You can’t buy a Smoked Salmon Dip with flavour this good! It truly tastes of smoked salmon, it’s soft and creamy with a subtle tang from cream cheese and lemon, and the freshness of dill. This is a dip to impress!
Smoked Salmon Dip
I consider this dip a bit fancy pants because the cost to make this is probably about 2 to 3 times the cost to buy a tub from the supermarket. Whereas usually, I’m chirping “this recipe is better AND cheaper than store bought!”, like these copycat Gourmet Crackers which I swear is about 80% cheaper than buying them and I double swear that they taste better.
But in this case, the homemade version costs more.
BUT it tastes SO MUCH BETTER and it’s flavour money can’t buy!! If you’ve ever tried store bought Smoked Salmon Dip, you’d know that it tastes kind of sour and only tastes mildly of smoked salmon. And let’s be honest, it can’t be real because real smoked salmon has to be consumed with 3 – 5 days after opening the packet.
Homemade is made with the real thing – real fresh smoked salmon. And as a result, it truly tastes like smoked salmon. Really truly!
Smoked salmon is not the cheapest thing in the world, especially if you get good quality (Huon Salmon is my favourite – it’s certainly the freshest in Australia + sustainably farmed). So using it in a dip is a good way to make less go further because when it’s blitzed up, it makes the flavour bloom so it’s much more intense than stirring chopped salmon into the dip.
HOW TO MAKE SMOKED SALMOM DIP
In addition to using real smoked salmon, the other bursts of freshness in this dip are lemon juice and zest (lemon flavour comes from the zest, tang comes from the juice) and fresh dill.
I like to use a combination of cream cheese, sour cream (to lighten up the mixture a bit, I find using only cream cheese is too dense) and mayonnaise (for a bit of extra richness and flavour). This is pretty much the same base I use for all my dips.
Serve it with breadsticks, crackers or crostinis. Crostinis are super easy to make yourself – just slice a small breadstick, brush or spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake! – Nagi x
More dip recipes
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French Onion Dip (from scratch) OR Retro Soup Mix 2 Minute French Onion Dip
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Hot Corn Dip – you’ll love the flavour in this creamy, bubbly dip!
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See all Dip Recipes, all Party Food and the Top 25 Party Foods!
More smoked salmon recipes
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Smoked Salmon Dip
Ingredients
- 200 g / 7 oz smoked salmon (or trout)
- 200 g / 7 oz Philadelphia cream cheese , full fat
- 1/4 cup / 55g sour cream (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup / 60g mayonnaise (Note 1, 2)
- 1/4 cup fresh dill , roughly chopped
- 1/2 garlic clove , minced
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest (1 lemon)
- 1 - 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor, starting with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Only use a small pinch of salt to start because smoked salmon is salty, also bear in mind saltiness of crackers being used.
- Whizz until fairly smooth - about 10 seconds on high - scraping sides as required.
- Adjust lemon and salt to taste. Whizz again briefly.
- Transfer into bowl, garnish with lemon slices and more dill if desired. Serve at room temperature with crackers - I like using melba toasts and mini crostinis.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
LIFE OF DOZER
I really, really tried to get him to smile for a cheery Happy New Year photo ……. You’d think he’d be grateful that I didn’t toss confetti on him like I did last year!! 😂
Yeah, ditto to the previous comment. I made this with full Philly and light Greek yoghurt as subs for the sour cream and mayo. It was a hit at our extended family picnic post-lockdown 2.0 in Victoria.
O.M.G.
Hi Tin
Can I replace smoked salmon with canned salmon or canned tuna or canned crabmeat? Just being economical in these times.
Hi Selena, it just doesn’t have the same flavour unfortunately! A crap meat dip sounds great though – I’ll have to put that on my recipe list! N x
I think you meant *crab* meat in your reply.
Lol.
Made the dip using smoked trout and Philadelphia light, it was delicious. This is the second recipe of yours, did the moussaka, that was delicious too. Thank you so much and also for the picture of your Goldie, we have had two and they are amazing dogs.
try it with smoked mackeral ! It will knock your socks off
One word: SENSATIONAL!
