Smoked Salmon Dip
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Excellent! It has a great flavor. Its my new favorite use for left over smoked salmon.
I was at a loss when my favorite fish place closed and couldn’t buy their fish spread. A friend made this recipe and it was absolutely what I was missing! I make it whenever my husband smokes Lake Superior Lake Trout.
This is a great recipe. I will make it many more times. Thank you for sharing!
This dip tastes wonderful – bold, but mellow – and is delicious served with your favorite cracker; we even found ourselves scooping up the dip with celery sticks. We planned on spreading it on good bagels for lunch the following day, but there was none left. I did not use my food processor, just made sure the cream cheese was softened before chopping up the ingredients and mixing them together one day in advance. Delicious!
This is an elegant appetizer to serve with an assortment of crackers or with bagels for a brunch and, it is delicious! Everyone will ask for the recipe. You can make it in advance too. Try it!
This salmon spread is yummy. It is easy to make and can be used as an appetizer, as well as a wonderful topping for bagels.
Love an easy recipe with great results. Have used smoked trout as well as salmon with delicious results.
This dip is amazing. I’ve made this twice, once this summer and then again for Christmas morning brunch. It was a hit both times! I love all the traditional bagels and lox flavors combined into one easy to make and eat spread. This time we ate the dip on toasted bagels but it’s also great on crackers and bagel chips. Definitely recommend making it ahead to let to the flavors meld and to save you some time day-of.
Just made this today. I had gotten some fresh caught Alaskan salmon and smoked some of it myself and wanted to make a dip. I used ~7oz of the smoked salmon, since that’s the size of one of the pieces I smoked. Turned out awesome! Thank you!
Love, love this dip and always get lovely comments when I serve it. Would it be possible to use smoked oysters instead of smoked salmon?????
Hi Marilyn, So glad you like it! I haven’t tried this with smoked oysters but I think it should work.
Delicious! I didn’t have capers so I went without and had to sub Tabasco but this dip was still fantastic! This will be a new go-to for appetizers. So quick and easy, what’s not to love?
Yes! I did the same, didn’t have dill, added garlic & is was still perfectly delicious😋