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Home » Recipes » Appetizers

By Kaleigh McMordie - September 30, 2016, Updated May 12, 2021

Healthier Hot Red Pepper Crab Dip

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
closeup of a gold spoon in a skillet of hot crab dip with text overlay.

This hot, cheesy baked crab dip with red peppers is made healthier with Greek yogurt, tons of crab meat, and lots of veggies. It's a delicious appetizer to share! (gluten-free, nut-free)

closeup of a gold spoon in a skillet of hot crab dip.

What's better to snack on than a hot, cheesy, delicious dip? How about one that's filled with luscious crab? AND one that's a little better for you than your typical cheesy dip? Yes and yes.

Why You'll Love This Crab Dip Recipe

This crab dip uses a few simple swaps to lighten things up a bit, but without sacrificing flavor! It's still has the creamy, cheesy goodness of a good crab dip, with lots of lump crab meat and flavorful red bell pepper, but with no mayo . It's the perfect appetizer to share with friends!

healthier red pepper hot crab dip in a white skillet with chips and crackers around it.

What Makes This Crab Dip Healthier?

This delicious dip swaps mayo for high protein Greek yogurt, and regular cream cheese for a smaller amount of reduced fat cream cheese (although I don't recommend fat free cream cheese - it's just not the same). It's also got a little less parmesan than typical dips, but you'll want to make sure you use a good block of cheese and grate it yourself to get all the cheesy flavor! Finally, this dips has lots of high-protein lump crap meat and a good dose of vitamin-rich red bell pepper - which also contributes a good amount of sweet and spicy flavor!

How To Make Healthy Hot Crab Dip

six image collage showing steps for making healthier baked crab dip with red peppers.
  1. Whisk together the cream cheese and Greek yogurt until it's nice and smooth.
  2. Stir in the crab, diced peppers, jalapeño, green onion, garlic, Old Bay, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup of the parmesan.
  3. Spread the dip into a baking dish or skillet and top with the remaining ½ cup of parmesan.
  4. Bake at 400°F for about 30 minutes, or until it's nice and bubbly.
  5. Cool slightly before serving so you don't burn your mouth!
hand dipping a chip into a skillet of healthier hot crab dip.

Recipe Variations

  • If you'd rather use full-fat cream cheese and mayonnaise, go for it!
  • If you like things more spicy, leave the seeds in the jalapeño, use two jalapeños, or use a serrano instead.
  • Jarred roasted red pepper would work in place of fresh peppers.
  • If you want a cold dip, simply serve it before adding the parmesan to the top and baking.

Storing Leftover Dip

Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days. You can reheat it in the oven or microwave.

healthier red pepper crab dip

Love dips as much as I do? Then you'll want to check out this roundup of Healthy and Delicious Dip Recipes!

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Print

Healthier Hot Red Pepper Crab Dip

healthier red pepper hot crab dip in a white skillet with chips and crackers around it.
Print Recipe

This hot, cheesy baked crab dip with red peppers is made healthier with Greek yogurt, tons of crab meat, and lots of veggies. It's a delicious appetizer to share! (gluten-free, nut-free)

  • Author: Kaleigh
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
  • Category: appetizer
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup lump crab meat
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • ½ red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 small jalapeño, seeds removed and diced
  • ½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
  • ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese and yogurt until well combined. Stir in remaining ingredients, reserving ½ cup of the parmesan.
  3. Spoon mixture into a 8" square or round baking dish. Smooth with the back of a spoon and sprinkle with reserved ½ cup of cheese.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and slightly golden on top.
  5. Serve hot with whole grain crackers, chips, or crudités.

Notes

  • If you'd rather, you can use mayo in place of the yogurt and full-fat cream cheese if that's your jam!
  • If you like a spicer dip, you can double the jalapeño, leave the seeds in, or use a serrano pepper instead.
  • Jarred roasted red peppers can be used in place of fresh bell pepper. 
  • If you want a cold dip, simply serve it before adding the parmesan to the top and baking.
  • Store leftover dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up tp 3 days. Leftovers can be reheated in the oven.

Keywords: healthy crab dip, no mayo crab dip, healthy baked crab dip

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @livelytable on Instagram and hashtag it #livelytable

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About Kaleigh McMordie

Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN, LD, is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian in Abilene, Texas, as well as a member of the Baby Led Weaning Dietitians Network. Kaleigh can be found at kaleighmcmordie.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Farrah says

    October 04, 2016 at 2:57 pm

    This looks like the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer! :]

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      October 04, 2016 at 5:07 pm

      Its sure is! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says

    September 30, 2016 at 8:28 pm

    im not a huge sports person but im all for delicious, cheesy game day snacks 🙂

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      October 01, 2016 at 10:50 am

      Same! I follow my college team and that's about it. But I do love the snacks! 🙂

      Reply

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