This easy, no-bake cottage cheese taco dip is the perfect appetizer to bring to tailgates or game day parties. Layered flavors of beans, taco seasoned cottage cheese, smashed avocado, taco sauce, and other fresh ingredients give you all the flavors of a tasty taco, but served as a dip with crunchy tortilla chips instead.

If you are ever looking for me at a game-day party or tailgate, I recommend you check the snacks, apps, and dips table first because that is most likely where you will find me.

While I am a big fan of cold dips, hot dips, dips for breads, or classic chip dips, one thing that I am NOT a fan of when it comes to dips is sour cream. For someone who likes greek yogurt… I feel confident in saying that it’s just a mindset issue… but never the less, I don’t like sour cream.

Lately, that hasn’t been an issue though because I have simply been making most of my dips with cottage cheese instead. Cottage cheese is a protein packed ingredient that adds a perfect creamy consistency to most dip recipes, making it a perfect sour cream swap.

Want to try a cottage cheese dip but don’t know where to start? Try out this delicious cottage cheese taco dip recipe. Layered taco flavors like refried beans, avocado, and taco seasoned cottage cheese will have you happily serving this healthy chip dip recipe all season long!

Let’s get to the recipe:

What is a cottage cheese taco dip?

This cottage cheese taco dip recipe puts a seasoned cottage cheese spin on the popular no-bake, 7-layer dip. Known for its beautifully layered ingredients, 7-layer dip is made with ingredients like refried beans, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and other taco flavors. It’s always a hit!

Instead of adding a layer of sour cream, I opted for a layer of taco seasoned, blended cottage cheese instead. Cottage cheese is really a perfect ingredient to add to dips because it’s creamy, neutral in flavor, and can be incorporated into both sweet and savory dips recipes.

The blended cottage cheese taco seasoning layer not only enhances flavor of this dip, but also adds over 50 grams of protein for a more filling, healthy chip dip recipe. In fact, one serving of this delicious dip has 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

If you want a game-day appetizer idea that can be made ahead of time, is no-bake, and is protein-packed yet still delicious then you should save this recipe! Trust me, you and the other fans will love it.

Want another cottage cheese dip idea? Try out my **high protein buffalo chicken dip with cottage cheese and greek yogurt!**

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What are taco flavors?

One of the best parts about this taco flavored cottage cheese dip is that it is entirely customizable with your own personal favorite taco flavors! My suggestion is to think of what your ideal taco would look like, taste like, or be dipped into… then add those flavors to your chip dip!

Here are a few taco flavor suggestions to help inspire you:

Beans like refried beans or whole beans.
A creamy dairy ingredient like blended cottage cheese, flavored greek yogurt, or the classic sour cream addition.
Colorful ingredients like avocado, tomatoes, black olives, bell peppers, and onions.
Smokey or spicy flavors like jalapeño, green chiles, adobo peppers, cayenne pepper, hot salsa, or spicy taco sauce.
Herbs, greens, and spices like cilantro, green onion, taco seasoning, paprika, or chili powder,
Cheese like cheddar cheese or even crumbled cotija cheese.
Proteins like ground beef, shredded chicken, ground turkeys, or brisket.

And more!

Want another taco flavored chip dip recipe? Try this cottage cheese chuys jalepeno ranch dip!

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How to make this taco flavored chip dip with cottage cheese:

Ingredients:

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this cottage cheese dip recipe:

