If you’re looking for a super flavorful dip that will be a crowd pleaser, our Taco Dip with Refried Beans recipe is for you. It’s made from really simple ingredients and comes together in about 20 minutes. Serve it as a dip for game day or as a dinner as a twist on taco night.
For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.
The more I try to think about an introduction for this taco dip recipe, the more ridiculous it sounds. Bear with me. Or just hit the jump to recipe button and skip all this.
But, years ago — I’m talking almost two decades ago — my friend hosted American Idol watch parties. It was really just an excuse for her, me, and her best friend to hang out because I’m pretty sure she didn’t even like American Idol. But I used to watch it because my mom wanted me to. So instead of watching at my apartment, I went to my friend’s house and met up with her other friend.
Once, her friend brought a taco dip.
Did I ever bring anything? I don’t know. But, every once in a while, my friend will host something else (that I don’t get invited to because I live super far away now) and she will tell me this taco dip made an appearance.
I don’t even remember what was in it. But, after years of missing out on this taco dip, I finally made my own.
It’s basically seven-layer dip. But, mine has eight layers because I add shredded lettuce to make it more like tacos.
This Taco Dip isn’t the only savory dip we have on Drugstore Divas. For more, check out our list of Budget-Friendly Savory Dip Recipes. We have everything from refried bean dip to spanakopita dip and more.
Taco Dip With Refried Beans Recipe
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Taco Dip With Refried Beans Ingredients:
You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Refried beans – Either full fat or low fat refried beans, but I prefer the taste of full fat.
- Salsa – Any type of salsa works, but a mild, restaurant style salsa works best.
- Taco seasoning – We use low sodium taco seasoning, but any works.
- Sour cream – We use light sour cream. You could substitute plain Greek yogurt.
- Avocados – Haas avocados work best. As a substitute, you could use a store-bought guacamole or your favorite homemade guacamole as this layer.
- Lemon juice – A little lemon juice adds some acid to the dip and also keeps the avocado from browning. Lime juice will work as well.
- Salt – This is to bring out the flavor of the avocado.
- Cheddar cheese – You can choose any cheese that you want, but choose a block and shred it yourself.
- Romaine lettuce – In a pinch you can use Iceberg, but we never do.
- Roma tomatoes – The don’t have a lot of liquid compared to other tomatoes, so they hold up better and don’t make your dip soggy.
- Black olives – Measure these with your heart. I add half a jar but Pete says I could add more.
- Fresh cilantro – This is mostly just a garnish. If you don’t like cilantro, you could garnish your taco dip with green onions.
How To Make Taco Dip With Refried Beans:
Put the refried beans into a small pot on the stove. Heat them over medium high until the refried beans are creamy.
This should take about five minutes to heat them through.
Remove the pan from the heat.
Add a third of the salsa into the beans.
Add half the taco seasoning.
Stir until everything is combined, then transfer the bean mixture into a round casserole pan.
Gently spread it to make an even layer.
Quick note: My casserole pan is a little over three inches high and this dip overflows about an inch over the top of it. But that’s the toppings (lettuce, tomato, etc.), so it’s fine. If you have a different round pan, like a pie plate, you can use that. Just make sure it’s at least three inches high or the whole dip won’t fit.
In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and the rest of the taco seasoning.
Spread the sour cream mixture on top of the bean layer.
Again, do your best to spread it in an even layer.
Spread the remaining salsa on top of the sour cream layer.
Yes, you guessed it. Spread it in an even layer.
In a small bowl, add the avocado.
Pour the lemon juice on top and add the salt.
Mash until combined.
Quick note: Ripe avocados spread better. So, if your avocados aren’t ready, the night before you make this dip, you can put them in a brown paper bag. That will help ripen the avocado and make them ready for this recipe.
Spread the avocado mixture in an even layer on top of the layer of salsa.
Shred the cheese and add it on top of the avocado layer.
