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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!
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 This Recipe Entails
Our Mexican bean dip only takes about 10 minutes of prep time. It’s as easy as mixing the ingredients together and then letting it bake in the oven.
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minutes
The best part is, using canned refried beans, cream cheese, and shredded cheese as the base and a few simple seasonings for added flavor, means it doesn’t get much easier – or more delicious – than this homemade bean dip!
Restaurant Style Mexican Bean Dip Ingredients
We wanted to make it as easy as possible to make delicious restaurant quality bean dip at home. So you’ll only need 7 ingredients for this recipe:
- Refried beans
- Cream cheese
- Mild cheddar cheese
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Taco sauce
- Cumin
- Ground red cayenne pepper
Using canned refried beans and store-bought taco sauce simplifies the process of making Mexican bean dip without compromising on the authentic flavor. These two shortcut ingredients definitely make this recipe easy enough to throw together before watching a football game or hosting dinner with friends.
However, a little extra effort when it comes to the cheese goes a long way. Instead of buying bags of shredded cheese, grab a block each of cheddar and Monterey Jack and shred them yourself with a cheese grater.
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!
Equipment Spotlight: Box Cheese Grater
This box cheese grater makes shredding your own cheese a breeze! It’s super sturdy, sharp, and dishwasher safe. Perfect for anytime you’re looking to shred your own cheese, which should be all the time!
How To Make Mexican Bean Dip
This Mexican bean dip is easy to throw together in just a few minutes and then pop in the oven. The lack of effort this takes along with the fact it’s a gooey, cheesy, flavor packed dip makes it great for any game day. Focus on cheering your team on instead of spending all day in the kitchen without sacrificing any of that great game day flavor.
Although, the time it takes to bake might feel like forever if you’re sitting there smelling it and dreaming of scooping it up on a crispy tortilla chip 🙂 Or if your team is already down and you need a delicious pick-me-up…
Here’s how easy it is to make restaurant style Mexican bean dip at home:
- Combine refried beans and softened cream cheese in a baking dish until well-mixed.
- Add shredded cheeses, taco sauce, cumin, and cayenne and stir to combine.
- 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.
Basically, dump the ingredients in a baking dish, stir to combine, and let the oven do the hard work. Stirring the bean dip a little more than halfway through ensures the ingredients are well-mixed and prevents the top from crisping or drying out. Garnishing the dip with some extra cheese for a delicious melty top is a big plus but totally optional. We love how this simple touch instantly improves the presentation of this dip for parties!
Serving Suggestions & Notes On Scaling
Serve Mexican bean dip hot with restaurant style corn tortilla chips as an appetizer, snack, or side dish. This savory dip is great for game days at home, 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 favorite chicken burritos ranchero. Enjoy them with a side of this bean dip – and a margarita!
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 & Reheating Leftovers
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.
Try the recipe for our easy restaurant style Mexican bean dip below and don’t forget to rate, comment, and share! For even more game day recipes like this one, sign up for our email list here.
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Mexican Bean Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces canned refried beans
- 1 ounce cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup mild cheddar shredded, plus extra for garnish
- ⅓ cup Monterey jack shredded, plus extra for garnish
- 4 teaspoons taco sauce
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
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 garnish with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with tortilla chips for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
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