• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sweet Little Bluebird
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Crazy Cakes
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Crazy Cakes
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Sweet Little Bluebird

    The Best Baked Hot Clam Dip (4 Ingredients)

    by Mary Neumann · 7 Comments

    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    The Best Baked Hot Clam Dip! Made with just 4 ingredients – cream cheese, canned minced clams, onion and fresh lemon juice. A family favorite for over 35 years, and it’s so easy to make! Perfect for holidays, parties, gameday and more. This dip gets devoured!

    THE BEST BAKED HOT CLAM DIP (4 INGREDIENTS)


    This family favorite appetizer for hot clam dip is a must-have on Thanksgiving and Christmas. With just four ingredients and minutes to throw together, this is THE appetizer everyone looks forward to during the holidays. Simple to make, so good, never any leftovers.  

    This photo shows the clam dip in the baking dish after baking, ready to serve.

    *Original post date – November 23, 2016. Post Updated, November 19, 2023

    WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HOT CLAM DIP

    • minced clams
    • cream cheese
    • fresh lemon
    • sweet or yellow onion
    This photo shows the ingredients to make the clam dip on a kitchen table - 2 cans of minced clams, 2 blocks of cream cheese, 1 lemon and 1 yellow onion.

    HOW TO MAKE BAKED HOT CLAM DIP

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

    Place all the ingredients in a medium size bowl, squeeze lemon juice over top and mix until well blended and spoon into an oven safe dish.

    This is a 4 photo collage showing the dip in a bowl, being made. The last photo shows the dip in a baking dish before going into the oven.

    Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until dip starts to turn light golden brown. Remove.

    This photo shows the dip in the oven, ready to bake.

    Serve warm with your favorite crackers and/or banquette. Enjoy!

    This photo shows the clam dip in the baking dish after baking, ready to serve.

    Frequently Asked Questions for Clam Dip

    What clams are best for hot clam dip?

    Canned. Save your money, time and energy and use canned. We’ve used canned for over 30 years, and this dip is fabulous!

    How do you serve hot baked clam dip?

    Serve the dip warm, fresh out of the oven, with your favorite crackers and/or fresh baguette. Our go-to crackers for decades are Sociables and Triscuits.

    How do you store baked clam dip?

    Store leftover dip tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2–3 days. Reheat leftovers in the oven or microwave.

    PINNABLE IMAGE

    This photo shows the ingredients needed and the dip in a baking dish, ready to serve.

    Want More Easy Appetizer Recipes Like This One?

    • Easy Sausage Dip (Only 3 Ingredients)
    • The Best Hot Artichoke Dip
    • Hot Crab Dip
    • Sweet Vidalia Onion Dip
    • Fiesta Party Dip
    • Cranberry Cream Cheese Jalapeño Crescent Bites 
    • Old School Favorite Appetizer
    This photo shows the clam dip in the baking dish after baking, ready to serve.

    The Best Baked Hot Clam Dip (4 Ingredients)

    Family favorite dip for over 35 years! Made with just 4 simple ingredients – cream cheese, canned minced clams, onion and fresh lemon juice, it's so easy to make! Perfect for parties, holidays, gameday and more. This dip gets devoured!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Servings 8

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 blocks (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
    • 2 cans (6.5 ounces each) minced clams, drained well
    • ½ cup sweet or yellow onion (or more to taste), chopped
    • ½ lemon – juice from 1/2 of a lemon

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Add all the ingredients in a medium size bowl, squeeze lemon juice over top and mix until well blended.
    • Spoon into oven safe dish, bake on middle rack of oven for 20–25 minutes, until dip starts to turn light golden brown.
    • Serve warm with favorite crackers and/or banquette. We love Sociables and Triscuits.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Sweet Little Bluebird

