Smoked Salmon Dip
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Make your holiday gatherings special with this easy smoked salmon dip—perfect with crackers and cocktails or as part of a brunch buffet with bagels. Bonus: it can be made ahead for stress-free entertaining!
If you’re ever in need of a festive and elegant dish for a party, this smoked salmon dip 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. Even my husband, a true-blue New Yorker and self-proclaimed expert on all things smoked fish, gives it a big thumbs up. Plus, it’s super easy to make—you’ll love how quickly you can check it off your holiday to-do list! Another great thing about this dip is that it can be made a few days in advance and refrigerated.
What You’ll Need To Make Smoked Salmon Dip
- Cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise: This trio creates a rich and creamy base for the dip with a nice balance of tanginess.
- Fresh lemon juice: Brightens the flavors and adds acidity.
- Capers: Bring a briny, savory note that pairs well with seafood.
- Tabasco: Adds a hint of heat and depth to the dip.
- Smoked salmon: This product is made by curing salmon fillets and then smoking them, resulting in a rich, silky texture with a distinct flavor. You can typically find it in the seafood section of the supermarket, packaged and ready to use.
- Fresh chopped dill and chives: These herbs add freshness and a mild onion flavor, enhancing the dip’s overall taste.
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors to bring the dip together.
- Bagel chips or crackers: Perfect for serving, providing a crunchy contrast to the creamy dip.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Tabasco and capers in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse to blend.
Add the smoked salmon, chives, and dill.
Pulse until the salmon is finely chopped.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve.
You May Also Like
Smoked Salmon Dip
Make your holiday gatherings special with this easy smoked salmon dip—perfect with crackers and cocktails or as part of a brunch buffet with bagels. Bonus: it can be made ahead for stress-free entertaining!
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.
Delicious! I didn’t have fresh chives so used freeze dried, but compensated by upping the fresh lemon and dill a bit (honestly, I didn’t measure either, but I probably doubled the dill, lol). Oh right, I also don’t like Tabasco, so I used Louisiana hot sauce. Yum!
Hi Jenn,
Can I use canned salmon instead of smoked salmon?
Thanks,
Anne
I don’t recommend it here, Anne — sorry!
Delicious! Can’t stop eating!
I used “low-fat” cream cheese, mayo and sour cream. I don’t like capers, so I subbed 2 T chopped green olives, plus 1 oz. “belly” lox (very salty, cured salmon – true lox) and used red onion (didn’t have chives.) Mine came out pretty salty, though really delicious. I might skip the belly lox next time, and for personal preference (for strong flavors,) I might add a tad more lemon and dill. Great recipe; can’t wait for the next occasion to bring it to! (Just so I don’t eat the whole bowlful myself LOL)
Do you think this dip would be good warmed up and served in a bread bowl?
Hi Irene, I think this one is best cold or room temp. Hope you enjoy it if you try it!
I’m a fisherman who catches and smokes his own salmon. I’ve played around with my own recipes for smoked salmon dip, which were good until I found this one. I’ve made this recipe twice and it is the best. Everyone loves this recipe. This one’s a keeper!
Delicious, quick and very easy to prepare and a benefit being able to prepare ahead of time. Thank you. Regards Carolyn
Easy to make, I took this to a football game watching party and it was the hit of the party.
I’m about to make this again and I’m psyched. My mouth is watering for this dip. I think this is the third or fourth year I’ve brought this to my cousins Holiday party. My relatives got nuts for this dip. The first year I brought it I also brought home made crackers. Try that if you want to knock it out of the park. I will never try another salmon dip recipe. This is the best one.
Hi Jenn, I have a can of very nice smoked tuna. Do you think I could substitute it for the smoked salmon in this recipe? Or is there another recipe using smoked tuna that you could recommend. Many thanks! Love ALL your recipes!
Hi Jane, I wouldn’t recommend smoked tuna here. And unfortunately, I don’t know of any other recipes that call for smoked tuna – sorry!
I made this recipe and it turned out fantastic. For my taste I should have cut back the tabasco sauce, it was a little stronger than the other flavors. But overall I loved it! Creamy and fresh, great for a summer snack.