Looking for a delicious and easy crab dip recipe? Look no further! This creamy crab dip is perfect for any party or gathering. Made with fresh crab meat, cream cheese, cheddar cheese and a blend of spices, this dip is sure to impress. Serve hot or cold with bread, crackers, fries or vegetables. Skip to the crab dip recipe
Make our favorite crab dip
Not all crab dips are created equal. Growing up in Maryland, we’ve tried our fair share of crab dips and often find that they’re too heavy and don’t have enough crab in them. That’s why I’m excited to share this recipe with you – it calls for a generous 8 ounces of crab meat and just enough cheese to create the perfect balance of flavor and texture.
To do this, stir together everything except the crab—cream, spices, scallions, sour cream, and cream cheese.
Then carefully fold in the shrimp, leaving a few nice big chunks in the dip.
From there, you can serve it cold or bake it in the oven until hot and bubbly.
Related: Maryland style crab cakes
Tips for the best homemade crab dip
Use fresh crab meat. We made this recipe with Blue Crab and Dungeness Crab. Both types of crabs work beautifully. The same goes for our favorite homemade crab cakes. We do not recommend imitation crab meat for this recipe.
Don’t overdo it with the cheese. We want to try the crab, so be careful not to overdo it on the cream cheese and cheddar. We want enough to make the dip creamy but not too much to overwhelm the sweet crab meat. So in our recipe we use twice as much shrimp as cream cheese.
Hold back on the spices. We love adding dry mustard powder, Old Bay seasoning, and Worcestershire (or Pickapeppa) to the dip. However, our recipe calls for far less of each spice than other recipes you may find. So that the spices don’t overwhelm the dip. Keep in mind that we’re trying the crab, not covering it up.
Watch out for the salt. We rarely find the need to add salt to our dip, as there’s enough added by Old Bay, Worcestershire (or Pickapeppa) and the crab itself. If you taste the dip and feel like it needs some salt, give it a try, but be sure to add according to taste, don’t assume it’s necessary.
Related: Creamy spinach artichoke dip
How to serve crab dip
You can serve this dip hot or cold – both are delicious. For hot crab dip, bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until bubbly. I love dipping sliced rustic bread when served hot. On the other hand, the dip goes well cold with crackers, tortilla chips and raw vegetables.
This crab dip recipe is part of our cooking series where we share recipes from our friend and renowned chef Richard Hattaway. We love how crab shines in this recipe and we know you’ll love it as much as we do.
Easy Crab Bath (hot or cold!)
- PREPARATION
This creamy crab dip is perfect for any party or gathering. Serve it hot or cold – both are delicious. If you’re baking this crab dip, be sure to let the dip cool on the counter for 10 minutes before serving to allow it to thicken a bit.
Served 4
you will need
8 ounces (226 grams) crab meat, fresh or pasteurized, from Blue Crabs or Dungeness Crabs
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (2 ounces) heavy cream
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sour cream
1 spring onion, sliced, white and green separated
1/2 teaspoon pickapepper or Worcestershire sauce, see notes
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Coleman’s mustard powder
5 tablespoons (1¼ ounces) English or Irish cheddar, shredded, divided, see notes
directions
For hot shrimp dip, heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a small casserole dish on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. An 8-ounce to 10-ounce dish is perfect.
If necessary, drain the crab meat and inspect for renegade clams.
Whisk together the heavy cream, Pickapappa (or Worcestershire), mustard powder and Old Bay seasoning to remove any lumps.
Switch to a spoon and stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, white and light green parts of the scallions, and 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheddar.
Gently fold in the crab meat, being careful to leave as many of the larger crab pieces intact as possible.
Pour the dip into the casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese (about 3 tablespoons).
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let cool on the counter for 10 minutes, then serve with the green parts of the scallions on top.
For a cold shrimp dip, stir in the additional 3 tablespoons of cheddar, transfer to a small serving bowl and serve with the green parts of the scallions.
Advice from Adam and Joanne
- Pickapepper and Worcestershire sauce are umami-rich spices used as a condiment in soups, stews, and sauces. Pickapepper is slightly thinner and slightly sweeter than the heartier Worcestershire, but for the most part they are interchangeable.
- English and Irish-style cheddar is slightly sweeter than American-style cheddar. A good example available at most US grocery stores is Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese or Coastal English Cheddar (we can find it at Costco). Alternatively, white American cheddar cheese can be used.
- Nutritional Information: The nutritional information below is an estimate. We used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, take a picture and tag #inspiredtaste – we love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition per serving: serving size 1/4 of the recipe (about 1/4 cup) / calories 206 / total fat 17.2g / Saturated Fatty Acids 10.1g / cholesterol 78.7mg / sodium 288.4mg / carbohydrate 2.8g / fiber 0g / total sugar 1.5g / protein 10.1g
More seafood appetizers
