Liven Up Black Bean Dip With A Dollop Of Sour Cream

Black bean dip is one of the easiest crowd-pleasing appetizers, combining minimal ingredients and a few whirls of your food processor. It's chunky, hearty, and bursting with rich, spicy, and aromatic flavors with the help of garlic, cilantro, onions, and chili peppers. A dollop of sour cream is a quick and effortless addition that will liven up both the texture and flavor of your black bean dip.

Black beans are savory, rich, and starchy, complementing and tempering the robust spicy flavors of raw onions, garlic, and fresh chilies. Sour cream provides a zesty tanginess to round out the savory and spicy flavors of the dip. Plus, it will further tame the heat of fresh chili peppers without obstructing their inherent taste. You can fold a dollop of sour cream into your bean dip to keep the chunky consistency or blend sour cream in the food processor with the rest of your ingredients for an ultra-smooth and fluffy dip you can top with pico de gallo, pickled red onions, or roasted corn for textural contrast.

While sour cream is an easy staple to upgrade your black bean dip, there are plenty of other customizations you can make for added flavor, texture, or convenience. Furthermore, you can customize your sour cream as well, whether it's swapping dairy for a vegan sour cream or swapping regular sour cream for Mexican crema. Another option is to stir a packet of taco seasoning into your sour cream before adding a dollop to the black bean dip.

If you want to add toasted, caramelized flavors to your black bean dip, add your ingredients to a skillet instead of your food processor. Fry the onions, garlic, and chili peppers in earthy olive oil, adding a few cans of rinsed black beans and a bit of sour cream before mashing the mixture with the back of your spoon or a potato masher. If you'd rather not use fresh chili peppers, swap them for a small can of chipotles in adobo for a spicy, smoky, and sweet alternative.

While tortilla chips are the obvious choice to accompany your dip, you can also use black bean dip as a tostada spread to top with a guisado like pan-fried mushrooms, squash blossoms, or nopales. Another idea is to spread the dip over French bread or a bolillo to top with cotija cheese, avocado, and pickled onions for a more flavorful take on the classic Mexican mollete. It also makes a delicious stuffing for burritos, tacos, or fajitas.