Great bean dip recipes are not a dime dozen. Here, you’ll find our list of 13 of ‘em—each good to make in their own way. Enjoy!

We love the informality of a dip: eating little crunchy things with our hands, everyone reaching over everyone else.

They’re the easiest, tastiest way of serving fresh fruits, pulses and vegetables — and also incidentally the only foolproof means of keeping a tableful of rowdy guests from storming your kitchen.

Here’s 13 bean dip recipes to drag out onto the dinner table or picnic basket.

There was a time when the word ‘dip’ made us a little twitchy.

We grew up on dips; the lackluster supermarket kind that had more in common with cat-food than any remotely discernible fruit or vegetable.

Slopped into dinky little plastic containers, they’d sit in our fridge until they developed an odd film and were chucked or it came time to parade them round a dinner party with limp tortilla chips — whichever came first.

Like neon spandex and Cabbage Patch Kids, we firmly believed dips ought to have been left in the eighties — that is, until we made our own.

That first time we whizzed chickpeas with a little garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in the blender, we gorged ourselves on nothing but hummus and baby carrots for 2 days.

That was several years and many, many dips ago: now we’ll blend up a batch of some kind about twice a week.

From creamy chorizo bean dip, to a chilli cheese bean dip and of course, the classic Texas Trash bean dip (#6, we’ve been waiting on you) — we love em’ all.

Here’s how to make bean dip that wows:

Table of Contents

1. White Bean Dip

Earthy, pungent white beans enjoy their moment in the sun with this bounteous, beautiful dip.

2. Cheesy Salsa Bean Dip

Fall for — and then into — this wonderfully cheesy hybrid dip. Perfect for scooping up with some Doritos; or celery if you’re keen to keep things light.

3. Easy 7 L ayer Dip

Forget Tootsie Rolls — how many tortilla chips does it take to get to the center of a deliciously dunk-worthy seven-layer dip?

Approximately 2 bags worth, actually (don’t ask how we know that).

4. Easy Black Bean Dip Recipe

This creamy, dreamy dip will play very well with whatever vegetables you’ve got on hand — but it’s also just as good piled onto your toast in the morning with a runny egg for company.

5. Creamy Basil White Bean Dip

Coconut yogurt lends this zesty dip a wonderful tang and richness.

Green onions and bleu cheese make it fancy.

Recipes for bean dip have never been simpler.

6. Texas Trash Dip

This Deep South dip is a whiz to throw together.

It’s lovely with nachos or raw vegetables — but in true Texan fashion, we’re particularly fond of serving it with a side of fried green tomatoes.

7. Creamy Chorizo Bean Dip

Stringy, creamy and peppered through with crunchy chorizo; make the most of your snack break with this Mexican dip.

You might even be tempted to spoil your appetite — but that sounds like the opposite of a problem.

8. Cracked Out Refried Bean Dip Recipe

Pre-dinner snacking doesn’t get any better than this funky fresh dip.

Eat it as part of a larger meal or serve with oven-baked strips of toast.

9. Chili Cheese Refried Bean Dip

We’re of the opinion that a dip should never require too much in the way of effort.

It’s fitting, then, that this is mostly leftover chili that’s been whizzed together with an excess of cheese in the blender.

Ta-daaa.

10. Green Chile Bean Dip

A versatile, filling dip with the added advantage of immediacy — this’ll be ready to go in all of ten minutes and is perfect when you’ve got to whack something on the table now or as part of a quick mezze.

11. Individual Seven Layer Dip

This easy bean dip recipe recommends the dip be served in cups, but that makes it a bit of a bother to actually eat.

Forget the cups unless you really want the individual presentation; tip this into a big bowl and be done with it.

12. Copycat Frito Bean Dip Recipe

If you love that little can of F-L bean dip, this has been crafted to suit you (AND the horse you rode in on!)

Make it mild or make it wild, this has a similar taste and consistency that you’ll really like.

13. Chile Verde Bean Dip

There’s nothing this scorchingly delicious chile verde dip can’t jazz up — we love slinging it in some fajitas.

The bottom line

There’s no party table that can’t be made better with the addition of a homemade bean dip — nor a lazy evening, for that matter.

Versatile, easy and on the table in a matter of minutes: we’re chippin’n’dippin, baby (and if we burn out the motor on our blender in the process, well, nothing good ever came easy).