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Made this for Super bowl and it was out of the ballpark….oops…wrong sport. Anyway, it was easy, and delicious and even better the next day. I used monterey jack cheese. Will make this again!
Karen T
This recipe is sponsored by French’s
Dippity Doo Dah – it’s spinach queso, friends! Spi-nach-que-soooo!
This dip is topped with cilantro and lots of French’s® Crispy Jalapeños and CAN WE TALK ABOUT THESE FOR A SECOND. You know how you always buy those crispy onions that are an essential at Thanksgiving for your green bean casserole? And you know how you then use your leftover crispy onions in your salads and on your burgers and in your tacos for kind of a long time after Thanksgiving and you’re like, these are actually really good on everything?
This is kind of like that, except now it’s game on because this just became a jalapeño party.
I swear these crispy jalapeños were designed specifically for POY-style food. They belong on every bowl of pumpkin walnut chili, every carnitas taco, and every autumn glow salad that a person could ever make. Which also makes them a really good fit for Friendsgiving. Tell me if I’m wrong, but in my world, Friendsgiving is not just Thanksgiving with friends – it is Thanksgiving modernized. It’s not for the normal Thanksgiving recipes (hello, Grandma’s gelatin salad which is a family requisite, and DON’T EVEN TOUCH IT) but it IS time for the gather-everyone-together recipes that have a little extra zip, kick, or heat to them. Extra. Next Level. That kind of thing.
For example, this spinach-y, queso-y dip with crispy fried jalapeños. It is begging you to have friends over and be together, thankful, and non-traditional. Friendsgiving has never looked better.
I mean, a little fiery crunch to go with my melted cheese? Twist my arm.
And now, for some spinach queso making.
We start with the goods: jalapeños (fresh), onion, garlic, spinach, French’s Crispy Jalapeños (crispy, made from fresh – full circle).
Here is what the base of your queso is going to look like. 👇🏼
The smells coming off of that picture are just… is this real life? Garlic, jalapeño, onion, butter, olive oil. What more could you even want?
OH, OH, I KNOW! Melted cheese.
And then crispy jalapeños.
This dip was made to be shared. I first shared it with the team at the studio, which was normal of me, and then I shared a second “test batch” with just Bjork, as in just the two of us and a full pan of hot queso, which was excessive and awesome of me.
But ideally, a normal person might bring this spinach queso to any of the following:
- Friendsgiving
- Actual Thanksgiving
- Day after Thanksgiving
- Girls’ Night
- Guys’ Night
- Yourself on the Couch, which is not sharing, but would still be very acceptable.
Spinach Queso with Crispy Jalapeños
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Melty queso dip with spinach, garlic, onion, cilantro, and crispy jalapeños on top! Perfect for parties and get-togethers.
Ingredients
For the spinach queso:
- 2 jalapenos, ribs and seeds removed, minced
- half an onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
- 2–3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 8 ounces shredded cheese (see notes)
For topping:
- French’s Crispy Jalapenos
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Start your aromatics: Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the jalapeños and onions and sauté for 5-10 minutes, until very soft and fragrant. Add the spinach and garlic and stir quickly until spinach is wilted.
- Make it creamy: Add flour and stir until everything is coated – about one minute. Add the milk slowly and whisk until a smooth mixture forms. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
- Topping and serving: Top with French’s Crispy Jalapeños, cilantro, and whatever else you want to make it fancy. Best served warm with tortilla chips for dipping! YUUUUUM.
Notes
Cheese: I used Chihuahua cheese – it required a special trip to a different grocery store, but I love this cheese for its smooth-melting texture in Mexican recipes. It is not going to be elastic and stretchy like Mozzarella, and in my opinion, that makes it a better choice here. Dipping is easier. Pepperjack, Monterey Jack, or any other smooth melting cheese should work, too.
Thickness: If you want a thicker queso, use 3 tablespoons flour. If you want a thinner queso, use just 2 tablespoons. Adjust consistency by adding small amounts of milk once it all comes together.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: spinach queso, queso, jalapeños, queso dip, queso appetizer
Thank you to French’s for sponsoring this post!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of best dip recipes. Check it out!
I had no idea crispy jalapenos even existed. My husband is going to be thrilled!
