This quick and easy cold Layered Shrimp Cocktail Dip has a seasoned cream cheese base topped with zesty cocktail sauce and chopped shrimp. It's a perfect party appetizer for any occasion!
Michelle's Recipe Rundown
Shrimp cocktail is a classic appetizer. And turning it into a creamy layered dip is a deliciously different way to enjoy it. Great for game day parties, holiday gatherings or other get-togethers, this dip is sure to be a hit that will disappear fast!
My version uses a combination of cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise that's flavored with Old Bay seasoning and a splash of lemon juice. Then it's spread out on a serving plate and topped with cocktail sauce and shrimp and a little green onion for color.
It's quick and easy to put together in about 15 minutes, especially if you take advantage of store-bought pre-cooked shrimp and cocktail sauce. But you can also take a little extra time and cook your own shrimp and make a homemade cocktail sauce if you want.
Served with crackers, the combination of flavors is outstanding and takes shrimp cocktail to the next level!
Love layered dips like this?
Try my Easy Taco Dip and Cranberry Jalapeno Dip next!
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Ingredients & Notes
Here are the ingredients you need to make this easy cream cheese shrimp cocktail dip, along with some notes on preparation and making the best selections:
Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Cooked Shrimp - Peeled, deveined, and cold. You can buy already cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp (fresh or frozen and thawed). Or you can cook your own shrimp and then chill it (see below). Any size shrimp will do since we're chopping it up.
- Cocktail Sauce - I use my homemade cocktail sauce because it's quick, easy and has lots of flavor; but you can use your favorite cocktail sauce.
- Cream Cheese - Soften it so it spreads easily. I prefer the full-fat version for extra richness and creaminess; reduced-fat also works.
- Sour Cream - Full-fat (I use this) or reduced-fat.
- Mayonnaise
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Lemon Juice - Freshly squeezed or bottled
- Green Onion - Just the green part, thinly sliced, for garnish
And, of course, you'll need dippers! I use a simple buttercrisp cracker, but any kind will do. You can also use pita chips, tortilla chips, toasted baguette slices, or whatever else you might like.
How to Make Layered Shrimp Cocktail Dip
This is just a brief overview of the steps. The full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions is in the recipe card below.
Step 1:
Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice and Old Bay seasoning until well combined and smooth.
Step 2:
Evenly spread out the cream cheese mixture on a serving dish.
Step 3:
Evenly spread cocktail sauce over the cream cheese layer.
Step 4:
Remove the tails from the shrimp, then chop the shrimp into ½-inch pieces.
Step 5:
Evenly top the cocktail sauce layer with the chopped shrimp.
Step 6:
Randomly spoon the remaining cocktail sauce over the shrimp and sprinkle evenly with green onions. Serve immediately with your favorite dippers.
Recipe Tips
- If using frozen pre-cooked shrimp, be sure to thoroughly pat it dry with paper towels after it has thawed so your dip doesn't end up watery.
- If you cook your own shrimp, it should be cold before adding it to the dip.
- You can sprinkle some additional Old Bay seasoning on the shrimp for extra flavor.
- This dip should be served immediately after assembling, as it can start to break down and get watery over time.
Want to Cook Your Own Shrimp?
These days, you can get some really good store-bought pre-cooked shrimp (even ones that are already peeled and deveined). And honestly, this is most often what I use when making this dip because it's so quick and easy.
But if you want to cook your own shrimp, the easiest way to do it is to poach it. If using frozen shrimp, thaw it first before cooking. Here's how to cook the ¾ pound of shrimp you need for this recipe:
- Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.
- If desired, you can flavor the water with things such as onion, garlic, lemon, Old Bay seasoning or shrimp/crab boil seasoning, bay leaf, peppercorns, or salt; add any of these to the water before you start to heat it.
- Remove the pot from the heat and immediately add the shrimp to the pot. Cover the pot and let it sit until the shrimp are cooked through.
- The poaching time will vary depending on the size of shrimp you use. It can take anywhere from 2 minutes (for small shrimp) to 7 minutes or more (for colossal shrimp).
- Shrimp are done when they have turned pink/orange, are opaque white throughout (cut one open if you need to), and they are curled into a loose C-shape (an O-shape indicates that they may be overcooked).
- Immediately transfer the shrimp to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and to quickly cool it, then drain and pat dry.
Make-Ahead & Leftover Storage
Make-Ahead: Prepare the cream cheese mixture, cocktail sauce, shrimp, and green onions a few hours or up to a day ahead of time and keep them stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Assemble the dip right before serving.
I don't recommend assembling the dip ahead of time because it can get a bit watery after it sits in the fridge for a while.
Leftover Storage: Store any leftover dip covered tightly with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The sooner you enjoy it, the better, because it will get increasingly watery.
I hope you try this Layered Shrimp Cocktail Dip recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Easy Dip Recipes to Try
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went! Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Layered Shrimp Cocktail Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened; I use full-fat for the extra richness and creaminess, but reduced-fat also works
- 2 tablespoons sour cream, full-fat or reduced-fat
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning, or to taste (I use 2 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly-squeezed or bottled
- ¾ cup cocktail sauce, divided (I use and recommend my homemade cocktail sauce, but you can use your favorite)
- ¾ pound cold cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined; see Notes below
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions, green part only
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon juice until well combined and smooth.I do this by hand, but you can use an electric mixer.
- Evenly spread out the cream cheese mixture on a serving plate (I use a 10-inch plate); don't go all the way to the edge of the plate, leave a small border.
- Evenly spread ½ cup of the cocktail sauce over the cream cheese layer, leaving a small border of the cream cheese mixture.
- Remove the tails from the cooked shrimp and discard. Chop the shrimp into ½-inch pieces.
- Evenly top the cocktail sauce layer with the chopped shrimp.
- Randomly spoon the remaining ¼ cup of cocktail sauce over the shrimp.
- Evenly sprinkle the green onions over the shrimp.
- Serve immediately with crackers, pita chips, tortilla chips, or your favorite dippers.
Notes
- You can use store-bought cooked shrimp (fresh or frozen and thawed), which is what I usually do, or you can cook your own shrimp if you prefer. Any size shrimp will do, since we are chopping it up.
- If using frozen shrimp, be sure to pat it dry with paper towels after it has thawed so your dip doesn't end up watery.
- If you cook your own shrimp (instructions for poaching shrimp are included in the post if you want to do this), make sure it is cold before adding it to the dip.
- This dip is best when served immediately after assembly, as it can get a bit watery after it sits for a while.
- If you want to make it ahead of time, prepare the individual layer components and store them in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator a few hours and up to a day ahead of time. Then assemble the dip right before serving.
- Estimated prep time shown assumes you are starting with pre-cooked shrimp and prepared cocktail sauce. If you will be cooking your own shrimp and/or making your own cocktail sauce, you will need to add additional time for these.
- Estimated calories shown are for the dip only and do not include whatever dippers you might use.
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