Hot Baked Crab Dip
For the ultimate party indulgence, serve your guests this luscious Hot Baked Crab Dip that’s ready in under 30 minutes. Lump crab meat, cream cheese, and horseradish are baked together to make the perfect appetizer for your next dinner party or get-together with friends.
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In my opinion, you just can’t have too many dip recipes in your collection. This is another one of those fabulous old recipes that we used to make for almost any occasion, or no occasion at all, really.
Any time you need to feed a group of people standing or sitting around while talking and eating — this is your go-to recipe. It’s decadent and cheesy enough to serve for a football game but elegant enough for New Year’s Eve. I’ve paired it with everything from beer to champagne, and it always gets rave reviews.
This old, reliable recipe for Hot Baked Crab Dip uses ingredients that you probably have on hand right now. There’s nothing exotic that you can’t find at any grocery store, no matter where you live.
It takes at most 10 minutes to mix up, and you can adjust the horseradish to suit your tastes. I keep it on the mild side for BeeBop and sometimes stir in a bit extra in a separate dish for me. Hope you enjoy this retro revival!
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- It’s so quick and easy — ready in under 30 minutes!
- Luscious creamy, cheesy flavors.
- Versatile enough for any occasion.
- You can customize the level of “kick” from the horseradish to suit yourself.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
“I have made this for several neighborhood get-togethers, and it goes like crazy!”
— Ellen
🛒 Ingredient Notes
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This Baked Crab Dip is made with everyday ingredients that are easy to find at your local grocery store. Here’s a quick rundown of the key components:
- Cream Cheese – Have the cream cheese at room temperature for best results. It melts and combines with other ingredients better than when cold.
- Canned Lump Crab – I’ve specified canned crab for this recipe only for convenience. You can easily use fresh crab meat. Whichever you use, be sure to drain it very well to prevent the dip from being watery.
- Prepared Horseradish – I keep the horseradish on the mild side. Use up to a tablespoon if you want a spicier version.
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
🥄 How I Make Hot Crab Dip with Horseradish
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium bowl combine all ingredients except green onions. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until thoroughly mixed.
👉 PRO TIP: Use a small hand-held grater to grate onion. You’ll get all the flavor you need without chunks of onion in the finished dish.
- Place the mixture into a small ovenproof baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through and lightly golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped green onions.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve the dip warm or at room temperature. Offer your favorite crackers, toasted sliced baguettes, crostini, breadsticks, melba toast, or sturdy tortilla chips for dipping.
🍚 How I Store Leftovers
- Any leftovers can be refrigerated well covered for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave. Freezing is not recommended.
🔀 Recipe Variations
- Bake the dip inside a hollow bread bowl. It makes a very pretty presentation, and the entire thing is edible.
- Cook and serve in a mini-slow cooker (cook 2 hours on high and then keep on low for serving).
- Add 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce to the dip if you’re sure your guests like the heat.
❓ Questions about Baked Crab Dip
The crab dip can be prepared a day ahead of time. Store it covered in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature and then bake according to the recipe.
If your crab dip has turned out too thin and runny, it’s because you didn’t drain the crab well before adding it to the mixture. However, all is not lost! You can fix it by adding more cream cheese. Keep in mind that additional cream cheese will lessen the flavor of the crab, but at least you’ll save your dip.
If your dip has an overpowering fish taste, try adding a teaspoon of lemon juice.
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
📖 Recipe
Hot Baked Crab Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 6 ounces canned lump crab meat well drained
- 2 tablespoons grated onion
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon. pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium bowl combine all ingredients except green onions. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Turn the mixture into an ovenproof serving dish and bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped green onions.
- Serve with your favorite crackers.
Notes
- Any leftovers can be refrigerated well covered for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave. Freezing is not recommended.
- May be prepared a day ahead of time and stored covered in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature and then bake according to the recipe.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I used to make this all the time and then I stopped for some reason and completely forgot the recipe. This is the closest to my Gramma’s recipe, and I’m going to be making it weekly again!
YUMMY and easy!
Yes it is, Niki! It’s an old recipe but such a yummy one.
I have made this for several neighborhood get-togethers, and it it goes like crazy! I’ll be making again for a (very) small Super Bowl party where we will socially distance ourselves and not linger over the food table.
That’s great, Ellen! People never get tired of this recipe!
Another SCORE! Looks dee-lish. Note to self: do not visit Lana’s site when hungry {giggle}. xo
You know me, Kelly. Always trying to tempt somebody with a yummy treat!
This looks awesome! And I totally agree-you can never have too much dip! I don’t think I’ve ever made crab dip (just devoured other people’s) so I will have to try this!
Can never go wrong with the classics! Thanks for the reminder of a really good dip-but really so much more than that!
Thanks, Shelby. It’s definitely a classic for sure!
Yum! Perfect appetizer for any upcoming occasion. Thanks for sharing this lovely dish!
You’re welcome, Nicole! If you’ve never tried it, I hope you will. I never met anyone who didn’t like it :-)
Thank you so much for including crab meat in your recipe. That fake stuff is just that. Fake. My daughter loves it but me? Not so much.
I remember this dip…and I remember it was good. It would warm my tootsies I bet since I am FREEZING! I’ll be there soon (or wishing I could at least).
No fake crab around here! And if I could get it fresh, I’d use that. The canned makes a passable substitute. And…I can’t believe you’re already having SNOW there! Wow. It’s 85 degrees here right now :-) Not that I’d rub it in or anything.
This might be a retro recipe but I have yet to serve Hot Crab Dip at a function that it hasn’t been one of the very to go. But then, I do live in Maryland and you know how we are about anything to do with crabs.
It really is delicious, isn’t it! There’s never a drop left when I serve it.