Name: Mexican Bean Dip
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 16 ounces canned refried beans; 2 ounces cream cheese (softened); ⅔ cup mild cheddar (shredded, plus extra for optional garnish); ⅔ cup Monterey jack (shredded, plus extra for optional garnish); 3 tablespoons taco sauce; ½ teaspoon cumin; ½ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper; Tortilla chips (for serving)

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This gooey, cheesy, and oven-baked Mexican bean dip makes for a great easy game day appetizer you’ll want to serve at every party!

Mexican bean dip topped with shredded cheese and fresh cilantro in a blue and white casserole dish.

We love recreating our favorite restaurant meals and this decadent Mexican bean dip is no exception. Inspired by the bean dip at our favorite local Mexican restaurant, this appetizer is creamy, gooey, savory, and oh so good on some homemade tortilla chips.

This bean dip can be made for so many different occasions. Whether you are celebrating Cinco De Mayo, having a game day feast, or simply a Mexican date night in, it’ll be sure to bring the restaurant feel right to your home.

What To Expect

Great for: A taco night appetizer, a game day snack, or a cookout favorite.
Ready in: 35 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6 people as an appetizer.
Flavor profile: Savory, cheesy, and a little spicy.
How to make it: Combine all ingredients and bake, stirring part way through. Serve hot with tortillas chips!

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Why We Love This Recipe

This feels like a restaurant classic every time we make it. It’s the perfect addition to all of our favorite burritos, tacos, and enchiladas. Plus it’s so easy, there’s really no reason not to make it!
– Alex

Restaurant Style Mexican Bean Dip Ingredients

Ingredients for making Mexican bean dip: refried beans, cream cheese, taco sauce, ground cayenne, cumin, and a monterey jack and mild cheddar blend.

Cheese – We use a combination of mild cheddar and Monterey jack and always opt for shredding it ourselves so that it melts better and gives the dip the perfect, creamy texture.
Taco sauce – In our mission to always cook with minimally processed, real ingredients, we recently switched from buying Ortega taco sauce to La Victoria and have been really happy with the change. While it’s still not perfect, it removes the corn syrup which is a big win for a more natural tasting product.
Seasonings – We add a little extra cumin and ground cayenne to spice up the taco sauce a little more. These two seasonings add a depth of flavor and spice that is missing otherwise.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Mexican Bean Dip

A small ceramic baking dish with a refried bean and cream cheese mixture in it.

Step 1: Combine refried beans and softened cream cheese in a baking dish until well-mixed.

A small ceramic baking dish with refried bean dip mixed in it, before baking.

Step 2: Add shredded cheeses, taco sauce, cumin, and cayenne and stir to combine.

A small ceramic baking dish of a creamy, freshly baked Mexican bean dip.

Step 3: Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes, then stir and optionally top with a few extra shreds of cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Expert Tips

Shredded cheese – Shred your own cheese! Here’s why: shredded cheese in a bag usually has a powdery coating that keeps the shreds from sticking together, this in turn prevents it from melting as nicely as freshly shredded cheese. Buying a block and grating it yourself makes this bean dip extra gooey, cheesy, and delicious!
Scaling – You can easily scale this bean dip recipe to make a big batch for serving large crowds. A double or triple batch should be plenty for bringing Mexican bean dip to a party.
Storing and reheating – Store leftover bean dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Simply reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 to 15 minutes, or microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir halfway through to prevent the top from drying out.

Serving Suggestions

Mexican nights – This dip is the perfect restaurant-style dip to pair with tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more. We especially love it alongside our carne asada street tacos with a spicy mezcal margarita.
Game days – We love making a game day spread of dips including our BBQ pulled pork dip and our bacon jalapeno popper dip!
Cookouts – Summer grilling deserves good appetizers. And a creamy bean dip is hard to beat, especially when paired with something lighter like mango pico de gallo or cottage cheese spinach and artichoke dip.

Cheesy Mexican bean dip being scooped up with a tortilla chip creating a wonderful cheese pull.

Our Favorite Mexican Recipes

Love this recipe? You may enjoy these recipes, too:

Pork Enchiladas Verde

Chicken Burritos Ranchero

Slow Cooker Crispy Pork Belly Tacos With Pineapple Chipotle Sauce

Carnitas Burrito With Salsa Verde

Tell us what you think!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

Mexican Bean Dip

Nicole & Alex Langdon

This gooey, cheesy, and oven-baked Mexican bean dip makes for a great easy game day appetizer you’ll want to serve at every party!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Course Appetizer, Dip, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Mexican

Servings servings

Calories 275 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

▢ 16 ounces canned refried beans
▢ 2 ounces cream cheese softened
▢ ⅔ cup mild cheddar shredded, plus extra for optional garnish
▢ ⅔ cup Monterey jack shredded, plus extra for optional garnish
▢ 3 tablespoons taco sauce
▢ ½ teaspoon cumin
▢ ½ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
▢ Tortilla chips for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small oven-safe baking dish, combine beans and cream cheese. Stir until well combined. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
Spread the mixture evenly into the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Stir, then bake for another 10 minutes. Optionally add a garnish of shredded cheese on top towards the last minute or two of baking so it partially melts.
Serve hot with tortilla chips and enjoy!

One last step:Please consider to let us know how it was!

Video

Notes

Cheese: We highly recommend grating cheese from a block for this recipe! The pre-shredded cheese in a bag has a powdery coating on it that keeps it from sticking together in the bag – but this means it doesn’t melt as well. Shredding your own cheese will make this dip extra gooey and delicious. (But if you want to make this recipe easier, you can use a bag of cheddar jack cheese, which is already a blend of cheddar and Monterey jack).

Serving suggestions: Serve bean dip with restaurant style corn tortilla chips for dipping. This savory dip is great for game days, Cinco de Mayo parties, potlucks, and more! For a full-on fiesta dinner that will feel just like eating at your favorite Mexican restaurant, try making our Yolanda’s-style chicken burritos ranchero. Enjoy them with a side of this bean dip and a margarita!

Scaling: This recipe easily scales for serving a larger crowd. A double batch is plenty for a party!

Storing & reheating: Store bean dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes, or microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir halfway through to prevent burning.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 275kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 15gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 949mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 744IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 328mgIron: 1mg

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