Mexican 7-Layer Dip (Vegan)

If you are getting ready for the game night party or any other, then this Mexican 7-layer dip is an ideal appetizer. This is one of my favorite party appetizers.

The TLC version of Mexican 7-layer dip offers a mix of complex flavors--limey, smoky, creamy, spicy--without any hefty intake of salt or heavy dairy-based sour cream.

The best thing about this appetizer is that you can do the component cooking for the key layers a day or two in advance and assemble the dip within minutes on the game night, which is around the corner. Just be ready with some healthy chips to scoop this Mexican 7-layer dip.

A note on eating layered food: source of excess salt

Let's pause a minute to ruminate on the health effects of eating layered food? What is layered food? Think of recipes that combine two of more separate (cooked or uncooked) recipes that get assembled before eating. For example, pizza--pizza crust, tomato sauce, veggie topping, and cheese--has at least four layers. The crust and tomato sauce each has a sub recipe requiring salt. Therefore, the layered food recipes tend to have excess salt. If you are watching salt,  a good practice to do so after age 40 to prevent the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, it's a good idea to make these layered food recipes at home so that you can lower the salt content. This Mexican 7-layer dip offers a healthy alternative to a dip bought from a restaurant or grocery store.

Let's make the Mexican 7-layer dip: Layer-by-Layer

Don't let the mention of 7-layers in this Mexican dip scare you. If you follow the component cooking principle, i.e. making a few things in advance, then assembling this zesty, creamy dip is a breeze on the day you want to serve it--either to your family or a crowd. Before moving forward let me unveil the star of this recipe--dried chipotle chili powder.

Layer 1: Make the refried beans. You can totally omit this step and use the canned refried beans. However, store-bought refried beans tend to much higher in sodium than the regular pinto beans or the ones made at home. To make refried beans at home, either use canned pinto beans or make from scratch from dry beans. I have used low-sodium canned pinto beans. To make from scratch, you will need about 3/4 cups of dry pinto beans. Before using any canned beans, rinse under running water thoroughly to wash away the metallic taste as well as extra sodium. Add chopped green onions (or any other type) to pre-heated oil in a pan, then add rinsed pinto beans with dried chipotle chili powder and cook with water for about 10 minutes. Start mashing the beans while cooking with the back of the cooking spatula/spoon till they are mashed completely. You can make refried beans a day or two in advance and store in an air-tight container in refrigerator. Before assembling, just microwave to bring the beans to room temperature. (Total Time: 11 minutes)

Layer 2: make the basic guacamole. Do this step just before assembling the dip as the homemade guacamole tends to become brown. You can also buy real pre-prepared guacamole from the grocery store. Please don't buy the one laced with chemicals. It's just not going to taste good. This step takes only 5 minutes. Crush a fresh avocado and mix with a pinch of salt, homemade cumin powder, and freshly-squeezed lime juice. (Total Time: 5 minutes)

Layer 3: make the zesty, garlicky cashew sour cream. This cashew sour cream is a much healthier alternative to the regular sour cream. Soak the cashews at least 3-4 hours in advance in warm water. Rinse and add to a blender with cloves of garlic and homemade taco seasoning--a mixture of cumin and dried chipotle pepper. Add cashews, spices, and garlic to a blender with filtered water and blend till well-mixed. If you (or a family member) is allergic to cashews, you can use pumpkin seeds instead. Make this cream a day or two ahead of the party and store in the refrigerator. (Total Inactive Time: 3-4 hours for soaking; Total Active Time: 3 minutes)

Layer 4: Store-bought salsa. Choose one that does not have too much liquid as the liquid tends to seep into the bottom layers. I spooned out a couple of teaspoons of liquid from the store-bought salsa before adding it to the dip. Add it just before assembling the 7-layer dip. You can replace salsa with homemade pico de gallo to make the dip even healthier. (Total Time: 1 minute)

Layer 5: Add the shredded lettuce. This is a staple in a Mexican 7-layer dip. often use finely shredded romaine lettuce and it works out fine. So go with the one you have at hand. It's best to have freshly shredded lettuce. (Total Time: 10 minutes, especially if you are chopping a full head of lettuce).

Layer 6: homemade pico-de-gallo. Don't be daunted by the fancy name, it is just a quick tomato and onion salad sprinkled with a lot of fresh cilantro, a couple of pinches of homemade cumin powder and lime juice. Go bold and add a seeded jalapeño  as well if you would like the dip to be on the spicier side. Make this salad just before assembling the dip otherwise it tends to become watery. (Total Time: 5 minutes)

Layer 7: chopped black olives with more cilantro. This is kind of a controversial layer at our home. The kids HATE the olives and I like them. So if you don't like olives in your dip, you can either add to the half side of the dip or totally omit them. If you not putting olives just add more cilantro. (Total Time: 2 minutes). Enjoy!

Can I store this Mexican 7-layer dip?

Unfortunately, no! But you can totally make the two components--refried beans and zesty cashew cream-- in bulk and freeze those for at least for one month. If you have those two at hand, assembling the dip takes only minutes.

More Mexican recipes on TLC

Mexican Tortilla Soup (with Beans)

Quick Black Bean and Fresh Corn Salad

Let me know if you made this dip

Drop a comment below if you make this dip. I would love to hear from you. Enjoy the game! Who are you rooting for? Patriots or Rams?