Refried beans, spicy sour cream and guacamole all layered together to create a delicious low carb 7 layer dip to please a crowd… or to devour while bing watching the latest season of Shameless… no judgement here…
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Yummm who doesn’t love 7 layer dip? It’s always the first appetizer I dive into at a potluck and the first to be licked clean. It’s not often you have to find room in the fridge for this delicious dip after the party is over!
I’ve been making 7 layer dip for years. I love creating all those perfect layers; the clean lines and beautiful colours are so much fun to make! With proper layer / ingredient choices, this 7 layer dip is easily transformed into a great keto friendly dip, one your friends and family won’t even know is made low carb style.
Why it works
- We take the refried bean layer and turn it into a layer of low carb refried beans! You still get all that beany flavour and texture – low carb style!
- Using ingredients like avocado, tomato, jalapeños and green onion add freshness and crunch to this yummy appetizer.
- Homemade taco seasoning sets the mood, bringing extra flavour to the whole dip.
Ingredients
There are (can you guess?) 7, yes 7, layers in this Mexican Low Carb 7 Dip. This is what you will need:
Low Carb Refried Beans
- black soy beans
- jalapeno
- garlic
- cumin
- chili powder
- sea salt
- lime juice
Taco Sour Cream
- sour cream
- taco seasoning
Guacamole
- avocados
- lemon juice
- mayonnaise
- garlic
- sea salt
- cayenne
The Rest
- cheese
- tomatoes
- green onion
- jalapeno
Boom. Dip made in heaven. Well.. made on your kitchen counter.. but tastes like it was made in heaven. 😜
How to make Mexican Low Carb 7 Layer Dip
You’ll want to start with making the refried beans as they need to cool before you can build the dip.
Low Carb Refried Beans
Do you have an Instant Pot? You can make them in no time at all by following this Instant Pot Refried Beans recipe. Just cut the recipe in half or make the whole batch so you have leftovers for all your other refried beany needs such as Low Carb Quesadillas or Hot Bean and Cheese Dip.
Here is how to make them on the stove top:
Mince some garlic and dice up a jalapeño. I recommend leaving at least half the seeds to add extra flavour, but if you really don’t like spice, leave them out. If you like more spice, add them all in including the white membrane and pith.
Heat some oil in a small saucepan and once hot, add cumin powder, chili powder, the minced garlic, diced jalapeño and a little sea salt. Cook for a minute or two until the spices are fragrant. Stir in rinsed black soy beans, then pour in 1 cup of water and the juice of 1 lime. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, adding an additional 1 cup of water or so during the cooking process. The water level should be just above the beans the whole time.
Once cooked, use an Immersion Blender to puree until smooth, or cool completely then puree in a blender. Refrigerate until cold.
Taco Sour Cream
Simply mix the taco seasoning with sour cream. Give this delicious Homemade Taco Seasoning a try!
Guacamole
Carefully open the avocados and remove their seeds. Remove the avocado flesh into a bowl and mash it into a puree with the remaining guacamole ingredients.
Build the Low Carb 7 Layer Dip
You are all ready to build this Low Carb 7 Layer Dip!
Choose a clear bowl to better display this beauty of a dip. I like to use one with a fairly straight vertical shape to show off the layers. When you build the layers, you want to carefully place the ingredients inside without touching the edges on the way down, otherwise it’ll mark it up and you’ll lose those clean lines.
Start with 1 cup refried beans. Gently place them inside the bowl and using a small spatula, push the beans down evenly in the bowl. Slowly work your way out to the edges, then even the beans out.
Now you can add the taco sour cream using the same method. Carefully place the sour cream in the center of the beans and slowly work it out to the edges.
The guacamole will be a bit trickier because it will want to sink into the sour cream. For this one, place little clumps all over the sour cream, very gently, until the whole batch of guacamole is used up. the surface should be mostly covered at this point, so use that small spatula to ever so gently smear the guacamole evenly around the center and the edges.
Grate the cheddar cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the whole surface of the guacamole.
Dice the tomato, chop the green onion and slice up the jalapeño. Spread each around the top of the low carb 7 layer dip as even as possible. Dive on in!
Watch the whole thing go down:
Expert Tips
- Not feelin’ the low carb refried beans? This can be replaced with either taco seasoned ground beef or sugar free salsa.
- Be very careful when removing the pit from the avocado – this is a common injury as the knife can easily slip from the pit. Be sure to keep your hands out from underneath the knife at all times! To take the pit out, place your knife and press into the pit. Once the knife it lodged in the pit, twist the knife and out pops the pit!
- Dice the veggies up nice and small so that they are easier to pick up with your cracker or chip.
- Slow and steady wins the race. Take your time creating the layers so that they turn out nice and beautiful!
Dipping options
Are you super pumped about this dip? It’s so delicious it’s a bit ridiculous, FYI. Don’t say didn’t warn you. Just wait ’til you add some epic dipping buds to the picture.