We used salmon that we smoked ourselves. It tasted lovely. Thank you for the recipe!
Shall give your ‘posh dip’ a go Nagi, sounds worthy. Love pic of Dozer, look says it all! Thank you again for Christmas prep central!!
We love smoked salmon and this is a way to make it go further. Can’t wait to try and make the Gravlax you posted! I always thought it was much more difficult to make! Love your recipes! Have a great holiday season! Stephanie
Enjoy Stephanie!!
I can’t wait to try this. I love smoked salmon and cream cheese together. Thanks for the inspiration.
I hope you love it Donna! Love to know what you think!
Tried this recipe for my daughter’s birthday and it was a super hit at the party… nobody could guess it had salmon… Thankyou for another delicious recipe😊
Hi Nagi. I wanted to thank you for all the delicious XMAS recipes and more. Your website is simple the best!
Merry Christmas
Thank you so much Annette ❤️
Is the smoked salmon in this recipe supposed to be raw or cooked (lox vs. flaky)? I have a pouch of flaky smoked salmon and didn’t know if this would work with this dip recipe or not.
Hi Robin – the smoked salmon is cooked – it’s smoked 🙂
I meant to ask is the type of smoked salmon used in this recipe lox style or flaky style? I have a foil pouch of flaky style smoked salmon (a gift from Harry & David’s) and wondered if it could be used for this recipe. The salmon pictured in the article looks like “lox” style which has a moister texture and is brighter pink/red.
This is the basic recipe I have used for years except instead of garlic I use 1 large glob of horseradish! I love this recipe…
I love this idea Clayton!
Hi Nagi
Can you use canned smoked salmon for this Love your recipes and also Dozer.
Thanks Judy
Yes Crystal I did use canned smoked salmon and we all thought it turned out very good
Judy
Did you end up using canned Salmon? How did it turn out??
Hi Judy, it has a different texture but should be ok to use here – N x
Hello, can you serve this dip hot?
Stoped at a smoked fish place and bought a smoked steelhead being told it was a people favorite, ended up to be too salty for us and we bought two big fillets. So looked up a dip to make with it and made this one followed directions with 1 Tbs only if lemon juice, next time I will use a bit less, did not have minced garlic so used little over half tsp of garlic powder. No salt needed with this fish, and thank you so much for posting because it saved this salty fish from going in the trash, and it was not cheap. Hubby loved it so much ate it all in one sitting, saying it was better than the other salmon dips he’s had🤗
I’m so glad you managed to salvage it Sandra, nothing worse than buying something you can’t use!!
My family loved this salmon dip. I used a left-over portion of grilled salmon from the nite before. The slight charred taste added an extra yummy depth of flavor and color
Great idea Deb!
Just made this for solstice in front of the evening fire. Don’t have a food processor for quick prep / less dishes to wash – a 1 cup measure, sharp knife, cutting board & big bowl does the trick. Put Mayo, Sour Cream & everything but Salmon & cream cheese into measuring cup. Coarse chopped salmon, into bowl with ingredients from measuring cup. Mix vigorously. Add softened cream cheese and stir with gusto. Put dollops in a line on clingfilm pull up one side lengthwise and roll/cover into a log. Made 2 logs with mini rye bread. My new years resolution is to try one Nagi recipe a week w/Italian cheese for New Years Eve!
Absolute perfection. Brought to a gathering recently and the whole bowl was scoffed!
Do you think it could be frozen? Would love to make it in advance to get ahead on Christmas prep.
Hi Edel, I’ve never thought to freeze as it’s so quick to blitz up. Not sure how the cream cheese/mayo/sour cream will go being frozen and thawed sorry!
Yes. Yes! YES!!! So delicious I don’t know how I’m going to restrain myself from eating it all by myself. Yum!
I hear you Anna…. believe me, I hear you!! 😂