Shrimp Dip

This cold shrimp dip is thick, creamy, and packed with finely chopped shrimp in every scoop. It takes about 10 minutes to put together and gets better the longer it chills. Make it the night before and it's ready when you are.

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This cold shrimp dip has become my go-to whenever I need an appetizer I can trust to be delicious and impressive. It takes about 10 minutes to put together, it chills while you do everything else, and it consistently gets scraped to the bottom of the bowl before anything else on the table does.

I've been known to make this shrimp dip for New Year's Eve parties, but it makes a simple lunch and goes well with a brunch spread, too.

The base is cream cheese and mayonnaise, beaten until completely smooth, then seasoned with lemon juice, Worcestershire, a little hot sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder.

I use a full pound of finely chopped cooked salad shrimp. It gets folded in along with fresh parsley and green onion. The result is a dip that's thick, creamy, and genuinely full of shrimp in every scoop.

It needs at least an hour in the fridge before serving, but overnight is even better. The flavors pull together in a way that makes it taste like you put in a lot more effort than you actually did. It's got a complex flavor, even though it's really simple to make.

Here's what you need to make the best shrimp dip:

• 1 pound cooked salad shrimp, thawed, drained, and very finely chopped (reserve 3–6 whole shrimp for garnish)
• 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• ⅓ cup full-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions, plus more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

There are only a few things you must know before you start.

1. Your cream cheese needs to be fully softened, or the base won't beat smooth.
2. Your shrimp needs to be as dry as possible after draining. Any excess moisture will thin out the dip and work against that thick, creamy texture.
3. Chop your shrimp really small. That's how you end up with shrimp in every bite

Everything else is straightforward.

This dip works across a pretty wide range of occasions, which is part of why it's worth having in your back pocket.

It's elegant enough to put out at Christmas or New Year's alongside a proper appetizer spread, but it's also the kind of dish you can throw together for game day or a relaxed night in with friends. It even makes a surprisingly good addition to a stay-at-home date night snack board.

What you serve it with can shift depending on the setting.

For something a little more elevated, go with crostini, toasted baguette slices, or water crackers.

For game day or a casual night in, Ritz or butter crackers are the move.

If you want to keep things lighter, cucumber rounds, celery sticks, and bell pepper strips all work well and let the dip do the talking.

You'll probably enjoy my imitation crab dip recipe, which is served the same way as this one.

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Shrimp Dip

This cold shrimp dip is thick, creamy, and packed with finely chopped shrimp in every scoop. It takes about 10 minutes to put together and gets better the longer it chills. Make it the night before and it's ready when you are.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 213 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound cooked salad shrimp (thawed, drained, and very finely chopped (reserve 3–6 whole shrimp for garnish))
• 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• ⅓ cup full-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (plus more for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions (plus more for garnish)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS

 

• Combine the softened cream cheese and mayonnaise in a medium mixing bowl. Beat with a handheld mixer on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is completely smooth and lump-free.
  
• Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix on low until fully combined.
  
• Fold in the chopped shrimp, parsley, and green onions until evenly distributed throughout the dip.
  
• Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
  
• Before serving, top with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, green onions, and a few of the reserved whole shrimp.
  

Notes

• Use full-fat cream cheese and full-fat mayonnaise for the best texture.
• Make sure the cream cheese is fully softened before you start.
• Drain the shrimp well and pat it as dry as possible — excess moisture will thin out the dip.
• Chop the shrimp nice and small so it distributes evenly and stays on a cracker.
• Fold everything together gently with a spatula once the shrimp and herbs go in.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 438IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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