Dips are my favourite food group. Yes, food group. If I ever got a tattoo, it would probably say something like: “pass the hummus”.
I was recently hosting a party-for-no-reason, and like most of my get togethers they involve a lot of food. But I didn’t feel like making a fallback dip, like tzatziki, or baba ganoush. No. I felt like leveling up and creating something I hadn’t tried to before. Something with BIG DIP ENERGY – a chunky, spicy, creamy, and above all impressive layer dip. I’d cooked pinto beans the night before, had a little tin of chipotle chilies kicking around the pantry, and I knew that if I cut a couple corners, this thing would come together so I’d still have time to tizz myself up before the guests arrived.
My childhood memories of layer dip involve many cans and jars of processed food being dumped into a large bowl, but the current-reality-holistic-nutritionist version definitely involves making every single one of those things from scratch. Mama don’t have time for that! So I simplified things by cutting out the guacamole (don’t yell at me like that – add it if you want to!), and using jarred salsa. Everything else was homemade, but came together quickly and easily.
First, I sautéed the pre-cooked pinto beans with onions, garlic, spices, and the chipotle peppers. While that was on the stove, I whipped up the hemp seed “queso” (no soaking required!). And the salsa got an upgrade with some fresh, chopped cherry tomatoes. This is such an easy hack btw, since it makes the salsa taste more alive and juicy, while giving it a lot more texture, which I personally dig. All it takes after that is mushing the beans up a bit in the pan, which you can do with a bean masher, or an immersion blender, if you don’t want to haul out yet another large piece of equipment. Then layer away! All in all, this took me about 20 minutes, start to finish, and the party people hung around this bowl like it was the last dip on planet earth.
The delicious, creamy “cheese” sauce is a riff off my cashew queso, but in the interest of keeping this allergen-free, I used hemp seeds instead. I love this change-up, since it’s less expensive, and contains way more omega-3 fats and protein. You can dial up the heat here if you like, but because both the salsa and the bean layer have quite a kick to them, I kept the queso pretty mild. Did I mention that this is delicious on its own next to a platter of veggie sticks?! Or chips. Let’s be honest.
Pinto Bean Dreams
Just look at those beautiful beans! Don’t they look gorgeous in all of their tone-on-tone mottled-ness? “Pinto” actually means “painted” in Spanish, and when you take a close look at pinto beans you can clearly see how they’ve earned their moniker. Their speckles fade when cooking, and turn a lovely pale pink colour. They also gain a super creamy interior that is perfect in soups and stews, but also dips.
Pintos, like all beans, are a mixture of protein and complex carbohydrates, making them incredibly filling, but won’t spike blood sugar levels. Pinto beans are low in calories and fat, but contain the highest amount of fiber out of all the legumes (wow!). Key nutrients in pinto beans include potassium to maintain normal blood pressure, calcium for supporting muscle and nerve function, iron to enhance oxygen transport, and zinc for skin health.
Like all beans, pintos can cause an increase in intestinal gas (burps! farts! abdominal discomfort!), due to the oligosaccharides in the beans fermenting in the lower intestine. Because these starchy molecules live in the skin of the beans, a simple soak in water overnight usually does the trick. The soaking process will help leach out many of these fermenting properties, which is why it is so important to discard the soaking water and then boil them in fresh water. Adding a strip of kombu seaweed to the pot will further help to reduce the gas-producing potential of pinto beans (and all legumes), acting like a sponge to absorb those raffinose sugar toot culprits. Try these two tricks to reduce your toilet tunes, and stay social!
I used a clear glass bowl to serve the dip in so that they layers are visible, and it was not until after pouring in two layers did I have the idea to put cilantro stems up on the sides of it. Doh! But knowing it would be #worthit, I painstakingly scooped out the beans and salsa trying to keep everything separate, cleaned the bowl, and started over. I lightly brushed the tiniest amount of olive oil on the leaves to act as glue, then pressed them to the walls of bowl. This is completely unnecessary, but it makes the dip look less monotone and more enticing in my opinion – green always does it! This step takes an extra two minutes and adds a decorative touch, but it’s your call. Maybe you need those two minutes to tizz yourself up?
