Taco Dip

Taco Dip is made with salsa, aromatic seasonings like cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Quick, easy to make in 10 minutes, and satisfying every time. What’s not to love about this dip? It is perfect for appetizer, lunch, dinner, snacking or any get togethers.

Sometimes, the Taco Dips that I have tried have left me a little bit disappointed. Because many start with a base which is usually tomato sauce. I mean, friends, a tomato sauce is amazing for pasta like my Spaghetti Sauce, the Arrabbiata Sauce, or Pomodoro Sauce, but not for a dip recipe.

Simply, it is bland and you know it doesn’t do much for your dip. But adding salsa makes everything so delicious. That is by no surprise great and everything what we love and want in a dip: flavor.

I guess, you won’t eat your tortilla chips with tomato sauce. Right, you and me we know we serve our tortilla chips with salsa and that is everything that belongs together like butter and bread.

What you need for this Taco Dip recipe

Apart from salsa, which delivers a lot of flavor as an amazing foundation you will need the following:

Plant based ground beef, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder and smoked paprika: I cook the ground beef in a little bit of olive oil with all those wonderful seasonings which makes our taco meat. But you can use any other oil that you like and want.

Dairy free cream cheese, sour cream and mayo: I’m not shy about these ingredients. If you prefer you can also use only sour cream and cream cheese or sour cream and mayo. But as I like all of them, it really makes everything more than delicious. And you will thank me later. 

Lettuce: I use iceberg lettuce, but you can absolutely use what you have on hand or prefer.

Toppings: I like to use olives so I add black olives, these are always my favorite. They add a hearty, juicy and amazing flavor.

Tomatoes create freshness in the dip. My recommendation is to remove the inner more liquid part from tomatoes first, so the dip won’t get soggy. Green onions, again, add another layer of freshness to our dip. Also these are milder than raw onions.

Vegan cheddar: All that’s left is cheese and I sprinkle a lot of it over the top of the Taco Dip. This is the grand finale and finishes everything what is great in no time.

How to make Taco Dip

Start with quick prep

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and mayo together with a hand mixer. You can also use a spatula and mix until well combined. Put in your fridge until use.

Make the taco meat

Heat oil in a pan. Add ground beef, and season with garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and chili powder.

When the meat is browned, mix in salsa and cook for around 4 minutes on medium heat.

Remove from heat and let cool off.

Assemble Taco Dip

Take the cream cheese base from your fridge and spread in on your plate.

Next, give a layer of the taco meat over it, followed by lettuce, olives, green onions, tomatoes and finally cheese.

Serve the Taco Dip with chips, yum.

Leftovers can be stored for around 4 days in the fridge. Freezing is not recommend.

Tips and tricks

You will recognize that I don’t use any chilis or jalapenos, because chili powder, smoked paprika and of course salsa have a lot of flavors and that included that spiciness as well. I am not missing anymore spicy flavors.

Therefore if you like a bit more hotness, add hot sauce, chilis or jalapenos.

Also, swap scallions for red onions if you like to.

More dip recipes to try

• Nacho Dip
• Million Dollar Dip
• Spinach Dip
• Hot Cheese Dip
• Potato Chip Dip
• Rotel Dip
• Crack Dip

Give my Taco Dip a try and share on Instagram and Facebook.

Enjoy, Florian.