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Whenever I’m entertaining, I love to have at least one dip that can work for everyone, no matter if they are gluten-free, low carb, or just eat everything. And that’s this hot crab dip recipe. My 5-minute cold crab dip is always a hit, but when you want a warm, but still easy crab dip, it’s so easy to make that adjustment.
This one is even creamier and cheesier than the cold version. And if you make this crab dip recipe as part of an appetizer spread, it’s sure to be one of the first things to go.
Why You’ll Love This Hot Crab Dip Recipe
- Rich crab flavor with plenty of lump crab meat
- Smooth and creamy dip
- Quick 5-minute prep in one bowl
- Great source of protein (9.6 grams per serving)
- Easy to make ahead

Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this crab dip recipe, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Cream Cheese – The base of this hot crab dip recipe. Use full fat cream cheese for best flavor, but light or neufchatel works fine, too. Make sure your cream cheese is softened at room temperature, so that it mixes in well.
- Sour Cream – If you want to lighten it up a bit, substitute Greek yogurt.
- Mayonnaise – Make homemade mayo or use store-bought; either will work in this hot crab dip. You can also use only sour cream or only mayo instead of both, but combining them tastes better in my opinion.
- Lemon Juice – Brightens the flavor. Lemon almost always goes well with seafood dishes like this one. Fresh lemon juice is the most flavorful, but bottled lemon juice can be a convenient time saver.
- Old Bay Seasoning – This classic seafood seasoning makes an easy crab dip without messing with multiple spices individually, and it gives it a delicious, classic flavor.
- Cheddar cheese – We’re using shredded cheese, so buy it shredded to save some time or shred it yourself. Feel free to swap some of the cheddar for others, such as mozzarella or parmesan cheese.
- Crab Meat – If possible, look for jumbo lump crab meat. It will make the best hot crab dip recipe with big crab chunks!
- Backfin crab meat, which is a combination of small pieces of lump crab meat and flakes of white body meat, is a cheaper alternative that is okay to use, but the texture of the dip won’t be as good as using only lump crab.
- Claw meat is the cheapest kind and you won’t get any chunks, but it does have a hearty crab flavor.
- If you have leftover fresh crab meat (such as from making crab legs), this is an excellent choice and tastes even better than the kind from a can.
- Imitation crab meat works from a recipe standpoint, but the flavor is actually quite different.
- Chives – These add delicate flavor and a pop of color. You could also use thinly sliced green onions instead.

How To Make Crab Dip
This section shows how to make hot crab dip, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Mix creamy base. In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Old Bay seasoning, until smooth. Use a hand mixer to make this easy!

TIP: Soften your cream cheese if you need to.
If your cream cheese doesn’t mix smoothly with the other ingredients, you can microwave the mixture for about 30 seconds to soften it, then stir until completely uniform.
- Add cheese, chives, and hot sauce. Stir until uniform. Taste and adjust hot sauce and/or Old Bay seasoning if you like.


- Add crab. Fold in the crab meat using a spatula.

TIP: Be gentle when folding in the crab.
You want lumps of crab throughout the dip, so don’t overmix.
- Transfer. Spoon the mixture into a small baking dish (this one is the perfect size). Smooth the top.


- Bake. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake crab dip until hot.
- Serve. If desired, garnish hot crab dip with more chives. Serve with your favorite dippers (see below for ideas).

Recipe Variations
If you want to take this dip to the next level, try one (or more) of these additions:
- Garlic – Add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Hot sauce – The amount on the recipe card still keeps it quite mild, but feel free to omit it. If you like some heat, add more hot sauce or even some finely diced jalapenos.
- Worcestershire Sauce – I decided not to include this due to the sugar content, but many crab dip recipes add this sauce for flavor depth and light sweetness. Feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons if you like.
- Salt – I don’t usually find it necessary to add any salt, since the cream cheese, cheddar, and Old Bay seasoning are already salty, but feel free to adjust to your taste.
- Bacon – Make bacon in the oven (my favorite method for crispy bacon), air fryer or microwave, crumble it and mix it into the dip.
- Spinach Artichoke – Stir about 1/2 cup drained frozen spinach and 1/2 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts to the dip, or simply add crab meat to spinach artichoke dip.
- Jalapeños – Add 1-2 jalapeños, finely diced, for a spicy kick.
Storage Instructions
- Store: After cooling the crab dip to room temperature, keep leftovers in refrigerator for 2-3 days. If you have leftover crab meat, use it to make a crab salad.
- Make Ahead: You can make the dip ahead, place in a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Bake right before serving.
- Reheat: Bake crab dip in a 350 degree F oven, or heat gently in the microwave. (I recommend the oven.)
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this dip, as the dairy will change texture during freezing/thawing process. It’s safe to eat, but the texture won’t be as smooth.

