This hot crab dip is a mixture of crab, cheese and spices, all baked together to form a creamy dip that’s bound to get rave reviews. A super easy make-ahead appetizer that is always a crowd pleaser!
I love to serve dips at parties, they’re easy, most can be made in advance, and people go crazy over them. Some of my favorites include BLT dip, jalapeno popper dip, and this decadent crab dip.
I serve at least one dip at every party; they’re easy to make, feed a lot of people, and there are so many different flavor possibilities! The star of this cheesy crab dip is a hefty dose of real crab, which is served up in a creamy base with plenty of cheese.
If you are in the mood for crab you should try some of my other favorite crab appetizer recipes like crab stuffed mushrooms, Maryland crab cakes, crab rangoon and crab salad.
Table of Contents
Crab Dip Ingredients
To make crab dip make sure you have crab meat, cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, green onions, Monterey Jack cheese and diced tomatoes.
How Do You Make Crab Dip?
When you make this crab dip recipe start by placing crab, softened cream cheese, mayo, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, green onions and Monterey Jack cheese in a large bowl. Stir everything together. Spread the crab mixture into a prepared baking dish or skillet. Bake it for 20 minutes then remove it from the oven. Sprinkle cheese on top and broil it for a couple of minutes so the cheese can start to brown. Add a sprinkling of fresh tomatoes and green onions and you’ll be ready to eat!
Tips For The Perfect Dip
- Splurge a little and use real crab here. I used lumps of frozen crab meat, but you can also buy refrigerated lump crab meat in the refrigerated area of the seafood counter or canned crab meat. In a pinch you can use imitation crab meat, but it won’t have the same flavor.
- My recipe calls for smoked paprika. It’s definitely worth purchasing this spice if you don’t already have it in the pantry.
- Serve your crab dip with baguette chips (crostini), baguette slices, celery, carrots, breadsticks, tortilla chips or crackers.
Quick Tip
You can make this dip in an oven safe skillet or in a baking dish, whichever you prefer.
Recipe FAQs
You can assemble your crab dip up to 8 hours before you plan to serve it. Simply cover the dip and refrigerate it, then place the crab dip in the oven right before you’re ready to eat. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time since you’re starting with a cold dip.
Crab dip is made of crab meat, cream cheese, mayo, Monterey Jack cheese and seasonings. You mix those ingredients together and bake them until hot and bubbly.
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Crab Dip Variations
Crab meat doesn’t need a whole lot added to it to make it special, but here are a few ways to jazz up your basic crab dip.
- Spicy: Add minced pickled jalapenos or some hot sauce.
- Artichokes: Add 1/2 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts.
- Seafood: Use 4 ounces of crab meat and 4 ounces of salad sized shrimp.
- Bacon: Add 1/2 cup of cooked crumbled bacon on top of the baked dip.
- Cheese: I use Monterey Jack cheese because it’s a mild, creamy cheese that melts well and doesn’t overpower the flavor of the crab. Other cheese options include mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese or fontina cheese.
- Seasoning: For a stronger taste, you can mix in some old bay seasoning or some of my salmon seasoning. You can also try mixing in a squeeze of lemon juice, some Worcestershire sauce or some pepper.
- Creamy: For a creamier, thinner dip add 1/3 cup of sour cream.
- Parsley: If you don’t have green onions on hand, you can try parsley instead.
No matter how you decide to serve your crab dip, it’s sure to be a hit. Crab can be expensive when it’s not in season, so I save this dip for a special occasion. My guests are always so happy and impressed!
More Fabulous Dip Recipes
Dill Pickle Dip
6 mins
White Queso Dip
5 mins
Bacon Ranch Dip
6 mins
Shrimp Scampi Dip
30 mins
Beer Cheese Dip
40 mins
Crab Dip Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Crab Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces crab meat
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions divided use
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese divided use
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a small baking dish or oven proof skillet with cooking spray.
- Place the crab, cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, 1/4 cup green onions and 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Spread the crab mixture evenly into the prepared dish. Top with the remaining cup of cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until dip is bubbly and cheese is melted. Broil for 1-2 minutes until cheese has started to brown.
- Top with remaining 1/4 cup green onions and tomatoes, then serve immediately.
Notes
- Splurge a little and use real crab here. I used lumps of frozen crab meat, but you can also buy refrigerated lump crab meat in the refrigerated area of the seafood counter or canned crab meat. In a pinch you can use imitation crab meat, but it won’t have the same flavor.
- You can make this dip in an oven safe skillet or in a baking dish, whichever you prefer.
A great side to accompany a family buffet
Ohhh, yeah I’ll be trying out the crab dip with some chopped jalapeños! Thanks for the recipe!
this sounds so delicious but it looks look too much of time to prepare it! Am I right?
The time is accurate!
This looks delicious
My kids would absolutely love these. This would disappear in no time at our house! This is my kind of weekend treat.
i love a good crab dip! i’ve only made it myself once only because we had enough crab
Delicious!! I can definitely use this recipe for an upcoming holiday party we are going to.
Looks delicious and perfect for party! Crabs are always welcome, hehe
Boom! I can definitely make this for Christmas excited to give it a try!
May have to triple this recipe. My family would devour this dip! This looks so delicious!
Crab dip reigns supreme here in Maryland! I love your suggestion of making it spicy with pickled jalapenos!
Crab is one of my favourite things to eat, and this dip recipe is no exception! Delicious!
Alex xx
https://www.itsnotcomplicatedrecipes.com
I am a lover of crab and this one is getting pinned!! It looks so good! You did amazing on the pictures too 🙂
I can’t wait to try it out, this dip looks soooo delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
Chad
http://www.mosaicslab.com
I adore crab and I know they are in season now so will definitely give this crab dip recipe a go. Yum!
Oh my gosh! This crab cake dip looks divine! I can’t wait to try it!
This looks really good, I’ll be making this over the Christmas period!
Thanks for this recipe! I love seafood so I will definitely be making this soon!
Oh wow! I would love to whip up some of this. I think it would really class up our football parrties.
This looks really good…might have to make a “test” batch before Christmas. 😉