This creamy cold artificial crab dip with mayo is easy to make in 10 minutes without breaking the bank using just a few simple ingredients.
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This crab dip recipe is the #1 most popular recipe on Cup of Flour, and for good reason! It's so quick and easy to make, and it wows anyone who tries it!
I've been given so many amazing compliments on this dip, and the review and comment section demonstrates that!
Just like my crab macaroni salad and my other easy crab salad recipe, I love making this crab dip in the summer because it's cold and refreshing! People love it when I bring it to summer BBQs or pool days!
It's honestly delicious any time of year, and I find myself making it around Christmas, cause everyone enjoys having it with a cocktail before Christmas dinner!
This spinach artichoke crab dip, buffalo crab dip, and hot baked imitation crab dip version is also worth checking out if you love crab dip!
The best part? It's made with the most basic ingredients anyone can find at any grocery store!
If you've been making Cup of Flour recipes for a while now, you know I make recipes incredibly approachable by only choosing to use basic ingredients so everyone can make them.
Learn more about Cup of Flour on the About page!
For more creamy and cold dip recipes, check out this cold and creamy green onion dip, creamy 4 ingredient Mexican boat dip too, and fresh cucumber dill dip!
Reasons you’ll love this recipe
- EASY: This recipe includes just a few simple steps and can be made in one single bowl!
- QUICK: It requires no cooking time and will be ready in about 10 minutes in just two steps!
- INEXPENSIVE: This crab dip uses imitation crab meat. You might even call it a fake crab dip, but it still has a fantastic seafood flavor, yet it is much more affordable than real crab.
- PERFECT FOR SHARING: It's great for sharing and snacking at dinner parties with some buttery, salty crackers.
Ingredients you’ll need
- CREAM CHEESE: The Philadelphia cream cheese is the base of the dip and makes it super creamy. You will need 8 oz softened.
- MAYONAISE: The mayo helps thin out the thick texture of the softened cream cheese and adds a slightly tangy flavor. You will need ⅓ cup.
- SPICES: Cayenne, onion, and garlic powder is all you need for the perfect combination of spices for this crab dip. We also add some old bay seasoning, but this is optional! Use ¼ teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder and 1 teaspoon each of cayenne and old bay seasoning. If you don’t use the old bay seasoning, use ½ teaspoon each of the onion and garlic powder instead of ¼ teaspoon.
- LEMON: The juice of a real lemon adds the perfect amount of acidity to cut through the heavy cream cheese and adds a bright, refreshing flavor to the dip. You will need 2 tablespoons.
- CRAB: This recipe uses artificial crab meat because it’s tasty, easy to use, and affordable! There are different types of imitation crab, like chunks, flakes, sticks and shreds, and any will work! 1 pack (227 grams/8 oz) is all you need.
- GREEN ONION: Fresh green onion adds a crunch to this rather creamy dip and a burst of flavor. You will need 3 tablespoons of green onion chopped into small pieces.
- SALT: To elevate the delicious flavours of the ingredients, you should add ¼ teaspoon.
- CRACKERS: You need these to serve with the dip! Ritz crackers go great with this crab dip, but feel free to use your favorite crackers too!
Alternative Ingredients
- Shrimp: Try using some cooked and chopped shrimp instead of crab. The shrimp has a similar texture and still gives you that delicious seafood flavor you want in a crab dip. Don’t forget to remove any shells or tails from the shrimp before combining them with the other ingredients.
- Artichoke hearts: Chop the artichoke hearts into small pieces and combine them with the other ingredients.
- Salmon: Use salmon to replace the crab meat for a more luxurious dip. Canned salmon would work great in a dip like this!
Instructions
- Mix: In a medium-sized bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to mix the cream cheese until smooth. Add the mayonnaise, spices, lemon juice and salt and mix again, this time on low speed. Fold in the imitation crab dip and green onion with a rubber spatula or a spoon.
- Serve: Add the imitation crab dip to a serving bowl and serve with crackers!
Kitchen tools that will help you
- ELECTRIC MIXER: An electric mixer will make it easy to smooth out the cream cheese at the beginning, so it’s easy to stir in and incorporate the other ingredients.
- MIXING BOWL: One medium-sized bowl is all you need to make this imitation crab dip recipe!
- SHARP KNIFE: For chopping the green onion and the crab.
- CITRUS JUICER: For squeezing the lemon to get the juice. You can also just cut a lemon in half and use your hands to squeeze out the lemon juice.
- MEASURING SPOONS AND CUPS: For measuring and adding the ingredients.
Recipe Tips
- Soften the cream cheese. This will make it easy to combine with the other ingredients. There are many ways on how to soften cream cheese quickly for smoother cooking, and our favourite is to use the microwave!
- Choose fresh ingredients. This crab dip tastes 10 x better when you throw in some fresh ingredients like the juice from a real lemon instead of bottled lemon juice and use freshly cut chives instead of dried chives.
- Serve with thick crackers. This dip is on the thicker side, so using a thicker cracker like Ritz will make it easy for you and your guest to dip into this delicious crab dip!
- Serve it right! Once prepared, it's ready to be served. If you decide to make it ahead of time be sure to pull it out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before you plan to serve it otherwise it'll be way quite solid and hard to dip a cracker into!
