Cheesy Refried Bean Dip
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Published May 07, 2025
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With grocery prices going loco, economical recipes like this Cheesy Refried Bean Dip are a total win. Made with just dried beans, a block of cheese, a jalapeño, and a few slices of bacon, it’s rich, creamy, a little spicy, and full of bold, comforting flavor.
Imagine if classic refried beans and spicy queso fundido had a love child—that’s what this tastes like. Melty, smoky, and made for scooping, spreading, or spooning onto just about anything.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This White Bean Dip
- What is Cheesy Refried Bean Dip?
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- What are Chivo Blanco Beans?
- Optional Variations
- Serving & Topping Suggestions
- Cheesy Refried Bean Dip Expert Tips & Tricks
- Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Recipes You’ll Love
- Cheesy Refried Bean Dip with Jalapeño & Bacon Recipe
Why You’ll Love This White Bean Dip
Affordable ingredients. A big batch costs around $5 and feeds a crowd.
Big, bold flavor. It’s like refried beans and queso fundido got married.
Creamy, cheesy, and a little spicy. Thanks to melty cheese and jalapeño.
Versatile. Not just a dip — slather it on crispy tostada shells or homemade flour tortillas for a quick Mexican snack.
Easy to customize. Use white, Peruvian, or pinto beans, and dial the heat up or down.
What is Cheesy Refried Bean Dip?
This dish is a creamy mash-up of classic refried beans and queso-style dip, made extra flavorful with bacon grease, crispy bacon pieces, and fresh jalapeño for heat. Think of it as a more indulgent version of frijoles refritos — melty, savory, and totally addicting.
Ingredients & Substitutions
The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Dried White Beans (Chivo Blanco) – These creamy Mexican beans are ideal for this recipe, but mayocoba (Peruvian) or pinto beans work just as well.
- Onion – Optional when cooking the beans, but adds extra flavor.
- Bacon – Cook until crisp and reserve the bacon grease to fry the beans.
- Jalapeño – Adds a subtle kick. Adjust the spice level by removing seeds or using less.
- Shredded Cheese – Use a good melty cheese like cheddar, Monterey Jack, Oaxaca cheese, or queso asadero.
What are Chivo Blanco Beans?
Chivo Blanco beans are a small, heirloom white bean variety native to Oaxaca, Mexico. They have a mild flavor and soft texture when cooked, making them perfect for refried beans and dips. If you can’t find them, mayocoba (also known as Peruvian or Canary beans) or even pinto beans are excellent substitutes.
How to Make Cheesy Refried Bean Dip
Step 1: Cook the Beans. Sift through the dried beans to remove any rocks or debris. Rinse thoroughly, then soak overnight.
Soaking the beans overnight is helpful but not required. Even a quick 1-hour soak can speed up cooking, but if you’re short on time, you can skip it altogether — just plan for a slightly longer simmer. Drain and cook the beans in a large pot of water (with optional onion) just like you would frijoles de la olla, until tender. Salt during the final hour of cooking.
Step 2: Cook the Bacon. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Once cooled, chop the bacon into small bits.
Step 3: Refry the Beans. Add about 1½ cups of the cooked beans and ½ cup of the bean broth to the skillet with the bacon fat. Use a potato masher to mash until mostly smooth. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring often, until the beans thicken to a paste — about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 4: Finish the Dip. While the beans are still warm, stir in the shredded cheese, diced jalapeños, and chopped bacon until well combined and melty. Serve warm with chips, tostadas, or tortillas.
Optional Variations
This recipe has not been tested with all of these substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
- Pork-Free: Swap in turkey bacon or beef bacon if preferred. Depending on the variety, you may need to add a little oil, schmaltz, duck fat, or shortening to supplement the pan drippings.
- Vegetarian: Skip the bacon and use vegetable oil or shortening for refrying. Stir in vegan bacon bits or smoked paprika to bring back that smoky, savory flavor.
- Extra Spicy: For more heat and bold flavor, replace the bacon with homemade Mexican chorizo or add roasted green chile peppers alongside the jalapeños.
Serving & Topping Suggestions
While I’m perfectly happy serving this cheesy refried bean dip with nothing more than crispy homemade tortilla chips, don’t feel limited! This creamy, smoky bean mixture is incredibly versatile — here are some delicious ways to use it:
- Layer it into a 7-layer dip for your next party spread.
