This bean dip is a creamy blend of refried beans, seasonings, cream cheese and sour cream, all topped with cheese and baked to melted and gooey perfection. A super easy appetizer that’s perfect for any gathering!
Whenever I entertain, I offer a hot cheesy dip such as spinach dip, pizza dip, or this zesty Mexican style bean dip. Your family and friends will be sure to give this snack rave reviews!
No one can resist a rich and cheesy bean dip, and this version is the best I’ve ever had. It has the perfect blend of creaminess and spice, and it literally takes just minutes to put together. Best of all, it can be made in advance which makes it great for parties and family gatherings.
Have a feast with this dip and some Mexican food favorites like carne guisada, cheese enchiladas and Mexican rice.
Table of Contents
Bean Dip Ingredients
To make this bean dip recipe you will need cream cheese, sour cream, refried beans, taco seasoning, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo salsa and tortilla chips.
How Do You Make Bean Dip?
The key to bean dip is transforming ordinary refried beans to a flavorful and delectable dip. To make the dip creamy and smooth, start by beating cream cheese until light and fluffy with a mixer. Next add sour cream and mix it in. Stir canned refried beans into the cream cheese and add taco seasoning and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix everything together. Place the dip in a prepared oven safe dish and top the dip with more cheddar cheese. Bake until hot and bubbly. When the dip heats through and the cheese melts, take the dish out of the oven and top the dip with pico de gallo salsa. Serve and enjoy!
Tips For The Perfect Bean Dip
- Use high quality canned refried beans which have a dark color and a nice consistency. Some generic brand refried beans can be watery.
- If you want to save some calories, you can use low fat cream cheese and sour cream.
- You can make this dip in advance by assembling it, covering it, and storing in the fridge for up to 24 hours before you plan to bake it. When you are ready to serve the dip, simply uncover it and bake it. Make sure to add 10 extra minutes to the cooking time.
- You can use any shallow baking dish or oven safe skillet that you like.
- You can purchase pico de gallo salsa or you make your own homemade pico de gallo salsa.
- I recommend making your own taco seasoning. If you use store bought taco seasoning, check to make sure it is fresh for maximum flavor.
Quick Tip
Use freshly grated cheese instead of shredded cheese in a bag. The pre-shredded cheeses tend to use anti-caking agents which prevents the cheese from melting smoothly.
Recipe FAQs
After the dish has been baked, it stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Since the dish has dairy components including sour cream and cream cheese, I wouldn’t keep it around any longer than 3 days.
Bean dip is delicious hot or cold. You can certainly eat the bean dip cold. If you do eat it cold, you will want to use a spoon to put the dip on the chips as the dip will be thicker and may break chips if you try to dip them.
Bean dips are delicious blends of cream cheese, sour cream and refried beans heated and topped with cheese and salsa.
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Flavor Variations
This traditional refried bean dip is delicious as-is; however, you can boost the flavor with some extra ingredients.
- Add-Ins: Feel free to add extra items such as green chiles, diced bell peppers, corn, sauteed onions or salsa to the dip.
- Meat: Leftover Mexican style meat such as pork carnitas, taco meat or chicken tinga can turn this dip into a meal.
- Toppings: You can add extra toppings such as a scoop of guacamole, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes, green onions, diced red onion, chopped cilantro or corn salsa.
- Seasonings: For a stronger flavor you can add a little garlic powder, pepper, cumin or onion powder.
- Spicy: Add diced jalapenos, chili powder or hot sauce for a spicy dip.
- Cheese: You can substitute Monterey Jack cheese, pepper jack cheese or a Mexican cheese blend for the cheddar cheese.
- Dippers: While tortilla chips are traditional, you can eat nacho flavored chips, crackers, carrots or celery sticks with your dip.
If you have ever wondered how they get restaurant bean dip to be so smooth and creamy, this recipe is your answer. Why go to a restaurant when you can have this delicious dip fresh and hot from your oven?
More Mexican Recipes You’ll Love
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Mexican Pizza
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Avocado Dip Recipe
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Mexican Tortilla Pinwheels
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Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
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Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 16 ounce cans refried beans
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided use
- 1/2 cup pico de gallo optional garnish
- tortilla chips for serving
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 or 10 inch baking dish or skillet with cooking spray.
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream and beat until well mixed.
- Stir in the refried beans, taco seasoning and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Spoon the bean mixture into the prepared dish. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until dip is bubbly and cheese is melted.
- Top with pico de gallo, and serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
- Use freshly grated cheese instead of shredded cheese in a bag. The pre-shredded cheeses tend to use anti-caking agents which prevents the cheese from melting smoothly.
- Use high quality canned refried beans which have a dark color and a nice consistency. Some generic brand refried beans can be watery.
- If you want to save some calories, you can use low fat cream cheese and sour cream.
We had this bean dip with our taco night last night and it was delish! Definitely making for our next party!
Smooth, savory and delicious – this bean dip is fantastic! Definitely a new addition to our taco nights!
Oh man this was so good for movie night! We dipped corn chips and also cut up veggies. A huge hit with the kiddos!