This Cheesy Hot Crab Dip is the ultimate party snack for New Year’s Eve or game day! Lump crab meat is baked into a luxurious, creamy dip with cream cheese, sour cream, sharp cheddar, and a touch of hot sauce for just the right amount of kick.
Looking for more warm party dips? Artichoke Dip and Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Dip are excellent choices!
Just as we’re recovering from the food coma that is Christmas, it’s time to start planning what we’ll be eating as the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. And when I think New Year’s Eve, I think crab dip.
This Hot Crab Dip is decadent, cheesy, and just a bit elegant — the perfect match for champagne, cocktails, or whatever you’re sipping at your celebration. (For me, that’s usually iced tea so I don’t fall asleep before midnight. Sad but true.)
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Best Hot Crab Dip Recipe
This Hot Crab Dip is everything a party appetizer should be, warm, creamy, and irresistibly cheesy with real lump crab meat in every bite. It’s the kind of recipe that feels special but couldn’t be easier to make, and it’s always one of the first dishes to disappear.
Make it ahead, pop it in the oven before guests arrive, and serve it bubbling hot with toasted baguette slices or buttery crackers.
Ingredients for Hot Crab Dip
- Lump crab meat: My local store carries Chicken of the Sea lump crabmeat, but many other brands work well. If using canned crab, drain it very well before adding it to the dip.
- Cream cheese: Regular or Neufchatel (⅓ less fat) cream cheese both work beautifully.
- Mayonnaise: Adds richness and helps bind the creamy base. I typically use olive oil mayonnaise.
- Sour cream: Use regular or light; both yield great results.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese: Choose a good-quality sharp cheddar for the best flavor and shred it yourself. No bagged shredded cheese here!
- White onion: Finely minced so it melts into the dip.
- All-purpose seasoning salt: I like Lawry’s Seasoned Salt.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds a savory depth to balance the creamy texture.
- Fresh lemon juice: A natural flavor boost for any seafood dish.
- Italian parsley: For color and freshness.
- Tabasco sauce: Just a few shakes add zip. Adjust to taste or leave it out if you prefer a milder dip.
- Freshly ground black pepper: To taste.
What is Lump Crab Meat?
Lump crab meat is made up of chunks of jumbo lump and body meat. It’s perfect for dips, crab cakes, and salads. Don’t confuse it with imitation crab — lump crab is 100% real crab, and you definitely want the real deal for this dip.
You’ll find lump crab meat both canned and fresh (sometimes at the butcher or seafood counter). The bonus to buying it canned is that it keeps well in your pantry, so you can grab a few cans when it’s on sale and and stash them away in your pantry until you need it
How to Make Hot Crab Dip
This recipe could not be any easier. It takes just minutes to assemble before it’s ready for the oven.
- Stir together cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream until creamy.
- Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Transfer to a small baking dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned and bubbly.
How to Serve Cheesy Hot Crab Dip
You can bake this dip in a small serving dish, as shown here, or go all out and bake it in a small bread bowl — the bonus being that your serving dish becomes part of the snack! Once most of the dip has been devoured, tear off pieces of the dip-soaked bread and enjoy every last bite. Most grocery store bakery departments carry small bread bowls during the holidays.
I like to serve this dip with Ritz Crackers but it is also delicious with sliced baguette or tortilla chips for dipping.
Valerie’s Tips
Grate your onion. Using a cheese grater is a great trick when you want the flavor of onion without noticeable texture. It works beautifully for dips, spreads, and even meatballs.
Not too spicy. The “hot” in Hot Crab Dip refers to serving temperature, not heat level. The few shakes of hot sauce add flavor, not fire.
Want it spicier? If your crowd likes things hot, go ahead and add extra hot sauce or even a little diced jalapeño. I usually keep it on the mild side when serving a group, but you can easily turn up the heat.
Make it ahead. Assemble the dip, cover, and refrigerate it overnight. When you’re ready to serve, bake as directed — it turns out just as creamy and delicious.
Slow cooker option. If you’d rather keep your oven free, you can make this dip in your slow cooker. See the alternate directions in the recipe card below.
I hope you add this one to your party menu this New Year’s Eve or tuck it away for Super Bowl Sunday. It’s just around the corner.
Enjoy, and Happy New Year, friends!
More Party Appetizers You’ll Love
- Shrimp Dip
- Antipasto Skewers
- French Onion Dip from Scratch
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Check out my entire collection of tasty appetizer recipes!
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Cheesy Hot Crab Dip
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounce package cream cheese or Neufchatel (light cream cheese), softened
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup light or regular sour cream
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon grated white onion
- 12 ounces lump crab meat , from 2 6-ounce cans
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning salt, I use Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
- a few shakes of Tabasco, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- crackers, baguette slices, or tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
Oven Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a medium mixing bowl and stir until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and stir again until well combined. Transfer to a small baking dish and transfer to oven.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until browned and bubbly.
- Serve with crackers, baguette slices, or tortilla chips.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Add the ingredients to a small (3- to 4-quart) slow cooker, stir to combine, and set it on LOW for 2 hours. It needs to cook until the cream cheese melts completely. Stir the dip and then let it cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
- It should keep well for up to an hour on the KEEP WARM or LOW setting. Be sure to stir it occasionally to prevent it from burning or separating.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
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This looks like a great recipe minus the canned crab meat. I’m from Maryland and can’t fathom the idea of using canned crab meat. I will only use Jumbo Lump crab meat and make it 1 pound 🙂
This was so delish! I am allergic to lemons so I omitted that. I did add onions, jalapeños, and cheese blends. I then put some leftover between sourdough bread and toasted it… so good! Everyone wants me to make it again. I’m gonna make quesadillas!
Way too much lemon. Lemon flavor was overpowering. Many other recipes call for one tsp to one tbsp of lemon but the juice of half a lemon was too much.
Hi Michele. There is only about 2 to 3 tablespoons (at the most) of juice in a whole lemon so you’re at right about 1 tablespoon if you use half. But, if you’re not a fan of the flavor of lemon juice you can adjust it to your liking.
I made this for Christmas Eve and it was such a hit that they didn’t want to eat dinner, just the dip! Great!
This was wonderful—I’m an author and will not take time away from my work/art to cook unless I have a great recipe. This one is!
My first recipe review ever… fantastic! I finally found a recipe that rivals the local seafood restaurants. Thank you!
I’m honored! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment, Tammy. So happy you loved the dip!
Will this work baked in cast iron…sorry for the stupid question, but I keep finding the crab dip recipes baked in glass or ceramic. Thanks
Not a stupid question at all! It should work great in a small cast iron pan. Depending on the size of your pan, you may want to double the recipe though.
Can this dip be pit in the freezer?
I don’t recommend freezing cream cheese based dips.
You have to use fresh picked blue crab meat! Maryland is a cult, not a state!!
I have some fresh crab meat I’m looking to use. Can I make this dip with fresh crab meat? Thank you in advance.
Absolutely! It will be delicious with fresh crab meat.
I made this last night for my Christmas Eve cocktail party and it was outstanding!!! Prepped it a day in advance then just popped it in the oven right before the guests arrived – east peasy! EVERYONE commented on how delicious it was! I was a little skeptical at using crab meat from the tuna fish aisle and not the refrigerated section, but it was perfect! This will become a staple at my cocktail parties!!!!!
Yes! The high quality canned lump crab meat is really all you need! You can absolutely use more expensive lump crab meat from the fish counter but we think it’s great with the canned variety too. Thanks, Susannah. 🙂
I made this I use high quality crab in a can from sams club .served 12 people , I did not care for the flavor . No one gave a compliment except one person .
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you, Cindy.