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Cream Cheese Taco Dip

Cream Cheese Taco Dip combines a creamy white base with golden browned seasoned beef, melted cheddar, and crunchy toppings. Baked until bubbly for an easy party appetizer that’s scoopable with tortilla chips.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cream cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef
taco seasoning
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salsa
  • 0.5 cup salsa
jalapeños
  • 0.25 cup diced jalapeños
green onions
  • 0.25 cup chopped green onions
tortilla chips
  • 1 tortilla chips for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the taco beef
  1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it apart as it cooks for about 8 minutes, until no longer pink and browned in spots (visual cue: rich golden-brown color).
  2. Drain excess fat and stir in taco seasoning and salsa, cooking until the mixture is evenly coated, about 12 minutes (visual cue: thickened, glossy sauce clinging to beef).
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread softened cream cheese in the bottom of a shallow baking dish into an even layer (visual cue: smooth, white base).
  2. Top with the cooked seasoned beef mixture and spread lightly so it covers the cream cheese (visual cue: a browned beef layer over the white base).
  3. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the beef (visual cue: cheese fully covers in a thin layer).
  4. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted (visual cue: melted, lightly bubbly top).
Finish and serve
  1. Top the baked dip with diced jalapeños and chopped green onions (visual cue: bright green and red-green speckles on the surface).
  2. Serve immediately with tortilla chips for scooping (visual cue: chips arranged around the baking dish for dipping).

Notes

Pro tip: soften the cream cheese until spreadable so you get a smooth white layer. Store leftover dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat in the oven at 350°F until warm. Freezing is not recommended because the cream cheese texture can get grainy. For a lower-fat option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat shredded cheddar while keeping the same bake time.