Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe
This Smoked Salmon Dip is the perfect appetizer for your next holiday party. The smoked salmon, fresh lemon juice, and chives give an irresistible flavor to the cream cheese base, and the whole recipe comes together in less than 5 minutes. Serve the dip alongside your favorite crunchy crackers or veggies sticks.
If you’re planning a sophisticated menu, this smoked salmon spread is a bit more fancy than our other fan-favorite appetizers, like Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip and Grape Jelly Meatballs, but just as irresistible. It feels decadent and always disappears immediately!
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Easy Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe
I spent quite some time developing the perfect salmon dip recipe, and I lit up when I tried it and told my hubby, “This is it!” I was so excited! Then, I tested it out for my sister’s baby shower, and it was a huge hit! It’s now my go-to recipe. I love it so much that we featured it as part of our Bagel Bar in the Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook!
Why do I love it so much? This salmon dip recipe is a great way to stretch a pricey package of smoked salmon and impress a hungry crowd. The ingredients are so simple, and it’s better than any store-bought version I’ve tried.
Why this Recipe Works
- Make Ahead—keeps well in the fridge for easier party prep
- Crowd-favorite—the fresh ingredients make this a show-stopper appetizer
- Diet-friendly—Gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian, and Keto-friendly (substitute baguette for sliced veggies)
- Festive—see our tips for presentation below
- 6 Ingredients—after you have the fish, you need only 5 more pantry staples
- Quick and Easy—comes together in 5 minutes!
Ingredients
If you’re looking for smoked salmon recipes, this salmon dip has only 6 ingredients, so it’s simple to make something truly delicious.
- Cream cheese – room temperature so it mixes well
- Sour cream – give the dip a bit of tanginess, but can be substituted with plain Greek yogurt if needed
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed juice is best since it cuts through the thick cream cheese flavor and gives it the easy-to-dip texture
- Salt – to taste—this depends on the saltiness of the smoked salmon, taste first, season second.
- Tabasco hot sauce – add to taste for more or less heat. You can substitute Sriracha in a pinch for a slightly different flavor
- Smoked Salmon – 1 cup of chopped fish. We use Lox but hot-smoked salmon flakes will work.
- Fresh Chives – 1 Tbsp chopped, and save extra for garnish
- For Serving: Sliced baguette, Bagel chips, Pita Chips, crostinis, veggie sticks, cucumber slices, etc (see our How to Serve section below for more ideas)
Pro Tip:
You can make your own Homemade Lox Salmon, but we get ours at Costco. When buying smoked salmon at your local grocery store, make sure it isn’t pre-seasoned and try to get wild-caught, cold-smoked, and without added sugar.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Dip
This one-dish salmon dip comes together in only 5 minutes and with two easy steps:
- Combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, salt, and Tabasco in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until well blended.
- Add chopped smoked salmon and chives and pulse a few times just to combine. Add more salt or pepper if desired and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Pro Tip:
You can stir the mixture together in a bowl with an electric hand mixer if you don’t have a food processor, just be sure there aren’t lumps remaining in the first step before adding the salmon.
Common Questions
Smoked salmon is the star ingredient in this dip. The base is cream cheese with sour cream to thin the cheese. Then flavors like lemon, chives, and hot sauce give the dip incredible acidity and kick.
We usually serve smoked salmon dip with crackers or veggie sticks as an appetizer, and you can also serve on bagels. See our How to Serve section below for more ideas.
Absolutely. This recipe is a great way to feed a crowd, and any leftovers keep well in the fridge.
Yes, the terms are used interchangeably and this dip can be served as a spread for bagels.
How to Serve Smoked Salmon Dip
This is one of our favorite appetizers to serve—it’s so versatile and looks great on the appetizer table. Here are some ideas:
- Serve with dippers: crackers, Pita Chips, bagel chips, crostinis, mini breadsticks, baguette slices (like our Bruschetta), or veggies cut in sticks or scoops such as peppers, celery, carrots, or cucumbers
- Bagel Bar – The perfect spread to include as part of a bagel bar (as seen in our cookbook)
- Build-your-own dip: serve salmon dip alongside a variety of dippers/crackers and small bowls of toppings, such as capers, chopped olives, chopped red onion, fresh dill, lemon zest, minced garlic, or shallots.
- Charcuterie board – perfect to serve as part of a meat platter
- Create a Mold – After mixing, spoon the dip into a festive mold and refrigerate before releasing the mold on a serving tray
Make-Ahead
This smoked salmon dip recipe is easy to make ahead. Simply store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- To Refrigerate: store in an airtight container for up to 5 days (or until the expiration date on the fish
- Can I freeze Smoked Salmon Dip? Since the ingredients in this dip don’t hold up well to freezing, we don’t recommend freezing this smoked salmon dip.
Smoked salmon dip is the perfect appetizer recipe to serve if you’re looking for a sophisticated, fancy spread, but it’s quick and easy to make. Your guests will love the creamy taste, so be sure to add this to your next holiday menu.
More Appetizer Recipes
If you’re searching for more appetizer recipes to serve with Smoked Salmon Dip on your holiday menu, here are some of our favorite recipes:
Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe
Servings: 10 servings
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In the bowl of a food processor, add 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce. Pulse until well blended.
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Once evenly blended, add 4 oz chopped salmon and 1 Tbsp chives to the food processor and pulse a few times just to combine. Taste, and add more salt or pepper if desired. Then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Price may vary by your location and market value.
**Note: Lox (as pictured) or hot-smoked salmon flakes work in this recipe. Look for cold-smoked, wild-caught salmon that isn’t pre-seasoned.
109kcal Calories2g Carbs4g Protein10g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe
Serving Size
3 Tbsp
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
Saturated Fat
Polyunsaturated Fat
Monounsaturated Fat
Cholesterol
Potassium
Carbohydrates
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