If you want to change up the recipe, try using black beans or kidney beans in place of the pintos. If you want to add another layer to this already boss situation, go on and add the guac! I was just trying to keep things a little easier for ya’ll. And if you’d like to make your own salsa, I have a stellar raw recipe right here.
Lastly, I want to add that my bowl for this was roughly 1½ quarts / litres capacity, and everything it fit perfectly. I would only suggest sizing up if you don’t have this exact container size.
Legendary Layer Bean Dip
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. coconut oil (or ghee)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
½ tsp. fine sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano (substitute with regular oregano)
½ tsp. ground sweet paprika
3 cups / 500g cooked pinto beans (about 2 cans)
½ can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (use more or less to suit your taste)
water as needed
1 small bunch cilantro, washed and dried
1 pint / 280g cherry tomatoes, divided
1 green onion, sliced (white and green part)
1 small jar (15.5 oz. / 415ml) store bought salsa, mild medium or hot, depending on your tastes
1 cup / 145g hulled hemp seeds
1 medium red bell pepper, seeds removed and roughly chopped
½ tsp. fine sea salt
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
2-3 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
½ clove garlic
1 small piece fresh turmeric, chopped (substitute with ½ tsp. dried)
ground cayenne, to taste
3 Tbsp. water, if needed
Directions:
1. Melt oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, salt, and stir to combine. Cook until lightly caramelized (about 10 minutes), then add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes until fragrant. Stir in cumin, oregano and paprika, cook for 2 minutes, then add the beans and chipotles in adobo (use as much or as little as you like). Cover and cook on low heat while you make the queso. If the pot becomes dry, add a little water and stir.
2. To make the queso, put all ingredients, except water, in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. If needed, add water one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. If you want a thick cream, use less water, for a thinner sauce, use more. (You will not achieve a perfectly smooth sauce with a food processor, but it is still delicious!).
3. Slice the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Add half of them to the salsa and stir to combine. Save the other half for later.
4. Smash the beans with a bean masher, potato masher, immersion blender, or put them into your high-speed blender (remove the queso first, but don’t worry about cleaning it). The goal is to get the beans creamy, but not perfectly smooth. Add water if necessary, and season to taste.
5. Pick out a few stems of the most attractive cilantro, brush them with a little olive oil and stick them to the inside wall of the bowl (this step is optional). Chop the remaining cilantro and set aside.
6. Combine the remaining cherry tomatoes and combine them with the sliced spring onion. Sprinkle with a little salt, and fold to combine.
7. To assemble the dip, Spread the bean layer in the bottom first, followed by the salsa and finally the hemp queso. Top with the chopped cilantro, and finally the fresh tomato mix. Serve with whatever you like to dip! Party on!
Hope you’re all doing well out there. If you are experiencing any semblance of Spring weather where you are, please send some my way. K thanks. Happy dipping!
xo, Sarah B
‘ll have to try making them sometime. Thank you for sharing your recipe suggestions. If you have any other recipes that you think I might enjoy, feel free to share them with me. I’m always looking for new and interesting dishes to try. 🙂
Drooling!! Thanks Sarah for the step by step in detail “Legendary Layer Bean Dip” recipe. Definitely going to share this delicious vegan recipe with my colleagues. I Love everything and cannot wait to try your every vegan recipes out.
There is no doubt that your recipes are so delicious that it looks as if you have added natural color to them.
Hi Sarah! I would like to try the dip as it sounds very delicious! Unfortunately I can’t find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in my local supermarket. Is there anything I can replace it with? 🙂
Hi Claudia! You can use a few dashes of your favorite smoky hot sauce!
