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Quick and easy Cold Crab Dip recipe is a cinch to make in under 10 minutes. No cooking required makes this the perfect party appetizer for every occasion. So good, in fact, it will vanish quicker than it did to make it!
It’s summer, people. And I have summer recipes, like Cold Crab Dip, I want to share with you.
The pool is open….the ocean is warm and we can call in sick for some much needed quite time sitting by the pool (or the lake or just on the sofa). The Best Crab Dip in one hand…..Frozen Prosecco in the other.
Plus, we have a boatload of parties on the horizon for the next few months and a quick and easy crab dip recipe is so handy to have in your back pocket for last minute soirees. We’ve been making this dip recipe for years, along with my Clams Casino, and it’s my go-to for balmy summer evenings when it’s too hot to cook a thing.
This Cold Crab Dip recipe is very similar to my cheesy Hot Crab Dip recipe that is super popular. It’s creamy and light with tons of lump crab in it. It’s one of my favorite dip recipes ever because it’s so simple to make in just a matter of minutes.
Ingredients For Chilled Crab Dip
The shopping list for the best crab dip recipe is pretty simple and I’m willing to bet you have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already.
- Cream Cheese – You can use vegan cream cheese in place of regular cream cheese and because it’s served cold you can even substitute a low fat cream cheese in this recipe with great results.
- Sour Cream – I like to use full fat sour cream but you can cut some calories by swapping out a low fat sour cream.
- Mayonnaise – I’m a real mayonnaise fan but you can substitute with your favorite mayo.
- Pepper Jack Cheese – If you’re not a fan of the spice, use colby jack, instead.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Sharp cheddar gives it a nice hit of flavor but feel free to use regular cheddar if you like.
- Finely Minced Onion – Don’t skip out on the chopping here. Make sure the onion is finely minced because nobody liked big hunks of raw onion in their dip.
- Garlic – Use fresh only and finely mince it like you did the onion. Grating it is even better!
- Worcestershire Sauce – If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce is an excellent substitute.
- Tabasco (or other hot sauce) – If you don’t like things spicy, skip it and serve it on the side so guests can give their crackers and dip a little splash!
- Lemon Juice – Fresh is best here, nothing from a bottle.
- Salt and Pepper – I like kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper for the best flavor.
- Jumbo Lump Crab Meat – Though expensive, jumbo lump crab meat is the best for this dip. If you need to go a little more budget friendly, regular lump mixed with backfin crab is also quite tasty.
If you want to add some crunch, you can fold in some finely chopped celery or carrot, too. But it’s totally not necessary. You can also make this crab dip without cream cheese but the consistency will be a little smoother and less firm, more like a sour cream dip. Simply double the amount of sour cream and mayonnaise while omitting the cream cheese.
Want a taste of the Maryland Eastern Shore? Stir in a sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning!
How To Make Cold Crab Dip
This easy Crab Dip with cream cheese is super simple to whip up in minutes and uses ingredients you can easily find at any grocery store. Be sure to use Jumbo Lump Crab Meat or Lump Crab meat for best results.
- In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Stir in the pepper jack, cheddar, onion, garlic, Worcestershire, Tabasco, lemon juice, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
- Fold in the crab and transfer to a serving dish.Serve with crackers, veggies or your favorite parmesan crisps!
You can easily turn this into a Baked Crab Dip by transferring it to a baking dish and popping it in a 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
Storing Leftovers
You can safely store Cold Crab Dip in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I love to make this dip in advance because I feel like it tastes even better the next day and how awesome is it to have one dish already to go for your party!
I do not recommend freezing crab dip because the ingredients could turn grainy and separate while thawing.
What To Serve With Crab Dip
We like to serve our Cold Crab Dip with a variety of crackers or crudite (vegetables) but you could also serve it alongside a big loaf of Brioche cut into chunks. Toasted Crostini works well and so do these easy Parmesan Crisps for a low carb, gluten free option.
Another option, is to serve your cold crab dip with cocktail sauce to spread on crackers with a kick.
What is Jumbo Lump Crab Meat?
Jumbo Lump Crab Meat is like a gift from the heavens. It comes from the Blue Crab and consists of whole lumps of white meat from the body of the crab with no cartilage or shell. This is a premium quality crabmeat with a premium price tag because of the labor involved in obtaining the meat.
It’s the only thing I’ll use to make my homemade crab cakes and these crab cake sandwiches.
Substitutions for Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
It’s my recommendation to not replace the Jumbo Lump Crab in this recipe BUT if you’re trying to keep costs in check you can certainly use Backfin Crab meat in this recipe without compromising the flavor too much.
Backfin crabmeat consists of some lump crab and broken pieces of body meat.
So, now you can have one of the best party appetizers ever that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. This is by far the BEST Crab Dip Recipe ever….other than my Hot Crab Dip but either way, this dip is sure to vanish as soon as you put it down on the appetizer table.
More Easy Dip Recipes
- Easy HOT Spinach Artichoke Dip
- The BEST Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe
- Quick and easy Fluffernutter Dip (sooooo good!)
- The BEST White Queso Dip
- Hot Artichoke Dip
- Easy Chili Cheese Dip
For more easy appetizer ideas, follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
The Best Cold Crab Dip Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounce cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound jumbo lump crab picked over for shells
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Stir in the pepper jack, cheddar, onion, garlic, worcestershire, Tabasco, lemon juice, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
- Fold in the crab and transfer to a small serving dish.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight. Serve with crackers or crisp fresh vegetables for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow, just lovely! The extra bite was fun! Made it for party tomorrow night! Hope it’s even better!!! Thanks for such a fun recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for your comment!
I’m making this for my son-in-law for his Birthday he loves crab dip
What a great birthday treat! Happy Birthday!
I made this and it was very good. I had to substitute old white cheddar cheese for the pepper jack cheese and substituted imitation crab for real crab.
Sounds delish! Thank you so much for your comment!
I used this recipe for the very first time that I’ve ever made crab dip. It was devoured! Forget the crackers or veggies. Folks were attacking with spoons! Making it again today for a Christmas get-together. Definitely a keeper!!!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Are these measurements accurate? I followed the recipe as stated and it not only made dip for DAYS but it looks nothing like the picture. I feel like maybe the cheese measurements and the cream measurements (mayo, sour cream, and cream cheese) were reversed? We had to bake it to melt the outrageous amount of cheese in there.
Hi Nichole, this recipe was what I adapted the hot crab dip from originally. There is a lot of cheese in there but that’s intended to be that way. You can definitely pull back on the amount of cheese but the photo in the article is exactly as written.
Please can you tell me where you got your adorable ceramic crab dish bowl?
Thank you
It was a gift! I think they purchased it at Home Goods.
Would you please tell me where or what brand of crabmeat you use? It doesn’t come into season for awhile!
I like to use the lump crab from the refrigerated seafood section….not the shelf stable crab meat. Phillips Seafood is the one I use here because it’s readily available but as long as it’s the refrigerated crab meat it should be great.
I love crab and I will definitely try this recipe! Love the crab bowl where did you find it?
Thank you so much! It was actually a gift from a neighbor. I think she found it at Home Goods!