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If you have 10 minutes, you have plenty of time to this Taco Dip Recipe, the best ever layered Mexican dip that’s loaded with your favorite toppings and perfect for parties. Break open a bag of corn chips and get your next fiesta started!
This easy Taco Dip recipe is a Midwestern party and potluck staple. The dip base is a dairy-forward mixture of cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning (you can use store bought or make your own). Then top with shredded cheese and all your favorite fresh veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, olives – anything you’d love on a taco! Chill until serving time and dip in with chips, sort of like nachos.
You can easily tweak this standard version by using salsa instead of tomatoes (a chunky store-bought pico de gallo can save on chopping time). I chose cheddar cheese, but a Mexican cheese such as crumbly Cotjia works too. And for a lighter dip base, try plain Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Taco seasoning: I make my own taco seasoning blend with cayenne pepper, chili powder, coriander, cumin, paprika, salt, and cornstarch, but a store-bought packet is fine too.
- Lettuce: Some cooks prefer a Taco Dip without lettuce because the lettuce has a propensity to get soggy. Feel free to leave it out and skip straight to the other toppings.
- Olives: I love the flavor of canned black olives on this dip, but they are the easiest thing in the world to omit if you don’t like them.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large bowl, add cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning.
- Using a spatula or hand mixer, mix well until combined. Spread cream cheese mixture in the bottom of a shallow pie plate or 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish
- Top with iceberg lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.
- Finish with your other favorite toppings such as peppers, olives, and scallions. Serve with tortilla chips.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 3 cups of the base dip plus whatever toppings you add on top (about 7 cups of toppings as written in the recipe card). It’s enough for 12 servings, ¼ cup dip each plus toppings.
- Storage: For best results, store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. After that, it starts to get watery but is still safe to eat for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Blend the cream cheese mixture up to 3 days in advance and store it separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This is a great option if you are toting the dip to a party. Transport all the ingredients
- More toppings: Substitute red, orange, or yellow bell peppers for the green. If your crowd loves the heat, served minced serranos or habañeros on the side. Substitute finely minced white onions for the scallions, or leave the onion products off entirely. Diced avocados make an excellent topping, too, especially with a squeeze of lime juice.
- Beans: Add a layer of refried beans to the bottom of your platter or sprinkle cooked black beans over the top of the dip for extra protein. Or, try my 7 Layer Dip shown below.
- Meaty: To beef up your appetizer offerings even more, cook some ground beef or ground chicken in a large skillet until browned. Drain well and sprinkle over the top of your dip. If you love the sound of that, you might want to check out my Dorito Taco Salad.
- Dippers: I love tortilla chips with taco salad, but crackers, pita chips, pretzels, potato chips, and even sliced veggies like carrots and cucumbers work too.
Frequently Asked Questions
The creamy base of taco dip is made with cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. The topping can be any shredded cheese and fresh veggies that you want such as lettuce, tomatoes, olives, peppers, jalapenos, and scallions.
Use a plant-based cream cheese and sour cream and go crazy with all your favorite vegetables. Use a vegan shredded cheese or nutritional yeast, or skip it entirely.
More delicious appetizers to try
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Taco Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning or 1 packet store-bought (see note 1)
Toppings (choose your favorites):
- 2 cups shredded lettuce (see note 2)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 medium tomato seeded and diced
- 1 small green pepper stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives (see note 3)
- 2 scallions sliced
- jalapeño peppers sliced (pickled or fresh)
For serving:
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. Mix well until combined. Spread cream cheese mixture in the bottom of a shallow pie plate or 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish.
- Top with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, peppers, and olives or your own preferred toppings. Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
- Taco seasoning: I make my own taco seasoning blend to have on hand when the urge for tacos hits unexpectedly, but a store-bought packet is fine too.
- Lettuce: Some cooks prefer a Taco Dip without lettuce because the lettuce has a propensity to get soggy. Feel free to leave it out and skip straight to the other toppings.
- Olives: I love the flavor of canned black olives on this dip, but they are the easiest thing in the world to omit if you don’t like them.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 3 cups of the base dip plus whatever toppings you add on top (about 7 cups of toppings as written in the recipe card). It’s enough for 12 servings, ¼ cup dip each plus toppings.
- Storage: For best results, store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. After that, it starts to get watery but is still safe to eat for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I love this dip. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Super straight forward to make and was a crowd pleaser! Will make again and often
I love foodÂ