Black Bean Dip
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Break out the chips for this creamy black bean dip—it’s not only easy to whip up and healthy, but irresistibly delicious!
One of our most memorable family trips was to Costa Rica, where we explored the jungle, made friends with monkeys and sloths, and zip-lined above the rainforest (okay, I didn’t, but the rest of the family did). For me, the adventure was as much about the food as it was about the thrills. We enjoyed everything from homemade corn tortillas to hearty rice and beans, beef empanadas, and the classic arroz con pollo. One of my favorites was this deliciously creamy black bean dip. Although it’s not the prettiest dip at the party, its incredible flavor and simple preparation will make you fall in love at first bite.
“It’s so delicious…and also makes a GREAT filling for burritos. Spread it on a tortilla, add some chicken or beef, some sautéed veggies, cheese, sour cream, guac…YUM!”
What You’ll Need To Make Black Bean Dip
The secret is using lots of onions, garlic, jalapeños, and fresh lime juice to boost the flavor. I also like to add lots of fresh cilantro but if you don’t care for it, it’s perfectly fine to leave it out.
Two jalapeño peppers might seem like a lot, but I don’t use the seeds or ribs, which is where most of the heat is. The dip has a little kick, but it’s not spicy. If you like heat, you can add some of the seeds but go easy — you can always add more at the end.
Be sure to either wear gloves or wash your hands very well after handling jalapeños, and never touch your face while you’re chopping — if the juice comes in contact with your eyes, it will sting terribly!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeño peppers. Notice that I leave the garlic in fairly large chunks; if you chop it too finely, it will burn.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about ten minutes. Do not brown.
Combine the beans with onion mixture, salt, cumin, lime juice, water, and fresh cilantro in a blender or food processor.
Purée until almost smooth. If you’re using a blender, you may need to stop and stir it a few times.
Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and top with more fresh chopped cilantro and a lime wedge if desired. That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!
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Black Bean Dip
Break out the chips for this creamy black bean dip—it’s not only easy to whip up and healthy, but irresistibly delicious!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped*
- 2 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime, plus more if desired
- 3 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeño peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about ten minutes. Do not brown.
- Transfer the cooked onion mixture to a blender or food processor and add the black beans, salt, cumin, lime juice, water and cilantro. Blend until smooth (if you're using a blender, you may need to stop and stir a few times to help it out). If the dip is too thick, add more water or lime juice, little by little, to thin it out. Taste and adjust seasoning, then transfer to a serving bowl. Serve warm, cold or room temperature with tortilla chips.
- *Most of the heat from the jalapeños is in the seeds and ribs, so leave those out. If you like a spicier dip, reserve the seeds and add them little by little when you're blending the dip.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 114
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 231 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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We love the black bean dip at our local Mexican restaurant. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. It has great flavor, and I love that it’s such a healthy recipe. It makes me feel a lot better about all the chips that I eat with this fantastic dip.
Have made this a number of times and it is perfection.
This black bean dip is so, so, soooo good! Loved it! I could sit down alone and eat a whole bowl of it!
O M G!!! Best Bean Dip I have ever had … and I made it! The only change I made was to use vegetable stock instead of water … and I trusted you with the hottness and you were right, the recipe creates an amazing balance. Thank you!!
I made this last night, and it was super easy and quick. It doesn’t look very appealing but it tastes very nice. I served it with tortilla chips, which are already salty, so I halved the salt in the recipe. The flavours are balanced perfectly, but I would probably add some jalapeno seeds for thay extra kick if I was serving it to adults.
Wow! This was so easy to make and is SO delicious!
I wanted to make it for the first layer of a taco dip that calls for Frito Lay Jalapeno dip. I will never use the store-bought stuff ever again!
Of course, this made way more than I needed for the taco dip; after having a taste (it was still warm), my daughter announced she wanted some of the bean dip for dessert.
Now I need to look at your other recipes 🙂
So good!
Had some friends over recently for supper and they bought black beans and rice. Had tons of black beans left over so froze two quart bags of them – thinking “need to find a good dip recipe for these”. Now we’re invited to game night and wanted to bring some dips, so I found your recipe and made it up – absolutely delicious! We live in Panama, so can relate to your experiences in CR!
FIVE STARS from me!
I happened upon this recipe while I was cooking a huge batch of black beans. I followed the directions except I did not have any jalapeno on hand so just added a few dashes of hot sauce. This dip is very delicious. Great depth of flavor. My kids each ate a bowl with a spoon! I’m enjoying it with celery sticks. I’m really enjoying browsing your blog. You have a serious understanding of food but deliver it to the average home cook like me. I’m glad I found your blog. I look forward to trying more recipes. Thanks!
Had never been to your site and was looking up a recipe for a Black Bean Dip. I came across your recipe and it sounded simple and yummy. Of course, I also checked all the reviews. All so positive!!
No wonder! It turned out so Delicious. I added more garlic( I just love garlic) used red onion, the jalepeno is important and just kicked up the spices a little to our taste. EXCELLENT! Love your site so much that I decided to make your Smoky Chickpea and Red Lentil soup tonight to go with all the Super Bowl leftovers. Thank you for a great recipe.