Crawfish Boil Dip Cream Cheese (Printable)

Creamy, spicy blend of crawfish tails and cream cheese layered with bold Cajun spices for rich flavor.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 pound cooked crawfish tails, chopped, thawed if frozen with shells removed

→ Dairy

02 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
03 - 1 cup sour cream
04 - 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

→ Vegetables and Aromatics

05 - 1/2 cup bell pepper, finely diced
06 - 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
07 - 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 2 green onions, sliced for garnish

→ Spices and Seasonings

10 - 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
11 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional for extra heat
13 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
14 - 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
15 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
17 - 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional

→ Other

18 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
19 - Crackers, toasted baguette slices, or tortilla chips for serving

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
02 - In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
03 - Stir in the crawfish tails, Cajun seasoning, paprika, cayenne if using, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat.
04 - In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, Monterey Jack cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Mix until smooth.
05 - Fold the crawfish mixture into the cream cheese mixture until well combined.
06 - Transfer the dip to an oven-safe baking dish approximately 1 quart in capacity and spread evenly.
07 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the dip is bubbling and lightly golden on top.
08 - Remove from oven, let cool slightly, then garnish with sliced green onions. Serve warm with crackers, baguette slices, or tortilla chips.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like a crawfish boil but requires zero pots of boiling water and way less cleanup.
  • The dip comes together in thirty minutes flat, which means you can go from zero to party-ready faster than you'd think.
  • Guests always assume you spent hours on this, even though most of the work is just sautéing and stirring.
02 -
  • Don't skip the step of sautéing the vegetables first—this breaks down their raw crunch and builds a proper flavor foundation that cream cheese alone won't give you.
  • If your crawfish mixture looks watery before you combine it with the cheese, cook it an extra minute to evaporate some liquid or you'll end up with a runny dip that won't set properly.
  • Taste the dip before it goes in the oven because you can't easily adjust seasoning after it's baked, and salt levels vary wildly between different Cajun spice blends.
03 -
  • Add a quarter cup of mayonnaise to the cream cheese mixture if you want extra richness and a slightly airier texture that some people find irresistible.
  • Keep your crawfish chopped fairly small—thumb-sized pieces feel more dip-like than big chunks that make people wonder how to eat it gracefully.
Go Back