How to Make The Best 7 Layer Dip
This 7 Layer Dip (with meat) is a fully customizable and crowd appeasing appetizer perfect for any get together with seasoned beef, refried beans, three types of cheese, and loaded with your favorite toppings.
7 Layer Dip Highlights
Whether it’s for a potluck, get together or even football season, this dip is such a crowd pleaser! It’s a healthy dish with the perfect pairing of protein and and your favorite veggies.
- Fully customizable – One of the best features of any seven layer dip is how fully customizable it is. Like guacamole? Don’t like refried beans? Get creative and swap out the layers to make it your own. Check out more variations below.
- Crowd pleasing finger food – This recipe is so well received (and devoured) at potlucks, family get togethers, social events and especially around football season. Serve with tortillas, pita chips or crackers for the perfect finger food.
- One dish, serves many! – This recipes requires one large baking dish and makes 16 servings. You can half the recipe with a smaller dish for a smaller party serving size.
“All I can say is this. It was fantastic! 5 stars!” – Elizabeth
Ingredients for a 7 Layer Dip (with meat)
This 7 layer dip recipe is so versatile. Feel free to add and swap out ingredients of your choice. *See full ingredient list in the recipe card below.
- Seasoned beef – ground beef with taco seasoning creates a flavorful depth.
- Refried beans – pairs perfectly with ground beef, cheese and additional toppings.
- Cream cheese/sour cream blend – blended together with sour cream and more taco seasoning to make a light and creamy, seasoned layer to the dip.
- Roma tomatoes – are less watery than other tomatoes, making this the best type of tomato for this dish.
- Chopped white onion – brings another dimension and flavor profile to this recipe.
- Sliced jalapeños – can be added if you want to give the dip a little bit of heat to it.
“It was a hit with my friends! This is a new go-to for my house.” – Andrea
How to Make a Seven Layer Dip (with meat)
The easiest way to make this recipe is to prepare each of the ingredients before assembling each layer. This important step will make assembling the layers smooth, efficient and stress-free as you create the dish.
Prepare the Ingredients
- Refried beans – Not all refried beans are the same. Look at the image above. If your refried beans look gelatin-like (image on the left), you will need to add 1/3 cup water or milk to the refried beans, and microwave for 45-60 seconds (or heat on the stovetop in a medium sized pan on low heat). Stir the mixture together well. Otherwise, the refried beans will be too thick to scoop with a tortilla chip and will break. *If your refried beans looks almost like a thick puree (like the image on the right), you can skip this step.
- Cook one pound of ground beef – on the stovetop on medium heat until there is no pink. Add 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. Mix together. Set to side.
- Heat cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl for 15-25 seconds. Add 8 ounces of sour cream to bowl. Use a hand-held mixer to blend both cheeses together until light and creamy. Add 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning to the cheese mixture. Mix together. Set to side.
- Shred 2 cups of shredded lettuce.
- Dice 2 roma tomatoes (drained).
- Dice 1 large white onion. (You can also use a yellow, purple, or green onion.)
- Prepare any other vegetables of your choosing such as chunky salsa (drained), cilantro (chopped), black olives (sliced), etc.
Assemble the Layers
Layers 1 & 2 – Spread refried beans evenly into a 9×13 pan. Spread seasoned beef on top of refried beans.
Layers 3 & 4 – Add cream cheese/sour cream layer. *Note – It’s ok if the seasoned beef pulls up and sticks to the sour cream mixture a little bit as you spread it out. It won’t be noticed as more layers are added, anyways. Sprinkle 1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese evenly on top of cream cheese/sour cream layer.
Layers 5 & 6 – Spread 2 cups shredded lettuce. Sprinkle diced tomatoes on top of shredded lettuce.
Layer 7 – Top next layers with toppings of your choice. In the pictures below, the next layers are diced white and purple onions. Add any additional toppings of your choice such as sliced olives, cilantro and/or chunky salsa (drained).
Refrigerate for at least 60 minutes before serving.
Substitute Ingredients
Let’s take this recipe to the next level with some of these add-ons or substitutions.
- chunky salsa (drained)
- black olives
- green onions
- pico de gallo
- cilantro
- flavored cream cheese such a veggie or jalapeño for an extra dimension of flavor
- spicy beans instead of regular refried beans
- guacamole (not as top layer or it will turn dark)
- jalapeños
Tips and Tricks
- If using quacamole, make it a middle layer so it doesn’t brown.
- Layer refried beans before the seasoned beef. (If you layer the beef before the beans, the meat sticks to the beans and makes a layering mess.)
- Alternatively, the refried beans and ground beef can be mixed together to create one layer.
- When layering the cream cheese mixture, use the back of a spatula or spoon, and without lifting the spoon or spatula, spread the mixture around. If you lift the spatula or spoon up, it will pull some of the ground beef up with it. No worries. Just keep smoothing the layer out. It won’t be noticed after the additional layers are added to it.
- Drain the tomatoes well before adding them to the dip. This will help keep the dish from getting soggy. *Pro tip – After dicing tomatoes, place on a plate layered with two paper towels. This helps absorb the extra moisture even better.
