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Hot Crab Dip

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Absolutely incredible and easy Crab Dip!  This creamy crab dip is made with lump crab meat, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and baked to perfection. It’s a perfect party appetizer and ready in just 30 minutes.

crab dip

CRAB DIP

Dip are wonderful to serve at any party because they are usually very easy to make and can be made ahead of time. I like to include a couple of cold dips and hot dips for the party table and an array of dippers. There are several dips that are always popular with guests like the classic Spinach Artichoke Dip, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and this Crab Dip, of course.

This dip is the biggest crowd pleaser at my holiday parties. It’s a rich, creamy dip packed with lump crab meat, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, mayo, sour cream, and a few more ingredients for extra flavor. Lemon juice, chives, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce make the flavors pop and your taste buds sing with each and every bite. The whole thing is so easy to make, all you have to do is combine it all together and bake until hot and gooey.

As popular as this hot crab dips is, the trey of dipping options gets people just as excited. Make sure to include a variety of cracker options and vegetable options. Celery, cucumber slices, belle pepper wedges, and lettuce cups are all good vegetable options for dipping. For cracker options, think tortilla chips, saltines, pretzels, pretzel chips, Parmesan crisps, and a couple gluten free cracker options.

Although my favorite option to dip are thin slices of French baguette. It’s good to serve toasted or untoasted. To toast baguette slices, lightly brush both sides of each slice with olive oil, spread them on a baking sheet in one even layer, and bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Time will depend on how thin you cut the slices so keep an eye on it.

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ingredients in crab dip

HOW TO MAKE CRAB DIP:

TIP: make sure to look through the lump crab meat thoroughly to make sure there are no pieces of shell. You will always find a few pieces and it’s not pleasant to bite into one.

Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a baking dish. 

Combine all the ingredients, except for the 1/2 cup of shaved Parmesan cheese, in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.

Transfer the mixture into the baking dish and spread the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are bubble. You can turn on the broiler for a few seconds to get the cheese a little more golden.

Make Crab Dip Ahead Of Time:

You can easily make this dip the night before and bake when needed. Prepare the dip completely up to the step of baking it. Instead of baking, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. 

Pull the dip out of the fridge, take off the plastic wrap, and let it sit on the counter while the oven is preheating. Bake it for about 20-22 minutes and serve. 

CAN I FREEZE CRAB DIP?

Although some may suggest freezing leftover crab dip, I do not recommend it. This dip had cream cheese and sour cream and neither freezes well. Since cream cheese and sour cream contain a good amount of moisture, once it’s frozen and defrosted, texture gets broken down and grainy. 

I do not recommend freezing crab dip because the texture will be compromised and it will not taste as good. If you’re looking for a way to use up leftover dip, try mixing it with cooked pasta and adding more cheese. You will end up with a tasty crab mac and cheese

HOW TO REHEAT CRAB DIP

If you have leftover crab dip, you can easily store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure to cover the baking dish well with plastic wrap or transfer it into a storage container with an air-tight lid. 

To rehear crab dip, I recommend oven over microwave. Spread cold crab dip in a baking dish and reheat at 350° until hot in the middle. You can even spread a little more cheese on top before reheating.

SOME MORE DIP RECIPES TO TRY:

Cajun Shrimp Dip

Parmesan Shrimp Dip

Spicy Chicken Ranch Dip

Crab and Artichoke Dip

Smoked Salmon Dip

Spicy Shrimp Dip

If you made any of my recipes and shared them on Instagram, make sure to tag me @willcookforsmiles and #willcookforsmiles so I can see all the things you tried!

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4.12 from 43 votes
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Hot Crab Dip

Easy, amazing, creamy crab dip made with lump crab meat, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and baked to perfection.

Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword crab dip
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 (Makes about 3 cups)
Calories 371 kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 oz lump crab meat
  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 2 tbsp minced green onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves grated or minced
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese to mix in
  • 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese for topping
  • salt
  • fresh cracked pepper
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  1. Take crab meat out of the jar and into a bowl. Look through the meat thoroughly to make sure there are no pieces of shell left behind.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a baking dish.

  3. Combine all the ingredients, except for the 1/2 cup of shaved Parmesan cheese meant for topping, in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.

  4. Transfer the mixture into the baking dish, spread it evenly, and top with the rest of the Parmesan cheese.

  5. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

  6. To make the cheese more golden on top, turn on the broiler for a few seconds if needed.

Recipe Notes

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have a slight variation.

Nutrition Facts
Hot Crab Dip
Amount Per Serving
Calories 371 Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Fat 30g46%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Cholesterol 85mg28%
Sodium 1081mg47%
Potassium 210mg6%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 22g44%
Vitamin A 709IU14%
Vitamin C 6mg7%
Calcium 368mg37%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on July 18, 2012, updated on December 27, 2019.

Comments

  3. Ca4ole says

    Wow – the name says it all!  Love it.  I found this through Turning the Clock Back’s What’s Cooking Wednesday.  I have linked in  an attempt at meatballs.  Have a lovely week. 

