This smoked salmon dip is a creamy blend of chopped smoked salmon, lemon and dill. Serve this smoked salmon appetizer with crostini, cucumbers and crackers for an easy yet elegant party snack!
Need a quick appetizer? This salmon dip is ready in just 5 minutes and looks so impressive. It’s also great smeared onto a bagel for a breakfast treat. Serve this dip alongside other party favorites such as baked chicken wings and cowboy caviar, then watch the rave reviews come in!
I happen to LOVE smoked salmon, and believe it or not, my kids do too. While smoked salmon is perfect on a bagel for breakfast, I think it’s even better in dip form! This smoked salmon dip is a light and creamy base chock full of chopped salmon. It’s ready in minutes and is always a welcome offering at any gathering.
Smoked Salmon Dip Ingredients
This dip is a simple blend of cream cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, lemon zest, dill, chives and smoked salmon.
How to make smoked salmon dip
Place the cream cheese, sour cream, herbs and spices in a bowl, then stir until smooth. Add your salmon to the bowl, then stir gently until the salmon is incorporated with the cream cheese mixture. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for later use. Garnish with lemon and dill if desired before serving.
Tips for the perfect dish
- Look for high quality smoked salmon. I find that wild caught salmon often tastes better than farmed salmon. It should say on the package where the salmon is sourced.
- Make sure your cream cheese is very soft so that you don’t end up with lumps in your dip. I often microwave the cream cheese in 15 second increments until soft to speed up the process.
- Fresh herbs are really best in this dip; I would not recommend substituting dried herbs.
- Serve smoked salmon dip with sliced bread or crostinis, breadsticks, bagel chips, crackers, cucumbers or other fresh veggies.
- This dip will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- If you’re planning to make the dip in advance, let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving so that it’s soft enough to scoop up.
Recipe FAQs
Smoked salmon dip consists of a cream cheese and sour cream base, along with flavorings including lemon, herbs and of course, chopped salmon.
I like to use a hearty cracker with this dip, such as a wheat cracker, or crackers with seeds such as everything bagel crackers. Water crackers are also a great choice.
Smoked salmon can have a salty and rich flavor. It pairs well with fresh herbs and lemon to offset the richness of the salmon, and is also great with creamy ingredients.
Flavor Variations
While this smoked salmon dip is delicious as-is, you can absolutely change up the ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Seafood: You can use other types of smoked seafood instead of salmon, including cod, whitefish, oysters or trout. Freshly cooked diced shrimp are also a great option.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add some veggies into the dip such as finely shredded carrot or minced cucumber.
- Flavorings: Amp up the flavor by adding capers or chopped olives. Keep in mind capers and olives can be quite salty, so if you add them to the dip, omit the salt to taste.
Once you try this dip, you’ll find yourself making it on a regular basis. It takes minutes to prepare, and is elegant enough to serve at a party, with familiar flavors that everyone loves.
More fabulous dip recipes
Smoked Salmon Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
- 6 ounces smoked salmon coarsely chopped
- lemon slices, dill and chives for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, lemon zest, dill and chives in a bowl. Stir until smooth.
- Add the smoked salmon to the bowl and gently fold until incorporated.
- Garnish with lemon slices, dill and chives if desired. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for later use.
Notes
- Look for high quality smoked salmon. I find that wild caught salmon often tastes better than farmed salmon. It should say on the package where the salmon is sourced.
- Make sure your cream cheese is very soft so that you don’t end up with lumps in your dip. I often microwave the cream cheese in 15 second increments until soft to speed up the process.
- This dip will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Mirlene says
This salmon dip is a party appetizer winner! Everyone loved it and was asking for the recipe.
Biana says
What a great idea for a smoked salmon dip. Will be a great appetizer for the holidays.
Sara says
I used dairy-free cream cheese and plain almond milk yogurt and it turned our perfectly! Loved that I could still enjoy this with some simple swaps for dairy-free ingredients.
Shadi says
I Just tried this recipe and my family loved it. It was so easy and the flavors were fantastic.
Claudia Lamascolo says
I love smoke salmon and make it often will be giving this a try. I just bought some today to smoke in my new Masterbuilt! thansk