What an amazing vegan dip! Legendary indeed! The fact that it is also grain-free is very satisfying and guilt-free. I could just enjoy my salads and chips with this dip! Thanks for sharing this very delicious recipe and wonderful idea!
You’re so welcome! 🙂
This is interesting. I learn new healthy and delicious recipe from your article. Thanks for sharing such a good blog.
Hello! This recipe looks very yummy! My family likes this very much. Thank youuu
nice post thanks for the information
My daughter loves making different dips. I will have to make this one with her – sounds delicious!
HI Sarah,
Thanks for that recipe. as a French woman living in the US (French-American family) I am very new to layered dips but this looks amazing. I am not sure from your recipe about what layer is what and in what order to put them in… may be you can help me understand it better ?
I have your books and i LOVE them. they are gorgeous and even if i don’t try as many as i want i would Ive been using the life changing loaf of bread recipe for years and its a staple in our home now. We have bread just at breakfast, but what a breakfast ! LOVE your books ! They always inspire me to be more creative. And with three kids under 5, it’s always a success. so, THANK YOU !
Also, i read your taco post, and I am sorry to hear about all your struggles with hormone balance. Many of my friends have some as well, who got over it with a little nutrition work instead of years of symtomatic medical treatments. I’ve heard of the woman code book, but one i reasd thats also great is “period repair manual” by Lara Briden. ND. Very good advice in there!
I am from a family of doctors and nutritionists, and in my experience what makes also a big diffrence in hormonal balance and blood sugar regulation is the cooking method. One that is not really well known because of marketing confusion is the soft steam cooking method – pressure cooking is not in this category. Provided you have the right steam-cooker, it’s a very quick method, and very easy, complements all other methods beautifully. I try to inform English speakers about it at my own pace in my facebook group (I’m not yet a professional health coach, but treaining for it). The best proponent and teacher of this method, to me, is my mother, nutritionist and author Christine Bouguet-Joyeux. Check out how she explains the impact of the cooking method at this link: https://www.famillessanteprevention.org/en/letters/what-is-the-best-cooking-method-for-a-healthy-and-flavorful-food/
I coauthored a recipe book on soft steam cooking with her, in French “tout à la vapeur douce”(2019)
I tell you that because I think it could help you balance blood sugar and shorten your cooking prep time… wouldn’ that be awesome!
i’d be thrilled to chat with you about it, if I could, and so would Christine. What we seek is to help people be more healthy, by cooking without spending hours in the kitchen. And in the US, it’s a challenge. To me, soft steam cooking is the ticket. But we would love english-speaking cooks to know more about it too! so people get back to liking cooking, and are healthier – especially in times of pandemic !!!
ALl the best, and keep inspiring us Please!
Bernadette Jastrebski
Wow! What a thoughtful comment, thank you so much for taking the time to send this info and for your sweet words. To be a little bit healthier everyday is something we all need, especially at this time–thank you for your love and support! <3
Can I make this a day in advance and refrigerate?
Thanks!
Hello Sarah! You could make all the individual components a day in advance but compile just before serving.
It’s so delicious
Oooooooh, I have never heard of this bean cake !
It looks absolutely delicious!
https://www.ecoislogical.com/
/Nathalie
nice post thanks for sharing
Made the hemp heart queso from this minus the garlic and added a dash of cumin. It was amazing! The texture was spot on and it’s great you don’t have to worry about soaking. Such a good recipe!
Hi Michelle,
Soooo thrilled to hear you’ve had great success with this one! I like the cumin addition for sure 🙂
xo, Sarah B
Healthy, colorful and easy to make ,definitely making it again
Hi
Would you recommend sprouting these beans first? Or just soaking them overnight?? I don’t know much about sprouting (I read your hummus post that’s why I’m wondering about this) … I’m assuming when you sprout beans you shouldn’t cook them? Thanks in advance !!!