Refried beans- You can use the canned refried beans or make your own from scratch.
Avocado- Buy some that are slightly soft to the touch. Feel free to use a store-bought guacamole if you want to save time!
Lime- Can be added to taste
Jalapeño- This is optional but adds a nice crunch and flavor to your avocado layer.
Taco seasoning- Feel free to use store-bought taco seasoning or make your own from scratch.
Cottage cheese- With the other higher fat ingredients, I recommend using low fat cottage cheese. You can use any brand that you prefer, my favorites are the daisy brand or good culture cottage cheese. This will be blended with taco seasoning in a blender or food processor.
Taco sauce- Any brand you prefer and you can choose green or red! You can also use salsa if thats preferred.
Shredded cheddar cheese- I recommend buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself for best flavor.
Sliced black olives- Added to taste.
Roma tomatoes- I recommend using Roma tomatoes for your diced tomatoes because they have less juice than other varieties. This helps them maintain their shape better and reduces the amount of moisture they would add to the top of your dip.
Green onions- chopped and added to taste.
Tortilla chips for serving! My favorite are lime flavored tortilla chips but you can use your favorites… just try to get ones that are thick enough to scoop a layered dip without cracking.

Cottage Cheese Taco Dip Step-by-Step Instructions:

Step 1

Prep your layer ingredients by smashing together your avocado layer ingredients, blending together your taco seasoned cottage cheese ingredients together in a blender or food processor, and chopping all of your fresh ingredients for your top layer.

Step 2

Take a 9x13 baking dish and begin to add your layers. The order of the layers can be changed, but I do recommend trying to alternate the colors of the ingredients for a more colorful side profile. This is the layer order I recommend:

Layer 1- Refried beans.

Layer 2- Avocado mix (or store-bought guacamole).

Layer 3- Cottage cheese taco seasoning blend.

Layer 4- Taco sauce (or salsa).

Top Layers- Sprinkle on shredded cheddar cheese, black olives, diced roma tomatoes, and green onions.

LTN Tip- Feel free to incorporate any other flavored layers that you like. For best results, try to vary up the colors of the layers and be sure to press your layers all the way to the side of your bowl or pan so that you can see them from the side.

Step 3

Serve your cottage cheese taco dip with tortilla chips, carrots, cucumber, or even scooped onto proteins like grilled chicken or baked tacos. Enjoy!

Swaps, substitutions, and serving suggestions:

This taco flavored cottage cheese dip is incredibly customizable and can be made a different way for every party you bring it to! Here are a few suggestions:

Add more taco flavors to your cottage cheese: Blend cottage cheese with your taco seasoning and other taco flavors like cilantro, jalapeño, green chiles, and more!
Add a protein: You can easily add a layer of seasoned ground beef, shredded taco flavored chicken, or ground turkey for a high protein dip recipe.
Add some heat: Add a layer of jalapeños, buy spicy taco sauce or salsa, or add a dash of cayenne pepper to your blended cottage cheese for some extra spice.
Use whole beans: Not a fan of refried beans? You can layer whole beans at the bottom of your dish instead.
Swap what you serve it with: This dip is delicious served with tortilla chips but can also be paired with fresh vegetables like carrots and cucumber or even as a taco dip for handheld tacos!

And more! Make this recipe your own and tag me on instagram with any fun ideas you come up with!

Recipe FAQ:

What kind of bowl should I serve this cottage cheese dip in?
1. Like most 7-layer dips, the beauty of this cottage cheese dip recipe is in the colorful layers so I recommend starting with a glass serving bowl.
  You can use a 9x13 dish, smaller glass rectangles if you want to make multiple containers of the dip, or even serve it in a deep circular glass bowl for thicker layers that will look beautiful.
How much protein is in this taco cottage cheese dip?
1. The refried beans, blended cottage cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese add a boost of protein to this chip dip recipe and each serving has 8 grams of protein. If you want a high protein dip recipe, you can add a layer of proteins like ground beef or shredded chicken.
How long will this dip stay good for?
1. . This dip does have a layer of avocado in it, which could begin to brown if stored for too long. While it’s best enjoyed immediately, you can prep this dip 24 hours ahead of the party for a make-ahead appetizer and save any leftovers for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Other healthy dip recipes you will love:

Looking for other game day dip ideas? I have a few on my blog that I think you will love:

2 ingredient cottage cheese ranch dip

Get the recipe

Healthy spinach and artichoke dip recipe (no mayo!)

Get the recipe

Peanut Butter Caramel Fruit Dip

Get the recipe

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Cottage Cheese Taco Dip