Recipe FAQ’s
To soften cream cheese, remove the wrapper and place it on a microwave-safe plate and microwave in 10-15 second intervals until you can easily press down on it with your finger.
You should use a thicker cracker for this imitation crab dip recipe because the dip is cold and thick. A great option is Ritz crackers, but you can choose whichever thicker cracker you love!
To thicken this dip, you can add more cream cheese or less mayo. Alternatively, if you’d like to thin out the crab dip and make it less thick, add a couple of tablespoons of extra mayo.
Store the leftover crab dip covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Cold Artificial Crab Dip with Mayo
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
This mouth-watering crab dip takes 10 minutes to make without breaking the bank.
Ingredients
- softened cream cheese: 8 oz
- mayonnaise: ⅓ cup
- cayenne powder: 1 teaspoon
- onion powder: ¼ teaspoon
- garlic powder: ¼ teaspoon
- old bay seasoning: 1 teaspoon. *if you don't have old bay seasoning, use ½ teaspoon each of the onion and garlic powder instead of ¼ teaspoon.
- lemon juice: 2 tablespoons
- salt: ¼ teaspoon
- imitation crab (chunks, flakes, sticks, etc.), chopped into small pieces: 1 pack (227 grams/8 oz)
- fresh green onion, chopped into small pieces: 3 tablespoons
- ritz crackers: for serving
Instructions
- Mix: In a medium-sized bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to mix the cream cheese until smooth. Add the mayonnaise, spices, lemon juice and salt and mix again, this time on low speed. Fold in the imitation crab dip and green onion with a rubber spatula or a spoon.
- Serve: Add the imitation crab dip to a serving bowl and serve with crackers!
Notes
Soften the cream cheese, so it’s easy to combine with the other ingredients.
Choose fresh ingredients like the juice from a real lemon instead of bottled lemon juice, and use freshly cut chives instead of dried chives. It makes a huge difference!
Serve the crab dip with thicker crackers like Ritz. This dip is on the thicker side, so using a thicker cracker will make it easy to dip into!
Once prepared, it's ready to be served. If you decide to make it ahead of time, be sure to pull it out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before you serve it; otherwise, it'll be quite solid and difficult to dip a cracker into!
Scroll up to the full blog post for more recipe FAQs and Tips.
Please note that alternative ingredients are just suggestions and have not been tested.
Nutrition facts are estimates only.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, dip
- Method: chill, no bake
- Cuisine: American
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- creamy 5 ingredient quacamole
- cilantro lime shrimp salad with lettuce
Tyler says
Brad Peter Czumaczenko says
Looks amazing. Will try and let you know!
Andrea says
Its seriously so good! Hope you love it 🙂 Definitely let me know how it turns out!
Catpro says
This is a really good recipe that gets better after flavors meld together. I am on day three and it is delicious. I suggest making it ahead of time if possible. Thanks for the recipe.
Andrea says
I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I made it twice this Christmas cause my family loves it!! Appreciate the rating and kind comment 🙂 Happy new year!
Candis says
Extra garlic and onion powders ruined my dip. Idk why you said to replace old bay seasoning.
Andrea says
Hi Candis! I'm sorry the dip didn't turn out how you had hoped! Old Bay seasoning is a common ingredient used in crab dip, however the replacement of some more garlic and onion powder is to ensure there is enough flavor in the dip if people don't have/add the old bay seasoning. Perhaps if you found there was too much seasoning, try reducing it by a bit next time.
Nikki Krakauer says
Old Bay is made of Celery salt, cheap Paprika, more salt, pepper and preservatives. I use real celery (finely diced) & real onions, (finely diced or grated), dill herbs and my smoked Paprika of choice. I’ve done this for 40+ years! HTH!
Andrea says
Oh that sounds delicious and so fresh!! Yummy!
Mandy says
This dip is scrumptious!! So happy I tried it out!
Andrea says
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. One of my faves!
Zen says
Wow this looks so good and easy.
Andrea says
Thank you so much! It's definitely super easy to make! I hope you give it a try and let me know how you like it 🙂
Susie says
This is easy to make and really good!
I made it at Christmas for an extra appetizer and everyone loved it.
This recipe is a keeper.
Andrea says
Thanks so much Susie, I appreciate your kind comment! I'm so glad it was a hit! Hope you have a happy New Year!
Patricia Ballenger says
I made this crab dip recipe when I was missing the Charleston SC coastal areas. It didn’t disappoint & I was out of cayenne. I replaced with Texas Pete & the results reminded me of the coast!!!!
Andrea says
Aw, thanks Patricia! I'm so glad this dip could replace remind you of some good memories 🙂 Thanks for sharing your substitute of Texas Pete! I'm sure others would love it just as much that way.
Kayde says
Very yummy! Thank you for sharing:)
Andrea says
Thanks Kayde! I hope you enjoyed it 🙂
Darlene says
Thank you for this amazing and delicious recipe! I made it for our
condo happy hour and everyone loved it. I only put 1/2 the scallions in
because of my own personal preference and it turned out great! Thanks again!
Andrea says
Thanks Darlene! I'm so glad everyone enjoyed it. Appreciate your kind comment!
zen says
The crab dip was a hit!
I had no cayenne or onion powder but I substituted with crushed hot peppers and dried chopped onion. It was amazing!
Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Andrea says
I'm so glad you liked it! Those substitutions are a great alternative 🙂 Glad it turned out!