Classic Taco Dip

Recipe for a classic taco dip featuring refried beans, seasoned cream cheese, guacamole, green onions, and more.

Everybody has certain appetizers that they expect to see at family gatherings. For some it may be meatballs, others a veggie tray, and you can’t forget about the classic cheese tray. All of those have been featured at holidays in my house. Something that we don’t often do in our family but I know everybody likes is taco dip. We have bought it premade from the store before but it’s much more cost efficient to make it yourself. This way you cannot only make a much bigger quantity to feed a larger crowd, but you also can tailor the ingredients exactly how you would like.

Almost all taco dips start with a base layer of refried beans. This works well because it’s easy to help stick to and scoop up the rest of the toppings and it adds protein. 

The refried beans are mixed with a little milk just to make them easier to spread and scoop. For the next layer I combine cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Sour cream works just as well as Greek yogurt, use whatever you have on hand! If you don’t have taco seasoning combine together two parts chili powder, one part cumin, and one part onion powder. Add a little salt to taste and you should be good to go.

You also can totally buy premade guac if you want. However, if you want to make it yourself it’s super simple. I have a recipe here.

The rest of the layers require no stirring, just a little chopping. After the cheese, I added green onions, sliced black olives, and chopped up tomatoes. The green onions are a perfect alternative to regular onion, they are much milder in flavor but provide a necessary kick to the dish. Without them I think it would be just a little bit bland.

Some ideas for additional/alternative layers:

• Add ground beef. This not only adds more hardiness and protein to the dip but it makes it into a full meal by itself.
• Add pickled jalapeños. I’m all for adding spicy whenever I can. Pickled jalapeños add spice without being overpowering. When you buy them in the store you can even choose between hot or mild if you want them to be more palatable to everyone.
• Add iceberg lettuce. A lot of taco chips include a layer of iceberg lettuce. This adds a great freshness to the dish, as well as a crunch.