The Best 7 Layer Mexican Dip Recipe {Hot or Cold} For Any Occasion! (2024)

This 7 Layer Dip is a tasty combination of refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese, diced tomatoes, and sliced black olives! Your easy taco dip can be served warm or cold; either way, it's always a hit at parties, a game day get-together, or an amazing family dinner! Best of all, you can throw this 7-layer dip together in just 10 minutes flat!

Best 7 Layer Taco Dip Recipe

This ultimate 7-layer dip is a super-easy appetizer that is always the hit of a party! Whenever this dip arrives, it never fails to be one of the guaranteed food items that will have people gathered around until all of the 7 layer dip has disappeared!

This 7-layer dip is a great potluck appetizer party food and makes a great addition to game day snacks, too! Plus, it's a tasty dip to make for family meals, whether you serve it as a main with the addition of some taco meat or as a side to taco night dinner!

🥘 Ingredients

There's nothing on this list you can't grab on a quick trip to the grocery store. I prefer making my refried beans, guac, and salsa from scratch because it's super easy and yields the best flavor!

• Refried Beans (1 16-ounce can or use my refried black beans)
• Sour Cream (or use Mexican crema) - 1 cup
• Guacamole - 1 cup store-bought or use my favorite guac recipe!
• Salsa (I like to use my salsa roja best) - 1 cup
• Cheddar Cheese (or use a mix of cheddar and jack cheese, or Mexican blend) - 1 cup shredded cheese.
• Tomatoes (chopped, or use pico de Gallo) - 1 cup fresh, diced tomatoes.
• Black Olives (sliced) - 4 ounces.
• Green Onion (chopped, optional garnish) - ¼ cup.
• Cilantro (chopped, optional garnish) - 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped cilantro.

*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*

🔪 Instructions

Once you've gathered all your ingredients all you have to do is layer them! You will need a knife, a silicone spatula (it makes spreading things easier), and a large bowl or 9x13 baking dish.

Assemble & Layer The 7 Layer Dip

1. Make the bottom layer. Stir 16 ounces of refried beans until they are spreadable, then spread them evenly on the bottom of a large wide-rimmed bowl or 9x13 baking dish to make the first layer. *If you prefer your dip hot, heat your beans and add the cold layers just before serving (*see note).
2. Add middle layers. On top of the beans, spread 1 cup of guacamole to make the second layer. Then, evenly spread 1 cup of sour cream on top of the guac for layer #3. Next, add 1 cup of salsa on top of the sour cream for the fourth layer, and top the salsa with 1 cup of shredded cheddar for layer #5.
3. Add the top layers. Sprinkle 4 ounces of sliced black olives (layer 6) over the cheddar, followed by a layer of 1 cup of tomatoes (or pico de gallo) and your optional garnishes (¼ cup green onion and/or 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro).
4. Chill and serve. If you prefer your 7-layer dip chilled, cover it and pop it in the fridge for at least an hour or until ready to serve.

🥗 Sides

This 7-layer taco dip is one of my most highly requested game-day appetizers. You can even make homemade tortilla chips in the air fryer for dipping (it's super easy)! Enjoy!

💭 Tips & Notes

• My refried black beans are ready to go, but if you are using a can of refried beans, I would suggest some quick stir-ins: add the juice from one lime, 1 - 2 tablespoons of my taco seasoning mix (or about half of a taco seasoning packet), plus a handful (at least 1 generous tablespoon) of chopped, fresh cilantro. You can also stir in cream cheese to the layer of refried beans.
• When using salsa, it is best to strain off the excess liquid to prevent your dip from getting soggy or runny.
• Another way to prevent a soggy or runny 7-layer dip is to use Roma tomatoes. They have more 'meat' and less tomato juice to seep into your dip.
• Additional toppings for your 7-layer dip could include sliced sweet peppers or jalapeno, diced green chiles, shredded lettuce, or crumbled queso fresco. Add ground beef taco meat, flavor your sour cream with our taco seasoning mix, or mix your sour cream with cream cheese, top with some more cilantro, whatever you like!
• When served hot, I like to add ground beef or taco meat to the refried beans. This will be the 'hot layer' and the remaining 'cold layers' should be added just before serving.
• When served chilled, the dip can be left at room temperature for about 1 hour before you would need to return it to the refrigerator.

🥡 Storing

Store your partially or fully prepared Mexican dip for up to 2 days prior to serving.

Keep the prepared dip stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. *Remember that if you made the dip in advance, you need to count the day or two of storing before serving in the total refrigerated time.

❓ Can You Make 7 Layer Dip Ahead of Time?

If you want to make your dip in advance or the night before, there are a couple of options. The first is to simply layer the first two layers only, the refried beans and sour cream. Slice and prep the remaining layers before serving.

The second option is to assemble the dip completely. To make this option work best, ensure your guacamole layer is sealed completely between the sour cream and salsa layer. This will help to keep oxygen from reaching the guacamole, which will brown when exposed to air.

❓ What Is The Order For 7 Layer Dip?

If you want to be specific, the classic 7 layer dip should be layered in the following order: refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese, olives, and a topping (green onion, diced tomatoes, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, sliced jalapenos, diced green chiles, etc.)

🥡 Storing

Store your partially or fully prepared Mexican dip for up to 2 days prior to serving.

Keep the prepared dip stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Remember that if you made the dip in advance, you need to count the day or two of storing before serving in the total refrigerated time.

😋 Other Great Mexican Recipes

• Picadillo Mexicano
• Doritos Taco Salad
• Authentic Salsa Verde
• Caldo de Pollo
• Oven Baked Beef Empanadas
• Mexican Cornbread Casserole

📖 Recipe Card