The Mexican Layer Dip I Make Without Measuring Anything

Written by Erin Bakker

I don’t know if this technically needs a recipe. It is more of an assembly project, which is probably why I like it.

Mexican layer dip is one of those things I have been making forever. It works for football, parties, a random Saturday afternoon, or honestly dinner if you put enough stuff on top of it. There are a million versions of seven-layer dip out there, but this is how I make mine, and as usual, I am not measuring much of anything.

The important part is getting a little bit of everything in every scoop: creamy, salty, cheesy, fresh, spicy, and plenty of guacamole.

The Layers

Start with a big platter or shallow serving dish. I like using something wide rather than deep because you get a much better dip-to-chip ratio.

Here’s what I use:

• Refried beans

• Sour cream

• Guacamole

• Freshly grated cheddar and/or Monterey Jack

• Diced tomatoes

• Shredded lettuce

• Salsa

• Tortilla chips for serving

And then add anything else your people like. Jalapeños, black olives, green onions, cilantro, corn, hot sauce. There really aren’t many rules here.

How I Put It Together

Spread the refried beans across the bottom of your platter.

Next comes a layer of sour cream. You can absolutely stir a little taco seasoning into it first if you want more flavor, but plain sour cream works just fine too.

Then spread on a very generous layer of guacamole. Generous is important. This is not the place to ration the guacamole.

Add plenty of freshly grated cheese. I am going to sound like a broken record about this forever, but grate your own cheese. It melts better, tastes better and takes about two minutes.

Then pile on your diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

I like putting a little bowl of salsa right in the middle of the platter rather than spreading salsa over everything. It keeps the dip from getting watery and lets everyone add as much or as little as they want.

That’s it.

No oven. No complicated prep. No exact measurements.

Make It Your Own

This is also a very forgiving clean-out-the-fridge situation. Leftover taco meat? Add it. Black beans? Sure. Pickled jalapeños? Definitely. A little cotija instead of cheddar? Even better.

You can make it prettier for company or throw it together in a casserole dish for your family. Either way, somebody will be standing over it with a tortilla chip before you are finished cleaning up the kitchen.

And that is usually a pretty good sign that a recipe is worth keeping.

The Kitchen rule for this one: make more guacamole than you think you need. You will not regret it.