Spinach Queso with Crispy Jalapeños Recipe - Pinch of Yum
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Spinach Queso with Crispy Jalapeños

5 reviews / 4.8 average
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.

Spinach Queso in a skillet with a wooden spoon

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).

French's crispy jalapeños

Here is what the base of your queso is going to look like. 👇🏼

Spinach Queso simmering

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.

Spinach Queso with 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 in a skillet with crispy jalapeños
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Spinach Queso in pan with chip dipping.

Spinach Queso with Crispy Jalapeños


  • Author: Lindsay
  • 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

Units Scale

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
  • 23 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 8 ounces shredded cheese (see notes)

For topping:

  • French’s Crispy Jalapenos
  • chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!

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46 Comments

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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.

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    “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 🙂

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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!

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Can I use coconut flour in this to make it GF? Also can Ghee be used instead of butter? This looks sooooooo good 🙂

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Sadly, the crispy jalapenos are not GF–they’re made with wheat flour! So sad 🙁

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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!

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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😉

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Okay. I’m implementing friendsgiving in the UK and if someone can send me some of those crispy jalepenos that would be awesome!

  8. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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 .

  9. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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. 🙂

  10. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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.

  11. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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?)

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Or maybe you’re starting with a block of cheese (in which case, an 8 oz. block of cheese makes 2 cups grated)?

    2. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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!

  12. Pinch of Yum Logo

    What kind of milk did people use? Can I use an almond milk or did most use whole milk?

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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.

  13. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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?