This cold crab dip with cream cheese and cocktail sauce is a retro-inspired classic (like this imitation crab dip) that never goes out of style. It's layered with cream cheese, lump crab meat, and a zesty cocktail sauce that gets a bright kick from extra lemon and horseradish.
Serve it alongside this spinach artichoke crab dip or crab pretzel for a hot dip option (if that's more your speed).
Perfect for holidays, summer parties, or last-minute entertaining, this cream cheese crab dip comes together in minutes and is always a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Serve it with crackers or toasted baguette slices for a quick and easy appetizer.
My family has enjoyed this appetizer for years during our summer beach vacation. We go crabbing to catch fresh blue crabs, pick them, and serve up this dip almost every day for beach happy hour!
Serve it alongside some other simple dips and party bites like fig and prosciutto flatbread, jalapeño ranch dip, roasted olives, sausage stuffed mushrooms, or spinach and feta pinwheels.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
No cook appetizer - just layer up the dip and serve! This crab dip takes only 10 minutes to assemble.
Classic flavor combination - crab and cocktail sauce is a pair made in heaven. Add a bit of cream cheese for a fully balanced flavor profile.
Easy to feed a crowd - it's great for parties, holidays, or game days and can be served during any time of year to feed multiple mouths.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese. A block of full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese is my favorite brand to use.
- Lump crab meat. Pasteurized, cold canned crab meat from the seafood department. To make it more cost effective, use claw meat or a special blend!
- Cocktail sauce. Grab a bottle of your favorite cocktail sauce and doctor it up to make it more flavorful.
- Horseradish. A few spoonfuls of prepared horseradish make it a little zesty and spicy!
- Lemon. This helps to brighten the dish and cut through the richness of the cream cheese.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Crab meat. Use claw meat or a special blend to make it a more budget friendly option.
- Horseradish. Adjust it to taste or leave it out for a milder dip.
- Spicy. Add a few dashes of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the cocktail sauce to kick up the spiciness.
- Toppings. Sprinkle on some minced chives or a sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning for an extra festive look.
- Serving options. Serve it on a plate, in a pie dish, or glass bowl so you can see the layers.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Mix in horseradish and lemon juice into the cocktail sauce until it suits your taste.
Two: Spread the cream cheese evenly on a plate or platter.
Three: Top the cream cheese completely with crab meat.
Four: Cover the crab meat with the cocktail sauce and serve with crackers or baguette slices.
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Expert Tips
- Use good quality crab meat - fresh or pasteurized cold crab meat makes a huge difference (rather than using canned crab meat by the tuna).
- Gently pick through the crab meat to remove any pieces of cartilage.
- Only add the cocktail sauce right before you plan to serve, otherwise it will start to weep around the edges.
- Use crackers that don't have too much flavor (like saltines, butter crackers, or water crackers) so you can get the full flavor of the dip. Multigrain crackers overpower the dip a bit too much.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but I wouldn't suggest it. The flavor and texture isn't the same as real crab meat and is significantly sweeter.
Yes! Assemble the cream cheese and crab meat and store it covered in the fridge for a day. Only add the cocktail sauce until you're ready to serve it, otherwise it will weep around the edges.
Plain cream cheese works best, but chive cream cheese or garlic and herb Boursin can also work and sufficient alternatives.
Storage
Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for two days. Note that the cocktail sauce will weep over the edges. You can use a paper towel to remove any excess liquid before re-serving.
Do not freeze this dip.
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What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
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📖Recipe
Cold Crab Dip with Cream Cheese & Cocktail Sauce
Equipment
- Serving dish or platter
Ingredients
- 8 oz cocktail sauce
- 1 large lemon
- 2-3 tablespoons horseradish
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese brick style
- ½ lb lump crab meat
- crackers or baguette slices
Instructions
- Pour the cocktail sauce (it won’t be the full jar) into a mixing bowl, squeeze in the juice from the lemon (no seeds!) and stir in the horseradish. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon or horseradish, as needed.8 oz cocktail sauce, 1 large lemon, 2-3 tablespoons horseradish
- Choose a cute plate or serving dish and spread the cream cheese into an even layer with the back of a spoon or spatula.8 oz full-fat cream cheese
- Sprinkle over the crab meat into an even layer on top of the cream cheese (going the whole way to the edges).½ lb lump crab meat
- Spread the cocktail sauce all over the top of the crab.
- Serve cold or room temperature with crackers or toasted baguette slices.crackers or baguette slices
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