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Paleo 7-Layer Dip is a fun dinner, lunch or appetizer recipe. Bean-free, dairy-free, AIP, Keto and featuring a zucchini-based “bean” dip layer, Paleo 7-Layer Dip uses five zucchini! So if it’s summertime where you are, and you have LOTS of zucchini to eat up, enjoy this fun dinner, lunch or appetizer recipe.

Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Gluten-free, AIP, GAPS and Anti-Inflammatory, make Paleo 7-Layer Dip to fit your dietary needs. Just follow the guidelines in the recipe.

For VAD, enjoy just the Zucchini Hummus with ground beef and tortillas — more on this below.

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Ingredients in 7 Layer Dip …

Bean-free, the bean layer of this dip is made with Zucchini Hummus. As you may know, both Mexican food and Middle Eastern food use cumin to create the right flavor profile. So Zucchini Hummus works great in this Mexican recipe, but you can also make just the Zucchini Hummus recipe, as a dip or spread by itself (for a Mediterranean meal or snack).

The AIP version of the recipe does not use cumin, as it’s a re-introduction spice.

How we came up with 7 Layer Dip as a meal

The strata created by layers of nutrient-dense toppings is a great crowd pleaser as the weather gets hot. We want cold foods that nourish.

When my husband and I were first married, we liked to eat homemade 7-Layer Dip as our whole dinner, once in a while. Homemade guacamole, homegrown tomatoes from the hot Texas soil (we then lived on), beans…. lovely! What a fun meal: interactive, casual and packed with flavor in every bite!

Years later, as we learned more about nutrition, Tillamook orange cheddar was replaced by grass-fed raw cheese; and who knows what kind of sour cream was replaced with probiotic-rich grass-fed sour cream.

And then, more recently, we eliminated dairy from our diets, and nightshades, and beans! — yet, still found a way (no problem!) to make this an amazing and fun recipe!

Dairy-free and Nightshade-free 7-Layer Dip Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that make up the 7 layers, from the bottom up!:

Zucchini Hummus — 5 zucchini are used in this recipe: 2 are steamed, and 3 are raw; all are peeled first, which makes this recipe lower in lectins.
Guacamole — A quick 3-ingredient recipe.
Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing — This layer works great in place of sour cream.
natural olives — With just water, olives and salt as ingredients, I use the Santa Barbara brand.
fresh radishes, chopped small — These are so pretty, and have a great spice flavor. Color-wise, they do a great job at replacing tomatoes, and if you’re Keto, they are lower in carbs than onions or tomatoes.
- If you prefer to use diced onions here, in place of radishes, you sure can.
ground beef — A new layer for this dip, it makes this recipe into a nourishing meal that’s actually more delicious and satisfying — plus obviously higher in protein and fat and lower in carbs.
fresh cilantro

What chips or dippers to use with Paleo 7-Layer Dip

Here are my favorite Paleo chip and dipper options:

Raw veggie chips — thin slices of fresh jicama, crisp lettuce hearts, cucumber slices…
Paleo tortillas — All of these can be fried in a little extra fat, and cut into wedges like chips, if you like:
- Tiger Nut Tortillas are perfect for AIP. Or make Paleo AIP Flatbread, which is cassava flour based.
- This one tastes like a whole wheat tortilla and works great for Keto.
Coconut oil sweet potato chips (not for Keto) — This brand has the right minimal ingredients, which is rare (but the sweet potatoes still aren’t organic).

The reason I don’t share more actual chip options is they almost don’t exist with the two qualifications required to actually be Paleo food: no PUFAs and organic.

If you’re Gluten-free and eat white corn, you may be able to find organic corn chips cooked in a good fat. Or, for GF and VAD, make easy homemade tortillas (I use and love this press) from lovely white masa here.

When and how to serve Paleo 7-Layer Dip

7-Layer Dip can be made in the traditional clear glass casserole dish — usually square or rectangular. Or, make it in smaller circular glass dishes like I did for the photos.

Lastly, make it in individual bowls or clear dishes, for a single serving option.

Then serve:

Paleo 7-Layer Dip makes great party food as a traditional appetizer.
Or, after all these years, it still makes a fun and unusual family meal.
Also, serve it as a salad: scoop onto crispy green lettuce, or put shredded lettuce on top.

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5 from 11 votes