One of my simple snacking pleasures in life is chips and dip. Who can resist melted cheese, bold flavors, and a crispy, salty vehicle of flavor delivery? Answer: Almost no one.
Easy Green Chile Hot Bean Dip is a favored party appetizer featuring spiced-up refried beans under a thick layer of melted cheese. Easy ingredients, easy prep, hot and yummy in minutes!
It’s a great snack for movie night, a tasty side dish alongside fajitas and tacos, or a hearty appetizer for a football party watching the big game. Serve it up hot and ready for total bean-and-cheese-loving satisfaction with a bowl of your preferred dipping APParatus (pun intended).
Like we said, this bean dip is super easy, but it’s important to pay a little closer attention to the ingredients when there are so few. Let us highlight the brands and seasonings to make the very best green chile bean dip you’ll find anywhere.
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more information.
What Makes The Best Tasting Refried Beans?
Beans are the main component of this dip, so you want the taste and texture to be right. Refried beans are a staple in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking, and there is a real flavor difference in the authentic recipes that include lard and minimal spices.
Making the beans yourself will give you the ultimate control over the flavor and texture of the beans. This homemade refried bean recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch will get you well on your way.
TIP: Beans are a wonderful make-ahead recipe and freeze super well so making that part in advance will make prepping this recipe a whole lot faster.
To make this recipe even easier, buy canned refried beans to whip this up really quick.
Straightforward ingredients of pinto beans (pre-cooked), water, salt, and lard are what you want to look for on the label when shopping. Avoid ingredients like soybean oil or vinegar, which can give the beans a tin taste like the can (the acid from the vinegar will do that).
Our favorite brand from the store is La Preferida Authentic Refried Beans for a restaurant-quality taste. While they do have seasoned varieties, I prefer their plain refrieds so I can season the dish myself.
TOP TIP: If you don’t eat pork you can substitute olive oil or avocado oil when making them at home or look for a vegetarian version at the store.
Selecting the Best Green Chiles
Green chiles, like Hatch, Anaheim, or Pueblo chiles, are in the family of green peppers that include jalapeno, serrano, and cayenne chiles. They come in a range from mild to hot (are usually marked as such) and feature a more vegetal, complex, and earthy flavor.
Most New Mexico green chiles provide a classic earthy, mild to medium heat and fabulous green chile flavor ideal for party dips, though some can be quite spicy.
We highly recommend 505 Southwestern Hatch Valley Roasted Green Chiles for their consistent medium-mild spice and delicious green chile flavor.
Can I Use Fresh Chiles?
Yes! When using fresh peppers, there is a range of green chiles to consider depending on the heat level you prefer (keep in mind there is always a range of heat and no absolutes). You will also want to briefly cook fresh chiles before adding them to the dip so they are soft and not crunchy.
MILD: Poblano is the fresh, green version of dried Ancho chile
MILD to MED-MILD: Anaheim
MILD to MED to HOT: New Mexico chiles, depending on the variety
Fresh or canned chiles are interchangeable in this appetizer, but you’ll find it easier to control the spice when using canned green chiles because they are usually marked to indicate heat levels.
TIP: We recommend selecting mild chiles when serving kids or folks who are sensitive to spice.
How to make your own Fajitas & Taco Seasoning Mix
I like to make my own Fajita and Taco Seasoning Mix which I use in a host of dishes including fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, refried beans, and naturally, Green Chile Cheese Dip.
Store-bought spice blends are certainly convenient, however, by making your own spice blends your ingredients are simple full-flavored spices. This helps to avoid unnecessary additives like Monosodium Glutamate, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent), Caramel Color, or Ethoxyquin (preservative).
Our Homemade Fajitas Seasoning Mix with Mesquite Smoke is created from ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard except for the smoked sea salt. The unique smoky, mesquite flavor—something you won’t find in store-bought blends—comes from flaked mesquite smoked sea salt. I highly recommend SaltWorks smoked salts for their quality and exceptional flavor profiles.
Creating a custom blend to suit your taste can take a dish from good to great. Add flavors you really enjoy, spice it up or tone it down to really make your tastebuds sing.
TOP TIP: To add unique flavor to Fajitas Seasoning, source mesquite smoked salt from Salt Works.
How to make Easy Green Chile Hot Bean Dip STEP BY STEP:
- Combine beans, chilies, half the shredded cheese, and fajita seasoning in a mixing bowl.
- Spread into the bottom of an oven-safe dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350°F until hot and bubbly. Serve with your choice of chips or veggie dippers.
TIP: This Easy Green Chile Hot Bean Dip recipe serves 6-10 people as an appetizer or 4-6 as a side dish.
Recipe TIPS & Variations:
- Substitute black refried beans for the pinto beans. Black beans have a drier, less creamy texture than pintos, so adding a little water or liquid from a jar of salsa to the beans is helpful in dips.
- Substitute canned jalapeno or roasted serrano or habanero chile to give the dip a spicy kick. Just make sure the jalapenos are not pickled or in brine as that will affect the flavor.
- Substitute hickory or applewood smoked sea salt in the seasoning mix.
- Top with Cotija cheese for a delicious finish as the saltiness complements the more mellow cheeses.
- Make-ahead — Assemble the dip and place it in the refrigerator for later. Take it out of the fridge to come to room temperature for 20 minutes as you preheat the oven.
- Reheat leftovers up by warming under the broiler for 5-10 minutes or pop in the microwave for 2 minutes.
- Serve as a side dish to Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Easy Green Chile Hot Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 15 oz refried beans (La Preferida brand)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese A mix of Monterey Jack, cheddar, asadero, and or queso quesadilla cheeses
- 1/3 cup diced green chiles — 505 Southwest Chiles
- 1 tablespoon Mesquite Fajita Mix
Instructions
- Combine beans, chilies, half the shredded cheese, and fajita seasoning in a mixing bowl until well blended.
- Spread the bean mixture into the bottom of an oven-safe glass dish or stoneware baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350° until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
Carbohydrates: 5g
Sodium: 27mg
Sugar: 2g
Tips & Variations:
- Substitute black refried beans for the pinto beans. Black beans have a drier, less creamy texture than pintos, so adding a little water or liquid from a jar of salsa to the beans is helpful in dips.
- Substitute canned jalapeno or roasted serrano or habanero chile to give the dip a spicy kick. Just make sure the jalapenos are not pickled or in brine as that will affect the flavor.
- Substitute hickory or applewood smoked sea salt in the seasoning mix.
- Top with Cotija cheese for a delicious finish as the saltiness complements the more mellow cheeses.
- Make-ahead — Assemble the dip and place it in the refrigerator for later. Take it out of the fridge to come to room temperature for 20 minutes as you preheat the oven.
- Reheat leftovers up by warming under the broiler for 5-10 minutes or pop in the microwave for 2 minutes.
mjskitche says
Well – YUM!!!! We usually have Sunday afternoon movie dates with snacks and I see this as a movie date snack very soob. Love it! Thanks Judy.
John / Kitchen Riffs says
I just roasted and froze pounds of Hatch green chilies! So I’m all set to make this. Great dish — thanks.