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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All I can say is YUMMMMMM! Absolutely delicious, flavorful, and so easy! Thank you Jenn!
Don’t have food processor, can’t you just blend all the ingredients and fold in the smoked salmon?
Hi Renee, I think it would work. Just be sure the cream cheese is room temp/warm, otherwise, it will be hard to blend. Hope you enjoy it!
love this recipe!!!
Can you freeze it?
Glad you like it! Unfortunately, I don’t think it would freeze very well though.
Can you serve it warm?
Hi Ben, I think this is really best cold or at room temperature. Sorry!
I just made this dip for Yom Kippur break fast and it was a hit with everyone! Very tasty. I didn’t add any additional salt because the capers and smoked salmon are already very salty. I also replaced the chives with a small amount of diced red onion. This recipe is a keeper!
Hi Jenn
Love all your recipes, thank you! I am hosting a high tea bridal shower and wanted to include a “Homemade thyme/ parm Cracker with a salmon mouse” as one on the savoury items. I’m a little worried this might be too “chunky”…..Would I simple purée this dip more to get a mousse.consistency that I could them put into a pastry bag or do you have other suggestions?
Thank you, I appreciate your help.
Anita
So glad you like the recipes, Anita! Yes, I think you could achieve the texture you’re looking for by pureeing the dip more. Hope that helps and that the shower is nice!
My husband has a hobby as a commercial fisherman and I was looking for a way to use up some freshly smoked salmon when I came upon this recipe. This dip turned out wonderful, however I did not have dill and do not care for capers so instead I added one finely chopped jalepeño. I also added a little extra Tabasco and doubled the amount of salmon (well maybe tripled). It tasted wonderful without the alterations but there is always that need to make the recipe your own in some way. However, didn’t want to do so without giving credit to you!! Thank you for sharing!!
Served tonight with ten friends. Everyone raved about it and throughly enjoyed it. Followed your recipe but addd more smoked salmon and mixed by hand to get a chunkier spread. Thanks for recipe.
I too mixed the recipe by hand, I enjoy getting bites where there may be chunks of cream cheese or larger bites of salmon!!
Hi Jenn,
Can I use 6 to 8 oz of smoked salmon instead of 4 to make it a little more smokey tasting? Thanks.
Sure, Jeffery – that’s fine. Enjoy!
I don’t have smoked salmon but do have a 6 oz can of pink salmon…can I use that and add some liquid smoke. And can it be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated.
Hi Peggy, I don’t recommend canned salmon here — sorry!
Made this dip over the weekend for Father’s Day and it was a hit! my whole family loved it- definitely will continue to use this recipe in the future 🙂
Really enjoyed this yummy dip…did not include the capers since smoked salmon was already very salty.
My 4 year old and I enjoyed making this dip together. It has been such a treat to wake up the last 3 days and split a bagel with all the flavor in this smoked salmon dip. My daughter was content just eating the dip from the bowl with a spoon. We threw additional chopped chives on top for contrast.
OMG!!!! We smoked salmon on our smoker and used this recipe exactly and its the best we’ve ever had. THANK YOU