Warm and cheesy bean dip made simply by mixing ingredients and baking the dip until hot and gooey. This fantastic refried bean dip is made with 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 Margaritas and served along some Guacamole and Queso Dip.
BEAN DIP
It’s hard to believe that I used to avoid beans, anything containing beans, and even food that was on the plate with beans. There was something about beans that frightened me when I was a kid and that aversion kept going until I was in college. One day, my boss took us for lunch to an amazing Mexican restaurant and my enchiladas came with rice and beans on the plate.
I didn’t want to be rude in front of my boss and co-workers so I tried the beans. Why I was avoiding them, I just don’t know because it’s delicious. Beans are delicious and so as refried beans and bean dips. Ever since then, beans make their way into many of my recipes and this cheesy bean dip often accompanies our Margarita nights.
Are you wondering what makes this bean dip so good and what goes into a bean dip?
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
Sour cream
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 BEAN DIP
It could not get easier to make this dip. You simply combine all ingredients in a bowl and give it all a good mix to thoroughly combine. Remember that 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 or a baking dish. Feel free to spread some more Monterrey Jack cheese over the top and add some tomatoes and jalapenos. Bake the dip for about 20 minutes at 350°.
HOW TO MAKE BEAN DIP IN A 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. Add some more cheese on top and you can add some jalapenos and diced tomatoes as well.
Cook it on HIGH for about 2 hours, until completely hot and cheese is melted.
This bean dip can be kept warm in a slow cooker on warm setting and served right in the slow cooker as well.
HOW TO STORE BEAN DIP
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.
This dip can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
HOW TO REHEAT BEAN DIP
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.
IS BEAN DIP GLUTEN FREE
Yes, this bean dip is gluten free. Double check the refried beans ingredients when shopping but there should not be any glutenous ingredients in it.
SOME MORE RECIPES TO TRY
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Hot Bean Dip
This fantastic refried bean dip is made with cream cheese, vegetables, Monterrey Jack cheese, sour cream, and spices.
Ingredients
- 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.
Recipe Notes
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 a slight variation.
Mary says
Oh how I love bean dip and your version looks out of this world delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
LyubaB says
Thank you Mary!!!