Mom’s Straightforward Taco Dip
Creamy, cheesy, and evenly seasoned, this straightforward-to-make taco dip recipe makes the ultimate appetizer. This no-bake recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes with 6 simple ingredients. Reliable for dipping tortilla chips, dunking quesadillas, and scooping with taquitos, this taco dip is guaranteed to be a hit!
We're pretty sure that our mom has been making this taco dip since before we were even alive. It showed up every now and then at summer picnics, New Year’s Eve parties, and other random times. As a kid who loved tacos, we were infatuated with this and went crazy for it every time it came out.
As an adult, we love it still!
When most people hear about this taco dip they often assume it’s a 7-layer dip. While both are excellent for chip dipping, they have a few differences.
- This taco dip has one main base with a few fresh toppings while a 7-layer dip has 7 distinct layers.
- There is no baking in this taco dip while some 7-layer dips involve baking the base layers.
- The base of 7-layer dip uses cream cheese instead of mayo (although you can use cream cheese in this dip, as well!).
The Ingredients
For the dip, you will need just a few ingredients…
- Sour cream: Gives the dip a nice tang while also keeping it cool and creamy. You can substitute plain Greek yogurt if you’d like.
- Mayonnaise: Thickens up the sour cream while also keeping the dish creamy. If you like tang, use cream cheese instead!
- Taco seasoning: Adds a kick of flavor. You can use from-scratch or a store-bought taco blend.
- Toppings: Layer on your toppings! Our go-to’s are shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped tomato, and shredded cheddar cheese; see the next section for even more ideas!
Topping Ideas
As every taco-lover knows, everyone has their favorite toppings! Here are a few other ways you can try to top this taco dip. Know that some of these toppings might impact the shelf-life of the dip (we're lookin’ at you, avocados.)
- Add a layer of diced avocado, or spread a layer of guacamole on top of the taco dip base before topping with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.
- Swap out the diced tomatoes for a from-scratch or store-bought pico de gallo.
- Kick up the heat with a layer of pickled jalapeños.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and diced green onion.
- Add in some protein with a layer of drained and rinsed black beans.
Make it in a few straightforward steps!
Now that you have your ingredients the hard part is done.
To make this creamy taco dip there are just 4 things you will need to do: whisk, spread, top, and chill.
- Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, and taco seasoning until thoroughly blended.
- Spread the mixture in an even layer in a casserole dish.
- Top: Sprinkle the shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, and shredded cheese (and any other toppings you plan to use) on top of the taco dip base.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Serving Ideas
You can often find us with a large bowl of tortilla chips next to this taco dip. A few other foods to serve this dip with include:
- Doritos- Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese are excellent
- Quesadilla wedges
- Taquitos
Keeping leftovers
- Storing: Keep your taco dip, covered in the casserole dish for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Sitting Out: Since there is mayo in the base, try not to leave the dip out longer than 2 hours at room temperature.
- Making Ahead: If you wanting to prep ahead you can easily make this taco dip up to 3 days in advance, simply store covered in the refrigerator.
Rich Dips to Dive Into Next
- From-scratch Salsa
- Bloomin’ Onion Dipping Sauce
- Fruit Dip
- Loaded Baked Potato Dip
- Straightforward Spinach Dip
This wildly addictive taco dip makes the ultimate appetizer for any occasion. Whether you have a little taco lover in your family or are just looking for a speedy and straightforward dip recipe that you can pop in the fridge until it’s served, this old recipe will serve you well.
Taco Dip
Yield: 8 servings This straightforward-to-make taco dip comes together in 10 minutes with a few fresh ingredients. Reliable for dipping, dunking, and scooping, this dip is sure to be a hit!- 16 ounces (453.59 g) sour cream
- 1½ cups (336 g) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons from-scratch taco seasoning, or 1 store-bought packet
- Shredded lettuce
- 1 (1) tomato, chopped
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning until thoroughly blended.
- Spread in a square casserole dish. Top with the shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, and shredded cheese. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Sour Cream: You can substitute plain Greek yogurt.
- Mayonnaise: If you have an aversion to mayonnaise and/or you like more tang, substitute room temperature cream cheese.
- Taco Seasoning: You can use store-bought or make your own from-scratch taco seasoning mix (we always have a large jar of it in our pantry!).
- Additional Topping Ideas: Olives, jalapenos, guacamole, diced avocado, salsa, pico de gallo, chopped red onion, cilantro, green onion, and black beans.
- Storing: Keep the dip covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Sitting Out: Since there is dairy in the base, the dip should not sit out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
- Making Ahead: If you wanting to prep ahead you can easily make this taco dip up to 3 days in advance, simply store covered in the refrigerator.
Photography by Lauren Grant.
- Yield: 8 servings
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Total: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ( 453.59 g ) sour cream
- 1½ cups ( 336 g ) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons from-scratch taco seasoning, or 1 store-bought packet
- Shredded lettuce
- 1 ( 1 ) tomato, chopped
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Method
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning until thoroughly blended.
- Spread in a square casserole dish. Top with the shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, and shredded cheese. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Sour Cream: You can substitute plain Greek yogurt.
Mayonnaise: If you have an aversion to mayonnaise and/or you like more tang, substitute room temperature cream cheese.
Taco Seasoning: You can use store-bought or make your own from-scratch taco seasoning mix (we always have a large jar of it in our pantry!).
Additional Topping Ideas: Olives, jalapenos, guacamole, diced avocado, salsa, pico de gallo, chopped red onion, cilantro, green onion, and black beans.
Storing : Keep the dip covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Sitting Out: Since there is dairy in the base, the dip should not sit out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
Making Ahead: If you wanting to prep ahead you can easily make this taco dip up to 3 days in advance, simply store covered in the refrigerator.
Photography by Lauren Grant.