Hi Michelle,
No, you don’t sprout these before cooking. Just soak, drain, rinse, cook 🙂 I hope that helps!
Best,
Sarah B
Mmm i’m definitely adding this to my repertoire!
For more information About How to make Delicious Food Recipes.
http://www.howtomakedeliciousfood.com
This is very really unique helpful information. keep it up. Thank you so much!
It was amazing
Thank you for the recipe ?
Keep up the great work
a vegan layer dip?! yes pleaseee! That looks scrumptious ! your photos are seriously goals 😉 so pretty!! thanks for sharing again
You’re so welcome Olivia! I hope you love the dip as much as I do!!!
xo, Sarah B
This looks exquisite! Beans are an amazing party food. I actually made a chocolate peanut butter hummus today! Not gonna lie, it would have been so neat to create a savory bean dip and eat it all myself because it is the best 😉
Thanks Cassie! You made WHAT?!? That sounds crazy, but delicious! Haha 😀
xo, Sarah B
That looks incredibly delicious! I am definitely trying out your recipe, love what I see there! Keep sharing such wonderful recipes!
xoxo
Jessika
https://www.ceraonline.org/
Thanks Jessika, I will! I hope you enjoy the bean dip too 🙂
xo, Sarah B
I’m trying this tomorrow!!!! Nice and amazing recipe shared by you, thank you so much for that.
So is the hemp mixture a riff on real cheese? I am not vegan and I embrace all cheese. What would I use in stead of hemp?
Hello Marinanne,
Yes, the hemp seed queso is similar to the one I made here: https://mynewroots.wpenginepowered.com/2017/09/tempeh-tacos-with-raw-cashew-queso/
except that I wanted to make a non-allergenic version for those that cannot tolerate nuts 🙂 You are welcome to use any cheese you like, but I’d also encourage you to try the hemp seed queso out for a change! You might really love it!
All the best,
Sarah B
Best,
Sarah B
This may be a silly question, but you talk about soaking the beans before cooking to reduce the gassiness. Does that only work if the beans are not already cooked (i.e. canned)? In other words, did you soak these canned beans?? Thanks,! This sounds delish….going to make it for Mother’s Day 🙂
Hi Dorothy!
No silly questions 🙂 The soaking step is for dried beans only – if you are going to use canned, the beans are already cooked so you can skip that step. I always encourage people to cook their own beans from dried, but I also create my recipes in amounts that translate into canned, so that people don’t have little bits of leftovers! I hope you get to try the dip and enjoy it.
xo, Sarah B
This dip sounds amazing! A few years back I made a vegan cheese dip based on cashews and nutritional yeast (https://www.schuesselglueck.de/veganer-kaesedip/) – it came out great and I guess it’s similar to the vegan queso you mentioned. But as a layer dip in combination with the spicy beans… this sound’s perfect for the upcoming summer parties! Thanks so much for sharing, Sarah 🙂
xx Corinna
Hi Corinna!
Yum, your dip sounds divine! Yes, it’s similar to the cashew queso I posted a couple years back 🙂 I hope you try it in combination with the beans and salsa too…heaven 😉
xo, Sarah B
We be making this veeeery soon together, yes?!
Ummm, DUH!
love ya 😉
This was absolutely fabulous. I served it at a girls’ get-together last night, and everyone loved it. Looking forward to making it again!
Hey Allison,
That is so great to hear! Glad the ladies enjoyed <3
xo, Sarah B
I’ve been wanting to find a vegan layer dip for a long time! I have to make this right away! Darn work getting in the way today 🙂
Haha…I know how that goes Anneli 😉 I hope you get to make it SOON!
xo, Sarah B
This dip looks epic – I feel like this would be such a crowd pleaser for a party/shared meal. Can’t wait to try it, especially the hemp cheese!
Hi Gabriella,
It IS epic! Haha (slightly biased). Seeing people crowd around this one makes me really happy. I hope your friends love it too!
best,
Sarah B