Creamy Baked Crab Dip

This creamy baked crab dip comes together in just 30 minutes with only 10 ingredients – and no mayonnaise! It’s super easy to make and is loaded with chunks of lump crabmeat. Serve with your favorite crackers or crispy crostini for a crowd-pleasing appetizer your family will love!

 

You Will Love This

• If you like crab rangoon you are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this dip! It’s got all the same flavors, but it takes just minutes to throw together. Skip the extra work of that deep fried appetizer and opt for this super simple snack everyone will love!
• If you’re looking for more cheesy dip recipes, be sure to check out The Best Jalapeno Popper Dip, Creamy Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip, or my 30 Minute Cheesy Baked Olive Dip.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Cream Cheese – Stick with full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture. Low fat isn’t going to have as much flavor and you may end up with a grainy texture.
• Sour Cream – Use full-fat sour cream as well for this baked crab dip. It will give you the best flavor and creamy texture.
• Lemon Juice – Lemon juice adds a bit of acidity to this creamy crab dip and enhances the flavor. Lime juice will also work in a pinch since it is the most similar in tang and acidity. Even a splash of red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar would work as well.
• Old Bay Seasoning – Old Bay is a key ingredient in this dip. It’s got just the right combination of spices with a hint of heat and it pairs really well with the creamy base of this dip. If you like some heat, try adding a splash of hot sauce too!
• Soy Sauce – You could also use tamari in place of the soy sauce in this recipe. I like to use low sodium soy sauce so I can adjust the sodium level myself. You could also use a splash of Worcestershire sauce in place of the soy sauce.
• Crab Meat – Crab meat is the real showstopper in this recipe, so use jumbo lump crab meat if possible. Picked crab meat will work as well. Canned crab meat or imitation carb will not give you the same flavor so I don’t recommend using it.
• Mozzarella Cheese – I like to grab a block of mozzarella cheese and shred it myself because it’s less expensive and it melts better than pre-shredded cheeses which are coated in cellulose (to help prevent the cheese from clumping together). You could also mix in some Parmesan cheese or cheddar cheese as well.

Instructions

Preheat oven. Add cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, soy sauce, Old Bay seasoning, along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper to a food processor. Mix until well combined, smooth, and creamy.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl along with crab and green onion.

Gently stir and fold ingredients together.

Spread in an even layer in a baking dish.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese

Bake for about 25 minutes or until bubbly. Broil for 1-2 minutes if desired.

Garnish with sliced green onion and serve with crispy crostini.

Fresh Crab vs. Canned or Imitation

• Fresh crab meat works best for this creamy baked crab dip. Fresh lump crab meat or picked crab meat can typically be found at the seafood counter of your fish market or near the deli area at a grocery store. It can be quite expensive which makes this crab dip a fun treat for our family.
• If your grocery store doesn’t have lump crab meat, you could also purchase snow crab or king crab legs. Cook them, crack them, remove the meat and use that to make this dip! It’s a bit more work, but the flavor will make it worth it!
• Canned crab meat or imitation crab meat are not going to work well in this dip recipe. Real, fresh crab will always give you the best flavor.

Make Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

• Make-Ahead: You can make this creamy dip up to three days in advance, cover it with foil, and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake it.
• Storage: Store leftover crab dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
• Freezing: Because of the creamy texture of this dip and the seafood, I don’t recommend freezing it.
• Reheating: Reheat leftover dip in an oven safe dish covered with foil in a 300 degree oven until warmed through. You may want to add a bit of salt to boost the flavors after reheating as well.

Tips

• A food processor is going to give you the best texture for this creamy crab dip. If you don’t have a food processor, you could use an electric mixer or a stand mixer instead. If you don’t have either, just make sure that your cream cheese is at room temperature and then you can mix it by hand, although the texture won’t be quite as smooth and creamy.
• If you are serving this dip for a group, I recommend reserving a few lumps of crab meat to add to the top of the dip after it’s baked. This gives guests a very clear visual idea of what’s in the dip.
• You can use an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking dish for this recipe. I used the middle dish from this set of 3 baking dishes. Any shape/size baking dish that is on the smaller size will work well.

FAQ

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