Okay, small tangent here: Do you need to shred the cheese yourself? It’s arguable.
When you’re making a recipe where you want the cheese to melt, you absolutely want to shred your own cheese. Bagged cheese doesn’t melt. But, in this case, you’re not melting the cheese. So yes, you could get away with a bag of cheese and save yourself three minutes of time. And then you could buy some Mexican cheese blend to be a little more on theme.
But, personally, I’ve gone years with just buying block cheese and shredding it myself, so I actually really prefer the taste of fresh shredded cheese. That’s what you’ll see in the majority of our recipes. But you do you. I’m just giving you the recipe. You interpret it however you see fit for you and your family.
Chop the Romaine lettuce into small strips.
Sprinkle them on top of the cheese.
Dice the Roma tomatoes.
Add the tomato chunks evenly on top of the lettuce.
Chop the olives (or just buy sliced olives) and sprinkle them on top of the lettuce layer.
Finally, chop the cilantro and sprinkle it on top.
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or corn chips.
Taco Dip With Refried Beans: Frequently Asked Questions
Wait until the refried bean layer has completely cooled to room temperature. Then, transfer the leftover dip to an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for up to four days.
When you’re storing it, the ingredients all mix together. So, I actually end up using the leftovers as a burrito filling for dinner the next day.
So, as written, this is a vegetarian dip. But, if you’re making this and you need to assure that it is vegetarian, you want to make sure you read the ingredients on your can of refried beans.
You’d assume that refried beans are vegetarian. But you know what they say about assuming, right?
Well, many refried beans are fried in lard. Lard comes from pork fat, which, of course, isn’t vegetarian. So, you want to make sure you’re looking for lard-free refried beans. Most cans labeled “traditional” use a form of lard, so look for ones labeled vegetarian refried beans, which are lard free.
If you wanted to add ground beef to this, you could. Season it like taco meat and then add it between the avocado and cheese layers.
This taco dip is layered in the perfect way for it to hold its shape. So the more solid layers on the bottom and the lighter layers at the top. You want to add meat right in the middle of the very solid and the very light layers.
If you’re making this for your next party, you can make it ahead of time if you really have to. Personally, I prefer it with the warm beans at the bottom, but it’s still good if they’re cold. So, you would make the entire dip up until the cheese layer. Wrap the top of the casserole pan in plastic wrap and you can store it in the fridge for a couple hours.
When you’re ready to serve it, chop the fresh toppings and add those layers.
Taco Dip With Refried Beans
If you’re looking for a super flavorful dip that will be a crowd pleaser, our Taco Dip with Refried Beans recipe is for you.
Ingredients
- 1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
- 3/4 cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 avocados
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 oz. cheddar cheese
- 1/2 bunch Romaine lettuce
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 can (3 oz.) black olives
- 4 sprigs cilantro
Instructions
- Put the refried beans into a small pot on the stove. Heat them over medium high until the refried beans are creamy (about five minutes). Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add a third of the salsa into the beans.
- Add half the taco seasoning.
- Stir until everything is combined, then transfer the bean mixture into a round casserole pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and the rest of the taco seasoning.
- Spread the sour cream mixture on top of the bean layer.
- Spread the remaining salsa on top of the sour cream layer.
- In a small bowl, add the avocado.
- Pour the lemon juice on top and add the salt.
- Mash until combined.
- Spread the avocado mixture in an even layer on top of the layer of salsa.
- Shred the cheese and add it on top of the avocado layer.
- Chop the Romaine lettuce into small strips. Sprinkle them on top of the cheese.
- Dice the Roma tomatoes. Add the tomato chunks evenly on top of the lettuce.
- Chop the olives (or just buy sliced olives) and sprinkle them on top of the lettuce layer.
- Finally, chop the cilantro and sprinkle it on top.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 162Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 21mgSodium 451mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 5g
Have you tried this Taco Dip With Refried Beans recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments.