It’s time to dive into this Cheesy Crab Dip! With big, tender chunks of crab in each bite coated with hot, melty cheese, leftovers won’t be an option. While perfect to serve at parties, you may just want to bake a batch for yourself to enjoy on a quiet night in.
I know cheese and seafood are a combination rarely spoken of, but stay with me here. The mild, buttery pieces of crab speckled through this tangy, cheesy, creamy dip is something dreams are made of. Fair warning: you won’t be able to stop at just a few dips! You might want to save extra room for this treat.
Warm, cheesy dips like this are typically reserved for entertaining guests or contributing to parties. I now know, from personal experience, that it absolutely can be enjoyed with a sliced, toasted baguette as an entire meal. I mean, we have so much stress, responsibility, bills. We deserve and entire pan of this hot crab dip for dinner every once in a while.
Ingredients
Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
- Cream cheese – Make sure to give your cream cheese time to soften before starting.
- Mayonnaise – Any type you like best.
- Sour cream – Greek yogurt can be used instead.
- Worcestershire sauce – Or soy sauce.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed.
- Hot sauce – Any type you like best, or you can leave it out!
- Old bay seasoning – Use seasoning salt instead if you prefer.
- Cheddar cheese – Either from a block or pre-shredded bag. The sharper the better!
- Crab – I used 3 4oz cans. You can use fresh crab instead.
- Green onion – Chopped for garnish.
How to make cheesy crab dip
- Prep the oven: Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Beat cream cheese: Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, hot sauce, and old bay seasoning to a large mixing bowl. Beat until well combined and smooth.
- Stir in crab and cheese: Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and the drained crab meat to the bowl. Stir to combine evenly.
- Bake: Spread the dip into a small baking dish, about 8″ x 8″. I used an 8″ skillet. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and slightly browned.
- Finish: Garnish with green onion and chopped tomatoes and serve hot.
What type of crab should I use?
I used 3 cans of lump crab meat weighing 4oz each. After draining the water, you’re typically left with 8 1/2oz of crab. This would be about half a pound.
While I used lump crab meat, you can use the regular canned crab. I just liked a few big pieces to be mixed into the dip! You can also use the same weight of fresh crab in this dip. Have a little more or less than what the recipe calls for? That’ll work just fine! Make it as crab-a-licious as you like.
The best type of crab to use for a recipe like this are snow, king, blue, and dungeness are all great varieties to choose from. They’re mild, tender, and will cook down so beautifully in this dip.
What type of cheese can I use?
While cream cheese is a must for the consistency of this dip to be perfect, you can switch out the cheddar cheese to try different flavors in your dip. Give these a try:
- Monterey Jack
- Colby Jack
- Gruyere
- Emmental
- Red Leicester
- Edam
- Gouda
Leftovers
You can keep the dip directly in the dish you baked it in covered with plastic wrap, or you can transfer leftovers to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
You can store this dip for 2-3 months in the freezer as well. If storing the dip in the dish you baked it in, wrap it well with both plastic wrap and foil to avoid freezer burn.
Reheating
You can scoop the leftovers into a bowl and reheat the dip in the microwave at 30 second intervals, until hot.
You can also reheat in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cover the dip, in the skillet, with foil. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.
If your dip has been frozen, let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Did you love this cheesy crab dip? Try these:
- Chile con Queso
- Best Ever Spinach
- Spicy Cheesy Corn Tomato Dip
- Lasagna Dip
- Baja Spinach Dip
- Super Easy Taco Dip
- Bacon Corn Dip
- Crockpot Queso Blanco Dip
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Cheesy Crab Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce optional
- 1 ½ teaspoon old bay seasoning
- 1 ½ cup cheddar cheese
- 12 ounce lump crab meat 3 cans (4 oz each), drained
Garnish
- 2 tablespoon green onion chopped, for garnish
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
Instructions
- Prep the oven: Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Beat cream cheese: Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, hot sauce, and old bay seasoning to a large mixing bowl. Beat until well combined and smooth.
- Stir in crab and cheese: Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and the drained crab meat to the bowl. Stir to combine evenly.
- Bake: Spread the dip into a small baking dish, about 8" x 8". I used an 8" skillet. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and slightly browned.
- Finish: Garnish with green onion and chopped tomatoes and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
- You can keep the dip directly in the dish you baked it in covered with plastic wrap, or you can transfer leftovers to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can I use imitation crab ?
Certainly!