Ditto. I hope they’re available in Canada.
Unique way to use French’s jalapenos. I usually just top my husbands salads with them and he thinks I’m some sort of chef. Um, wrong. But I do try to bring my A-game to dinner.
Whaaa??? I’ve never heard or seen such a thing but they sound amazing! Long live jalapeno everything, including this killer dip! Can’t wait to find those crispy jalapenos, stat.
“Yourself on the Couch” is actually my favourite event. Hellooooooo Friday night plans! If I’m feeling really generous I’ll leave a small portion for my husband when he gets home from hockey 🙂
I have a recipe with these French’s crispy jalapenos coming out next week and omg they are….so addictive! I can imagine how good they were on this queso which looks delish!
Can I use coconut flour in this to make it GF? Also can Ghee be used instead of butter? This looks sooooooo good 🙂
Sadly, the crispy jalapenos are not GF–they’re made with wheat flour! So sad 🙁
Oh, I absolutely love queso! And when I say that I might mean slightly obsessed with it! I can wait to try this recipe. A spicy spinach queso, is there anything else to say except yum!
*can’t
Hope you like it!
i didnt know crispy jalapeno were a thing. i need to run to the store ASAP.
Hi Lindsay,
This recipe looks amazing. I love your writing style, makes me want to dive right into the queso! I will make this dip next week for “Gal Pal” night.
Great photos😉
Gal pal night sounds perfect. 🙂
so i thought i was the only one still sneaking bites from the container in february…but now i feel much more normal. YAY ONION CRISPIES!
lol so true.
Okay. I’m implementing friendsgiving in the UK and if someone can send me some of those crispy jalepenos that would be awesome!
YES. I will put French’s on it! 😉
Lindsay! This looks like a lot more than just a “pinch” of yum!
This is definitely begging for some couch time with me!
Yes. yes it is.
Thanks for sharing helpful information, I really like your post.
Hey this is a lovely recipe , I tried this on a weekend , it came out very well , all my family members loved it . We used to order from an online Asian restaurant called 48 East who serve variety of dishes similar to this . But I was specifically looking for this one and I found it . Thanks a lot for this recipe , please keep uploading more of such yummy recipes .
I’m so glad! 🙂
Cheese dip plus crispy jalapenos?! Oh man, this is going to require my stretchy pants LOL!!!!
exaaaactly.
love jalapenos, crispy is even better! Thank you for this recipe!
Me too! They’re my new fave!
I didn’t know about the crispy jalapeños either. This could be dangerous territory folks;)
Oh it is dangerous in the best possible way.
This dish looks delicious. I just had a delicious plate today myself: Chicken Alfredo with rich think noodles & Broccoli. I added a tid bit of salt, Garlic powder, and black pepper. I even had it with a small stick of bread. Now feeling tired and going to lay down before getting back up and moving forward with some work. 🙂
Wow, I need to try this recipe.
I have never heard of crispy jalapenos! I love the crispy onions but I’m afraid crispy jalapenos are not available in Germany.
Ahhh! We’ll have to tell French’s to get on that. 😉
This looks AMAZING! One question: I bought a huge bag of Chihuahua cheese to make this and am wondering how to measure the cheese. Is shredded cheese measured by volume (in which case, 8oz. = 1 cup cheese?)
Or maybe you’re starting with a block of cheese (in which case, an 8 oz. block of cheese makes 2 cups grated)?
I usually look at the amount on the bag and just go from there – so if it’s a 16 ounce bag I just use half. 8 ounces would be roughly one full handful. 🙂 a little more wouldn’t hurt either. Enjoy all that Chihuahua cheese! it’s my fave!
You had me at queso… but this looks amazing! I can’t wait to try and make this myself. Thanks!
What kind of milk did people use? Can I use an almond milk or did most use whole milk?
I frequently use almond milk for macaroni and cheese, both homemade and the boxed versions and it always turns out beautifully. Haven’t tried it here but I would think it should work.
Does anyone have a suggestion to make this gluten free. I realize the crispy jalapenos are out but what kind of flour could I substitute?
YOU GUYS. Hear me out. Sweet potato chips/rounds with this queso. Uhhhhhmazing.
Yum! Sounds amazing!