When you need a quick party appetizer that tastes good, is easy to make, and feeds a large crowd…this 7 Layer Dip is the one to make! It has all of my favorite Tex-Mex flavors in one dish and it’s perfect for serving at potlucks, football parties, and family gatherings. I’m always down for any type of chips and dip, but this 7 layer dip takes dips to a whole new level! I’m not sure which part I love the most, the fact that I don’t have to cook anything over a stove to make this recipe or that it comes in at just over $1 per serving. Either way, I highly recommend adding this 7 layer dip recipe to your Super Bowl menu this weekend.😉
What Is 7 Layer Dip?
7 layer dip is an easy party appetizer that’s made by building layers of creamy, flavorful, ingredients like refried beans and guacamole into a 9×13” dish. It’s fun to serve at football parties and family gatherings, there’s no need to heat up a stove, and it’s perfect for feeding a crowd!
Ingredients For 7 Layer Dip
Here’s everything you need to make this easy 7 Layer Dip:
- Refried Beans: You can certainly make your own refried beans, but to make things easy we used canned refried beans and seasoned it with a few spices.
- Guacamole: We made a quick batch of our homemade guacamole recipe, but to save time you can easily substitute with your favorite store-bought guacamole.
- Sour Cream: No need to overthink this layer, just grab a tub of regular sour cream to spread on top of the guacamole. It adds the perfect creamy and tasty flavor to balance the beans and guacamole.
- Cheddar Cheese: We used medium cheddar cheese but you can certainly use mild or a different flavor cheese if you prefer. And we highly recommend buying the cheese in block form and shredding it yourself for this recipe.
- Tomatoes: Diced Roma tomatoes or vine-ripe tomatoes both work well and are added on top of the cheese layer.
- Black Olives: Black olives add wonderful color, texture, and flavor to the dip. Because olives tend to be salty and tangy with bold flavors, you’ll only need a few of them for this 7 layer dip.
- Green Onions: The final layer is a sprinkle of sliced green onions which add not only great flavor, but also a beautiful vibrant color to the dip!
Recipe Variations
- Use taco seasoning – If you happen to have a batch of taco seasoning in your panty, use 1 ½ tablespoons of it instead of the chili powder, cumin, and salt to season your refried beans. This will give the beans even more flavor! You can also mix a little bit in to your sour cream to give it an extra boost of flavor.
- Add seasoned ground meat – You can make this 7 layer dip even more filling by adding a layer of taco seasoned ground beef or ground turkey. I would add it right after the refried beans layer.
- Add salsa – Your favorite thick salsa also works really well with this dip recipe. If you want to add it as a layer, just make sure to drain any excess liquid from the salsa to keep the dip from getting too soggy.
Storing LEftovers
This dip is definitely best served and eaten the same day it’s made, but if you happen to have leftovers, just store any leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The guacamole may start to brown slightly and the dip may get a bit watery around the edges, but it will still taste delicious!
7 Layer Dip
Servings 15 (1/2 cup each)Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes ($1.46)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ($1.87)
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives ($2.19)
- 3 green onions ($0.45)
- 2 16oz. cans refried beans ($2.38)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder ($0.30)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp water ($0.00)
- 2 1/2 cups guacamole ($6.25)
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream ($1.75)
Instructions
- Dice the tomatoes, shred the cheddar cheese, drain the black olives, and slice the green onions. Set these ingredients to the side.
- In a medium bowl add the refried beans along with the chili powder, cumin, salt, and water. Mix these ingredients together until well combined.
- Spread the seasoned refried beans into the bottom of a 9×13” casserole dish.
- Next spread the guacamole evenly on top of the refried beans. Then spread the sour cream evenly on top of the guacamole mixture.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly on top of the sour cream.
- Now add the diced tomatoes, black olives, and green onions on top. Make sure everything is spread as evenly as possible.
- Serve immediately with tortilla chips or cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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Nutrition
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How to Make 7 Layer Dip – Step by Step Photos
Dice 2 tomatoes, shred 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese, drain 1/2 cup black olives, and slice 3 green onions. Set these ingredients to the side.
In a medium bowl add 2-16oz. cans of refried beans along with 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, and 2 Tbsp water. Mix these ingredients together until well combined.
Spread the seasoned refried beans into the bottom of a 9×13” casserole dish.
Next spread 2 1/2 cups of guacamole evenly on top of the refried beans.
Then spread 1 1/2 cups of sour cream evenly on top of the guacamole mixture.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly on top of the sour cream.
Now add the diced tomatoes, black olives, and green onions on top. Make sure everything is spread as evenly as possible.
Enjoy this tasty appetizer dip immediately with tortilla chips or cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
I’ve been making this for many years, but one thing I do differently is add an envelope of taco seasoning to the sour cream. After trying that you’ll never want to serve plain sour cream on burritos, etcetera, again (Mexican-inspired baked potatoes?). Another tip is to make and refrigerate the sour cream and avocado components in advance; then chop the tomatoes, olives, and green onions and put them in separate baggies; spread the refried bean layer on your platter, cover and refrigerate. This is great for last minute assembly which takes about two minutes. (Cover the guacamole with plastic wrap that touches it to prevent browning.) I’ve also spread the refried beans into a large flower shape, a triangle, things like that, and surrounded it with tortilla chips.