This Hot Taco Dip—layered with savory refried beans, seasoned taco meat, fresh tomatoes, spicy jalapeños, and a melted blend of Monterey Jack and Cheddar—is the ultimate appetizer for any occasion. Whether it’s a New Year’s Eve bash, a Super Bowl party, or a casual get-together, your guests will absolutely devour it!
In my kitchen, this is easily the most universally loved recipe I make. Whenever I bring it to a party, it’s always the first dish to be wiped clean.
A History of Party Success
I recently brought this dip to a friend’s New Year's Eve party. She specifically requested it alongside some of my other festive creations, like my Parmesan Artichoke Cheesecake Countdown Clock, Times Square Cheese Balls, and Ball Drop Piñata Cookies.
Even with a massive spread of food, this taco dip was the star of the show. It’s quick, easy, and incredibly versatile. Over the years, I’ve had so much fun dressing it up for different holidays:
New Year's Eve: To make it festive for midnight, I used black olive slices to spell out the upcoming year. It’s a simple touch, but guests always think it’s so clever and festive.
You can easily update the olive "date" to match whatever year you’re currently celebrating!
Halloween: The very first time I made this was for my cookbook, Hungry Halloween. I transformed it into a Wickedly Spicy Witch Dip using guacamole and black bean dip for decoration.
More Monsters: I’ve also created a Frankenstein’s Monster version with a guacamole face! This time, I topped the dip with a layer of Monterey Jack cheese, so the background was white.
Game Day: For the Super Bowl, I simply serve it in a football-shaped bowl. I wanted the football to look brown, but I have to say it wasn't the prettiest-looking dip! It was devoured nonetheless.
Plain Dip
Of course, the easiest way to prepare and serve hot taco dip is in a serving dish. It looks great without any decoration.
How to Make Hot Taco Dip
This recipe is straightforward and fits perfectly in a 10-cup (or larger) baking dish. I typically use an 11-cup Pyrex glass container or a festive Wilton Armetale bowl.
- The Base: Spread 16 ounces of your favorite refried beans into the bottom of your dish.
- The Meat: Add a generous layer of seasoned taco meat.
- The Toppings: Sprinkle on diced tomatoes, jalapeños, and black olives.
- The Cheese: Top it all off with a thick layer of shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar.
- The Bake: Pop it into a 350°F oven.
Timing Note: You can add your final garnish of tomatoes and olives before baking, or heat the dip for 10 minutes, add the toppings, and then bake for another 15 minutes to keep the veggies looking fresh.
Tips for Success
Can I make this ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can assemble the dip several hours early. Just cover it with plastic wrap or foil and keep it in the fridge. When you're ready, bake it at 350°F for 25–35 minutes until the cheese is bubbly, and the center is hot.
What should I serve with it?
This dip is a meal in itself, but it pairs perfectly with:
- Sturdy tortilla chips for scooping!
- Cool sour cream or zesty guacamole.
- Extra heat from hot sauce, Sriracha, or chunky salsa.
What about leftovers?
It’s rare to have any left, but if you do, it keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the oven or microwave—just remember not to put metal serving dishes (like Wilton Armetale) in the microwave!
Decorate your dip.
How do I decorate the "Year" in olives?
To keep your olive numbers looking plump and perfect, bake the dip for 20 minutes first. Remove it from the oven, arrange your olive slices to spell out the year (like "2026"), and bake for a final 5 minutes.
Related Recipes
Recipe
A hot taco dip layered with refried beans, taco meat, tomatoes, jalapenos, black olives, and cheese can be served plain or decorated for a New Year's Eve party.
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 cup water
- 16 ounce can refried beans
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- ½ cup diced jalapenos
- 1 cup black olive slices
- 2 cups 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese
- decoration: 30-40 black olive slices, optional
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
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Add the ground beef and cook until browned; drain.
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Add taco seasoning and water and bring to a boil.
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Lower heat and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
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Spread refried beans into the bottom of a round or rectangle baking dish.
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Spread the taco meat over the layer of refried beans.
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Sprinkle on diced tomatoes, diced jalapenos, and chopped olives.
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Top with shredded cheeses.
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Arrange black olive slices in the appropriate date (2015) over top of the cheese.
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Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through.
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Serve hot.
Recipe Video
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can make this ahead, refrigerate it, then bake.
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ColleenB.~Tx. says
Perfect! Great thing to make for our 4th of July family BBQ.
Thank U.
Lori says
Made this for a New Year’s Eve party last night. It was a huge success! Thank you so much.
Beth says
Hi Lori, I'm so happy to hear that the taco dip was a huge success.
Anonymous says
Do you it covered, or not??
beth says
I have made this dip both ways, covered and uncovered. It really doesn't matter. The cheese around the edges will brown a little bit if it's not covered, but I kind of like the crispy bits.
Tavette Tavetta says
There you go with your "presentation" again. Beans have never touched my lips, but I'm going to save this recipe and will make it some time for those who do. If you say it's a crowd please I can be SURE it is. You made it so attractive with the olives spelling out 2015.
Did you bake it in a 9X13 and then transfer it to the clear pyrex plate? If so - was there any left over?
Glad you decided to stay home tonight as I can tell you're the guest who never comes empty handed to a party and you've already done enough! Besides, the roads will be congested and the 3 of you can have a wonderful time just by yourselves.
Happy New Year and thank you SO much for all your wonderful ideas this year. You're just limitless with your creativity. Thanks to you I now had to go buy an egg shaped candy mold. You keep coming up with more and more ideas that are just to cute to not do.
We've "dipped down" into the 70's tonight and it's been raining all day so hope it lets up so people can enjoy the fireworks.
Tavette (S. Fla.)
beth says
Oops, I'm glad you asked about the 9x13 pan. I just copied and pasted the instructions I had used for the Frankenstein Taco Dip. I just fixed it. I did layer it the round baking dish, not a 9x13 pan. I didn't like beans much as a kid, but I do like them a lot now. The dip is definitely a favorite, so I highly recommend making it for a party.
We curled up to watch movies at 5:30 and fell asleep before midnight. Somehow I woke up just as the ball was dropping in Time's Square. I heard fireworks go off a minute later, then I was fast asleep again. It was the best way to ring in the New Year!
My husband and I spent the night before in Cincinnati. We saw the lights at the zoo, had a free hotel night's stay, then played games at Dave and Busters on New Year's Eve afternoon. That was our celebration. I was happy to not be on the roads with the drunk people on New Year's Eve.
It is freezing here. We had a low in the teens yesterday, but still no snow. Today it's sunny and cold. I'd always rather have sunny and cold than rain or grey skies. I function so much better in the sun! I'm back in the kitchen today making some Super Bowl stuff.
Have a Happy New Year,
Beth
The Partiologist says
I didn't realize how deep this dip was - and it looks delicious. For some reason taco dip sounds really really good after all the turkey and ham!!
beth says
Yes, you can make this dip in a 9x13 dish or a round dish. It's deeper in the round dish. It makes it harder to just dip chips, but everyone just spooned the dip onto their plate then scooped it up with the corn chips. It was a nice change of pace for this time of year.