Let me show you how to make the best clam dip! I built my updated recipe on the original Kraft clam dip from the 1950s, it’s crowd-pleasing party food for any occasion!

If you’ve ever lived anywhere along the Eastern seaboard you for sure know the joys of a great clam dip. Maybe you have great memories of oceanside cocktail hours, or maybe your grandma made it for every (single) holiday gathering. But if you’ve ever bought a tub of supermarket clam dip you also know how badly it can go wrong. I’m here to share the best clam dip recipe ~ I make just a few important tweaks to the original 1950s recipe to make it perfect.
are you a seafood dip lover too?
Let’s dig in!
clam dip ingredients
What I use, and why:
- canned clams
- I buy canned whole baby clams. Most recipes call for minced clams, but whole clams are better quality (the same goes for whole canned tomatoes vs chopped or crushed.) If you’re lucky enough to have fresh clams, go ahead and use them!
- cream cheese
- brick style cream cheese, it’s the base of 99% of classic clam dip recipes.
- sour cream
- sour cream adds richness and tang to the dip.
- mayo
- again adds more flavor to the cream cheese base.
- spring onions
- for a needed bit of freshness to the relatively rich dip.
- lemon juice
- it wakes up all seafood!
- clam juice
- you can use bottle clam juice or the strained juice from your canned clams. This helps intensify the ‘clam’ flavor and loosens the dip for better dip-ability.
- creamed horseradish
- I keep a bottle in the fridge, it kicks up so many recipes.
- hot sauce
- your choice, a little or a lot.
- Old Bay seasoning
- a classic seafood seasoning consisting mostly of celery salt, bay leaf, paprika, and pepper.
- salt
What I leave out and why
- Worcestershire sauce
- Worcestershire sauce is too overpowering for shellfish.
- garlic
- also overpowering and doesn’t marry well with seafood in general.
improving a classic recipe
In the early 1950s clam dip appeared on theย Kraft Music Hallย show,ย an early radio and television variety program.ย After the recipe segment aired, canned clams in New York City supposedly sold out within 24 hours (see the recipe below.) But before you conclude that this must be the ultimate recipe, just remember the 1950s also gave us green jello salads, Spam, and canned fruit cocktail ๐ That recipe is ripe for improving and I took it from an essentially bland cream cheese dip to a full fledged crowd-pleasing appetizer.
original Kraft clam dip recipe, circa 1950
- 8 ounce can minced clams
- 1 garlic clove, cut in half
- 8 ounce package Philadelphia Brand cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- dash pepper
Drain clams, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Rub mixing bowl with garlic. Combine clams, clam liquid, softened cream cheese and remaining ingredients, mixing until well blended. Chill. Serve with chips or crackers.
perfect clam dip highlights
Your dip should have a soft grey or grey-ish pink color. The color comes from the clams themselves, and the Old Bay seasoning. (Don’t trust any clam dip that is bright white!)
Clam dip should be chunky, not silky smooth. This is from the little bits of minced clam.
Your dip should smell faintly of the sea, this is clam dip, after all!
the controversy ~ what to serve with clam dip?
- POTATO CHIPS: Most purists will tell you to serve clam dip with potato chips.
- if this is your choice, be sure to choose a sturdy chip, and loosen your clam dip with enough clam juice to make scooping easy.
- FRITOS: Personally my choice is Fritos.
- the larger Fritos Scoops are the way to go.
- CRACKERS: I know some of you swear by Ritz or Saltine crackers.
- I suggest serving small spreading knives when using crackers. Dipping crackers can be tricky.
- GO LOW CARB WITH VEGGIES:
- carrot and celery sticks, or consider serving the dip in crisp endive leaves.
Clam Dip Recipe
Equipment
- food processor optional
Ingredients
- 20 ounces canned whole baby clams (this is 2 10-ounce cans. You can reduce to one can if you prefer.)
- 8 ounces brick style cream cheese. Note: if you don't use the food processor for this recipe you will need to make sure your cream cheese is softened.
- 3 Tbsp sour cream
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp cream style horseradish
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
- 1 tsp hot sauce, or more to taste
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 4 Tbsp clam juice
- 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced or minced, both white and green parts.
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Drain your clams and reserve the juice.
- I like to use a food processor for this next step, but you can do it by hand in a bowl if you prefer. Load the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, horseradish, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Old Bay seasoning into your food processor fitted with the metal blade (or into a mixing bowl.) Pulse/process until everything is well combined.
- Add the drained clams and clam juice to the processor and pulse/process until they are finely minced and incorporated into the dip. The size of the bits of clam is up to you, you can make your dip chunkier or smoother as you like. Note: if doing this by hand, mince the clams before you add them.
- Remove the dip to a bowl and stir in the green onions, and add the salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The dip can be made up to a day ahead.
- If you find your dip is too thick, thin it down with more clam juice. Take a final taste before serving and adjust any of the seasonings, lemon juice, salt, etc. to your liking.
- Serve the dip chilled with potato chips, Fritos, or crackers of your choice.
We made this but tweaked a little. We donโt care for the tinny flavor of the jus from the canned clams so I se bottled clam juice and because we like Worcestershire I did use that. But things a great recipe as usual from the โno longer great island โ
Hi Donnamarie! Yes, maybe I wasn’t clear but I use bottled clam juice as well. I give the alternative of using the can juice because some won’t have the bottled stuff. Glad you liked it!!