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    Home » Appetizer

    Easy Hot Maryland Crab Dip Recipe with Old Bay

    by Patti Estep · Nov 20, 2020

    Jump to Recipe
    Maryland crab dip close up in a round pan.
    Round pan with Maryland crab dip surrounded with two kinds of crackers.

    Enjoy this hot Maryland crab dip recipe with flavors of the Chesapeake including Old Bay seasoning and a creamy base that everyone will love.

    Crab dip in a dark round glass pan with small square crackers on one side and triangle crackers on the other side.

    I've probably mentioned that my husband loves Old Bay. He puts it on eggs, corn, coleslaw, and more. He grew up near the Chesapeake Bay so eating steamed shrimp and crabs was a common occurrence.

    So a while back when I was thinking about making an appetizer I created this easy Maryland crab dip with Old Bay. It has all the flavors of steamed crabs in a creamy base.

    Can of lump crabmeat.

    I used canned lump crabmeat. Fresh would be better but it's hard to come by where we live. Lump crabmeat can be pricey. It's one of the higher grades of crabmeat and I think it's worth it.

    However, since this is a dip you could get away with using a slightly lesser grade of crabmeat such as "special." Claw and backfin crabmeat would work well too. But, I would steer clear of imitation crabmeat.

    Food processor with mayo, lemon juice, beer and spices.

    This is a typical creamy dip made with cream cheese. I added lemon juice, spices, and some beer to thin it out. After all, you always use beer when you're making steamed crabs or steamed shrimp.

    Mixing bowl with crab dip mix and a rubber spatula.

    The liquid and seasoning base are mixed gently together with the crabmeat.

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    Maryland crab dip in baking pan before going into the oven.

    Then it's baked in the oven. A little extra Old Bay seasoning is sprinkled on top for added flavor and color.

    Baked Maryland crab dip baked in an amber glass pie pan on a wood serving plate with triscuits and small square crackers.

    I served this with triscuits and small crackers. However, it would also be great on bread rounds, or scoops. You can also serve it with vegetables like carrot and celery sticks for a total low carb option.

    A hand holding a cracker with Maryland crab dip above a pan of the same dip surrounded by crackers.

    Though we don't eat it that often the richness of crabmeat with the spicy flavor of Old Bay is also a welcome treat.

    Patti signature

    More Spicy Dip Recipes

    • Stuffed Banana Pepper Dip
    • Cheesy Chicken Chili Dip
    • Fresh Tomato Pineapple Salsa

    A hand holding a cracker with Maryland crab dip above a pan of the dip.
    Hot Maryland Crab Dip with cracker and a hand dipping into it with a cracker.

    Hot Maryland Crab Dip

    Get all the flavors of the Chesapeake Bay in this tasty hot and cream Maryland crab dip.
    4.50 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 164 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 oz of cream cheese softened
    • 1/2 cup mayo
    • 1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning
    • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
    • 1 pound lump crabmeat
    • 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice about 1/2 lemon
    • 1/4 cup beer
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
    • Drain crabmeat set aside
    • Process cream cheese, mayo, lemon juice, beer, old bay, garlic powder in a food processor.
    • Pour over crabmeat and mix well.
    • Transfer mixture to a 9-inch glass pie dish.
    • Bake for 30 minutes.
    • Serve with crackers or bread rounds.

    Notes

    This can also be served with vegetables such as carrot sticks and pepper wedges for a low carb dish.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 164kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 8gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 421mgSugar: 1g

    Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Irene

      December 23, 2020 at 9:52 pm

      What substitution would you recommend for the beer?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        December 24, 2020 at 7:02 am

        Irene if you are worried about alcohol you can find non-alcoholic beer in the grocery store. If you just don't like the taste you can skip it. You may need to add another liquid to thin out the cheese. You could try a little stock or just water. You may not need 1/4 cup. Add a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. 

        Reply
    2. Robyn L Martorana

      November 20, 2020 at 8:17 am

      How much cream cheese do you use in crab dip??? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        November 20, 2020 at 8:32 am

        Oh no! Robyn it's 8 oz of cream cheese. I can't believe I left that out of the recipe. Thanks for letting me know so I can fix it.

        Reply
    4.50 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Round pan with Maryland crab dip surrounded with two kinds of crackers.

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