Mexican 7 Layer Dip
Posted Apr 21, 2023, Updated Feb 13, 2024
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This Mexican 7 Layer Dip is a delicious appetizer to feed a crowd. Seasoned refried beans, melted cheese, sour cream, guacamole, corn, onions, cilantro and more are all layered together for an irresistible 7 layer bean dip you’ll make again and again.
This Mexican 7 layer dip is our family’s #1 most favorite appetizer. It only takes 10 minutes to make, and then can be chilled in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy, or served immediately.
The first time I made it I assumed my kids wouldn’t touch it because there are so many different ingredients in the same dish, but I was completely wrong. They absolutely devoured it before dinner (and then were completely too full to eat anything more).
I’ve made it many times since and it has become our go-to appetizer. They ask me to make it all the time and call it, “the dip that looked gross but tasted amazing.”
7 Layer Dip Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Refried beans. I use organic canned refried beans for ease, you can make these refried black beans!
- Water. for more flavor you can substitute enchilada sauce, or the liquid from salsa in place of water.
- Taco Seasoning. I always suggest homemade taco seasoning! But store bought works well too!
- Cheddar Cheese. Choose your favorite cheese, but sharp cheddar is my preference.
- Guacamole. This easy homemade guacamole is a great choice. For ease, you can purchase an 8 ounce container of store-bought guacamole.
- Sour Cream. Full-fat Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream.
- Salsa. choose your favorite store-bought salsa, or make your own homemade salsa in 5 minutes.
- Red Onion. I love using green onions as well.
- Black Olives. Feel free to omit or sub your favorite olive.
- Corn. Fresh corn cooked and cut off the cob or frozen, thawed corn both work well.
- Cilantro. There is no substitute for fresh cilantro.
How to Make 7 Layer Dip
One of the best things about this 7 layer dip is that it’s very easy to make – especially if using store-bought ingredients!
The step that sets this apart from other 7 layer bean dips is seasoning and warming the refriend beans.
So, we begin by gently warming the refried beans, water and taco seasoning in a small saucepan. Stir until the mixture is smooth and warmed all the way through.
Then, spread the warm beans in an even layer in the bottom of a 9” round pie dish
Immediately sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the warm beans and let it melt slightly (this will ensure that it sticks to the beans and doesn’t get mixed into the next layer).
Then, evenly spread the guacamole over the cheese and beans.
Next, spread the sour cream over the guacamole.
Then, carefully spoon the salsa over the sour cream, trying to avoid the liquid in the salsa container (so it doesn’t get too watery).
Lastly, sprinkle the red onion, black olives, and corn evenly over the salsa layer and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Then, cover the dish and refrigerate until ready to serve. Or you can serve it immediately, although I like chilling it for at least 1 hour so the flavors blend a little.
Serve
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy. We love to serve this as an appetizer to our favorite Mexican recipes:
- It makes a great starter for tacos such as ground beef tacos, crockpot chicken tacos, and sweet potato tacos!
- Serve this 7 layer dip with chicken enchiladas or chicken quesadillas or chicken fajitas!
- Use any of these homemade recipes to make this 7 layer dip: homemade guacamole, homemade salsa, refried black beans, homemade taco seasoning.
Store
Store leftover Mexican 7 layer dip covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
7 Layer Dip Recipe FAQs
This 7 layer dip recipe is made from refried beans, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, corn, black olives, onions and cilantro.
It lasts for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
I like to serve it in a pie dish. Use a glass pie dish in order to be able to see all the layers, if desired. Just make sure to choose a dish that is on the shallow side, so you can get all 7 layers in one scoop.
Yes, you can double the recipe and serve it in a 9×13″ baking dish.
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Mexican 7 Layer Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 oz refried beans
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
- 8 oz Guacamole
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1 cup Salsa
- ½ cup red onion finely diced (or green onion)
- 1 cup Black Olives sliced
- 1 cup corn
- 2 Tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Combine refried beans, water and taco seasoning in a small saucepan. Gently warm over medium heat until smooth.
- Spread the warm beans in an even layer in the bottom of a 9” round pie dish.
- Immediately sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the warm beans and let it melt slightly (this will ensure that it sticks to the beans and doesn’t get mixed into the next layer).
- Evenly spread the guacamole over the cheese and beans, and then spread the sour cream over the guacamole.
- Spoon the salsa over the sour cream, trying to avoid the liquid in the salsa container.
- Sprinkle the red onion, black olives, and corn over the salsa layer and garnish with fresh cilantro.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
Video
Notes
- Refried beans. I use organic canned refried beans for ease, you can make these refried black beans!
- Water. for more flavor you can substitute enchilada sauce, or the liquid from salsa in place of water.
- Taco Seasoning. I always suggest homemade taco seasoning! But store bought works well too!
- Cheddar Cheese. Choose your favorite cheese, but sharp cheddar is my preference.
- Guacamole. This easy homemade guacamole is a great choice. For ease, you can purchase an 8 ounce container of store-bought guacamole.
- Sour Cream. Full-fat Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream.
- Salsa. choose your favorite store-bought salsa, or make your own homemade salsa in 5 minutes.
- Red Onion. I love using green onions as well.
- Black Olives. Feel free to omit or sub your favorite olive.
- Corn. Fresh corn cooked and cut off the cob or frozen, thawed corn both work well.
- Cilantro. There is no substitute for fresh cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious. Made this for my husband & I as part of appetizer night. Next time I’ll downsize it for two, but it looked beautiful in the pie plate. Perfect for a summer evening lounging on the deck. Thank you for another great recipe.
Great recipe!
Looks delish! What are your favorite store-bought tortilla chips? Your family is adorable… I love seeing the pics!
That is a great question. I prefer to buy Organic chips like Late July. I also buy Siette sometimes!