Dips
Refried Bean Dip
Ridiculously straightforward and reliable for game day, refried bean dip is a hearty appetizer that everyone loves. Reliable with tortilla chips!
At a glance
What stands out: Ridiculously straightforward and reliable for game day, refried bean dip is a hearty appetizer that everyone loves. Reliable with tortilla chips!
How long it takes: 10 minutes to prep, 35 minutes to bake
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, electric mixer, shallow baking dish
Servings: 12 (makes about 6 cups of dip)
Reliable Party Dip!
Warm creamy bean dip is the sort of thing that people can’t seem to get enough of. It’s the reliable match for crisp tortilla chips. Refried bean dip is party food!
Our kitchen has a big island that everyone congregates around and there’s a good open flow between the kitchen, dining room, and living room. We love to arrange a few appetizers on the island and enjoy all the conversation as friends munch on all their favorites.
We know if we add this refried bean dip to the roster, along with our chipotle salsa, everyone will be happy. We like to round out the appetizer fiesta with vegetarian nachos and creamy cilantro lime drizzle. Everyone loves this popular corn and Jalapeno dip, too!
Refried Bean Dip
Straightforward to mix. Refried bean dip is a straightforward appetizer. There’s no chopping, dicing, or monkeying around. Unwrap a package of cream cheese, open a few cans, dump in a few spices, mix it all together and heat it up. Straightforward peasy.
Fast. Prepping the dip will take you about ten minutes. It needs about 35 minutes in the oven to get good and hot. That will give you a chance to prepare a knockout cocktail or two. Try a spicy Paloma or strawberry margarita punch.
Stays warm. We like to use a cast iron skillet for baked dips. The dip stays nice and warm for a long time after you take it out of the oven which is ideal for serving. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, any heavy casserole dish will have similar qualities.
Make Your Own Refried Beans
If you prefer to make your own refried beans instead of using canned beans, that takes a little more effort. The good part is that refried beans freeze well so you can make them a month in advance, thaw them in the fridge overnight, and you’re good to go. You’ll find a link on the recipe card for making refried beans in your slow cooker or Instant Pot refried beans. Both recipes are straightforward and rich.
What goes in
- Refried Beans: You’ll need two 16 ounce cans of refried beans or the equivalent of from-scratch refried beans (about 3 ½ cups).
- Cream Cheese: Choose a block of regular cream cheese or lower fat cream cheese. Avoid nonfat cream cheese because it contains additives. Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature before using.
- Canned Chopped Green Chiles: You’ll need a 4 ounce can. Don’t worry that a dip made with green chiles will be too spicy; they are mild flavored.
- Lime: Fresh lime juice brightens up the dip, giving it just a touch of acidity.
- Seasoning: The dip is seasoned with chili powder, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper.
- Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese: The brand we use is a mixture of Monterey Jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla and asadero cheeses.
- Toppings: The toppings are optional and are arranged on the dip after it bakes. Some good choices are chopped fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, jalapeño peppers, pickled red onions, pickled radishes, chopped tomatoes, or diced avocado.
- Tortilla Chips: A standby dippers for this dip! Make your own fresh tortilla chips if you like. It’s straightforward and they are so fresh and warm, and healthier too. Try oven baked tortilla chips or air fryer tortilla chips. Only three ingredients: corn tortillas, oil spray, salt.
How it comes together
Whip cream cheese. Unwrap the cream cheese and put it into a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until it’s smooth and a bit fluffy.
Add remaining ingredients (except cheese). Add the two cans of refried beans, green chiles, lime juice, and seasonings.
Mix. Again with the mixer, blend all the ingredients together until the mixture is combined and fairly smooth.
Add shredded cheese. Fold in a cup of the shredded cheese. Save a half cup to sprinkle on top.
Put into baking dish. Spread the mixture into a shallow baking dish or cast iron pan. We usually spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray for straightforward cleanup.
Top with cheese. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top.
Bake until hot. Bake the bean dip for about 35 minutes or until it’s nice and warm. The cheese should be all melty and rich looking.
Serve. Serve your refried bean dip just as it is or garnish it with a few toppings. It’s totally up to you! Be sure to have plenty of tortilla chips. It would be sad to have dip left over because you ran out of chips.
Ways to change it
- Choose your favorite refried beans. There are many varieties of canned refried beans. Choose the one you usually buy. You can also make your own (see cooking tip above).
- Try different types of cheese. Good choices are cheddar, Monterey Jack, colby jack, or Oaxaca.
- Add meat. For a somewhat similar recipe that’s made with meat, try our straightforward sausage dip. Everyone loves this popular dip!
- Serve the bean dip in individually sized tortilla boats. Put a dollop of bean dip in each boat, sprinkle with cheese, and place the boats on a baking tray. Bake the dip right in the boats (350°F for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted) and let guests choose their own toppings.
Make-Ahead Ideas
Refried bean dip can be made a day ahead, unbaked, and refrigerated. Add about five minutes to the baking time since the dip is chilled.
Although we haven’t tried it yet, we're quite sure you can freeze the unbaked dip without toppings. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before baking it.
Keeping leftovers
Baked bean dip that is left over can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Please keep in mind that if your dip has been sitting on the counter for a few hours with lots of people dipping into it, it should probably be discarded.
To reheat, warm small portions in the microwave until heated through.
Hearty Appetizers
- Yield: 12
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 35 minutes
- Total: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cans (16 oz. each) refried beans (see note)
- 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (from ½ lime)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder (more or less to taste)
- 1 ½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese, divided
- toppings as desired: cilantro, green onion, jalapeño, tomato, avocado
- tortilla chips, for serving
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 11 x 7 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese until smooth and slightly fluffy. Add refried beans, green chiles, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne powder. Beat until combined.
- Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese (reserve ½ cup ). Spread dip evenly in prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese is melted and dip is heated through.
- Garnish with desired toppings and serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
From-scratch refried beans: If you prefer making your own refried beans using dried beans, try crockpot refried beans or Instant Pot refried beans. Each 16 oz. can contains about 1 ¾ cups so you’ll need 3½ cups total.
Make ahead: Refried bean dip can be made a day ahead, unbaked, and refrigerated. Add about five minutes to the baking time since the dip is chilled. If it’s frozen, thaw the dip in the refrigerator overnight before baking it.
Storage: Leftover refried dip can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, assuming it didn’t set out more than 2 hours.
Nutrition information is for dip only and does not include toppings or chips.
Recipe has been retested and updated 5/2022.
