This smoked salmon dip is my go-to recipe for both casual snacking and entertaining. Smooth, creamy, and packed with flavor, it comes together in minutes using a food processor. A touch of horseradish adds zing, smoked paprika enhances the smoky richness, and fresh lemon juice brightens every bite. Perfect with crackers, crudités, this versatile spread is a total party pleaser and a must-make recipe!
If smoky flavors and smoked salmon are your favorites, this smoked salmon dip is for you! Ready in just 5 minutes, simply toss everything into a food processor, puree, and adjust the flavors to your liking—done! I created this recipe nearly 20 years ago, and it remains a timeless favorite for good reason. Give it a try!
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Takes minutes with a food processor.
- It's always a crowd pleaser.
- Make it ahead.
If you love salmon, try this steamed salmon for a fast and easy entree.
Recipe Ingredients
I keep these ingredients in the refrigerator and make a batch of smoked salmon dip when needed. The recipe can easily be halved for a small batch or doubled for a crowd.
- Smoked salmon: Buy plain wild smoked salmon (no extra seasoning or seeds) in flat little packages.
- Cheeses: Cottage cheese and cream cheese, block type.
- Horseradish: Buy the prepared style in a jar in the refrigerated section of the market.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice give the salmon dip a lift of flavor and brightness.
- Paprika: Buy smoked paprika to play along with the smoked flavor of the salmon. If you can't find it, use regular paprika.
Substitutions and Variations
- Fresh dill adds a nice fresh flavor and fronds can be used for garnish (optional).
- For more kick, add a little ground chipotle powder (which is smoky), hot sauce, or cayenne pepper.
For another easy addition to an appetizer spread, try this baked feta cheese.
Recipe Instructions
Making smoked salmon dip is so simple!
Serving Suggestions
Use smoked salmon dip for everything from everyday snacking to casual entertaining and holiday gatherings. Watching the big game with the gang? Whip up a batch of this dip. Friends coming over? Invited over and asked to bring an appetizer? You get it. It works for almost every occasion.
Serve smoked salmon dip in a bowl along with cool cucumber slices, crackers, baguette slices, bell pepper strips, raw zucchini sticks, or endive leaves.
Make it ahead: Salmon dip will keep 3-4 days tightly covered in an airtight container and refrigerated.
For another terrific salmon recipe, try this easy sesame salmon recipe.
How to Upscale It
If you want to go upscale for a party (maybe for holidays), use a piping bag with a star tip. Using a piping bag is also a great way to hold it in the refrigerator.
Find reusable piping bags here, or disposable piping bags here, and star tips for the piping bags here.
Pipe onto cucumber slices, into endive spears, in little baked phyllo cups or onto crostini. Use lemon zest, capers, red onion and fresh dill as garnish and beautiful flair.
Recipe FAQs
For what to serve with smoked salmon dip try cucumber slices, strips of bell pepper, crackers, toasted crostini. Endive leaves make good dippers if the dip is soft enough.
Good seasonings for smoked salmon dip include smoked paprika to go along with the smoked salmon flavor, fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavor, prepared horseradish to give it some kick. For heat, add hot sauce or chipotle. Fresh chopped dill adds not only complementary flavor but a little color that is also nice for a garnish.
If you're planning smoke salmon dip for a party, make it a day ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container.
More Terrific Appetizer Recipes
For another seafood-based appetizer (always a hit at catered parties) try these mini baked crab cakes.
⭐️Did you Make This Recipe?
If you make smoked salmon dip, please add your comment. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating! They really help other readers.
📖 Recipe
Easy Smoked Salmon Dip
Ingredients
Smoked Salmon Dip
- 8 ounces smoked salmon
- 8 ounces cottage cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons horseradish
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 teaspoons smoked or regular paprika
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
- ½ teaspoon smoked or regular ground black pepper
Garnish Options
- Capers, drained
- finely diced red onion
- Smoked paprika
- lemon zest
- dill fronds
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Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Refrigerate overnight or until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published March 4, 2013
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Abby Foster (aunt Sally's favorite niece) says
You made this while I was visiting. Absolutely fantastic love it.
Peter @Feed Your Soul Too says
This looks awesome and I love smoked salmon. I like how you paired it with the other ingredients. I featured it on my Friday Five - Smoked addition over @ Feed Your Soul Too - http://www.feedyoursoul2.com/2013/07/friday-five-smoked-addition.html
Sally says
Thanks Peter! Hope it was enjoyed!
Robin says
How far in advance may I pipe unto toast points? Beautiful presentation!
Sally says
Hi Robin, not too far ahead as the toasts or crostini may get soggy if they sit for too long. I usually do it very close to serving time, maybe 30 minutes ahead.
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
This is such a delicious recipe, and so timely: I've been looking to makes something different with smoked salmon aside with usual breakfast stuff and pasta. I happen to have a lot of smoked salmon in my freezer as my husband ordered 30 pounds of seafood a couple of months ago. Just pinned it!
Dave Duckwitz says
This is one of my absolute favorites! Soooo tasty I could eat the entire bowl all by myself!! Love it!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
Sally, This is so beautiful piped. I think this has a lot of wow factor. I like the idea of using cottage cheese, but only after a whirl around the food processor. I use it in place of ricotta if I can't find the good stuff. And yes on the Persian cukes.
Sally says
You are right Madonna, it is beautiful piped. But so many people just are not going to deal with a piping bag (even though I love to pipe stuff because they are fun to work with). Most often I make it just like this, as a quick dip. So easy. The smoked spices are just fantastic. Sure, to insure a really smooth dish you could puree the cottage first, then add the cream cheese. The ricotta is an interesting idea and I'll bet would work well. Yep, love those sweet, crunchy Persian cucumbers! As they are quite small, cut them on long diagonal slices to get a decent size piece to dip.
Janel says
The meat market behind our house just started selling smoked salmon. They make great homemade jerky, so I'm hoping the fish will be as good. Can't wait to try it in your dip.
Stephanie says
FANTASTIC FLAVORS but TOO THIN – help!
This firmed up nicely overnight in the refrigerator, but on removing it from the cold refrigerator and loading the pastry bag, the mousse becomes too thin and unsuitable for piping.
How can I thicken the mousse so it can be piped onto crostini within the next 4 hours?
Help & Thank you!
Sally says
Hi Stephanie. I’m not sure what went wrong for you. I’ve not had that happen. Maybe the cottage cheese was too juicy? I’d add more cream cheese until it’s thicker. Taste and add more seasoning (lemon, smoked paprika, etc). If you lose to much of the salmon flavor, add more salmon. Put it all back in the food processor and process to combine. Let me know what happens. You can always skip piping and place in a nice bowl or crock to serve as a spread.
You might try draining the cottage cheese in a fine strainer or through cheese cloth. I’ve not had to do that. In the future, try another brand of cottage cheese. They do vary.
Sally says
Sally, this is delicious!Thank you for sharing! I will be making this appetizer for my cocktail party next weekend!
Michelle K says
They were GREAT! YUM! Thanks for bringing them.
Laurie Jesch-Kulseth says
My parents are coming for Easter brunch and they love salmon! Thanks for the great appetizer idea 🙂
Sally says
Sally, I made this to take to my parents for Christmas…but because we were transporting this along w/ a ham, i chose to prepare it as a dip, w/ the capers, onions and dill lined on top. It was a big hit! I doubled it and left some behind for morning bagels the next day. Thank you!!!