab meat to spinach artichoke dip.
- Jalapeños – Add 1-2 jalapeños, finely diced, for a spicy kick.
Storage Instructions
- Store: After cooling the crab dip to room temperature, keep leftovers in refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you have leftover crab meat, use it to make a crab salad.
- Make Ahead: You can make the dip ahead, place in a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Bake right before serving.
- Reheat: Bake crab dip in a 350 degree F oven, or heat gently in the microwave. (I recommend the oven.)
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this dip, as the dairy will change texture during freezing/thawing process. It’s safe to eat, but the texture won’t be smooth.
What To Serve With Hot Crab Dip
Serve this recipe for crab dip hot with your favorite dippers:
- Raw Veggies – My favorite! Mini bell peppers, celery sticks, cucumber slices, and carrots are all great for scooping up dips.
- Crackers – Any kind will do, but flax seed crackers or almond flour crackers are delicious, healthy options.
- Breads – Sliced baguette is a common choice, or try my lighter almond flour bread.
- Chips – Use tortilla chips (or almond flour tortilla chips), light and crispy zucchini chips, or any other kind you like.
- Mushrooms – You could even use this dip to stuff portobello or cremini mushroom caps similar to my crab stuffed mushrooms.
Looking for more hot dip recipes? Try my sausage rotel dip, classic spinach artichoke dip, or my infamous crack dip next!
More Easy Crab Recipes
If you like this recipe for hot crab dip, you might also like some of these other crab recipes:
Cold Crab Dip
Crab Salad
Crab Legs
Crab Stuffed Salmon
- Small Baking Dish– This is the one I used. It’s the perfect size for this dip and is beautiful enough to go from oven to table.
- Spatula– Make sure to fold in the crab meat gently, this spatula is the perfect tool to do so.
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Recipe Card
Hot Crab Dip Recipe (Easy & Creamy!)
This easy hot crab dip recipe is creamy, cheesy, and loaded with lump crab meat! It makes the perfect irresistible party appetizer.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com
Servings: 8 (adjust to scale recipe)
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Ingredients
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Old Bay seasoning, until smooth and creamy.
Stir in the cheddar cheese, chives, and hot sauce, to taste. Adjust Old Bay seasoning to taste if needed.
Using a spatula, fold in the crab meat. (Do this gently and don't over-mix. You want some lumps of crab throughout.)
Transfer the crab dip to a small baking dish (mine was this oval one). Bake for about 20 minutes, until hot.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.
Calories206
Fat17.7g
Protein9.6g
Total Carbs2.3g
Net Carbs2.2g
Fiber0.1g
Sugar1.4g
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
Course:Appetizer
Cuisine:American
Keywords:hot crab dip, hot crab dip recipe, warm crab dip
Calories: 206 kcal
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Hot Crab Dip Recipe
