Easy and cheesy, this creamy bean dip is lightly spiced with diced green chiles and Mexican spices. Ready in under 30 minutes! Serve warm with crispy tortilla chips for the ultimate Tex Mex party appetizer that your friends and family will love!
This slightly spicy bean dip is the ultimate Tex Mex party appetizer. Smooth and creamy refried beans are mixed with diced chiles and a lightly spiced taco seasoning, all topped with melty cheese. Load this up with your favorite toppings and serve alongside some tortilla chips or sliced veggies for a snack everyone will love! This dip is:
- Quick and easy, only 5 minutes of prep and ready in under 30 minutes.
- Can be prepped ahead of time to simply bake up in the oven when needed, or can be made in the slow cooker for easy transport!
- Easily customizable to ensure the spice level that you and your guests need.
Ingredients Needed:
Notes on Some Ingredients:
- Taco Seasoning: use store bought or make your own following my recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- Refried Beans: again you can use canned or Homemade Refried Beans, made from dried beans. Or simply heat some canned pinto beans you may have and mash them up or blend with an immersion blender to get a smooth consistency.
- Diced Green Chiles: this recipe uses canned diced green chiles which have a mild heat, if desired you could use jalapeño also. I find that pickled jalapeño or chiles work nicely in this recipe. If you are using fresh I would recommend sautéing them first to soften them up.
How To Make (step-by-step):
- Step 1: Combine softened cream cheese with sour cream.
- Step 2: Then add in the refried beans and stir to combine.
- Step 3: Add in shredded cheese.
- Step 4: Mix in the taco seasoning and diced green chiles.
- Step 5: Spread the bean mixture into a baking dish and top with additional shredded cheese.
- Step 6: Bake the dip until warmed through and cheese is all melted on top. Top the dip with any favorite toppings you may have such as sour cream, diced tomato and fresh cilantro.
Expert Tips:
- Slow Cooker: since this is a perfect potluck or tailgating snack food, you may want to make this recipe in the slow cooker to make it easy to transport or keep warm. Prep the bean dip mixture, then add to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Add the cheese, cover and let melt for about 10 minutes before serving.
- Prep Ahead: you can easily mix together the bean dip, top with cheese, cover and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 days if needed before baking and serving. If baking straight from the refrigerator, cover with foil, bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Check to ensure the dip is warmed throughout.
FAQ’s:
Serve this dip alongside some tortilla chips, sliced up bell peppers, or crackers. Serve with your favorite tacos, nachos, or burritos. Whip up a batch of guacamole or homemade queso to go alongside. Or pair with a favorite margarita!
Store leftovers in a sealed container for 3-4 days.
Pinto beans are the most common type used for making this bean dip recipe. Canned beans are great since they are nice and soft. If using dried beans I would recommend cooking until softened and then blending to get the smoothest consistency possible.
More Snack/Appetizer Recipes:
If you tried this recipe please leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below! Thank you so much!
Recipe first published August 1, 2018. Updated January 21, 2022 with new images and information. Recipe is unchanged.
Photography done by the talented @KJandCompany.co
