Homemade spinach con queso (without the processed cheese) that you won’t be able to resist! The perfect cheesy appetizer for any gettogether.
Today I want to reshare with you this Spinach Con Queso that can easily be made at home with NO PROCESSED CHEESE! This recipe was originally posted five years ago in 2015, and I knew Mr. Hungry would be excited I was remaking it because this is one of his favorite recipes of ALL TIME.
Ever try to google spinach con queso? With a few exceptions, it’s always made with Velveeta, which, although it tastes good, but I prefer real cheese, ya know? So when Mr. Hungry first started asking me to make him spinach con queso at home, I played around with this recipe a lot, before I came up with a Velveeta free version that I thought was worthy of being called Spinach Con Queso AND had Mr. Hungry’s full approval.
This spinach con queso is made with a blend of white cheddar and pepper jack that offer the perfect balance of sharp cheese and spicy flavor. I stirred in not only spinach but also a can of tomatoes with green chiles, which popped the flavor and turned the color slightly orange-ish. If you skip the tomatoes, you’ll have a white spinach con queso.
How to Make Spinach Con Queso
First, saute your onions and minced garlic in a little oil.
Add in tomatoes (optional) and let simmer while you make your roux.
A roux is just a mixture of butter and flour that creates a thick creamy base for your dip. It takes about 7-10 minutes of continually stirring for your roux to get thick enough to add seasonings and cheese—ten minutes of standing around, waiting, and continuously stirring so the flour doesn’t burn, but it’s worth it!
Once it’s thick and creamy, you add your seasonings and stir in the cheese little by little. I usually turn the burner off but leave the pan on the stove. You want the roux to stay hot enough that it fully melts all the cheese. And this recipe has a pretty good amount of cheese, so you want to make sure it all gets evenly melted!
Next, you’ll add in your tomato/onion mixture and your thawed and squeezed dry spinach. Don’t forget! It’s not spinach con queso without the spinach!
You’ll want to serve this dip immediately, although it does reheat nicely! If I’m serving it at a party, I’ll let it in a mini crockpot so that people can serve themselves whenever they want. The only problem with that is the mini crackpots is they can get REALLY hot and thin out the dip. So, watch the heat, because this dip will thin out when it gets too hot, and thicken up as it cools. Either way, it’s still delicious, though!
Let me know if you try it!
This Homemade Spinach Con Queso goes great with spicy guacamole and homemade chunky salsa if you are looking for the dipping trifecta! Let me know if you try this one friends!
Spinach Con Queso
Ingredients
- 1 T butter
- 5 tsp flour
- 12 ounces 2% milk
- 4 ounces half and half
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 ounces pepperjack cheese shredded
- 1 T garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 T avocado oil
- 1 can tomatoes and green chile
- 8 ounces frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
Instructions
- Saute chopped onion and garlic in a small pan for 2-3 minutes until translucent and golden on medium. Add in a can of tomato/ green chile and let simmer on medium-low.
- In a large nonstick skillet melt 1T butter on medium-low. Whisk 5 tsp flour with 1/2 cup milk and add to the pan. Slowly add in the remainder of milk and half and half. Whisk constantly for 7-10 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Turn off heat and add in garlic, pepper, and pepper jack cheese. Whisk to melt the cheese and add in 1/4 cup of cheddar at a time whisking constantly to melt. Continue until all the cheese is added. Add in tomato/onion mix and spinach. Serve immediately or transfer to a fondue pot or crockpot until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Hi from a fellow Reduxer! This dip looks amazing- so much healthier and more flavorful than the typical Spinach Con Queso!
Thanks girl!
I’ve never had spinach con queso before, but I’m kind of glad since this version looks like it’d blow any Velveeta version right out of the water!
It was so delicious definitely give it a try!
Hey Kelli – this looks so awesome – we love this lightened-up version!
Quick question, how much sour cream did you use? It says to add it in the directions, but it’s not in the ingredient list. Thank you so much – can’t wait to make it this weekend! 🙂
great question! 1/3 cup light sour cream