    Reply

  4. Nicole Harris says

    Tasty! I need to remember this for the holidays – looks delicious. Visiting from Creative Spark linkup 🙂

    Reply

  6. acook160 says

    This looks delicious, we don’t eat enough seafood in our household, this is a must make dish for me 

    Reply

  9. Julie Murkerson says

    Crab dip? Yes please. This looks amazing! I found this recipe over at Hubby Made Me. I am pinning for future reference! I’d love for you to link it up to my Marvelous Mondays party. It opens on Sunday evenings!  In the meantime, I’m hosting a blog hop right now, so if you’re interested, hop on over to http://www.jamscorner.com

    Have a great evening!
    Julie

    Reply

  11. Miz Helen says

    Lyuba,
    This is a great Hot Crab Dip that we would just love, I can almost taste it.   Hope you are having a great week and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

  14. Kim says

    Ahhhhh, the whole scene sounds heavenly. Quiet dinner, wine, peace and quiet, watching something YOU want to see…..
    I pinned this one and can’t wait to give it a try:)

    Reply

  15. Maria says

    Oh my gosh this looks amazing!!! I love hot dips, and LOVE crab, so this sounds perfect! I could probably polish off the whole thing in one sitting!!!! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  23. SalmonAtSeven says

    Your photos pretty much have me drooling… like a lot! What a gorgeous looking dish. Hopping over from Melt in Your Mouth — hope you’ll swing on over to SalmonAtSeven — I too am bringing seafood dishes this week. I simply adore crab, salmon and shrimp… oh my!

    Reply

  24. Cathy says

    I so love crab dip, and your photo looks so good I wanted to grab a bite right off the screen!  You have really good photos. This is waiting for me to make it.  So glad you shared your creative inspiration with Sundays’ Best – you always help make it a great party!

    Reply

  29. Emily Morgenstern says

    Delicious!! I wish I had some right now. I bet you got LOTS of smiles out of this one!! 🙂

    I’ve shared on pinterest! 

    Reply

  32. Jane says

    Lyuba,
    This looks SO GOOD! I love hot dips like this. Thanks for sharing your recipe on Melt in Your Mouth Monday!

    Reply

    • lyuba says

      Hi Jackie!
      I just buy shaved Parmesan cheese in a refrigerated section of my store. it’s usually in a little sealed plastic tub.

      Reply

  39. Susan Hartman says

    I’m making this for Christmas Eve and want to know if you have tried cooking this in a crockpot. I’ve found a lot of recipes but yours sounds better than any of the others. Can’t wait to serve this for my family. We love seafood and will be having Oyster stew also.

    Thanks
    Susan

    Reply

    • lyuba says

      Hi there! 9×13 would be way too big got this dip. This only makes about 3 cups of dip so you can use a smaller dish (Unless you double the recipe). You can use a bread baking dish, a one a half quart dish, a dip baking boat, a smaller cast iron skillet. Just remember if the dip is spread thinner, the baking time will be less.
      I hope you enjoy it, Carrie!

      Reply

  44. Cynnamama says

    I made this on Christmas Day and everyone couldn’t stop eating it (glad I doubled it)! 😉 So delicious I added 1/4 tsp of Old Bay.
    Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply

    • lyuba says

      Hi Gayle,
      I believe that it comes down to a personal taste preference. I don’t like the way imitation crab tastes like hot, I only like it cold, so I would not like it in a dip. But, there are plenty of people who like the taste of hot imitation crab. So it’s really up to you 🙂
      I would also pat the imitation crab dry with a paper towel so it’s not too moist.

      Reply

  46. Adele Aiken says

    Hi, This dip looks incredible I need a dip recipe that I can make ahead and freeze. Do you think this one would work – cooked first? or frozen uncooked??

    Reply

  47. Kristyn says

    Would it be okay to leave the Worcestershire out? Or could it be replaced with soy sauce? I just don’t want to buy a whole bottle to only use so little

    Reply

    • lyuba says

      Hi Kristyn!
      To be honest I don’t use my Worcestershire often and it’s always a little bit so I have a bottle in my fridge that lasts me over a year 🙂 It have quite a specific flavor but you can add a little hot sauce with a little brown sugar for sweetness. The recipe won’t be affected too much if you even omit the Worcestershire all together, so you don’t have to use it if you don’t have it.
      I hope you like the dip!

      Reply

    • lyuba says

      Hi Donna,
      I would estimate this to be 4 servings. I can recommend that you make individual dips in ramekins and just double or triple or make as much as you need. That might be an easy way to serve them 🙂

      Reply

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  54. Linda says

    Pinning this. Looks very good. It’s almost identical to my usual hot crab dip recipe except I wouldnt dare make it without Old Bay (I’m from Maryland). Anyway, I use cheddar in mine but the parmesan cheese looks great! I’m anxious to try it. 🙂

    Reply

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