Valentina Ablaev
This cold crab dip recipe is the perfect easy and delicious appetizer recipe. This dip is loaded with chunks of crab in a creamy mayo sauce; it’s the perfect easy seafood appetizer that will keep you and your guests coming back for more.
This recipe for cold crab dip is simple to prepare in advance and can be refrigerated until you’re ready to serve it, making for an effortless preparation process. Each bite is packed with a delightful crunch and amazing flavor.
In a box: Level up your crab dip by making a hot crab rangoon dip inspired by our delicious fried crab rangoons.
The Best Crab Dip
What makes this crab dip so delicious? This crab dip perfectly balances flavor and texture. It offers just the right amount of crunch and boasts an incredible taste. A subtle hint of spice elevates it even further, making it hard to resist.
Ingredients for Cold Crab Dip
This recipe uses simple ingredients that you might already have at home:
- Crab – this recipe uses imitation crab. Yes, it isn’t real crab, but it’s affordable and tasty. We especially love it in our california roll sushi bowls.
You can also use jumbo lump crab meat for a more authentic crab flavor, and even canned crab meat. - Dressing – a combination of sour cream, mayonnaise, and cream cheese for a delicious and tangy base.
Substitute: Swap out the sour cream for non-flavored greek yogurt for a high protein option. - Garlic – fresh minced garlic adds the best flavor to this dip.
- Vegetables – canned jalapenos, bell peppers, and celery are chopped up into small pieces to add a great flavor and texture!
- Crackers – arrange a plate of crackers, pita chips, and even tortilla chips to serve with this cold dip.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- The ultimate seafood dip: Take this cold crab dip to the next level of seafood heaven by adding shrimp, just like in our buffalo shrimp dip recipe.
- Make sandwiches: This dip can be served as open-faced sandwiches: all you gotta do is add this crab mixture to a slice of bread to make a seafood sandwich appetizer.
How to Make Cold Crab Dip
- Prep ingredients. Chop up the crab, jalapenos, peppers, and celery.
- Combine everything. Mix the sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl—once smooth, mix in the crab, peppers, and celery. Refrigerate before serving. Garnish with fresh chives, dill, and green onion, and serve!
Expert Tips:
- Hot sauce. Tobasco sauce or sriracha sauce adds a great flavor to this dip.
- Texture is everything. Chop all of the ingredients into small pieces to ensure you get a taste of everything in each bite.
- Keep the dip cold. This dip tastes best when served chilled, so keep it in the fridge before serving.
Crab Dip FAQ’s
Imitation crab can be found at almost any grocery store in the seafood section.
No, imitation crab isn’t made with real crab but is a delicious and cheap alternative. You can use real canned crab or cook crab and allow it to cool.
Can cold crab dip be made in advance?
You can make crab dip up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge. Prepare per instructions and mix before serving.
Store & Reheat
- Storage. To ensure maximum freshness, store the leftover dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze. This dip does not freeze.
More Dip Recipes
If you enjoyed this cold crab dip recipe, be sure to try our other popular recipes; here are some of our favorite dips:
If you tried this easy cold crab dip recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Cold Crab Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz crab meat
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 3 ounces cream cheese room temp
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- salt & pepper to taste
- 6 canned jalapeno rings finely chopped
- 1/3 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 celery stick finely chopped
- tabasco or sriracha optional
- crackers or tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Chop up the crab into small pieces.
- In a bowl, mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
- To the sauce mixture, add the crab, chopped jalapenos, red bell pepper, and chopped celery.
- Top with a dash of tabasco or sriracha, and refrigerate until ready to be enjoyed.
- Serve with crackers and tortilla chips.
Notes
- Cut up all of the ingredients into small, bite-sized pieces for the perfect texture and crunch.
- This dip is best served cold, so we recommend refrigerating it before serving.
- Store leftovers: Keep leftover dip in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
