Crab Artichoke Dip is stuffed with artichoke hearts, cream cheese, a bit of poblano pepper and of course crab! Â On the table in less than 30 minutes and you can make the night before!
We like to give this crab artichoke dip a little kick by using a fresh poblano pepper.  We love these peppers because they are spicier than a hatch chili but no where near a jalapeño.  Not all your guests like a ton of spice so its a good middle of the road pepper.
There is a great little article on Huffington Post if you ever wondered about how spicy a variety of pepper is. Â Poblanos fall near the bottom of the heat chart.
What are we dunking  into this crab artichoke dip?
- Baguette slices are our fave. Â When feeding a crowd you can toast a big batch by broiling on a cookie sheet. Â Simply place your rack under the broiler, heat to high and toast on both sides until lightly brown
- Also cucumbers, carrots, bread sticks
- Tortilla chips, bread sticks and crackers
Whats the best kind of crab to use for this dip?
- As much as I’d love to buy a big bag of fresh cracked crab meat, it simply isn’t practical. Â So we use canned crab lump meat. Â It’s important you get the ‘lump meat’ variety or the crab will disappear inside your dip…it would still be good but you wouldn’t know it’s there.
- There is also an imitation crab meat product that we like and have made this several times using it! Â If you find crab meat to costly or unavailable I’d highly recommend that product.
Can I make this crab artichoke dip in advance?
- A resounding YES! Â Mix it all together the day before, pour it into your pretty baking dish and in the fridge it goes!
- PRO TIP: When ready to bake, take it out for about 15 minutes to warm up a bit before baking. Â This will allow it to bake up much faster and evenly.
Because we are in perpetual party mode around here, we love to keep our fridge stocked with a few staples to make these easy appetizers!
Smoked Salmon Pizza – an unbelievably easy appetizer reminiscent of lox and bagel.
Homemade French Onion Dip – simply caramelize onions and add your cream cheese. Â Making the night before enhances the flavor!
Skinny Taco Tip – perfect for a crowd and easy on the chef as there is no cooking involved!
To parties parties and more parties!
Clink!
Kathi
Crab and Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature regular or light variety
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 pound lump crab meat
- 1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts drained and rough chopped
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese 3/4 cup for dip and 1/4 cup for topping
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 small poblano pepper seeded and chopped, about 1/2 cup
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Add all ingredients (except 1/4 cup of parmesan for topping) in large bowl.
- Mix until well blended and creamy.
- Spray baking dish with non stick spray and spoon dip into dish.
- Top with remaining parmasan cheese
- Bake for 20 minutes or until top is brown and sides are bubbly
- Serve with toasted sliced baguette if desired
Notes
- Uses canned lump crab meat if you can't find freshÂ
- Substitute jalapeno pepper for poblano for more heat if desired
- Serve with baguette slices, crackers, tortilla chips or sliced veggies
- To make the ahead of time simple store unbaked dip in refrigerator until ready to use
Luana says
Is this canned crab meat? I give it 5 because it sounds delish!
Kathi & Rachel says
Canned or fresh will work!
Sarah Loyd says
How long can it be refrigerated after baked?
Kathi & Rachel says
I wouldnt go much past 2 days because of the crab.
Alison Wightman says
I loved this dip! Easy to assemble and super yummy. Especially the next day if you have any left.
Kathi & Rachel says
Thank you for the note Alison…so glad you like the dip!
Frances says
This is perfect for me- I don’t cook often and I’m confident I can me this 🙂
Kathi & Rachel says
Yes you can Fran! Pour it all in a bowl, stir and bake! Ta Da!