This Halloween Taco Dip recipe combines the rich flavors of refried beans, cream cheese, and sour cream for a graveyard-inspired dip.
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Decorated with soft flour tortillas shaped into headstones, this simple recipe is the ideal centerpiece for your Halloween parties.
Spooky season festivities call for something deliciously scary and inviting at your next Halloween party. And this great dip brings a sense of fun and excitement to the table.
This layer dip recipe isn’t just one of those great Halloween recipes, it’s a conversation starter!
Table of Contents
🥘 Ingredients
- Canned refried beans
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Taco seasoning
- Tomato salsa
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Soft flour tortillas
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Black beans, drained and rinsed
- Chopped green onions
- Chopped cilantro
- Assorted cherry tomatoes, halved
This Halloween Taco Dip is a very simple recipe. Consider adding a layer of guacamole or using other green chiles to enhance the flavors.
Another idea is to use black olives to make spiders to create a spider web taco dip.
🥣 Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375° F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of sour cream, and set aside in the fridge to keep cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, the remainder of the cup of sour cream, and taco seasoning mix until smooth. Set aside.
I mixed cream cheese and sour cream by hand, as you can see in the photos. It’s okay if your mixture comes out a little chunky like mine – it’ll still taste delicious.
However, if preferred, you can combine your mixture with a hand mixer or food processor for a creamier, more combined texture.
- In a baking dish, spread the canned refried beans into an even layer.
- Spread the cream cheese/sour cream mixture in the next layer over the beans.
- Spread a layer of salsa over the cream cheese/sour cream mixture.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the salsa.
I used mild-flavored restaurant-style salsa, but you can use chunky salsa in whatever level of spice that you prefer.
- Place your prepared dip into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
If desired, use shredded Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, taco blend, or any variety of shredded cheese that you like instead of cheddar.
🪦 How To Make Tortilla Headstones:
- Cut and discard (or save for later) about ½ an inch of the rounded sides off of the tortillas, so that you’re left with a triangle, leaving the rounded short edges intact.
- Slice the triangle into strips roughly 2-3 inches wide lengthwise.
- Slice the thin strips in half widthwise, to create headstone shapes.
Skip this part if you’re making this for another occasion.
Using your favorite chip is not recommended. They break easily. Instead, use store-bought pita chips or baked bread slices, cut in half.
- Spread the tortilla pieces onto your prepared baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil.
- Gently toss the tortilla pieces to coat them in the olive oil, then spread them out into as even a layer as possible.
- Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, tossing every 4-5 minutes to allow the tortilla pieces to crisp up on all sides.
- Allow the tortilla chips to cool.
- Then place your reserved 2 tablespoons of sour cream in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, and pipe “RIP” or epitaphs on one side of the tortilla chips.
Don’t have a piping bag? No problemo? Place the cream cheese mixture in a ziploc bag and cut off the end.
For more fun with your tortilla chips, you can use Halloween-shaped cookie cutters to make pumpkins, ghosts, bats, etc.
Assembling the Graveyard
- Sprinkle the chopped green onions and cilantro generously over the top of your baked taco dip.
- Place the decorated tortilla chip headstones into the dip, staggering them throughout the dish.
- Spoon little piles of black beans in front of half of the headstones.
- Arrange the halved tomatoes to look like bunches of pumpkins in front of the remaining half of the headstones.
- Arrange any remaining black beans and tomato halves into small vignettes within the surface of your dish to create a pumpkin patch-graveyard scene.
- Serve hot or at room temperature with extra tortilla chips in a bowl alongside your dip.
Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Serve within 3 days for best results.
Your tortilla chip headstones may soften and start to lean due to the heat of the baked dip. If needed, you can bolster the headstones by placing 1-2 extra chips behind them for support.
✏️ Pro Tips:
- Use Fresh Ingredients: This Halloween Taco Dip tastes best when made with fresh ingredients. Using fresh veggies can make a noticeable difference in the flavor.
- Prepare In Advance: You can prepare this dip in advance and keep it refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap. This helps the flavors to meld together beautifully. Just make sure to add the sour cream design right before serving to keep it looking fresh and neat.
- Cheese Choices: Feel free to experiment with different kinds of cheese. While cheddar cheese is my go-to, other types like Monterey Jack or Colby can also work well in this recipe.
- Serve With Variety: Serve this dip with an assortment of your favorite tortilla chips, and even some fresh veggies like bell peppers or carrot sticks for those who want a lighter option.
