Vegan Taco Dip (with refried beans)
The classic 7-layer taco dip gets amped up a notch, or four, with this vegan 11-layer taco dip. Eleven – yes, eleven! – layers of absolute deliciousness are sure to please every partygoer’s palate at your next summer soiree. (It’s also very good in spring, fall, and winter!) One of the many great things about this sort of dip is you can easily adjust the ingredients to your liking. It’s perfect for any party or cookout, even game day or date night with a movie at home!
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One of my absolute favorite appetizers has always been the 7-layer taco dip. It is, to me, possibly the most tasty appetizer. I mean, who doesn’t like tacos…and chips and dips?!
If I walked into a party I didn’t really want to go to and saw those 7 layers of beauty sitting among the appetizers, I instantly became a much more social person just so I could hang around the dip table! There’s just something about it that is so, so deliciously inviting, it can elevate a person’s mood almost instantaneously – the perfect appetizer.
Well, if you’re like me and you like a good vegan seven layer dip, then you’re sure to love this. I figured, why make a vegan 7-layer dip recipe when I could make an 11-layer version! I mean, why limit yourself?
This simple recipe is the super bowl of game-day dips. Vegan ground meat, layers of refried beans, loads and loads of fresh veggies, and crunchy tortilla chips. Perfect for any day from Meatless Monday to Football Sunday. To paraphrase Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap: “Most taco dips go up to seven, but this one goes all the way to 11!”
What You’ll Love This Vegan Layered Taco Dip:
- It’s absolutely delicious! – A base including vegan ground beef and seasoned sour cream layer to support the upper 8 layers of tasty goodness. All you need is a good strong corn chip to be able to hold it all without breaking under the weight of it.
- The versatility – One of the many great things about this dip is you can easily adjust the fresh ingredients to your liking and what you have on-hand.
- And perhaps the best part about this dip: It’s also perfect, and perfectly acceptable, as a couch-and-movie dinner! I mean, you’d eat a taco salad for dinner, right?!
What is taco dip made of?
The ingredients for making this creamy vegan taco dip are all pretty basic and very simple to prepare. I’m not positive, but I think this may even be a healthy dip! Gasp! But don’t let that put you off, because it’s so ridiculously delicious, you won’t even notice.
Layered Dip – Base Ingredients
- Refried beans – Quite a few brands of refried beans contain lard, so you want to make sure you read the label to ensure they’re vegan-friendly. A good starting place is the label will usually say “vegetarian” or “fat free,” but just double-check ingredients to be positive.
- Taco seasoning – Most taco seasoning is just a blend of herbs and spices, but some brands feel the need to put milk powder or dehydrated chicken fat in their product, so just be sure to read the ingredients if you haven’t already found your favorite vegan brand. This will be used to season both your vegan sour cream and vegan ground. You can also make your own homemade taco seasoning if that’s your jam!
- Vegan sour cream – There are multiple brands of vegan sour cream available at many markets these days, but we always love Tofutti as our go-to brand of choice.
- Vegan ground crumbles – Again, these days there are multiple options of brands to choose from, so grab your favorite from the freezer and let’s get going! We used Gardein Beefless Crumbles. Beyond Meat and Impossible Meat make great vegan ground beef too. If you use Beyond or Impossible make sure to fully cook them before using. If you want to go the homemade route, check out our TVP Ground Beef or No-Cook Spicy Walnut Beef.
Vegan Taco Dip – Topping Ingredients
- Shredded lettuce – I just use Iceberg, feel free to branch out. Romaine lettuce is an obvious and delicious option.
- Shredded vegan cheese – We like Violife’s “Mexican-style” vegan cheese shreds for this, but any shredded vegan cheddar or Colby-Jack will do as well.
- Diced tomatoes – Use firm tomatoes so they’re not all goopy when you cut them. I like on-the-vine or roma tomatoes.
- Diced red onion
- Chopped black olives
- Scallions / green onions
- Guacamole / sliced avocado – Creamy guacamole, chunky, or just straight up avocado slices.
- Sliced jalapeno – I like to put this on as the final layer so those who don’t like them can push them off to the side for those of us who do.
- Salsa – optional, if you want to make the dip into the full dozen. LOL! Use your favorite salsa, even pineapple salsa would work!
Serve with vegan-friendly corn chips. I say “vegan-friendly” because some brands actually put milk powder or other forms of dairy in their corn chips. So, check your ingredients as always.
Substitution Options
You can sub out any ingredients you can’t tolerate, don’t have, or simply don’t enjoy. You can also just keep adding more levels to this 11-layer dip. The only limit is your imagination and the size of your bowl!
Here’s a simple list of our favorite taco toppings for layers:
- Roasted corn or corn salsa
- White or yellow onion
- Bell peppers – Get a variety of colors from red peppers to yellow bell peppers. The color palette will be great!
- Roasted zucchini and squash
- Jackfruit Carnitas
- Hot peppers – Warn your guests if using anything really spicy. Here’s a guide to the heat levels of various hot peppers.
- More beans! – Black beans, pinto beans, chili, kidney…or a big bean mixture!
- Pico de gallo – Instead of or in addition to salsa. No, they are not the same thing.
- Creamy vegan cheese sauce – Like our vegan queso!
- Fresh cilantro – You either love it or you hate it. I love it, but if serving this at a party, I’ll omit it.