- Spread it onto crispy tostadas with shredded lettuce, salsa, and avocado.
- Slather it on ham tortas or Mexican bacon-wrapped hot dogs for a bold twist.
- Use it to make cheesy bean molletes, Mexican sopes, or Mexican huaraches.
- Stuff it into chicken flautas, savory empanadas, or tamales for a filling with extra flavor.
- Serve it warm in homemade flour tortillas or homemade corn tortillas with avocado and your favorite Mexican salsa for a quick snack.
Cheesy Refried Bean Dip Expert Tips & Tricks
Make your own beans if you can. While canned beans work in a pinch, the flavor of a fresh pot of frijoles de la olla is unmatched — and dried beans are usually more economical, too.
No soak? No problem. While soaking beans overnight can reduce cooking time and improve texture, it’s totally fine to cook them from dry — just budget extra simmer time and keep them covered with enough water.
Hold the salt (at first). When cooking dried beans, wait to add salt or anything acidic until they’re mostly tender. Adding it too soon can toughen the skins and slow down the cooking process.
Grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is convenient, but it’s coated with anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly. Freshly grated cheese melts like a dream — and it’s more budget-friendly, too.
Save your bacon fat and bean broth. Don’t toss them! Bacon grease adds smoky depth to all kinds of recipes — like this cheesy skillet cornbread. Store it in the fridge for up to 6 months, or freeze it for even longer. The bean cooking liquid also makes an excellent broth for soups and stews — it’s packed with flavor and nutrients.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Room Temperature: Since this dip contains dairy and bacon, don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours without refrigerating.
- Refrigerated: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5–7 days.
- Frozen: For longer storage, freeze in individual portions or airtight containers for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: If frozen, defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently in the microwave (cover with a damp paper towel and heat at 50% power for 2–3 minutes, stirring halfway) or in the oven at 300ºF, covered with foil, until heated through. Add a splash of water or bean broth if needed to loosen it up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Refried beans are cooked beans mashed and fried with fat (usually lard or oil). This refried bean dip starts with that same base and adds cheese, bacon, and jalapeño for extra flavor — transforming it into a warm, melty, party-friendly dish.
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5–7 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. For details on reheating, jump to the Storage & Reheating Instructions section above.
This dip is best served warm, when the cheese is perfectly melty and scoopable. You can serve it cold or at room temperature, but it will be much thicker — and you’ll want sturdy chips to handle the texture.
More Recipes You’ll Love
If you tried this Cheesy Refried Bean Dip or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Cheesy Refried Bean Dip with Jalapeño & Bacon
Ingredients
Frijoles de la Olla
- 2 cups dried white beans, (such as chivo blanco, mayocoba, or pinto)
- ¼ onion, optional
- salt to taste
- water
Refried Bean Dip
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat (from cooked bacon), or olive oil
- 1 ½ cups cooked Frijoles de la Olla , plus 1⁄2 cup liquid
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese, (cheddar, Jack, Oaxaca, or asadero)
- 1 jalapeño, diced (optional)
- 3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
Instructions
- Sort through the beans, removing any debris. Rinse well. Soaking overnight is optional — you can also do a quick 1-hour soak, or skip it entirely and cook the beans straight through (just allow extra time). Drain and place in a pot with water (about 3 inches above beans) and optional onion.
- Simmer the beans covered, 2–4 hours, adding salt in the last hour. Add hot water as needed to keep them submerged. My grandma always kept a tea kettle warm on the stove for this — adding cold water can slow down the cooking process and may darken the beans.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the bacon grease in the skillet and chop bacon once cooled.
- To the bacon fat, add 1½ cups cooked beans and ½ cup bean broth. Mash with a potato masher and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, jalapeño, and bacon until combined and melty. Serve warm with tortilla chips or use as a spread or filling.
Notes
- Make-ahead: Cook beans up to 5 days in advance or freeze in portions for easy prep.
- Vegetarian? Use vegetable oil instead of bacon fat and skip the bacon — or sub in vegan bacon bits.
- Cheese: Freshly shredded cheese melts best.
- Bacon fat & bean broth: Save extras for soups, stews, or tamal dough — don’t toss them!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