🌶️ Adjust the Heat
If you prefer a bit more heat in your dip, feel free to add some extra chili powder or even some diced jalapenos to the guacamole layer.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! While homemade guacamole is a delicious option to add one more layer. If you’re short on time, store-bought guacamole will work just fine in this recipe.
Yes, you can use Greek yogurt as a healthier substitute for sour cream. It will give you a similar tangy flavor and creamy texture.
This easy dip should last 3-4 days in the fridge when stored properly. Be sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap to maintain freshness.
😋 More Dip Recipes:
Halloween Taco Dip creates a spooky graveyard scene with refried beans, taco seasoning, and a variety of colorful toppings like chopped green onions, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes. The extra touch of crispy tortilla headstones adds a creative twist to this perfect appetizer.
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Halloween Taco Dip
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce can refried beans
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces sour cream divided
- 2 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 12 ounce container tomato salsa (or 16 ounce container)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 soft flour tortillas small
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- ½ cup black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup green onions chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ cup assorted cherry tomatoes halved
Instructions
To Make the Dip:
- Preheat your oven to 375° F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of sour cream, and set aside in the fridge to keep cool.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, remaining sour cream, and taco seasoning until smooth. Set aside.
- In a 9×13 baking dish, spread the canned refried beans into an even layer.
- Spread the cream cheese/sour cream mixture in an even layer over the beans.
- Spread the salsa over the cream cheese/sour cream mixture.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the salsa.
- Place your prepared dip into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
To make the tortilla headstones:
- Cut and discard (or save for later) about ½ an inch of the rounded sides off of the tortillas, so that you’re left with a triangle, leaving the rounded short edges intact.
- Slice the triangle into strips roughly 2-3 inches wide lengthwise.
- Slice the strips in half widthwise, to create headstone shapes.
- Spread the tortilla pieces onto your prepared baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil.
- Gently toss the tortilla pieces to coat them in the olive oil, then spread them out into as even a layer as possible.
- Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, tossing every 4-5 minutes to allow the tortilla pieces to crisp up on all sides.
- Allow the tortilla chips to cool, then place your reserved 2 tablespoons of sour cream in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, and pipe “RIP” or epitaphs on one side of the tortilla chips.
To assemble your graveyard:
- Sprinkle the chopped green onions and cilantro generously over the top of your baked taco dip.
- Place the decorated tortilla chip headstones into the dip, staggering them throughout the dish.
- Spoon little piles of black beans in front of half of the headstones.
- Arrange the halved tomatoes to look like bunches of pumpkins in front of the remaining half of the headstones.
- Arrange any remaining black beans and tomato halves into small vignettes within the surface of your dish to create a pumpkin patch-graveyard scene.
- Serve hot or room temperature, and enjoy!
Notes
- I mixed my cream cheese and sour cream by hand, as you can see in the photos. It’s okay if your mixture comes out a little chunky like mine – it’ll still taste delicious. However, if preferred, you can combine your mixture with a hand mixer or food processor for a creamier, more combined texture.
- I used a mild-flavored restaurant style salsa, but you can use a chunky salsa in whatever level of spice that you prefer.
- If desired, use shredded colby Jack, Monterey Jack, taco blend, or any variety of shredded cheese that you like instead of cheddar.
- For more fun with your tortilla chips, you can use Halloween-shaped cookie cutters to make pumpkins, ghosts, bats, etc.
- Your tortilla chip headstones may soften and start to lean due to the heat of the baked dip. If needed, you can bolster the headstones by placing 1-2 extra chips behind them for support.
- Serve extra tortilla chips in a bowl alongside your dip.
- Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Serve within 3 days for best results.
Nutrition
Maggie Unzueta is the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer, videographer, and creator of In Mama Maggie's Kitchen. She has been developing easy and authentic Mexican food, Mexican-inspired recipes, and traveling tips since 2010. From family recipes to her extensive travels throughout Mexico, she brings traditional Mexican flavors from South of the Border and into your kitchen. Maggie has been featured in notable culinary websites and other media outlets. For more details, check out her About page.
Wow! This taco dip recipe looks incredibly delicious and very yummy! A perfect treat for this coming Halloween festivity! Loved it!
Thank you! Glad you loved it.
A halloween recipe! I can’t wait to make this on the halloween!
Absolutely, Halloween season is just around the corner, and this Taco Dip recipe is perfect for enjoying the boo-tiful flavors!
So much fun for Halloween!
Absolutely, the Halloween season is creeping up, and this Taco Dip recipe is a perfect match for the spooktacular vibes!
I am so excited for all of the Halloween recipes coming out now! This dip is perfect! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
I hope you enjoy this delicious Taco dip and the Halloween vibes – they’re both a total treat.