    • Four image collage showing a photo of each recipe featured this week — Cinnamon Roll Bites, Baked Feta Cheese Dip, Cinnamon Roll Mini Apple Pies, and Scalloped Chicken Casserole.
      Cinnamon Roll Bites — Weekend Potluck 749
    • Four image collage showing a photo of each recipe featured this week — Apple Pull Apart Bread, Chocolate Coffee Cake, Meatball Parmesan Casserole, and Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup.
      Apple Pull Apart Bread — Weekend Potluck 748
    • Strawberry Crazy Cake on a white plate with a dusting of powdered sugar, a dollop of whipped cream and a fresh strawberry. Behind the plate is the cake, sliced with fresh strawberries in a red colander, more plates and bowls.
      Strawberry Crazy Cake (Wacky Cake) — No Eggs, Milk or Butter
    • Four image collage showing a photo of each recipe featured this week —  Apple Squares, Cowboy Stew, Slow Cooker Chicken Stew, and Oven Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms.
      Apple Squares — Weekend Potluck 747
    • Facebook

    Dinner Made Easy with Slow Cooker

    Tried-and-true recipes to make cooking in your slow cooker simply & delicious!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. I made your best ever clam dip. It was delicious. My question is I had leftovers the next day. The dip was hard as a rock. What can I put in it to soften it up?lois

      November 14, 2018 at 6:25 pm

      I made your best ever clam dip. It was delicious. My question is I had leftovers the next day. The dip was hard as a rock. What can I put in it to soften it up?

      Reply
      • Mary Neumann

        November 15, 2018 at 2:38 pm

        All you need to do it reheat the dip, it will soften.

        Reply
        • Hockey123$ Davey

          November 26, 2025 at 4:16 pm

          5 stars
          That’s why God invented microwave ovens

          Reply
      • deborah Allard

        November 19, 2023 at 11:30 am

        I added some juice from the clams before cooking it , It made it to a consistency of a spreadable dip

        Reply
        • Mary Neumann

          November 19, 2023 at 11:32 am

          The dip is super soft and spreadable when it’s heated – so all you need to do is reheat.

          Reply
    2. Karen Richards

      June 26, 2018 at 8:35 am

      not a fan of clams or crab.. could you use diced of cooked shrimp?

      Reply
    3. Kristin Weingartner

      December 31, 2016 at 10:13 pm

      Looks delicious! Did you double the recipe in your picture above? Trying to figure out if I should or not.

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Or, you can subscribe without commenting.

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I’m Mary, the face behind the food blog Sweet Little Bluebird. I am a Michigan girl, born and raised in Flint, and currently living outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I am married to a great guy from Northern California, together we have two sweet girls.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Four image collage showing a photo of each recipe featured this week — Chicken Au Poivre, Lemon Blueberry Corn Squares, Italian Sausage and Broccoli Pasta, and Blackberry Butter Swim Biscuits.
      Chicken Au Poivre (Viral Recipe) — Weekend Potluck 751
    • Four image collage showing a photo of each recipe featured this week —Chicken Terrific, Egg Roll in a Bowl with Coleslaw Mix, Magic Chicken Pie, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (Soft Batch).
      Chicken Terrific — Weekend Potluck 750
    • Four image collage showing a photo of each recipe featured this week — Grandma's Party Chicken, Easy Swedish Meatballs with Frozen Meatballs, Banana Cinnamon Swirl Bread, and Crock Pot Pork Roast with Gravy.
      Grandma’s Party Chicken — Weekend Potluck 746
    • Four image collage showing a photo of each recipe featured this week — Tortellini Meatball Bake, Golden Gate Bars, Raspberry Oatmeal Bars, and Crock Pot 3 Packet Pot Roast.
      Tortellini Meatball Bake — Weekend Potluck 745

    Amazon Associates Disclosure

    Mary Neumann of Sweet Little Bluebird is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Accessibility Statement

    Copyright © 2011-2026 · Mary Neumann · Sweet Little Bluebird · All Rights Reserved
    Copyright Protected Under The Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Any And All Use Of Photos Is Prohibited Without Written Permission.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.