I pride myself on always coming up with my own unique recipes, but full disclosure, I stole this one. This is a recipe that my step mom has been making for us for a few years and every time she pulls it out of the oven, we devour it in a matter of minutes. I assumed it was a recipe that she had found online so I never thought to share it on this site, until one day she mentioned it was actually a recipe that her Mom had created and the she had adapted. I asked if she could write out the recipe for me to share on my site and had to laugh with the recipe she gave me. The ingredient list included 1 small bag of crab (they catch fresh crab and store it in ziploc bags in the freezer), 1 container goat cheese and a handful of fresh herbs, measurements I realized needed refining. After a few tests I managed to figure out the measurements and can confidently say this is just as delicious as the dip my step mom makes. While the combination of ingredients may seem unusual I think you are going to absolutely love the flavors of this hoy crab dip recipe.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Crap Dip Recipe:
- You will love the restaurant-quality flavors without a hefty price tag.
- This is the perfect party food for New Year’s Eve, Christmas, football season, or even for date night in.
- I love the uniqueness of this easy crab dip recipe. While most cheesy crab dip recipes rely on parmesan cheese, the goat cheese really gives this dip a bold flavor.
- The smell of it bubbling in the oven is enough to make anyone hungry; it is truly irresistible.
- This recipe is low carb, grain-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and Keto.
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Cheeses: The combination of full fat cream cheese and goat cheese creates the most decadent, creamy base I am sure you will love!
- Mayonnaise: A classic crab dip ingredient to add to the creaminess. You can make your own with my favorite mayo recipe here.
- Horseradish sauce: You may think this will make it a bit spicy, but I assure you it doesn’t. It adds amazing flavor!
- Dijon Mustard: A burst of umami flavor blends perfectly with the creaminess.
- Lemon Juice: I prefer fresh lemon juice, but you can use store-bought lemon juice as well.
- Fresh Herbs: I love the combination of fresh parsley and fresh chives, but you can definitely add your favorite herbs.
- Crab meat: I use fresh lump crab meat for this recipe, but you can use frozen crab meat too. I wouldn’t recommend imitation crab meat or canned crab meat.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need:
- Glass Baking Dish
- Large Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Spatula
Buying Crab
If you’re planning ahead for a party or holiday, buy during or just after peak season (more info about seasons below) and freeze it if needed—it’ll taste better and cost less than off-season crab.
How to Make this Crab Dip:
- Preheat the oven. Add the cream cheese and goat cheese to a pot on medium-low heat. Stir regularly until the cheeses have melted into a smooth consistency.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the mayonnaise, horseradish, dijon mustard, and lemon juice. Once well mixed, use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the herbs and crab meat.
- Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the dip is bubbly hot and golden in color.
Cooking With Crab
-For the best flavor and texture, use fresh crab meat and gently fold it in at the end to avoid breaking it up—this keeps those sweet, juicy chunks intact and gives the dip a luxurious bite.
How to Modify:
- For a kick of protein, use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of mayonnaise.
- For a spicy crab dip, use spicy Dijon mustard or a spicy ground mustard or add a few dashes of hot sauce
- You could use roughly chopped shrimp if you don’t care for crab.
- Try green onions instead of the chives and add your favorite herbs.
- For more texture add toasted breadcrumbs to the dip before serving so a little crunch.
Dietary Customizations
Dairy Free: If you are able to find a dairy-free goat cheese, this is actually fairly easy to make dairy-free. Daiya makes a goat cheese-flavored alternative. Alternatively you could skip the goat cheese and replace it (and the cream cheese) with a dairy-free cream cheese.
Serving Suggestions:
You can’t go wrong with the many ways to enjoy this delicious crab dip. Serve this alongside toasted baguette, tortilla chips, or your favorite crackers (I love ritz crackers!), whether regular or gluten-free, or scoop this dip with fresh veggies like carrots, bell peppers, or cucumbers.
If you want to really impress everyone, serve this inside a bread bowl and serve with the bread bits that you removed.
I love to have a spread out with other dips too, like Spinach Artichoke Dip, Jalapeno Cottage Cheese Dip, or Mexican Street Corn Dip.
Common Questions
You have two options for prepping this: Firstly, you can assemble everything in your baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge 24 hours in advance. Then, when you’re ready to serve it, pop it in the oven right out of the fridge and bake according to the recipe card below. Secondly, you can bake this creamy dip to completion and store it in the fridge after you bring it to room temperature and then reheat it at 350 degrees until it is warmed through and bubbling.
If you happen to have leftover crab dip, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and reheat in the oven or in the microwave.
Yes! As long as you aren’t using imitation crab meat or canned crab meat, any type of fresh or frozen crab meat will work.
When it comes to choosing a premium quality crabmeat, you have a few options. You will want to avoid canned crab meat or imitation crab meat.
Jumbo Lump Crab Meat: Firm, whole, impressive pieces with a sweet and delicate flavor. Not an excellent choice for crab dip.
Standard Lump Crab Meat: Slightly smaller, still firm and meaty, and sweet and rich. The most common crab meat used for crab dips or salads.
Backfin Crab Meat: Smaller flakes of body meat with some broken lump pieces. It is more flaky, not as firm, and has a mild, sweet flavor. It will also make good crab dip meat.
If you are blessed to live near fresh crab, choose the right time of year for peak-quality meat:
Blue Crab (East Coast) is best purchased from late Spring to early Fall
Dungeness Crab (West Coast) is best purchased from Winter to early Spring.
King and Snow Crab (Alaska or Canada) is best purchased from October to January (it is usually frozen shortly after it’s caught)
More Party Foods You Will Love:
- Crab and Shrimp Dip
- Spicy Feta Dip
- Spicy Tuna Wonton Cups
- Prosciutto, Pear and Gargonzola Bites
- Whipped Ricotta Dip with Hot Honey
If you make this Creamy Crab Dip with Goat Cheese recipe, let me know in the comment section below. I would love to hear what you think, or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram. I love seeing your photos!
Creamy Crab Dip with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 6 oz goat cheese chevre
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp horseradish sauce
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
- 2 ½ cups crab meat
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Add the cream cheese and goat cheese to a pot on medium low heat. Stir regularly until the cheeses have melted into a smooth consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the mayonnaise, horseradish, dijon mustard and lemon juice. Once well mixed add in the parsley, chives and crab meat.
- Transfer the mixture to an oven safe dish and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the dip is bubbly hot and golden in color.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