Low Carb Cheese Crackers
These crunchy bunches of love are made with almond flour, cheddar cheese, spices, butter and an egg white. They are quick and easy plus taste amazing with this Mexican Low Carb 7 Layer Dip! Check out this Crunchy Low Carb Cheese Cracker recipe.
Cheese Crisps
Do you want to skip the carbs completely? Cheese crisps take moments to prep, 8 minutes to bake and contain zero carbs! They also taste amaaaazing with this Mexican Low Carb 7 Layer Dip! Read this Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup post for instructions on how to make cheese crisps!
Vegetables
Veggies are a great dipping option for this Mexican Low Carb 7 Layer Dip. Here are my favourite vegetables to use:
- Broccoli
- Green Beans
- Cauliflower
- Pepper slices
- Mushrooms
- Radishes
Low Carb Baked Tortilla Chips
These are my favourite dippin’ pals for this low carb 7 layer dip, and they are crazy easy to make! Get the recipe for these 7 Minute Low Carb Baked Tortilla Chips.
Can you have guacamole on keto?
Yes and no. Homemade guacamole? Heck yes, just don’t add sugar. It doesn’t need it anyways!
Store bought? Be careful, a lot of brands add sugar to their guacamole. If you are looking for a store bought guacamole, read the label carefully!
Which Bean is lowest in carbs?
It’s a sad, sad fact that beans are high in carbs. Green beans are relatively low so I tend to consume these often to get in my fix. I don’t think green beans would make the best refried beans… 🤢 So I turn to black soy beans for all my refried beany needs!
Black soy beans are super low in carbs and can totally mimic black beans. Per 1/2 cup, black beans have 44 grams net carbs whereas black soy beans have 1 g net carbs for the same amount! Crazy right? I also love to add them to my Low Carb Chili for the bean texture factor.
Appetizers
As you all probably know, I looooove appetizer night! We have it often in my home. Here is a list of other low carb appetizers that would go well with this Mexican Low Carb 7 Layer Dip:
- Pepperoni Pizza Bites
- Deviled Eggs
- Cheesy Keto Flatbread
- Wings with Teriyaki Sauce
- Meat and cheese platter
- Veggies with Ranch Dip
Love this recipe? Try these next:
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Mexican Low Carb 7 Layer Dip
Ingredients
Low Carb Refried Beans
- 1 can black soy beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tbsp chili powder
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- 1 lime
- 1 cup water
- 1 jalapeño
Taco Sour Cream
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
- 2 tbsp homemade taco seasoning
Guacamole
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- Pinch black pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- Pinch cayenne
Topping Layers
- ½ cup packed grated cheddar cheese
- ½ small tomato
- 2 tbsp green onion
- ½ jalapeño
Instructions
Equipment Needed
- Instant Pot or Saucepan
- Mixing Bowls
- Clear Serving Bowl
- Small Spatula for even layers
Directions
Low Carb Refried Beans
- Follow these instructions to make the refried beans in the instant pot, otherwise continue reading for the stove top method.
- Mince the garlic and dice up the jalapeño. I recommend leaving at least half the seeds to add extra flavour, but if you really don’t like spice, leave them out. If you like more spice, add them all in including the white membrane and pith.
- Heat olive or avocado oil in a small saucepan and once hot, add the cumin, chili powder, minced garlic, chopped jalapeño and sea salt. Cook for a minute or two until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the black soy beans then pour in 1 cup of water and the lime juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, adding an additional 1 cup of water or so during the cooking process. The water level should be just above the beans the whole time.
- Once the hour is up, use an Immersion Blender to puree until smooth, or cool completely then puree in a blender. Refrigerate until cold.
Taco Sour Cream
- Simply mix the taco seasoning with sour cream. Give this delicious Homemade Taco Seasoning a try!
Guacamole
- Carefully open the avocados and remove their seeds. Scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl and mash it into a puree with the remaining guacamole ingredients.
Build the Low Carb 7 Layer Dip
- Without touches the sides of the container, place 1 cup refried beans in the bottom of the serving bowl. Use the small spatula to push the beans down and spread out evenly along the bottom of the dish.
- Now you can add the taco sour cream. Try not to touch the edges as you scoop it on top of the beans, then spread out evenly.
- Gently plop the guacamole over the surface of the sour cream until it is fully used up, then use the spatula to spread out evenly.
- Top the guacamole with grated cheddar cheese, then the diced tomato, chopped green onion and lastly the sliced jalapeño.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Not feelin’ the low carb refried beans or following strict keto? This can be replaced with either taco seasoned ground beef or sugar free salsa.
- Be very careful when removing the pit from the avocado – this is a common injury as the knife can easily slip from the pit. Be sure to keep your hands out from underneath the knife at all times! To take the pit out, place your knife and press into the pit. Once the knife it lodged in the pit, twist the knife and out pops the pit!
- Dice the veggies up nice and small so that they are easier to pick up with your cracker or chip.
- Slow and steady wins the race. Take your time creating the layers so that they turn out nice and beautiful!
