The Best Creamy Bean Dip

By: IsabelPosted: 6/30/18

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Mixed with cream cheese, Mexican spices and diced jalapenos, this creamy bean dip recipe is easy to make and is the perfect appetizer or snack!

This creamy bean dip recipe is made with cream cheese, Mexican spices and diced jalapenos. It's easy to make and is the perfect appetizer or snack!

The Best Creamy Bean Dip Recipe

Raise your hand if you love a good creamy bean dip recipe as much as I do!

I sure hope your hand is in the air because I love dips. In fact, there have been many nights when dinner consisted of two or three dips and a bowl of tortilla chips. It’s usually something like a classic easy guacamole, my Mexican corn dip and a queso dip. But since ‘Dip for Dinner’ nights don’t happen very often, I got the itch the other day to create a new dip recipe, which set the wheels in motion.

As if through divine intervention, I received some great products in the mail from one of my favorite Mexican food brands, La Preferida, and I was immediately inspired to make the best bean dip recipe anyone has ever made. And friends, I think I did it!

How to make bean dip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, add refried beans, cream cheese, diced jalapenos, shredded cheddar cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, paprika and salt. Mix together using a hand mixer until fully combined.
Transfer the dip to a square baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

For this recipe, I used two cans of refried beans. While mashing your own cooked pinto beans is definitely an option, using canned refried beans cuts down on prep time without sacrificing any flavor or nutrition. If you’re interested in learning how to make your own refried beans, here’s a recipe for my Mom’s authentic refried beans.

While black beans get all the attention and seem to be the most popular (at least on Pinterest), pinto beans will always be my favorite. It’s what I grew up eating. Pinto beans for breakfast, pinto beans for lunch, pinto beans for dinner. Even still, when I go home to visit my parents, there are ALWAYS beans in the fridge.

Lucky for me, pinto beans are perfect for dips. They’re slightly sweet, super tender and creamy. Mixed in with the cream cheese, diced jalapeños and some Mexican spices, they’re simply irresistible.

While the toppings I used are optional, I highly recommend them. The feta cheese, diced tomatoes and cilantro add some brightness and freshness to the dip that pairs perfectly with the creaminess of the pinto beans. It also provides a bit of a crunch and a nice contrast to that inevitable moment when you get a bite of an extra spicy diced jalapeño. Because there’s always one in the bunch that’s way spicier than the rest, am I right?!

Still, I can’t help myself. I love jalapeños.