- Make the dish a half and half, like a pizza. Consider spicing up one half of the dish with sliced jalapeños or sliced, black olives. Similarly, you can make one side onion-free for those who don’t like onion.
Fun Serving Ideas
You can use a clear punch bowl to see all of the beautiful layers. Place the bowl on a tray surrounded by tortilla chips for an elevated touch.
*Did you make this recipe?
If you love this recipe, please consider giving it a rating below. Star ratings help people discover my recipes online. Thank you for supporting me! ~ Heather
Get the Recipe: Mexican 7 Layer Taco Dip (with beef)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, cooked
- 4 tablespoons taco seasoning, divided
- 16 ounces refried beans
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded lettuce, washed
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 medium white onion , diced (can also use yellow, green or purple onion)
Instructions
- Cook one pound of ground beef on stovetop on medium heat until there is no pink. Add 2 tablespoons taco seasoning and 3-4 tablespoons water. Mix together. Set to side.
- Layer 1 – In a small glass bowl, add 1/3 cup water or milk. Microwave for 45-60 seconds and stir (or heat on the stovetop in a medium sized pot on low heat.) Spread refried beans as the first layer into bottom of 9×13 glass dish.
- Layer 2 – Spread seasoned beef. on top of the layer of seasoned beef.
- Layer 3 – Warm 4 ounces cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl for 15-25 seconds. Add 8 ounces of sour cream. Use a hand-held mixer to blend both cheeses together until light and creamy. Add 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. Mix together. Spread layer over seasoned beef.
- Layer 4 – Sprinkle 1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese evenly on top of refried beans.
- Layer 5 – Spread 2 cups shredded lettuce.
- Layer 6 & 7 – Top next layers with toppings of your choice. In the pictures above, the next layers are tomatoes, diced white onion and diced purple onion.
- Refrigerate for at least 60 minutes before serving.
Just made this today as an appetizer for Thanksgiving. It was great! I’ve had a few Mexican layered dips before, but I’ve honestly never seen one with ground beef or the sour cream/cream cheese mixture before (I’ve only seen it with just sour cream), so I had to try this one out. I’m not a fan of sour cream at all, and I usually avoid it when I’ve eaten these types of dips before (and on anything else for that matter). When I made this, I did season it as suggested. I only spread it over half of the dip, for myself and anyone else who didn’t like sour cream. When it came time to serve it, I actually found myself eating the side with the sour cream mixture! The ground beef was a great addition too. I love how customizable this dish is, and I loved your take on it. It was a huge hit. Great recipe, and great post!
Taylor, I am so happy everyone enjoyed it. I prefer the seasoned ground beef layer because I don’t like the taste and texture of refried beans by themselves. I find the ground beef serves as a great base to the dip and elevates the combined flavors. However, it still tastes great without the beef for those who prefer a vegetarian option. I am not a sour cream fan either, so I understand your reluctance on using sour cream. I have found that adding taco seasoning to the sour cream and cream cheese mix adds great flavor and doesn’t have the same texture or flavor as sour cream on its own would.
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Great addition with the cream cheese! Can never get enough cheese. Lol* Plus cream cheese can be bought in flavors, such as veggie or jalepino, so that adds an extra dimension of flavor.
Oh, I love that idea! To try a flavored cream cheese for an extra dimension of flavor. Thanks for sharing that with us!
I love the idea of the dip not sure about cold cooked mince though. Will it work if you serve it straight away warm mince and toppings cool?
Do you mean cold, cooked meat? If so, yes, you could serve it warm. However, with all of the layers being cold, it seems to work better served chilled. Hope this helps!
I add 1 jar pace mild salsa, 1 container guacamole dip , I haven’t used meat but will try that too
That sounds really good!
Can I make this the day before and it’ll be good still the next day? Or will the lettuce wilt and onion go bad? Its for a large party so I want it to look nice aswell as taste good.
I can appreciate making a large spread and wanting it to look nice for a party! As far as taste, it will taste just fine. It will still look fresh the next day for the party if you prep it one day in advance. However, if I were making it for a party and wanted it to look as fresh as possible, I would probably add the shredded/chopped lettuce at the end, so it looks fluffy and full. I hope that helps!
We made this for New Year’s Eve and it was a hit with my friends. I used spicy beans and red onion for a little twist. Thank you for sharing. This is a new go-to for my house.
I’m so glad you and your friends enjoyed it! And Happy New Year to you!
Helllo from the Midwest….making this for Super Bowl this weekend. Thank you for the great recipe👩🏼🍳
Hello from the East Coast! 🙂 Guess what? We are making this for Super Bowl, too! LOL Can. Not. Wait….Enjoy!
Hi!! I have never made the Seven/Eight Layer Dip and plan to make it for our Superbowl gathering. The recipe didn’t specify, but when mixing the seasoning with the meat, do you add water as stated on the package? Thanks! Cathy B.
Yes, you would prepare the taco meat as you normally would. I use homemade taco seasoning, so I add a few tablespoons of water to the mix. Hope that helps! *Thanks for a great question! I updated the recipe to reflect adding 3 tablespoons of water to the mix to clarify further. I would love to see a pic once you make it!
