This delightfully rich and creamy smoked salmon dip is a great appetizer for a party. It’s made with cream cheese, crème fraîche, and lemon, to which fresh herbs, smoked salmon, and capers are added. The spread is smoky, zesty, herby, and indulgent. Serve it with fresh bread or crostini, and pair it with other appetizers for when feeding a big crowd.

overhead view of smoked salmon dip with lemon and smoked salmon garnish in a red bowl next to toasted crostini on a black serving board

Ingredients to Assemble

If you want to make this smoked salmon dip, you will need the following:

top down view of ingredients board for smoked salmon dip showing the ingredients on a wooden board with labels next to each one

Smoked Salmon – 6 oz smoked salmon (170 grams)
Cream Cheese – 8 oz cream cheese (225 grams)
Crème Fraîche – 1/2 cup crème fraîche
Lemon – 1 lemon (zest from one lemon and 2 tbsp of lemon juice)
Chives – 2 tbsp minced fresh chives
Dill – 2 tbsp minced fresh dill
Salt – a pinch of salt, to taste (optional)
Baguette – to serve with the smoked salmon dip
Olive Oil (optional) – 2 tbsp of olive oil, optional, to make crostini with the baguette

How to Make it (with Photos)

Step 1. Add the cream cheese, crème fraîche, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a food processor. Puree the ingredients until well combined, about 30 seconds.

overhead view of cream cheese, creme fraiche, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a food processor before it has been blended

top down view of creme cheese, creme fraiche, and lemon mixture once it has been blended with the blender on a wooden surface

Step 2. Mince the chives and dill. Roughly chop the smoked salmon.

minced dill and chives on a plastic cutting board next to a cutting knife

top down view of chopped smoked salmon on a white chopping board with the cutting knife lying next to it

Step 3. Add the minced chives, minced dill, and roughly chopped smoked salmon to the cream cheese mix in the food processor. Puree just for 10 seconds until combined. Don’t overprocess it. Taste it and add a pinch of salt to taste (if needed). If adding salt, puree the spread for a couple of seconds just to mix the salt it. Cover it and refrigerate it while making the crostini.

Note: Ideally, refrigerate the dip for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. But it’s also very tasty when served right away.

looking into a blender from above showing minced chives, dill, and smoked salmon added to the cream cheese mixture

view of top down looking into a blender showing smoked salmon cheese cream mixture once it has been blended

Step 4. Make the crostini. Cut the baguette into 1/2-inch slices and brush each slice on both sides with olive oil. Grill the bread on a grill, grill pan, or electric grill for a couple of minutes on each side. Alternatively, you could bake the bread slices at 360°F (180°C) until golden brown (about 10-12 minutes).

view of baguette slices after each has been brushed with olive oil on a wooden board next to the brush used

close up view of crostini slices being grilled in a panini press

Step 5. Serve the smoked salmon dip with the crostini or with baguette slices.

overhead view of smoked salmon dip in a circular red serving bowl with lemon slice and smoked salmon garnish on a dark wooden surface

view of smoked salmon dip with a pile of grilled crostini served on a black serving board

I find the dips are the first thing to go at parties! If you made this and enjoyed it, let me know in a review below. I’d also love to know what else you served it with.

More Party Food Ideas

If you make a lot of crostini or have lots of bread, you can offer other dipping options like this whipped ricotta with olives, this herby dipping oil, or this cream cheese ball.

With any additional smoked salmon, try these smoked salmon crostini with lemon, these tortilla roll-ups, or these croissant sandwiches. If I’ve learned anything over the years – you can never have enough food when you’re hosting!

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