What To Serve With Hot Crab Dip
Serve this recipe for crab dip hot with your favorite dippers:
- Raw Veggies – My favorite! Mini bell peppers, celery sticks, cucumber slices, and carrots are all great for scooping up dips.
- Crackers – Any kind will do, but flax seed crackers or almond flour crackers are delicious, healthy options.
- Breads – Sliced baguette is a common choice. For a low carb, gluten-free alternative, try almond flour bread.
- Chips – Use tortilla chips (or almond flour tortilla chips), light and crispy zucchini chips, or any other kind you like.
Looking for more hot dip recipes? Try my sausage rotel dip, classic spinach artichoke dip, or my infamous crack dip next!
More Easy Crab Recipes
If you like this recipe for hot crab dip, you might also like some of these other crab recipes:
Tools To Make Crab Dip Recipes
- Small Baking Dish – This is the one I used. It’s the perfect size for this dip and is beautiful enough to go from oven to table.
- Spatula – Make sure to fold in the crab meat gently, this spatula is the perfect tool to do so.
Hot Crab Dip Recipe
Hot Crab Dip Recipe (Easy & Creamy!)
This easy hot crab dip recipe is creamy, cheesy, and loaded with lump crab meat! It makes the perfect irresistible party appetizer.
Recipe Video
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
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In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Old Bay seasoning, until smooth and creamy.
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Stir in the cheddar cheese, chives, and hot sauce, to taste. Adjust Old Bay seasoning to taste if needed.
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Using a spatula, fold in the crab meat. (Do this gently and don't over-mix. You want some lumps of crab throughout.)
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Transfer the crab dip to a small baking dish (mine was this oval one). Bake for about 20 minutes, until hot.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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132 Comments
Kali
0What can I substitute cream cheese with? Can I use mozzarella or Alfredo sauce instead
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Kali, I have never tried either of those in this recipe, if you do please let me know the results.
Cathy Bodenhamer
0Do you use raw crab meat for this recipe when baking in the oven?
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Cathy, I used canned white lump crab meat. You could also use Backfin crab meat, Claw meat, leftover fresh crab meat, or imitation crab meat.
Samovila
0Would it be possible to use shrimp in this? I can go buy crab but I happen to have shrimp on hand already.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, I have never tried that, but it should work!
June
0Can you double the batch?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi June, Yes, you can double this recipe.
Denise
0I substituted Violife cream cheese and Kitehill vegan sour cream and the recipe was great.
Denise
0How about adding fresh jalapeño?
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Denise, Absolutely, feel free to add finely diced jalapenos to the recipe for a spicy kick!
Karen
0I made this for a superbowl party for a small group; only about half of it was eaten. The overall consensus was that the cheese overpowered the crab, could barely taste the crab. Maybe, a milder cheese rather than cheddar would have been better. Next time I will try the cold crab receipe.
Richard Kurth
05 STAR MADE 5 TIMES ALREADY
Lisa Eaton
0I’m going to try this asap!
rosanne drechsel
0Excellent. My family loved this. It was delicious. Thank you for this fabulous recipe.
Virginia Bates
0Can you use canned crab meat for this recipe?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Virginia, Yes, you could use canned crab meat.
Kimberly Murphy
0I love both cold and warm crab dip, and your recipes are perfect! Simply delicious!
Lucinda
0Made this for a family gathering this week. It was a big hit, even my grandmother loved it. I ended up making 2 more batches.
Kathy
0I love your almond flour cracker recipe. I would serve them with this dip