Tex-Mex
Seven-Layer Dip
Refried beans, sour cream, avocado, salsa, cheddar, tomatoes, and olives stack in a clear dish. It is assembled cold and served the day it is made.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 10
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Canned refried beans are already cooked, so the dip does not need a stove.
- Cumin in the beans keeps that layer from tasting flat under the sour cream.
- The avocado is mashed with lime so it stays green a little longer.
- A clear dish is how you see all seven layers. A deep bowl hides them.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Stir the refried beans with the cumin and chili powder. Spread them in a clear 8-inch dish. That is layer one.
- 2
Spread the sour cream over the beans. That is layer two.
- 3
Mash the avocados with the lime juice and salt. Spread that over the sour cream. That is layer three.
- 4
Spoon the salsa over the mashed avocados. That is layer four.
- 5
Sprinkle the cheddar evenly. That is layer five.
- 6
Add the diced tomatoes, then the black olives and green onions as the last two layers.
- 7
Serve right away with the tortilla chips, or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours. Do not leave it out longer than 2 hours. This serves about 10.
Pro tips
- If the beans are stiff from the fridge, stir them until they spread. They do not need to be hot.
- Drain the diced tomatoes on a towel if they look watery, or that layer will run.
- Scoop from the edge so each chip gets more than one layer.
Easy substitutions
- sour cream
- plain Greek yogurt
- cheddar
- a Mexican cheese blend
- black olives
- sliced pickled jalapeños
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate covered up to 1 day. The avocado will darken a little and the tomatoes will weep.
Reheating
Do not reheat. Serve cold.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 180
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
Moderate · No Cook
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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