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Serve up the perfect game day recipe with my Mexican Layer Dip! This delicious taco layer dip comes together in only 5 minutes with mouthwatering roasted corn and rich seasoned cream cheese for a flavor experience you won't want to miss.
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When I think football food, I think chip dip recipes. There's just nothing like a big dish of melty, delicious dip and a bowl of tortilla chips for game day appetizers, or even scaled up as a fun main course! And you can't make an easier, more indulgent dip than my Mexican layer dip recipe.
Tools to Make Mexican Dip
- A baking sheet for roasting the corn.
- A mixing bowl.
- A shallow dish or even a platter with raised edges.
Ingredients in Mexican Layer Dip
- Cream cheese: Softened cream cheese (the blocks, not whipped!) works as a delicious creamy, cheesy base. If you want a less cheesy dip, swap this layer out for a refried bean layer.
- Taco seasoning: I like to make my own, but you can use a packet, too.
- Garlic powder: If you make my taco seasoning recipe, you can leave out extra garlic powder.
- Cayenne pepper: Leave out the cayenne if you don't want any spice!
- Corn: Any corn, be it canned, frozen, or fresh, will work perfectly. I like using frozen corn for ease.
- Salsa: Use your favorite salsa! I like Restaurant style salsa, but I've used green salsa to great effect as well. Or, make your own!
- Sour cream: Tart, cool sour cream adds variety to the textures and temperature of the dip.
- Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are essential to a good dip. I prefer cherry tomatoes.
- Jalapenos: Pickled jalapenos or canned green chilies add a great bit of heat and zest.
- Cheese: You can use your favorite cheese, or a blend. I like to use sharp cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Pepperjack. Grate your own for the easiest melting- but if you aren't heating the dip, you can use bagged shredded cheese, too.
- Cilantro: Optional, but if you like cilantro, absolutely delicious.
- Lime: A squeeze of lime over top adds the perfect twist of flavor.
Hi, I'm Isabel! I've been sharing my recipes online, in cookbooks, and in TV specials since 2012. The most important thing to me is Sunday supper with my family, and inspiring togetherness with my recipes!
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Tips for Making Mexican Layer Dip
- How you layer Mexican dip is truly a matter of taste, and it matters less than the flavors involved. Make it a 7-layer dip by adding more ingredients!
- I recommend making smaller batches of this dip. As tortilla chips dig into it, it gets more and more messy and unappealing looking. Luckily, it takes barely minutes to whip up a new serving!
- Make sure to use softened cream cheese for the bottom layer. Cold cream cheese is too hard and will break chips.
- Heating this dip makes for an absolute treat! To serve baked layer taco dip, layer everything except the sour cream up in a pan then pop it in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until everything is melty and hot. Then pile on the cool ingredients and serve!
- You can use leftovers as a quick and delicious taco or burrito filling!
What to Serve with Mexican Layer Dip
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
- Taco meat
- Refried beans
- Guacamole - Just don't add this if you're heating the dip, as avocados don't heat well. You can serve it alongside the dip instead!
- Black olives
- Shredded lettuce - Add this at the end if you're heating the dip.
- Hot sauce
- Pickled red onions
- Green onions
FAQ
Yes! You can absolutely make layer dip ahead of time. Fully assemble the dip, then store it, covered, in the refrigerator until it's time to serve. Then let it sit at room temperature to soften for about 20 minutes. Dig in and enjoy!
Absolutely, though I recommend adding more layers. Ground beef taco meat and refried black beans add a filling protein source that makes this a great recipe for a fun dinner for kids.
Leftover layer dip can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days, but be careful to check the fresh ingredients like tomatoes as they can start getting soggy.
The best thing about this dip is how much you can customize it to fit your exact tastes. I've included how I like to serve it for entertaining, but you can modify the ingredients, change up the layers, bake it, or even stuff the dip into burritos!
Just make sure to roast the corn! That's what truly makes this recipe so special: sweet broiled corn layered over melted and spice-packed cream cheese for a decadent dip you'll be sure to be coming back for more of.
Dip Recipes
Mexican Layer Dip
Video
Ingredients
- 16 oz. frozen whole kernel corn - or canned corn
- 1 cup cream cheese - softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tomato - diced
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Optional toppings
- limes
- jalapeno
- salsa - of choice
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
- cilantro
Instructions
- Broil the corn. Spread frozen whole kernel corn in a baking dish. Top with garlic powder and cayenne pepper and mix together. Broil until corn is thawed and beginning to brown, 1-2 minutes.
- Make the cream cheese mixture. Mix cream cheese and taco seasoning in a bowl using a spoon. If you want it extra creamy, you can use an electric mixer to blend.
- Form the layers. Start by spreading the cream cheese mix on the bottom of a serving dish, smoothing it down fairly evenly.
- Add the roasted corn to the top of the cream cheese.
- Finish up the layers with a layer of sour cream, salsa, then shredded cheese, tomatoes, and any other desired toppings.
Notes
- How you layer Mexican dip is truly a matter of taste, and it matters less than the flavors involved. Make it a 7-layer dip by adding more ingredients!
- I recommend making smaller batches of this dip. As tortilla chips dig into it, it gets more and more messy and unappealing looking. Luckily, it takes barely minutes to whip up a new serving!
- Make sure to use softened cream cheese for the bottom layer. Cold cream cheese is too hard and will break chips.
- Heating this dip makes for an absolute treat! To serve baked layer taco dip, layer everything except the sour cream up in a pan then pop it in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until everything is melty and hot. Then pile on the cool ingredients and serve!
- You can use leftovers as a quick and delicious taco or burrito filling!
Lisa Jacobs says
Hi. Looks delicious. It says a serving is 419 calories? How big is a serving?
Em Beitel says
Hi Lisa! We're calculating it into 4 portions, so about ¼th of the completed dish.