5 Minute Refried Bean Dip- just 4 ingredients!

This refried bean dip has got to be one of the easiest bean dip recipes ever!  It takes just 4 simple ingredients, is ready in 5 minutes and is absolutely delicious.  We love it as a party appetizer, snack and even as a simple lunch!

This super easy bean dip recipe became a favorite of ours 6 years ago.  My husband had just started back to college to get his Masters and money was extra tight, so cheap recipes were a big must!

I’ve always loved bean dips and enjoyed serving them for snacks or party food.  But I was frustrated because so many recipes didn’t feel budget friendly thanks to the large amount of cheese that they used!

And many times they would call for ingredients that I don’t typically keep on hand, like jalapenos or fresh cilantro too.

We can be such last-minute hosts and often invite people over on a whim, and I really just wanted a recipe that was made with basic pantry staples.  Because that just felt like it would make life a little bit less complicated, you know?

Well, I discovered this recipe for refried bean dip and it solved all of my bean dip problems!

It’s inexpensive– in fact, if you buy all the ingredients at Aldi, it will cost you just a tiny bit over $2.00 to make!

It’s really delicious, even though there isn’t a bit of cheese in it.

It uses basic ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

And it couldn’t be easier to make– all you need is 5 minutes!

What’s not to love, right?

Watch Video: Learn How to Make this Recipe

How to make bean dip from scratch

To make the warm bean dip, you will need these four simple ingredients:

• Refried beans.  I love using my homemade refried beans for this recipe, but obviously a can of refried beans works too!
• Salsa.  It doesn’t really matter what kind of salsa you use- mild, hot, chunky or regular.  They all work fine!  We prefer the regular simply because we like a smoother bean dip but it’s good either way. In fact, I’ve even used Picante sauce a few times simply because that’s what I had in the cupboard and it was delicious too!
• Cream cheese.  The cream cheese gives the dip a wonderful rich flavor!  If you are calorie conscious, feel free to sub Neufchatel cheese instead.  The taste will be the same! This recipe only uses 4 oz. of cream cheese.  If you are concerned that you won’t get the rest of the package used, you can always freeze it!
• Sour cream.  This adds a lot of creaminess to the refried bean dip and it’s also what helps make it dipping consistency.  You can sub Greek yogurt if you prefer using that.  It will alter the taste slightly, but is still good.

Once you have all your ingredients, just add them to a bowl and microwave it until the cream cheese is soft enough that you can combine everything into a smooth dip.

Serve your refried bean dip with tortilla chips, Fritos or even pita chips for an easy appetizer or snack!

Or use it for an easy lunch!  It’s hearty enough that I’ve occasionally done that and my kids think it’s the best.

How long is homemade bean dip good for?

This refried bean dip should last up to 7 days in the refrigerator, assuming you use ingredients that are not close to their use-by date.

Obviously, you can just reheat the dip and enjoy it a second time!  But if you’re like me, sometimes the chips run out and you still have some dip left.

If that’s the case, you can use the dip to make easy quesadillas.  Just put it between two tortillas and fry until lightly brown.  It also would be perfect as burrito stuffing too!

But if you prefer saving it to use later as actual dip, you can also freeze it!  Just reheat it and mix it well when you are ready to serve it again.

More Mexican Inspired Recipes

• Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken
• Easy Mexican Rice Bowl
• One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice
• Speedy Spanish Rice and Ground Beef Skillet
• Crockpot Tamale Pie