Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe

This Smoked Salmon Dip is the perfect appetizer for your next holiday party. The smoked salmon, fresh lemon juice, and chives give an irresistible flavor to the cream cheese base, and the whole recipe comes together in less than 5 minutes. Serve the dip alongside your favorite crunchy crackers or veggies sticks.

If you’re planning a sophisticated menu, this smoked salmon spread is a bit more fancy than our other fan-favorite appetizers, like Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip and Grape Jelly Meatballs, but just as irresistible. It feels decadent and always disappears immediately!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Easy Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe

I spent quite some time developing the perfect salmon dip recipe, and I lit up when I tried it and told my hubby, “This is it!” I was so excited! Then, I tested it out for my sister’s baby shower, and it was a huge hit! It’s now my go-to recipe. I love it so much that we featured it as part of our Bagel Bar in the Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook!

Why do I love it so much? This salmon dip recipe is a great way to stretch a pricey package of smoked salmon and impress a hungry crowd. The ingredients are so simple, and it’s better than any store-bought version I’ve tried.

Ingredients

If you’re looking for smoked salmon recipes, this salmon dip has only 6 ingredients, so it’s simple to make something truly delicious.

• Cream cheese – room temperature so it mixes well
• Sour cream – give the dip a bit of tanginess, but can be substituted with plain Greek yogurt if needed
• Lemon juice – freshly squeezed juice is best since it cuts through the thick cream cheese flavor and gives it the easy-to-dip texture
• Salt – to taste—this depends on the saltiness of the smoked salmon, taste first, season second.
• Tabasco hot sauce – add to taste for more or less heat. You can substitute Sriracha in a pinch for a slightly different flavor
• Smoked Salmon – 1 cup of chopped fish. We use Lox but hot-smoked salmon flakes will work.
• Fresh Chives – 1 Tbsp chopped, and save extra for garnish
• For Serving: Sliced baguette, Bagel chips, Pita Chips, crostinis, veggie sticks, cucumber slices, etc (see our How to Serve section below for more ideas)

How to Make Smoked Salmon Dip

This one-dish salmon dip comes together in only 5 minutes and with two easy steps:

• Combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, salt, and Tabasco in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until well blended.
• Add chopped smoked salmon and chives and pulse a few times just to combine. Add more salt or pepper if desired and refrigerate until ready to serve.

How to Serve Smoked Salmon Dip

This is one of our favorite appetizers to serve—it’s so versatile and looks great on the appetizer table. Here are some ideas:

• Serve with dippers: crackers, Pita Chips, bagel chips, crostinis, mini breadsticks, baguette slices (like our Bruschetta), or veggies cut in sticks or scoops such as peppers, celery, carrots, or cucumbers
• Bagel Bar – The perfect spread to include as part of a bagel bar (as seen in our cookbook)
• Build-your-own dip: serve salmon dip alongside a variety of dippers/crackers and small bowls of toppings, such as capers, chopped olives, chopped red onion, fresh dill, lemon zest, minced garlic, or shallots.
• Charcuterie board – perfect to serve as part of a meat platter
• Create a Mold – After mixing, spoon the dip into a festive mold and refrigerate before releasing the mold on a serving tray

Smoked salmon dip is the perfect appetizer recipe to serve if you’re looking for a sophisticated, fancy spread, but it’s quick and easy to make. Your guests will love the creamy taste, so be sure to add this to your next holiday menu.

More Appetizer Recipes

If you’re searching for more appetizer recipes to serve with Smoked Salmon Dip on your holiday menu, here are some of our favorite recipes: 

• Coconut Shrimp
• Fresh Spring Rolls
• Hummus Recipe
• Cheese Ball Recipe
• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Jalapeno Poppers