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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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I was very disappointed in this dip, mostly becaue of the lack of flavor of salmon. I added an additional ounce and one half and still would not have guessed that it was a salmon dip. The picture of the finished dip in the recipe above is considerably more pink than my finished product.
The overly large amount of cream cheese renders this recipe more suitable for a salmon cream cheese to be spread on a bagel with sliced salmon.
I pretty much followed the recipe except I added parsley and a bit of fresh basil. Big departure is I got frozen wild caught salmon and smoked it with hickory at about 255 deg for about half an hour. It is awesome in this dip. Plus I vacuum sealed and froze the rest of the smoked salmon for the next batch. Saves a lot of money. Putting this on the over and over list. Can’t wait to toast a bagel for a smear.
How long can this be refrigerated?
Can this be frozen, I made too much.😊
Hi Barb, this will keep nicely in the fridge for a few days. I’ve never frozen it, but I don’t think it’s a great candidate for freezing.
I only had a small taste (and it was delicious). My husband took this spread to share at a poker game a few weeks ago where guests were asked to bring something to share. He stated it was a hit. He’ll be going to another poker night this weekend and he requested that I made this again to take with him.
The simple ingredients are kitchen staples, so it is so easy to make and take to potlucks.
What brand of smoked salmon have you used to make this?
Hi Sheila, I’m not loyal to one brand. Generally I’ve used whatever the store carries – from what I recall, maybe Vita and Echo Falls.
Hi Jenn, just for clarification, do I drain the capers? Thank you, love all your recipes and books!!
Hi Donna, Yes they should be drained. So glad you enjoy the recipes!
This was such a hit at Thanksgiving and totally going in my ‘keeper’ file. Served with bagel chips. Everyone asked for the recipe.
Made this just now for a dinner party tomorrow night and it’s delicious!! I’m sure it’ll be even better tomorrow. My food processor broke and I’m happy to say my immersion blender worked beautifully for this recipe!
Jenn, your recipes never disappoint, thank you!!
I am editing review from yesterday. When I made it yesterday it tasted very salty to me, which I figured was because the recipe doesn’t say to rinse the capers. I had dip leftover and had some today. It melded nicely and doesn’t taste as salty today. I wouldn’t adjust the recipe, but I might make in advance next time!
I made the dip today for my book group tonight. It is tasty, but extremely salty. I looked back through the recipe and realized after I mixed everything that the directions never call for rinsing the capers, which is usually a step when using capers. I would definitely rinse them and then taste dip after mixed and add any salt that is missing.