Are you looking for a delicious taco dip recipe? I was too! Now, I have one. It is always so much fun when I make up a recipe that we eat while standing in the kitchen.
Yep!
The ones where no one even wants to take the time to sit down are the best kind of recipes.
So I struggled with this recipe. I didn’t struggle because it was hard to make. Frankly, this was outrageously simple to make.
I struggled because it took me a while to get it just right. The truth is that I was oddly overthinking it, which is weird considering I run a food blog. Sometimes when a recipe is super simple, the question of is this worthy comes to mind.
But the truth is, the more simple that I can make a recipe the easier all of our lives will be.
Right? Well, hopefully, you are nodding yes to that!
What is taco dip?
Taco dip is a creamy dip that is best eaten with tortilla chips. It is basically all of the toppings that you would put on a taco but in the form of a dip. It is a creamy dip that is layered with cheese, tomatoes, black olives, and cheddar cheese.
Tips and tricks to making this recipe
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- Soften the cream cheese. The softer the cream cheese is, the better the dip will mix together and taste. Note that you don’t want the cream cheese melted. You just want it soft.
- Use a hand mixer to mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. You could do it by hand but the power of the hand mixer really helps blend these ingredients together. Plus it will save you a lot of time.
- Use sharp cheddar cheese. I also highly recommend that you hand shred the cheese instead of using the shredded cheese from a bag. It truly will taste better from the block.
- Serve this dip at room temperature. It will be far less likely that you will break a chip when dipping if this is served at room temp.
- I prefer to seed the tomatoes before dicing them. This isn’t required but if the tomatoes are soft it makes the process easier.
Ingredients in taco dip
This is a simple recipe that only requires a few ingredients.
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- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Taco seasoning
- Tomatoes
- Salsa
- Cheddar cheese
- Black olives
Can you make taco dip in advance?
You can put together almost all of this dip in advance but I don’t recommend that you dice the tomatoes in advance. Leftover diced tomatoes don’t store well. So if you are looking to do a bit of pre-work with this recipe go ahead and layer everything and save the tomatoes right before serving.
Do note that I highly recommend serving this at room temperature so if you prep this and store it in the fridge, pull it out about 30 minutes before serving it.
Recipe alternatives
Add jalapenos – If you like a bit of spice in your dip add a layer of either pickled jalapenos or freshly diced jalapenos.
Add guacamole – Add a layer of guacamole to the recipe. I recommend that if you are going to do so that you add it right after the cream cheese and sour cream layer.
Substitute green olives – If you can’t stand black olives feel free to substitute green olives.
Add green onion – If you want an extra kick of flavor chop up some green onions and sprinkle them on top.
Add red onion – Consider adding a layer of red onion. Be sure to dice the onion up into very small pieces so that they are easy for dipping.
Taco dip recipe
This is our creamy taco dip recipe. It is made with a base of cream cheese and sour cream.
Ingredients
- 1 8oz cream cheese package
- 1 16 oz sour cream
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- 1/4 c salsa
- 1 c shredded cheddar
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 1 2 oz can sliced black olives
- 1 c shredded lettuce (optional)
Instructions
- soften the cream cheese
- Add the cream cheese and sour cream to a bowl. Beat with a mixer to combine.
- Add in the taco seasoning and mix to fully combine.
- Dice the tomatoes
- Shred the cheddar cheese
- Spread the cream cheese mixture in a serving dish or baking dish.
- Layer with salsa, cheese, tomatoes and black olives.
