Ultimate Refried Bean Dip
Smooth and cheesy refried bean dip is so simple to make by mixing ingredients and baking it until hot and gooey. This fantastic hot bean dip features cream cheese, vegetables, Monterrey Jack cheese, sour cream, and spices. You can easily adjust spice level of the dip to make it more or less spicy.
It’s the perfect compliment to go with other party foods like Margaritas, Guacamole, and Queso Dip.
Table of Contents
Refried bean dip is one of the easiest dips you can make! All you really have to do is combine your ingredients in a bowl and mix it until smooth. I love those kinds of recipes but at the same time, I always feel like I am not giving you enough instructions. Luckily, there really is all there is to it!
It’s not all though! Besides being a pretty budget friendly and easy appetizer, it’s also completely customizable to your pallet preferences. You can choose to make it more spicy or less spicy, use bolder cheese flavor, add more veggies, or even add meat.
There are also countless ways to serve this dip. You can serve it with veggies as dippers, tortilla chips, pita chips, or bread slices. Serve it as a side to quesadillas, tacos, taquitos, and basically any Mexican inspired dish.
Ingredient Notes
Refried Beans – of course, this is the key ingredient in a bean dip. I prefer a bigger bean presence in the dip so I get a 20 oz. can, but if you’re unable to find this size, get the 16 oz can instead.
Cream cheese – for the creamy and rich consistency, choose full fat cream cheese. Make sure to pull it out of the refrigerator about 30 minute before baking to let it soften.
Sour cream – it’s best to use full fat sour cream for the rich and creamy dip consistency.
Monterrey Jack cheese – I always recommend getting a block of cheese and grating it yourself. Freshly grated cheese melts smoother and creamier since it’s not coated in a separating agent like pre-shredded cheese.
Vegetables – onions, tomatoes, jalapenos.
Jalapenos – make a great addition to the bean dip and makes it easy to adjust the spice level. To make the dip more spicy, use older jalapenos that have more veins on the skin and seeds. To make the dip less spicy, use young jalapenos that are firm and have smooth skin with no veins and no seeds.
Spices – chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, salt.
How To Make Refried Bean Dip
It could not get easier to make this dip. You simply combine all ingredients in a bowl (1) and give it all a good mix to thoroughly combine (2).
PRO TIP: you can also adjust spice levels with jalapenos. Choose older jalapenos for more spice and add jalapeno seeds. Choose young jalapenos for less spice and discard the seeds.
Once all the ingredients have been very well mixes, spread the dip mixture in a cast iron skillet (3) or a baking dish. Feel free to spread some more Monterrey Jack cheese over the top (4) and add some tomatoes and jalapenos. Bake the dip for about 20 minutes at 350° (5).
Make It In The Slow Cooker
This recipe is easy to convert to a slow cooker.
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and spread it in a slow cooker.
Cook it on HIGH for about 2 hours, until completely hot and cheese is melted. Add some more cheese on top, cover and let it cook until cheese is melted. You can add some jalapenos and diced tomatoes as well before serving.
Kept the refried bean dip warm in a slow cooker on warm setting and you can serve it right in the slow cooker as well.
Storing Instructions
Bean dip can be stored right in the baking dish it was cooked in. Store it in the refrigerator and make sure to cover the dish either with a fitted lid or plastic wrap to keep the dip air-tight.
PRO TIP: Note that if you made this dip in a cast iron skillet, transfer it into a food storage container before storing!
This dip can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Reheating Instructions
It’s best to reheat the dip in the oven. I like to add a little more cheese on top of the leftover dip when reheating it. Place the baking dish in the oven while the oven is still cold, that way the cold dish gradually warms while the oven is preheating.
Set the oven temperature to 350° and heat up the dip just until heated through. Time will depend on how much dip is left.
If you do wish to use a microwave, reheat it in 30 second increments, stirring in between. Reheat just until the dip is hot.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this bean dip is actually already gluten free. Double check the refried beans ingredients when shopping but there should not be any glutenous ingredients in it.
You can always mix in more veggies like bell peppers, other chili peppers like habanero or serrano, try using pickled jalapenos (drained and chopped), green onions. Try adding some black beans and/or corn. If you’re a meat person, it would be great to add some chorizo to this dip. Just make sure to cook chorizo first and them mix it into the dip mixture before baking.
Absolutely! This is a great dip to make ahead. Mix everything together and spread it in the baking dish (not in a cast iron skillet). Add the cheese on top and cover the baking dish air-tight. Refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake.
When ready to bake it, take the dish out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to let it warm up a bit and then bake according to the recipe.
Don’t Miss More Tex-Mex Appetizers
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Hot Bean Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 16-20 oz can refried beans
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 6 oz Monterrey Jack cheese grated
- 1 small onion
- 1 large tomato
- 1 jalapeno pepper older jalapenos are more spicy
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt
Topping:
- 2 oz Monterrey Jack cheese grated
- 1 jalapeno OPTIONAL
- diced tomatoes OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease cast iron skillet or a baking dish.
- Dice onions, tomatoes, and jalapeno. Choose older jalapenos for more spice and add jalapeno seeds. Choose young jalapenos for less spice and discard the seeds. (I highly recommend wearing gloves when working with a jalapeno, that way your hands won’t burn for hours.)
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to thoroughly combine.
- Spread the dip mixture in a cast iron skillet or a baking dish.
- Top off with some more grated Monterrey Jack cheese, jalapenos, and diced tomatoes.
- Bake the dip for about 20 minutes.
Notes
When ready to bake it, take the dish out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to let it warm up a bit and then bake according to the recipe. What else to add: You can always mix in more veggies like bell peppers, other chili peppers like habanero or serrano, try using pickled jalapenos (drained and chopped), green onions. Try adding some black beans and/or corn. If you’re a meat person, it would be great to add some chorizo to this dip. Just make sure to cook chorizo first and them mix it into the dip mixture before baking.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in April 2019.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I made this for my family this past weekend and they loved it! I
I am glad your family liked it!
Oh how I love bean dip and your version looks out of this world delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you Mary!!!