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Snacks · Tex-Mex

Seven-Layer Dip

Seven stripes, one shallow dish, zero cooking. Bring chips.

Hands-on
20 min
Total
20 min
Makes
64 2-tablespoon servings (about 8 cups)
Serves
64

Pan shallow serving dish or 30-35 cm platter (US: shallow serving dish or 12-14 in platter)

  • easy
  • no-cook
  • party-food
  • dip
  • game-day
  • make-ahead

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Seven-Layer Dip
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: cutting board and knife · can opener · small bowl · spoon and offset spatula or back of a spoon · shallow serving dish or 30-35 cm (12-14 in) platter · plastic wrap

Contains: milk

Method

  1. Wash and chop

    Rinse the tomato and green onions under running water and pat them dry. Chop the tomato to make 240 ml (1 cup) and slice 120 ml (1/2 cup) green onions.

  2. Layer 1: beans

    Spread the 454 g (16 oz) refried beans in an even layer over the bottom of the dish.

  3. Layer 2: taco sour cream

    In a small bowl, mix 454 g (16 oz) sour cream with the 28 g (1 oz) packet of taco seasoning until smooth. Spread it gently over the beans.

  4. Layers 3 and 4: cheese and guacamole

    Scatter 226 g (2 cups) cheddar over the sour cream. Drop 240 ml (1 cup) guacamole on top in small dollops and spread them gently together.

    Otto tried this firstOtto dumps the guacamole in one big heap and drags it across, smearing everything into a beige swamp. Small dollops spread gently keep the stripes clean.

  5. Layers 5-7: toppings

    Finish with the chopped tomato, the green onions and 71 g (1/2 cup) olives.

  6. Chill or serve

    Serve right away with tortilla chips, or cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Swaps

  • Instead of sour cream: the same amount of Greek yogurt
  • Instead of chopped tomatoes: 1 cup pico de gallo pico stands in for the plain tomatoes
  • Instead of Original taco seasoning mix: Mild taco seasoning mix

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Assemble it, cover it, and refrigerate until serving. It's served cold, so there's no reheating.
Storage
Keep it covered in the fridge and eat it within 3 days. Don't freeze it: the layers don't hold up after thawing. On the table, don't leave it out more than 2 hours (1 hour above 32°C / 90°F). For a long party, set the dish in a bowl of ice.

Good to know

  • For a little more heat, stir a 4 oz (113 g) can of chopped green chiles into the sour cream.
  • Dollop each soft layer and spread it gently, so the layers below don't mix in.

Safety

  • Wash produce under running water without soap before cutting.
  • Kids can do most of this dish. An adult should handle the knife work and the can lids, which are sharp.
  • Some refried beans contain lard, and some seasonings and chips contain allergens. Check the labels if that matters to you.