Cheesy Bean Dip
Published 1/23/2021 • Updated 7/17/2023
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This bean dip makes a perfect appetizer. It’s protein-packed from refried and pinto beans, as well as Greek yogurt and cheddar cheese. It truly is the best!
When it comes to healthy dips, we’ve got you covered! From this bean dip to this baked spinach artichoke dip or this roasted garlic caramelized onion dip, you’ll never be at a loss for healthy dips to serve your family or guests!
The Best Dips Are…
The best dips make perfect game day appetizers. Like this Mexican bean dip. It’s cheesy and eaten with a chip…what’s more to love? A couple things! We’re big believers that the best dips fulfill a couple needs:
- Able to Serve a Crowd: This bean dip serves anywhere from 6-8. Need to serve more? This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled to really serve a crowd.
- Made in less than 30 minutes: If you’re in a pinch to make an appetizer in time for kickoff, this recipe fits the bill! You’ll be enjoying this delicious bean dip in under 30 minutes.
- Take Advantage of Healthy Swaps: Made with a handful of healthy swaps, this bean dip is protein packed with real ingredients (and no compromising on flavor, of course!)!
And whether you’re whipping this bean dip up for the next game day, or just serving as a fun appetizer or side for the fam, this dip will not disappoint!
Bean Dip Ingredients
This bean dip recipe is packed with a short list of real (and flavorful!) ingredients you can feel good about dipping into:
- Canned jalapeños (or green chiles for a less spicy option!): Jalapenos will give this dip a little kick. Looking for a more mild option? Canned green chiles will do the trick.
- Canned refried beans and pinto beans: Can’t have a bean dip without at least one variety of beans, so why not go for 2! We love the flavor of refried and pinto beans together.
- Full-fat Greek yogurt: We love full-fat Greek yogurt for this dip to add serious creaminess, but any fat percentage will work. Looking to use cream cheese or sour cream instead? See below for our recos!
- Taco seasoning: Make a batch of our homemade taco seasoning, or use a store-bought blend.
- Minced white onion and minced garlic cloves: The onion and garlic flavors in this dip complement the taco seasoning flavors perfectly. Don’t skip this!
- Salsa: You do you when it comes to the salsa! Love a spicier salsa, go for it! Only have mild on hand, that will work, too!
- Shredded cheddar cheese: This shredded cheese will go both IN the bean dip and on TOP of it 😀
Why Greek Yogurt?
We’re all about cream cheese and sour cream, but let me give you a little secret…Greek yogurt is pretty great itself! Greek yogurt is a great sub for sour cream or cream cheese for a few reasons:
- Packs in the protein
- Less fat
- Creamy as can be!
Want to use cream cheese or sour cream instead? Be our guest! Swap the Greek yogurt 1:1 with your favorite cream cheese or sour cream!
How to Make Bean Dip – Step by Step
This bean dip could not be easier! We’ll walk you through the 4 easy steps to cheesy dip perfection here (and the full recipe can be found below!):
Preheat & Sauté
First, preheat oven to 400ºF. And then, heat olive oil in a small oven-safe pot (more on this below!*) over medium/high heat. When olive oil is fragrant, add onion, garlic, and salt. Sauté for around 3 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
don’t have an oven-safe pot?
A casserole dish will absolutely work! Once the dip is prepped on the stovetop, spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and transfer the dip into the dish and spread out evenly.
Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top of the dip, and following baking instructions.
Add Rest of Ingredients Over Heat
Next, add the rest of the ingredients (except for the cheese) and mix to combine. Continue to heat over medium/high.
Once the dip is hot, add half of the cheese to the dip and mix to combine. Heat for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, so the cheese is able to melt.
Bake & Enjoy!
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of your dip, and bake at 400ºF for 5 minutes, with an option to broil for 1-3 minutes at the end until the cheese fully melts.
Looking for a Kick? Spice to Your Liking!
Like a little more kick to your bean dip? YOU DO YOU! Feel free to use a hot salsa or add additional spices that pack a punch like cayenne, red pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce.
This bean dip is relatively mild when a mild salsa variety and mild canned jalapeños are used 😀
Can I Double this Bean Dip Recipe?
This recipe can easily be doubled if you’re serving a larger group. Just make sure your oven safe pot or casserole dish is large enough to accommodate all that bean-y deliciousness!
What to Serve with Bean Dip
Go on and get creative with what you dip into this bean dip deliciousness! A traditional tortilla chip will do the trick, or jazz it up with sliced cucumber or broccoli florets. The options are endless. We love:
- Tortilla chips — obviously 😀
- Sliced red, green or yellow peppers
- Sliced carrots
- Sliced cucumber
- Broccoli or cauliflower florets
- Dollop tacos, fajitas, nachos or quesadillas!
How to Store Bean Dip
Store this bean dip in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
When Reheating Bean Dip: we recommend reheating just like it’s cooked — LOW AND SLOW! Reheat over low heat on the stovetop or at 300ºF in the oven, stirring frequently. This will help prevent any separating or uneven reheating.
Freezing Bean Dip: because cheese has a difficult time with drastic temperature changes, we do NOT recommend freezing this bean dip!
The Best Bean Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium white onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoon canned jalapeños, or green chiles for a less spicy option
- 1 15-oz. can refried beans
- 1 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons salsa, any kind
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Next, heat olive oil in a small oven-safe pot* over medium/high heat. When olive oil is fragrant, add onion, garlic, and salt. Sauté for around 3 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Next, add the rest of the ingredients (minus the cheese) and mix to combine. Continue to heat over medium/high. Once the dip is hot, add 1/2 cup of cheese to the mixture and mix to combine. Heat for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- If you are planning to bake in a casserole dish. Spray casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and then transfer the dip into the casserole dish and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top of the dip.
- Bake at 400ºF for 5 minutes and option to broil for 1-3 minutes until the cheese fully melts.
Tips & Notes
- Oven-safe pot: option to transfer everything into a 9 x 9-inch casserole dish before backing if you’d like to serve in that instead.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Delicious!!! I used refried black beans. Perfect game day appetizer!
Ohh I love the refried black bean idea!