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Hot Crab Dip Recipe – an easy and delicious cheesy dip that will be a hit and any party. A slightly spicy crab dip that is ready in minutes.
Hot Crab Dip is the kind of appetizer that instantly impresses while being surprisingly easy to make. Creamy, cheesy, and loaded with plenty of crab meat, this dip bakes up warm and bubbly with irresistible flavor in every bite. Perfect for parties, holidays, or game day, it’s a crowd-pleasing recipe that feels indulgent but comes together with minimal effort.
Whether it is the holiday season, with lots of parties happening. Or the middle of summer, and everyone is grilling out and having people over. Easy appetizers and snacks to serve at parties are a must! This hot crab dip recipe is a hit any time of year, and so is my Baked Goat Cheese Dip. Seriously cheese is pretty much the way to people heart.
Hot Crab Dip Ingredients
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- Cream Cheese
- Mayo
- Sour Cream
- Parmesan Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Lump Crab Meat – You can use fresh lump crab meat or canned crab meat, whatever you have, can find, and afford works great.
- Lemon Juice
- Hot Sauce – just a little to give some extra flavor. It isn’t a spicy crab dip, it is hot because it is baked and gooey melty cheese.
- Salt & Pepper
- Green Onions
This Cheesy Hot Crab Dip has 3 kinds of cheese in it, so you know it is going to be good. It is creamy and so good with the lumps of crab meat in there.
How to Make Hot Crab Dip
- Mix Base. Start by mixing together the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo together until it is well blended and smooth. You can use a mixer for this step if your cream cheese is not soft enough, but if you soften it first a spatula should work just fine.
- Add Cheese. Next stir in the Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, hot sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Crab. Gently fold in the crab meat. You don’t want to be too rough and turn your crab into mush, so use a spatula and just be nice as you mix it together.
- Bake. Spread the dip into a baking dish and then top with the rest of the cheese. Bake until it is hot and bubbly and the cheese on top is golden.
- Serve. Once it is out of the oven you can garnish with a few green onions and then just let it cool slightly before serving.
What to Serve With Crab Dip
This is one of those dips you are going to just want to dive into! Anything goes when it comes to dippers.
- Tortilla Chips
- Ritz Crackers
- Crostini
- Veggies
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Crab. You can find lump crab meat in a can. It is blend of broken pieces of jumbo lump and a special grade of crab meat. You can definitely use fresh crab meat as well, it is just more expensive and not as easy to find.
- Don’t like crab. Many people want to make this dip, but for whatever reason don’t want to use crab. Chicken, Shrimp, and Tuna are all great swaps. I have heard that smoked salmon is good as well.
- Make Ahead. You can assemble this dip ahead of time and then just cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake (up to 24 hours). You can also heat in a crockpot over low heat for a couple hours and leave on warm during an event.
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat slowly in the microwave until warmed through.
So whether you are getting ready for a holiday party or just need a delicious dip for the weekend. This Hot Crab Dip will be a huge hit! You can mix it up and have it in the fridge, so you just need to bake when it is ready to serve. Super easy and great to make ahead for parties.
More Great Dip Recipes
Hot Crab Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound lump crab meat
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, for topping
- 1 Tablespoon sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- In a large bowl mix together cream cheese, mayo and sour cream. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper until well combined. Fold in crab meat.8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 pound lump crab meat
- Pour into a 1 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Bake for 25-35 minutes until bubbly and hot.
- Remove from the oven and top with green onions.1 Tablespoon sliced green onions
- Serve with tortilla chips or crostini
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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CAN YOU USE IMIATATION CRAB MEAT FOR THIS RECIPE
Yes
Your instructions for this recipe for got to include the crab meat.
Last sentence of step 2. Fold in crab meat
Hi it using shrimp (prawns) do I use cooked ones
Yes – you are really only heating it enough to get everything hot, not actually cook the shrimp
Made this twice now with snow crab and it’s been a hit. I don’t put any salt as the crab is salty enough.
I made the Hot Crab Dip last year for our 4th of July gathering, my husband’s family, who are in the seafood business asked where did we get it, it was the best they ever had! You can bet I’m making it again this year!
This was absolutely one of the best crab dips I’ve ever made. Everyone loved it!!
This Hot Crab Dip sounds like the ultimate crowd-pleaser — love how it’s packed with three cheeses and that gentle kick from hot sauce. I can already picture serving it with toasted crostini at my next get-together.