- Green chilies
- A squeeze of fresh lime juice or lemon juice
- Taco sauce or hot sauce – for an extra spicy kick.
How to Make Dairy-Free Taco Dip
It takes a little preparation to get everything ready, but once you do it’s smooth sailing and couldn’t be easier. I like to put on a little choppin’ music, not Chopin, and get in a groove to get all my vegetables prepared. Then I get cooking.
Step 1: Cook the vegan ground.
First you’ll want to heat the vegan ground in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of the taco seasoning and 2 Tablespoons of water and stir to combine. When warmed and mixed well, set aside in a bowl to cool. Reserve the pan and do not rinse.
Step 2: Heat the refried beans.
In that same saute pan, heat the refried beans on medium heat. I like to thin them out just a little bit with about 2 Tablespoons of water as well. Once they’ve reached a creamy texture and desired consistency, you can take them off the heat and set them aside to cool as well.
Step 3: Season the vegan sour cream.
In a small bowl, whisk the vegan sour cream together with 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning. Set aside.
Step 4: Layer the easy vegan taco dip.
(This is the fun part! Actually… eating the finished product is the fun part!!)
In a deep pie dish, large bowl, or round casserole dish, layer the ingredients in the following order:
- Vegan-friendly refried beans
- Seasoned vegan sour cream
- Seasoned vegan ground beef
- Shredded lettuce
- Shredded dairy-free cheese
- Diced tomatoes
- Diced red onion
- Chopped black olives
- Sliced green onion
- Guacamole/sliced avocado
- Sliced jalapenos
The Great Guac Debate
This is a minor point of contention among some dip devotees: Where does the guacamole layer go?
Some people will put the guacamole/diced avocados among the lower/first three layers citing both cosmetics (it looks pretty) and chemistry (it cuts down on the oxidation/browning of the guac/avo), but I (along with many others) like to put it near the top because not everyone likes guac and putting it near the top allows them the opportunity to work their way around it more easily.
How to Serve This Vegetarian Taco Dip Recipe
You can eat this taco dip immediately. Or you can make it the day ahead of a party, cover it with plastic wrap or an airtight lid, and serve it the next day. Serve it with your favorite tortilla chips or corn chips. You can also use this recipe as a base to make taco salads or taco bowls.
Serving dish notes: We used a clear round casserole dish with a 1.5 quart volume. Something slightly larger would also work, as this was a tight fit! We suggest using a clear dish because it really shows off those beautiful layers.
How to Store Leftover Meatless Taco Dip
This vegan layered taco dip makes enough for a good sized crowd or party.
It’s so good you probably won’t have leftover dip, but if you do, here are our best storage tips.
- Don’t leave it in its large container you made it in. Place any leftovers in an appropriately-sized smaller sealed container so it has as little room for air as possible. This will cut down on oxidation.
- Make sure the container has an airtight lid or is well-sealed with plastic wrap. I find wetting the rim of the container with your fingers will help really grip and seal.
How long does taco dip last?
This taco dip will be good for up to 5 days after making when stored in an airtight container and refrigerated properly. I do not recommend freezing the dip.
More Vegan Dip Recipes:
I really hope you enjoy this amazing 11-layer taco dip. Share it with your friends at your next party or save it for yourself. It truly is delicious and a true delight to make and eat.
If you have any questions or want to leave more ideas for toppings, leave a comment or star rating in the section below. We love to hear what you think, and it helps more people like you find our vegan recipes.
Until next time!
Easy Meatless Taco Dip (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegan ground beef
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning divided
- 1 16-oz can vegetarian refried beans
- 3/4 cup vegan sour cream
- 2 cup shredded Iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup vegan shredded cheese
- 3/4 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped black olives
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
- 1 avocado diced or 1/4 cup guacamole
- 1 jalapeno diced or sliced
Instructions
- Cook the vegan ground: Heat the vegan ground in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of the taco seasoning and 2 Tablespoons of water and stir to combine. When warmed and mixed well, set aside in a bowl to cool. Reserve the pan and do not rinse.
- Heat the refried beans: In the same saute pan, heat the refried beans on medium heat. I like to thin them out just a little bit with about 2 Tablespoons of water as well. Once they’ve reached a creamy, desired consistency and are warmed through, you can take them off the heat and set them aside to cool as well.
- Season the sour cream: In a small bowl, whisk the vegan sour cream together with 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning. Set aside.
- Layer the dip: In a deep pie dish or round casserole dish*, layer the ingredients in the following order: refried beans, sour cream, vegan ground, shredded lettuce, vegan cheese, diced tomatoes, red onion, black olives, green onion, guac or diced avocado, and sliced jalapenos.
Notes
- For the veggies:: You can chop all at once beforehand and then layer, or (and this is my preference) chop each veg and add the layer as you go. This saves you from washing more dishes!
- *Serving dish notes: We used a clear round casserole dish with a 1.5 quart volume. Something slightly larger would also work, as this was a tight fit! We suggest using a clear dish because it really shows off those beautiful layers.
- Product reccomendations: We used Gardein Beefless Crumbles, Tofutti Sour Cream, and Violife “Mexican-Style” Shreds for this recipe!
- Taco seasoning: Make sure you check the ingredients on the taco seasoning you’re using. A few versions (especially marked “cheesy”) contain dairy.
- Want to make your own homemade vegan ground beef? Check out our TVP Ground Beef or No-Cook Spicy Walnut Beef
