My Southwest avocado dip layers creamy avocado crema with a zesty mix of black beans, sweet corn, and juicy tomatoes. Make it in 25 minutes! Afterward, serve it with tortilla chips or veggies for a delicious appetizer or party snack.
Grab your shovels, I mean, tortilla chips, and dig into more favorite dip recipes like restaurant-style salsa, corn dip, and pico de gallo.
Hey, dip lovers! I’ve seen a lot of creamy avocado dips out there, or versions that combine the ingredients in a creamy base. And, I really can’t knock the convenience. However, I can’t resist a layered dip, so I made my Southwestern avocado dip with layers of beans, corn, and tomatoes in between smooth, creamy avocado. It takes a bit more effort to layer the dip than simply mixing or blending everything, but it’s worth it!
What Makes This Avocado Dip Stand Out at the Snack Table
- Delicious layers. Rather than blending everything smooth like avocado hummus or stirring everything together like salsa, this avocado dip has (literal) layers of flavor. Layering the chunky beans and corn between the smooth, creamy avocado gives this dip some tasty texture and contrast.
- Rich, creamy avocado. My secret to my avocado dip’s ultra-creamy texture? Sour cream! I use light sour cream, which adds flavor and creaminess without weighing down the dip. You could easily swap it with Greek yogurt, like some other recipes I’ve seen. It makes this dip similar to avocado crema (like you’d smother over Mexican elote).
- Simple seasonings. This dip is a good way to use up overripe avocados. They’re extra creamy, and once you add a few easy seasonings like cumin, chili powder, and lime juice, you’d never guess that the avocados were older. I like to keep the seasoning in this recipe light, so it enhances the ingredients rather than overpowering them.
Ingredients You’ll Need
With only two layers, the avocado layer and the black bean-corn-tomato layer, this dip is perfect whenever I’m craving a quick alternative to, say, a Mexican 7-layer dip, which is a bit more involved.
There are only a few ingredients to gather from the pantry or grocery store, so here they are! Scroll down to the printable recipe card below for the amounts, followed by step-by-step instructions with photos.
- Avocados – Make sure they’re ripe, and as I mentioned earlier, it’s fine if your avocados are even a little overripe (as long as they’re still green inside, and not brown and mushy). Slice the avocado in half using a sharp knife (mind the pit!). Then, remove the pit and use a spoon to scoop the avocado out of the skin.
- Sour Cream – This can be light sour cream, like the one I use, full-fat, or you can substitute it with Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, or mayonnaise instead. Keep in mind that mayo will give your dip a different, much richer flavor.
- Seasonings – I season my avocado layer with ground cumin, chili powder, freshly ground pepper, and salt. You can swap chili powder for cayenne pepper if you’d like. Another option is to replace the individual spices with a blend, like fajita seasoning or taco seasoning.
- Lime Juice – I recommend freshly squeezed lime juice. Bottled will work in a pinch, but the flavor just isn’t as “wow”!
- Black Beans and Corn – Canned black beans and canned sweet corn kernels work perfectly here. Drain and then rinse the canned ingredients before you add them to the dip. You can also shave the fresh kernels from grilled corn on the cob (see my grilled Mexican corn chicken salad recipe).
- Tomato –Dice up a plump, ripe Roma tomato or similar. You could also use cherry tomatoes.
- Cilantro – If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, use parsley instead.
Make It Spicy
This dip is creamy and mild, but you can absolutely amp up the spiciness to suit your crowd. Add more chili powder or cayenne pepper, or blend a seeded jalapeño pepper into the avocado crema for an extra kick. You can also stir diced jalapeño in with the tomatoes, beans, and corn.
Is This Avocado Dip the Same as Guacamole?
Guacamole is a Mexican dip made from mashed avocado and lime juice. The dip in this recipe includes sour cream and seasonings, so it’s more like a crema and less like a chunky guacamole. That being said, if you’re sitting with leftover avocado mixture, it’s great served alone as a stand-in for guac on Mexican night. 😉
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- 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pit removed
- 1 cup sour cream, or plain yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels
- 1 tomato, diced
- chopped parsley or cilantro, for garnish
- Tortilla Chips, for serving
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Blend the base. Combine avocados, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lime juice in a blender; blend until smooth. If it’s too thick, add more sour cream and lime juice to thin it out. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
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Combine the mix-ins. In a small mixing bowl, mix the black beans, sweet corn kernels, and chopped tomato.
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Layer the dip. In a serving bowl, layer 1/3 of the corn and beans mixture; top with 1/3 of the avocado mixture. Continue to layer, finishing with the bean mixture on top.
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Chill and then serve. Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Place in refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes, or until chilled. Serve with tortilla chips.
Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 492mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 11.8mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make a Southwest Layered Avocado Dip
This dip comes together in minutes, whether you make your avocado layer in the blender like I do here or mix it by hand. The longest step is waiting patiently while your freshly layered avocado dip chills in the fridge (don’t skip it, that’s when the flavors mingle!). Follow the steps below:
- Prepare the avocado crema. First, blend the avocado with sour cream, seasonings, and lime juice until that’s smooth. For a chunkier dip, you can mash this up by hand. You can add more sour cream if you find the dip too thick.
- Mix the bean salsa. Next, stir together the beans, corn kernels, and chopped tomato in another bowl.
- Assemble the dip. Now, layer the black bean-corn-tomato mixture and the avocado mixture into a serving bowl. I usually use about ⅓ of each per layer, starting and ending with the beans.
- Chill, then serve. Pop the dip into the fridge for 15-30 minutes, and garnish with cilantro or parsley for serving.
Storing Leftovers
This avocado dip is best when it’s made fresh. The sour cream and lime juice should keep the avocado layer from going brown quickly, however, I recommend enjoying leftovers within a day or two. Store the dip covered airtight in the fridge.
