This is my favorite crab dip recipe! It’s unbelievably creamy, made with fresh crabmeat, and you can serve it hot with bubbly cheese or cold! Trust me, you are going to love this 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 are too heavy and don’t have enough crab.
That’s why I’m excited to share this easy crab dip recipe with you, which calls for a generous 8 ounces of crabmeat and just enough cheese to create the perfect balance of flavor and texture. If you love crab, you will also love our Maryland crab cakes and this crab rangoon recipe (cream cheese and crab wontons).
Key Ingredients
- Crab: We’ve made this recipe with blue crab and Dungeness crab, and both varieties work beautifully. The same goes for our favorite homemade crab cakes. We don’t recommend imitation crab meat for this particular recipe.
- Cream cheese: I use full-fat block cream cheese because it makes the dip incredibly rich and delicious.
- Heavy cream and sour cream: These ingredients add flavor and creaminess while lightening the texture of the cream cheese.
- Green onion: We use green onion to add light flavor to the dip.
- Worcestershire sauce: A small amount of Worcestershire sauce adds another layer of flavor and makes creamy dips and sauces so much better. I also use Worcestershire sauce when making our smoked salmon dip.
- Old Bay and mustard powder: Our Maryland family members might disown us if we didn’t include Old Bay (plus, it’s delicious with the creamy dip and crab). The mustard powder adds a little bit of spice.
- Cheese: To replicate the cheesy crab dips we grew up with, we add some cheddar. I love using an English or Irish cheddar in this recipe.
How to Make the Best Crab Dip
To make our easy crab dip, stir everything but the crab together (cream, spices, green onion, sour cream, and cream cheese). Then gently fold in the crab so there are still some lovely big pieces left in the dip.
From there, you can serve it as cold crab dip or bake it in the oven until hot and bubbly. When making hot crab dip, I bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes.
I love dipping sliced rustic bread when it is served hot. On the other hand, the dip is excellent with crackers, tortilla chips, and raw vegetables when it’s cold.
This crab dip recipe is part of our chef series, where we share recipes from our friend and renowned chef, Richard Hattaway. We love how crab shines in this recipe and know that you will love it as much as we do.
Easy Crab Dip Recipe
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This creamy crab dip is perfect for any party or gathering. Serve it hot or cold (both are delicious). When baking this crab dip, make sure that you allow the dip to cool on the counter for 10 minutes before serving so it can thicken up a little.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
8 ounces (226g) crabmeat, fresh or pasteurized, from Blue Crabs or Dungeness Crabs
1/2 cup (4oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (2oz) heavy cream
2 tablespoons (1oz) sour cream
1 green onion, sliced, whites and greens 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 (1 ¼oz) English or Irish cheddar, shredded, divided, see notes
Directions
1For hot crab dip, heat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Place a small baking dish on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. An 8-ounce to 10-ounce dish is perfect.
2Drain the crabmeat, if necessary, and pick through it for any rogue shells.
3Whisk the heavy cream with the Pickapeppa (or Worcestershire), mustard powder, and Old Bay seasoning to remove lumps.
4Switch to a spoon and stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, white and light green parts of the green onion, and two tablespoons of the shredded cheddar.
5Gently fold in the crabmeat, being careful to keep as many larger lumps of crab intact.
6Spoon dip into the baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese (about 3 tablespoons).
7Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Allow to cool on the counter for 10 minutes, and then serve with the green parts of the green onion on top.
8For cold crab dip, stir in the additional 3 tablespoons of cheddar, spoon into a small serving dish, and serve with the green parts of the green onion on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Pickapepper and Worcestershire sauce are umami-rich condiments used as a seasoning in soups, stews, and sauces. Pickapepper is a little thinner and a bit sweeter than the more savory Worcestershire, but in most circumstances, they are interchangeable.
- English-style and Irish-style cheddar is a bit sweeter than American-style cheddar. A great example in most US grocery stores is Kerrygold Dubliner cheese or Coastal English cheddar (we find it at Costco). White American cheddar cheese can be used as a substitute.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I don’t have any mustard powder. Can I used actual Dijon mustard?
You, you may need to use a little more.
First timer…will give this site my respect and response going forward. Best regards.
Thank you a for this wonderful recipe. I am a Marylander and appreciate that you have not overwhelmed the sweet taste of the crab, as in so many other recipes. The only thing that would make this better would be to say, Use only Maryland blue crab meat LOL!
Haha. Blue crab is pretty delicious isn’t it. We moved across country a few years ago and have fallen in love with Dungeness. That said, blue crab will always be our fav 🙂