2 days ago we had taco night. Guess what I’m doung with the leftovers. Yep! I added spanish rice with rotel for one layer! Its chilling cant wait to try. Taco meat, beans, rice, cream chz sourcream mixture with seasoning. Shredded Cheddar, lettuce and topped with some salsa verde. Happy Super Bowl Sunday All 🙂
Oh my gosh! That sounds delicious! Let us know how it turns out! Send pics too!
Good Super Bowl Sunday evening, I made you 7-layer Taco Dip today, all I can say is this…, it was fantastic. 5-stars.
Aww! That warms my heart! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!
When i was a young hostess I made this layered dip. No rescipe…just gut try it. Omg you and I came up with the same ingredients and techniques. I sauted meat minced onions added beand and 1 can of rotel to help loosen beans. Creamed cheese and sour cream. Cheader cheese tomatoes olives. Not thinking much about taste just wanted it to look good. Tastes great but I love your addition of taco seasoning and a sprinkling of minced raw onions. I was young and dumb but a FIGURE foodie. This is one of my proudest snacks. I am making it for kentucky derby day snack. We are knitted snack spirits.
You know, I just read an article the other day where Dr. Terry Wahls said that recipes are merely ideas. I just love that because recipes, for the most part, are constant works of creation. I love your idea of making a layered dip. The Rotes sounds like a flavorful dimension as well as the salted onions. I will have to try that the next time I make this. Thanks so much for the suggestion! I hope you enjoyed the Kentucky Derby!
I used ground sirloin instead of ground beef and I added lime juice to the meat and to my sour cream. I left out the cream cheese because I am not a fan of it. I also added melted queso and topped with a little cilantro. I love the versatility of this recipe!
Lime juice with the sour cream sounds delicious! I am not a huge cream cheese fan either, unless it is used for frosting. The queso and cilantro sound like a flavorful combo to add. I will have to try this the next time I make this dip. Thanks so much for the suggestion!
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I’m making this for Christmas Eve family get together. I’ve got to add a layer of guacamole instead of the retried beans. Try it, it’s awesome! You have to put it on top of the meat. The sour cream mixture goes on top of that. (Make sure you cover the guacamole completely, sealing all around the edges. This keeps the guacamole from turning dark.). Merry Christmas to everyone!
I love this idea! I am so going to have to try this on my next batch. Merry Christmas to you as well!
Thanks for a great recipe. I made this dip yesterday for Super Bowl. However, I did bake it for about 15 minutes on 375 even though the recipe didn’t state such. Much to my surprise, today I noticed that under the title of the recipe, it states “15 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook…total prep 30 minutes.” I couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t say bake being you do want the cheese to melt…?? Thanks for a great recipe.
Hi Janice! You could cook it, but many people prefer this recipe as a cold dip. The ‘cook time’ refers to browning/cooking the ground beef for the recipe. I hope that makes sense. So glad your recipe was a hit for the Super Bowl!
How do you spread refried beans over the ground beef? Shouldn’t the refried beans go on the bottom then the ground beef? I was looking at the picture. Just asking 😊
Hi there! You can do either. You can put the refried beans on the bottom and lay the seasoned ground beef on top. Similarly, you can place the beef on the bottom and then heat the refried beans so they spread easier, and lay them down next. Some people just mix these two together and make it one layer. I have tried it all three ways. It really just depends on your preference. 🙂
I don’t like the ground beef idea. But. I am going to try with just refried beans. Add a pig of taco seasoning mix to that. And. Layer.
Sounds good! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
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Question how do you keep the shed lettuce from wit if you heat the dip?
It’s designed to be a cold dip, so it probably would wilt a bit if you heated it.
You mentioned to put the meat down first but yet the photos show the refried beans down first. I would think that if the beans were down first, it would be easier to get the meat with a chip. Just wondering which way is better.
You can set your layers up however you wish, but I do agree with you! Laying the refried beans down first would help the meat get onto the chip. The downside to that is as you spoon a portion of the dip onto your plate, you have to be careful to scoop all the way to the bottom of the serving dish, or the refried beans stick to the serving dish. Lately, I have mixed both of these together, which solves both issues. I have found that most people don’t mind these two layers being combined. They are just hungry. lol
Usually, have baggies of ground beef in the freezer which is very helpful.
(Enjoy looking at recipe’s, and don’t alway’s have all the required ingredient’s.)
Today, I, did, and I made the layered taco dip!
I did not do a layer of lettuce, as I thought that could be added separately, and do not want the lettuce getting wilty as I made it to snack on while putting Christmas decoration’s up and watching tv on a cold Friday.
It was delish. I even microwaved a small portion, as I thought it could be served both warm and cold. Both option’s are good.
It was a good practice session, and will definitely make it, again!
Aww, thank you so much for your sweet comment and feedback! I genuinely appreciate it. I am so glad it turned out well for you. That is a great idea about the lettuce. It does get witty after a day or two in the fridge. Adding that later would help it maintain its freshness. Enjoy!