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A chive-loaded crab dip you’d never know wasn’t made with real crab!
I’ve always loved imitation crab. It doesn’t matter if it’s in California rolls or my childhood babysitter’s imitation crab salad; it’s one of my favorite seafood products that tastes just tastes good at a fraction of the cost of the real thing!
Now I'm not going to say that it tastes like real crab, because it doesn't, but it's still a fave of mine!
That’s why I wanted to create this easy Cold Imitation Crab Dip recipe! It features one of my favorite ingredients while still showcasing crowd-pleasing flavors.
You’ll find imitation crab dip with cream cheese and a handful of other tangy and vibrant flavor boosters in this party dip. The texture is creamy and the flavors are bright. Plus, there are delicious chunks of imitation crab in every bite!
Mix it up in just 20 minutes and serve it alongside even more party-ready appetizers, as well as crackers, chips, and veggies. It’s the perfect snack for game day, cocktail parties, picnics, and more!
Ingredients needed
The ingredients in this imitation crab dip recipe are vibrant, tangy, and always leave you with a well-balanced party appetizer. This is what you need:
The creamy base
Cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream make up the base of this creamy dip recipe. I like using all three because each one contributes to the dip’s sensational texture and flavor:
- Cream cheese gives it a thick and sturdy consistency that’s perfect for scooping. It’s my go-to base in many dip recipes, like this Creamy Green Olive Dip.
- Sour cream adds a tangy flavor.
- Mayo is also tangy but helps smooth out the texture and provides a distinct richness.
I don’t recommend leaving any of these out of the recipe unless you want to end up with creamy crab salad. You can, however, substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream and/or mayonnaise. It’s just as tangy and rich.
Flavor boosters
Lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic powder, tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper add the flavor that brings this entire recipe together. They help every bite taste vibrant, savory, and zesty.
Imitation crab
Chunks of imitation crab are stirred into the creamy base, bulking up every bite and adding the signature seafood flavor you love. It’s sold in various shapes, like flakes, sticks, chunks, and shreds, and can be labeled as “imitation crab,” “crab-flavored seafood”, or “surimi seafood”.
Feel free to buy any type of imitation crab that’s available to you. The crab is both finely and roughly chopped before going into the dip, so the original shape doesn’t matter too much.
Chives
Fresh chives have this magical ability to add vibrant, refreshing flavors to creamy dips, like in my Sour Cream and Chive Dip. They’re the best addition to this creamy crab dip and really take it up a notch!
You can use dried chives as a substitute, but they won’t taste as fresh. Or, if you don’t have chives at home, use chopped green onions instead.
How to make cold imitation crab dip
This 20-minute crab dip is easy to put together in a few simple steps:
Tips to make the best crab dip
Review these tips before you stir your ingredients together:
Soften your cream cheese
Cold, straight-from-the-fridge cream cheese is way too stiff to work with and will make it much harder to mix with the other ingredients. Instead, take it out of the fridge and set it on the kitchen counter 30 minutes to 1 hour before blending. This will result in an easy-to-mix and smooth dip with no lumps!
Finely and roughly chopping the crab
The fake crab meat is divided into two halves: one half that’s finely chopped into very small pieces and a second half that’s roughly chopped into larger chunks. By blending these two textures into the dip, every bite becomes a little more interesting and will feel more substantial in your mouth.
Chill it, baby!
Sure, you can eat this dip as soon as it’s mixed together, but I highly recommend chilling it in the fridge first. Chilling it for at least 1 hour gives all of the flavors time to get to know each other, resulting in a more flavorful and balanced dip.
Use an electric mixer
This automatic tool takes a lot of the work out of this recipe. An electric mixer whips more air into the cream cheese and takes no time to blend in the rest of the flavor boosters. In the end, the dip has a lighter, creamier consistency and tastes better, too!
Recipe
Devourable! Cold & Chunky Imitation Crab Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces imitation crab meat flake or leg style
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 dashes hot sauce like Tabasco
- Pinch salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Instructions
- Finely chop half of the imitation crab meat and roughly chop the other half, set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
- Add mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic powder, tabasco and salt and pepper, and beat with the mixer on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Stir all of the chopped crab (fine & chunky pieces) and chives into the cream cheese mixture, cover, and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Garnish with additional pepper and chives and serve with your favorite crackers!
Bill Rodgers says
It's perfect. I doubled it and perfect. I am debating adding a finely diced onion or maybe powder. Dunno. Hmm.
I am going to freeze half of it in a freezer bag, plus inside a plastic Tupperware bowl.
Michelle Weiner says
Thanks so much Bill! I'm glad you liked it!
Oh, a little finely chopped red onion or shallot would be nice to add a little crunch! If you don't want the additional texture some onion powder sounds great!
I've never frozen this dip, but if you do I'd love to hear how it works for you!
McKenzie says
This was so yummy! I even added wonton wrappers to make them into mini crab Rangoon cups it was the perfect treat !!
Michelle Weiner says
Yesssss! I'm so glad you liked it! The addition of crispy wonton wrappers sounds so so good! Thanks for the detailed review!
Lisa says
Made this tonight and hubby and I both loved it! Thank you so much for the recipe! ❤️
Michelle Weiner says
Yay! Glad you both liked it! You're so welcome and thank YOU for the review!
Brittani says
Delicious recipe! Tasted & reminded me of the crab dip my grandma used to make at Christmas. Great tip for cutting the crab into different sizes. Will be making again!
Michelle Weiner says
Thank you!!! I love when recipes bring up joyful memories and I'm so glad you'll be making it again!
Cindy says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Michelle Weiner says
Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Marie Fields says
Easy to make. I only needed to substitute 1 ingredient, because I didn’t have lemon juice, so I used lime juice. The results were a very delicious crab dip.
Michelle Weiner says
I'm so glad the lime juice was a good swap! Thanks for the review 🙂
Karen says
What do you do with the other half of the crab that was cut in chunks
Michelle Weiner says
Hi Karen! Thanks for the Q! You'll want to mix all of the chopped crab (both finely and chunky cut pieces) into the cream cheese mixture. Hope that helps and I hope you love the dip!