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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. 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!
“The perfect combination of ease, taste, and elegance. It looks beautiful with a bit of dill garnish on top, and it took all of 15 minutes to make.”
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
Lox vs. Smoked Salmon: What’s the Difference?
Lox and smoked salmon are often used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same thing. Traditional lox is cured in salt but not smoked, while cold-smoked salmon is cured and gently smoked, giving it a delicate smoky flavor and silky texture. Nova (sometimes labeled “Nova lox”) is a mild variety of cold-smoked salmon.
For this dip, use cold-smoked salmon, including Nova—the thinly sliced kind you’ll find in the refrigerated seafood section. Avoid hot-smoked salmon, which has a firmer, flakier texture, more like cooked fish, and won’t give the dip the same consistency.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Dip
Blend the base: In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, Tabasco, and capers. Pulse until mostly smooth.
Add the salmon and herbs: Stir in the smoked salmon, fresh chives, and dill. Adding them after blending keeps the salmon in small pieces and the herbs visible throughout.
Pulse to combine: Pulse again until the salmon is finely chopped and everything’s well blended.
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.
Make-Ahead & Storage
This smoked salmon dip can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It firms up quite a bit when chilled, so let it sit at room temperature for a little while before serving to soften and make it easier to scoop. Give it a quick stir before serving.
Smoked Salmon Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 oz) cream cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco
- 4 oz 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.
Nutrition Information
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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Everyone loves it at every party!
Ohhh, my! Absolutely everything I hoped it would be! Absolutely PERFECT! So many uses–hosting or taking an appetizer to a holiday party, bridal or baby shower–I made it this afternoon simply to have as a summer sandwich spread to GENEROUSLY spread across a portion of baguette. Jenn! How do you do it?! Home run after home run after home run! You continue to be my first go-to–my ongoing all-things-food heroine!
💕
I once made this dip when my husband’s sister and her husband were visiting. Now whenever they visit I ask her if there’s anything special that she would like and she immediately says “Salmon Dip!!”
What’s even better is that her husband periodically goes fishing in Alaska and shares some of his catch with us so I smoke some of his salmon to make the dip with.
I don’t understand why everyone thinks smoked fish dip needs to have sour cream and cream cheese. Every recipe on the internet has one or the other or both.
I make the best smoked fish dip anywhere and I don’t use either. Just Hellman’s mayo.
Can you share your recipe?
Can you post your recipe? 🙂
Just mayonnaise sounds awful.
This is so good and easy to put together!
Delicious! Thank you for posting. After finishing making the recipe I realized no Worcestershire was included. It didn’t need it! Will definitely make again!
Super tasty and easy. Even better a day or two later as the smoke permeates the cream cheese
Hi Jenn, Thanks for all your recipes.
Can you use dried herbs in lieu of fresh. Thank you.
Hi Dave, 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. Enjoy!
Simple and delicious!!
Used this recipe for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve get togethers. Everyone loved it!
This recipe was very good. I used a honey smoked salmon which was delicious. It is very creamy and not at all overbearing with a strong salmon flavor. Letting it sit overnight draws out the flavors even better. I followed it exactly, but decided to add a tablespoon of good grain dijon mustard to give it a bit of a stronger flavor. I spread this on toasted garlic baguette slices, and topped it with a very thin cucumber slice and a sprinkle of fresh dill. A beautiful appetizer!