Smoked Salmon Dip
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Creamy, tangy, and packed with rich salmon flavor, this smoked salmon dip is a total crowd-pleaser. It’s quick to make and just fancy enough for your next party or brunch.
If you’re ever in need of a festive and elegant dish for a party, this smoked salmon dip recipe is sure to save the day. You can serve it with crackers and cocktails, or use it as a delicious spread on a brunch buffet with bagels and all the fixings. (If you go the bagel route, be sure to make this easy schmear as well.) It also makes a great addition to an appetizer spread—pair it with bagel chips, crostini, cucumber slices, or alongside fresh veggies for your guests to scoop and snack on.
Even my husband, a true-blue New Yorker and self-proclaimed expert on all things smoked fish, gives this smoked salmon dip recipe a big thumbs up. Plus, it’s super easy and make-ahead friendly—you’ll love how quickly you can check it off your to-do list!
“This is literally the perfect appeitzer–no more store-bought dips–this is so easy! I usually serve it with baguette slices and carrot sticks. It disappears every time!”
What You’ll Need To Make Smoked Salmon Dip
- Cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise: This trio makes up the creamy base—a nice balance of rich, smooth, and slightly tangy.
- Fresh lemon juice and Tabasco: Adds brightness and a little heat to balance out the richness.
- Capers: Bring a salty, briny bite that works perfectly with the smoked salmon.
- Smoked salmon: Cured and smoked salmon fillets that give the dip its distinct smoky flavor. Look for it pre-packaged in the seafood section.
- Fresh dill and chives: These fresh herbs add a pop of freshness and a mild onion flavor that complement the dip. I also like to sprinkle some on top as a garnish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Blend the base. In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, Tabasco, and capers. Pulse until mostly smooth. Using a food processor ensures a creamy base, and pulsing (rather than letting the machine run nonstop) provides better control and helps to avoid over-blending.
Step 2: Add the salmon and herbs. Toss in the smoked salmon, fresh chives, and dill. Adding the salmon and herbs after blending the base keeps them from turning into mush—you’ll get a better texture with some visible bits.
Step 3: Pulse to combine. Pulse again until the salmon is finely chopped and everything’s well blended.
Step 4: Transfer and serve. Taste the dip and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Spoon into a serving bowl and serve. It can be made up to 2 days ahead—just let it come to room temperature before serving.
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Smoked Salmon Dip
This easy smoked salmon dip works just as well on a brunch table as it does with cocktails and snacks.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- ¼ teaspoon Tasbasco
- 4 ounces smoked salmon, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
- Salt, to taste
- Bagel chips or crackers, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, capers, and Tabasco in a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until blended. Add the salmon, dill and chives and pulse, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the salmon is finely chopped. Taste and add salt, if necessary (I usually add about ¼ teaspoon, but it depends on the saltiness of the smoked salmon). Serve as a dip with crackers or bagel chips, or as a spread with bagels.
- Make ahead: This dip can be made a few days ahead of time. However, it gets quite firm in the fridge so let it sit out at room temperature before serving, otherwise it will be hard to scoop.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Serving size: 3 tablespoons
- Calories: 144
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 237 mg
- Cholesterol: 33 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Tabasco sauce. Does it have to be that for spiciness or will Sriracha work as well? I’ll trust your answer here as with the capers question below – I don’t like them but it sounds like they do add to the recipe without standing out so they will be included in my dip! Thanks!
Sure Josh, you could use Sriracha if you prefer.
I’ve made this dip with hot smoked salmon too. Works either way and totally delicious!
I made this dip and love it. It’s also a good way to use up a serving of salmon that’s left over from dinner (therefore grilled or poached, instead of smoked)… which is what I did.
Thanks for sharing the recipe! I don’t care for dill. Is there something I could substitute? Or is there enough flavor to just leave the dill out?
Hi Melinda, you could try replacing the dill with tarragon. Let me know how it turns out!
This am making for my guest Christmas Day Yum!
Question: can you use just shrimp or just crabmeat? Are any other changes necessary? Thanks,
Hi Joanne, Unfortunately, I don’t think shrimp or crabmeat would work well in this recipe. The smoked salmon adds so much flavor; I think it’d be bland without it. Sorry!
Can you make this ahead of time and how long does it keep? I would like to make this Christmas Eve morning but not serve it until 11:00 am on Christmas Day?
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Hi Lisa, Welcome to the site! It’s perfectly fine to make it a day (or even two) ahead of time. Just let it sit out at room temp before serving because it gets very stiff in the fridge.
This looks totally yummy, but I don’t’ like capers…will the flavor be changed a lot if I leave them out?
Hi Carol, It’s fine to leave them out; you might just add a bit more lemon juice. For what it’s worth, I don’t care for capers either — you really can’t taste them in this dip, but they add a nice tanginess.
Thanks! Gonna have to make this then for Christmas as my mother really loves smoked salmon!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been agonizing over choosing an appetizer to take to a holiday party today, and I have almost every ingredient on this list already. Perfect solution! Happy holidays!
Do you think dried chives and dried dill would be an acceptable substitute for the fresh versions?
Hi Annie, It’s fine to use dried dill (use about 1/3 of the amount) but I wouldn’t use dried chives — if you don’t have fresh, it’s really fine to leave them out.
You can use the green part of spring onions, (or young scallions, same thing) finely chopped.
I loved this recipe for my keto diet!