Simple smoked crab dip is a creamy cheesy delight bursting with sweet pieces of lump crab. Smoking it adds a ton of extra flavor for no extra work making this an appetizer you’ll be making over and over again.
We love our smoker.
It’s one of the best culinary purchases we’ve ever made.
Why?
Because it’s so easy to use and make things that are already delicious even more delicious.
Like this crab dip.
We can all objectively agree that regular crab dip is pretty amazing, right?
Well, smoke it and it’s mind-xblowing!
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Crab meat– Get lump crab for this and drain it. Trust me, it’s worth it to get the good stuff.
- Dip base– A combination of softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream make it luxuriously silky.
- Cheese– Shredded mozzarella and shredded cheddar.
- Fresh herbs– Thinly sliced green onions and fresh parsley.
- Seasonings– Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Old Bay, ground mustard, and smoked paprika.
- Lemon juice– Fresh lemon juice works best.
How to Make
To make this easy smoked crab dip, start by whipping the softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer until it’s smooth and creamy.
Then, whip in the mayonnaise, sour cream, three quarters of both cheeses, onions, Worcestershire, lemon juice, hot sauce, and seasonings until everything is evenly combined.
Next, fold the crab meat into the mixture with a spatula.
Transfer the crab meat to a large (12-14″) cast iron skillet and spread it out into an even layer.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly out over top of the dish.
Set your smoker to 225° and smoke the crab dip for 1 1/2- 2 hours or until hot and bubbly with a golden brown cheese crust on top.
Serve with sturdy crackers and other dipping options of your choosing.
Dipping Ideas
We love dipping crackers into this, but we’ve also dunked:
- tortilla chips
- pita chips
- toasted pieces of baguette
- carrot sticks
- celery sticks
- cucumber slices
What kind of wood should I use to smoke crab dip?
You can use any wood you’d like, but remember the wood will affect the flavor of your dip.
I do recommend a milder wood like apple wood or maple.
Some woods like mesquite will be very strong and could overpower the dip.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Serve the leftovers warm or cold.
Tips and tricks
- While you can use the hand mixer to mix the crab meat into the mixture, I don’t recommend it. It will mince it. One of the great things about a quality crab dip, especially if you’re springing for lump meat is getting nice chunks of meat in your bites.
- Be VERY careful when taking the HOT skillet out of the smoker. Use more than one oven mitt or hot pad if you have to, you don’t want to burn yourself.
- I recommend letting the crab dip rest for 5 minutes after it comes out of the smoker before serving. This will let the cheeses set up a bit, and it will still be plenty hot.
- Don’t have a smoker? No worries! You can still enjoy smoked crab dip! Add 1 tsp of liquid smoke to your mixture before spreading it in your skillet, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes – 1 hours, again look for hot and bubbly mixture with a golden brown cheese crust.
Other Smoked Dips
This smoked crab dip is an easy appetizer for entertaining anytime. Make it for your next gathering and enjoy!
Looking for other smoked dips? Try these:
If you’ve tried this SMOKED CRAB DIP, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Simple Smoked Crab Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb lump crab meat drained
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2-3 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves
- 3 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and, using a hand mixer, whip until smooth & creamy.
- To the mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, sour cream, 3/4's of both cheeses, onions, Worcestershire, lemon juice, hot sauce, and seasonings. Blend together until evenly combined.
- Using a spatula, fold the crab meat into the mixture.
- Transfer the crab meat to a large (12-14") cast iron skillet. Spread it out into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly out over top of the dish.
- Set your smoker to 225° and smoke the crab dip for 1 1/2- 2 hours- until hot and bubbly with a golden brown cheese crust on top.
- Serve with sturdy crackers and other dipping options of your choosing.
Notes
- While you can use the hand mixer to mix the crab meat into the mixture, I don't recommend it. It will mince it. One of the great things about a quality crab dip, especially if you're springing for lump meat is getting nice chunks of meat in your bites.
- Be VERY careful when taking the HOT skillet out of the smoker. Use more than one oven mitt or hot pad if you have to, you don't want to burn yourself.
- I recommend letting the crab dip rest for 5 minutes after it comes out of the smoker before serving. This will let the cheeses set up a bit, and it will still be plenty hot.
- Don't have a smoker? No worries! You can still enjoy smoked crab dip! Add 1 tsp of liquid smoke to your mixture before spreading it in your skillet, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - 1 hours, again look for hot and bubbly mixture with a golden brown cheese crust.
Nutrition
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