Description
This indulgent Baked Crab Dip is a creamy, cheesy seafood appetizer perfect for gatherings. Made with cream cheese, sour cream, crabmeat, and cheddar cheese, it’s baked inside hollowed-out sourdough or Italian bread bowls and served alongside fresh vegetables, crackers, and toasted bread cubes for dipping.
Ingredients
Crab Dip
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 cans (6 ounces each) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed or 2 cups flaked imitation crabmeat
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
Bread Bowls & Serving
- 2 round loaves (1 pound each) unsliced sourdough or Italian bread
- Additional sliced green onions, optional
- Assorted fresh vegetables, crackers and/or toasted bread cubes
Instructions
- Mix the crab dip: Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the sour cream and mix well until combined. Gently fold in the crabmeat, shredded cheddar cheese, and thinly sliced green onions. For a fluffier texture, ensure the cream cheese and sour cream are at room temperature before mixing and consider using a hand-held mixer to beat the cream cheese.
- Prepare the bread bowls: Cut the top third off each round loaf of bread. Carefully hollow out the bottoms of the loaves, leaving about 1-inch-thick walls to create bread bowls. Reserve the removed bread from the hollowed loaves and loaf tops by cutting them into cubes.
- Fill the bread bowls: Spoon the crab mixture evenly into each bread bowl, filling them completely. Place the filled bread bowls onto baking sheets. Spread the bread cubes around the bowls in a single layer for toasting.
- Bake the dip-filled bowls: Bake the bread bowls uncovered in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the dip is heated through and bubbly. Keep an eye on the bread cubes and remove them once golden brown to prevent burning. If the bread bowls begin to darken too much, you can remove them early and continue heating the dip separately. Garnish the hot dip with additional sliced green onions, if desired, and serve with assorted fresh vegetables, crackers, and toasted bread cubes for dipping.
Notes
- For the smoothest and fluffiest dip, let cream cheese and sour cream come to room temperature before mixing.
- Most crabmeat is already cooked, so the baking is mainly to heat through and meld flavors—be cautious not to over-bake the bread bowls.
- Use imitation crabmeat as a budget-friendly alternative without compromising flavor.
- Serve immediately for the best texture; leftovers can be reheated gently in the oven.
