The Best Smoked Tuna Dip (baked with cream cheese)

This is the best smoked tuna dip, baked with cream cheese! It is smokey and cheesy with a gentle touch of sweet spice. You are in for a treat! Who knew tuna could taste so good, so savory.

This is a delightful appetizer and fun to surprise guests with. Not many people, in my experience, have had a baked tuna dip. People are curious to try it and are surprised by its goodness!

I put this recipe together. It was inspired by the classic, spinach artichoke dip which is where I found guidance on the cream cheese to mayo to sour cream ratio. The flavors are similar to my Easy Smoked Tuna Dip (10 min or less) recipe. If you enjoyed that dip you will especially enjoy this baked cream cheese-filled version.

What is in Baked Smoked Tuna Dip?

Cheese of course! It has cheddar, gouda, mozzarella, and cream cheese. The cheese is blended with buttery sauteed veggies: onions, celery, and garlic.

For added flavor, I added liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and a little sugar. It is not that spicy despite the cayenne but feel free to leave it out if you are sensitive to spice.

How to Make Baked Smoked Tuna Dip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used a 10-inch cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use a frying pan to saute the vegetables. For baking the dip, a baking dish or pan of a similar size would work fine; make sure to grease it.

Heat the skillet or frying pan to medium heat, add butter, when the butter sizzles with a sprinkle of water then add celery and onion. Next, saute for about 2-4 minutes or until the onion looks translucent. Then add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Take off the burner and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl add the cream cheese (which should be at room temp), sour cream, mayo, sugar, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and salt then mix with a handheld mixer. Mix on low to medium speed until combined and most or all lumps are gone, do not overwhip.

Next, add ⅓ cup mozzarella, ⅓ cup gouda, ⅓ cup cheddar, sauteed veggies, and the drained tuna then stir with a spoon until combined. 

Then pour the mixture into the cast iron skillet or greased baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and the dip is bubbling.

Next broil on low for 2-4 min until moderately browned on top. Let the dip rest for 5 to 10 min. Add a sprinkling of lemon juice and dill on top.

There is something about the lemon with the baked mozzarella topping. It goes well together and brings out the tuna flavor. For dipping you can use tortilla chips, bread, and crackers. Enjoy!

CAN I FIND ACTUAL SMOKED TUNA IN THE GROCERY STORE?

You can find smoked tuna steaks and actual smoked tuna in a can at specialty stores for a heftier price. I normally shop at the average grocery store such as Walmart or Kroger where I could only find one or two cans/packets of tuna labeled “smoked tuna”. Even those cans/packets I found had a smoked flavoring on the ingredients list. Liquid smoke is more economical than actual smoked tuna.

If you haven’t used Liquid Smoke before you should know that it is small but mighty. Liquid Smoke comes in several different flavors, Mesquite, Apple, Pecan, and Hickory. These would all complement a tuna salad or dip, I went with Hickory. Liquid Smoke can be used on steaks, chicken, hamburgers, or even hot dogs before cooking to give it an outdoorish smokey flavor. I intend on trying it on hot dogs and hamburgers soon. You can also add it to gravies, soups, sauces, baked beans, salads, eggs, fish and more!

How do you store tuna dip?

Store leftovers in the fridge for 2 to 3 days in a covered dish. You can reheat the dip in the oven or the microwave and it is still delicious! Do not store your dip in the cast iron skillet. Putting a hot or warm dish in the cold fridge can ruin it. The food can cause the seasoning in the cast iron to deteriorate.    

I hope you enjoy this dip as much as I have! Let me know below how your tuna dip turned out.

Check out more of my tuna recipes……

Easy Smoked Tuna Dip (10 min or less)

Creamy Tuna Pasta (made in one pot)

The Best Smoked Tuna Dip (baked with cream cheese)

Katie Holcomb

This truly is one of the best smoked tuna dips baked with cream cheese! It is smokey and cheesy with a gentle touch of sweet spice. You are in for a treat! Whoever knew tuna could taste so good, so savory.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ yellow onion diced
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• ½ c sour cream
• ¼ c mayo
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. Liquid Smoke I used hickory
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper heaping teaspoon
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 5 oz cans tuna 4 oz drained
• ⅓ cup cheddar cheese shredded
• ⅓ cup gouda cheese shredded
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (set ⅔ cup aside for topping)
• Lemon Juice from about ⅛ of a lemon
• Fresh or dried dill
• crackers/bread/tortilla chips for dipping

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used a 10-inch cast iron skillet. (If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use a frying pan to saute the vegetables in. Then a baking dish or pan of a similar size to bake the dip in; make sure to grease it.)
• Heat the skillet or frying pan to medium heat, add butter, when the butter sizzles with a sprinkle of water, then add celery and onion. Saute for about 2-4 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Take off the burner and set aside.
• In a medium-sized bowl add cream cheese (which should be at room temp), sour cream, mayo, sugar, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and salt then mix with a handheld mixer. Mix on low to medium speed until combined and most or all lumps are gone, do not overwhip. Next, add ⅓ cup mozzarella, ⅓ cup gouda, ⅓ cup cheddar, sauteed veggies, and the drained tuna then stir with a spoon until combined.
• Pour the mixture into the cast iron skillet (or greased baking pan). Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and the dip is bubbling. Then broil on low for 2-4 min until moderately browned on top. Let the dip rest for 5 to 10 min. Then add a sprinkling of lemon juice and dill on top.

Notes

This dip does have cayenne pepper but it comes through mildly. If you are sensitive to spice feel free to leave it out or reduce it.

For dipping, you can use tortilla chips, bread, and crackers.

Store leftovers in the fridge for 2 to 3 days in a covered container. You can reheat the dip in the oven or the microwave, and it is still so delicious!

Do not store your dip in the cast iron skillet. Putting a hot or warm dish in the cold fridge can ruin it. Also, storing food in a cast iron skillet can cause the seasoning in the pan to deteriorate.