Seven Layer Dip
328kcal15.4g protein14.8g fat35.9g carbs~$0.95/ serving*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
Contains dairy · sometimes contains gluten — check the label
Restrictions
ContainsdairyIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.
Sometimes contains — check the labelgluten (chili (powder))Some brands have it, some do not. The recipe cannot tell, so this is the one you check yourself.
Diets
VegetarianPescatarianNo porkNo alcohol
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
Servings:
| 16 oz |  refried beans (canned or homemade, stirred smooth) |
| 2 unit |  avocados (ripe) |
| 1 unit |  lime (juice) |
| 1 cup |  sour cream |
| ½ tsp |  cumin (ground) |
| 1 cup |  tomato (seeded, finely diced) |
| ¼ cup |  onion (finely diced) |
| 1 tbsp |  jalapeño (seeded, minced) |
| 1 ¼ cup |  cheddar (shredded) |
| ⅓ cup |  black olives (sliced, well drained) |
| 2 unit | green onions (thinly sliced) |
| ½ tsp | salt |
Optional
Not counted above. The dish works without them.
| 2 tbsp |  cilantro (chopped, over the tomato layer) |
| ½ tsp |  chili powder (in the sour cream) |
Steps
- Mix3 minbeans cool or room temperaturestir the refried beans smooth with half the cumin and spread them in an even layer across the bottom of a shallow serving dish. A cold stiff mound tears the layers above it when people scoop; smooth beans make the foundation cohesive without making it loose.
- Mash4 minleave a little textureavocado + lime juice + 1/4 tsp salt until spreadable but not puréed, then spoon it over the beans and ease it outward with the back of a spoon. Lime seasons the avocado and slows surface browning, but too much liquid makes the green layer slide.
- Mix2 mincoldsour cream + remaining cumin + a pinch of salt until uniform, then spread gently over the avocado. Drop spoonfuls across the surface first and connect them rather than dragging one heavy mound through the softer layer below.
- Prep6 mintomato mixture drains before it touches the diptomato + diced onion + jalapeño + remaining salt, left in a strainer for 5 minutes, then shaken dry. Tomato water is the main structural failure in a layered dip: if it enters the dish, it runs down the sides and turns the bean base soupy.
- Season3 minbuild in distinct layersscatter the drained tomato mixture over the sour cream, then + cheddar + drained olives + green onions in that order. Do not press the cheese down; the loose top layers are what let a chip enter without squeezing the cream and avocado out the sides.
- Rest10 minrefrigerated, loosely coveredchill before serving so the creamy layers firm and the bean base cools completely. Serve cold; holding it for hours uncovered dries the cheese, while sealing it warm creates condensation that undoes the moisture control you built into the tomato layer.