Jalapeño Spinach Cheese Dip

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This Jalapeño Spinach Cheese Dip is rich, creamy, and perfectly spicy. It’s loaded with pepper jack cheese, spinach, jalapeños, onions, and tomatoes, and comes together in a total of 15 minutes!

Easy Jalapeño Cheddar Dip

If there is one thing I love to indulge in when I’m out to eat, it’s pretzels and cheese sauce. But sometimes I want to indulge without having to step foot outside. And this Jalapeño Spinach Cheese Dip from The Simple Kitchen cookbook is the perfect solution.

This cheese dip is loaded with pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, onions, and tomatoes and it comes together in a matter of minutes. It’s got a little bit of a kick from the jalapeños but it’s perfectly balanced with the richness of the milk and cheese.

This recipe is perfect for game days, holiday parties, or when you’re just craving something delicious. Serve it alongside salty homemade soft pretzels and dig in!

Here’s the Ingredients You’ll Need

• Roma Tomato – diced into smaller pieces.
• White Onion – be sure you mince the onion pretty small so it incorporates well into the dip.
• Jalapeño Peppers – seeded and diced. If you love the spice, feel free to leave in some of the seeds.
• Unsalted Butter
• Salt
• All-Purpose Flour
• Whole Milk
• Pepper Jack Cheese – I recommend shredding the cheese yourself for the best results.
• Frozen Spinach – make sure that you thaw and squeeze the spinach dry before adding it into the cheese dip.

Let’s Make Cheddar Jalapeño Dip

This quick and easy cheese dip is ready in a total of 15 minutes!

• Dice the vegetables: onions, jalapeñis and tomatoes should be diced.
• Sauté the aromatics. In a large saucepan, melt butter, then add in the onion, jalapeño, and salt. Cook until the onions are soft.
• Add the flour and milk. Sprinkle flour over the veggies and stir until coated. Cook for 1 minute, then add in the milk. Cook until bubbles form. Remove the pot from the heat.
• Melt the cheese. Stir in the shredded cheese, little bits at a time, until melted and smooth.
• Add the mix-ins. Stir in the spinach and tomatoes, sprinkle additional jalapeño, onion, and tomato on top for garnish, then serve and enjoy!

How do You Keep Cheese Dip Creamy?

If you’re not serving your cheddar jalapeño dip right away, you can keep it creamy by leaving it on the stove over low heat. If it starts to thicken up, simply add a splash of milk to thin it out.

You can also try adding a splash of white wine or a squeeze of lemon juice. The acid in these ingredients helps keep the melted cheese smooth. Keep in mind that adding either of these will alter the flavor slightly so be careful not to go overboard!

My Best Tips for Cheese Dip

• Thaw and dry the spinach. Make sure that you thaw, drain, and dry the frozen spinach before adding it to the dip. No one likes a watery cheese dip!
• Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses contain an anti-caking agent that can result in a somewhat gritty texture when they’re melted. I recommend shredding your own cheese for the smoothest texture!
• Save your leftover frozen spinach. This recipe only calls for 2 ounces of spinach and most packages of frozen spinach are 8 ounces. No need to let it go to waste. You can easily re-freeze the leftovers and use it to make a batch of Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip!

Serving Suggestions

I highly recommend serving this cheddar jalapeño dip with a batch of homemade soft pretzels. Trust me. It’s worth it. If you’re not up for making a batch of soft pretzels, this cheese dip would also be delicious with sourdough bread, regular pretzels, tortilla chips, or your favorite crackers.

How to Store

This jalapeño spinach cheese dip is best right away, but if you do have leftovers they will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, warm on low on the stove until heated through. If the dip has thickened too much, add a splash of milk to thin it out.

I don’t recommend freezing cheese dip because the texture will be affected.

More Appetizer Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy Guacamole
• My Favorite Spinach and Artichoke Dip
• Ham and Cheese Sliders

Jalapeño Spinach Cheese Dip

• Author: Julianne Dell
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes

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Description

This Jalapeño Spinach Cheese Dip is rich, creamy, and perfectly spicy. It’s loaded with pepper jack cheese, spinach, jalapeños, onions, and tomatoes, and comes together in a total of 15 minutes!

Ingredients

• 1 Roma tomato, sliced and diced
• ¼ medium white onion, minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 cups finely shredded pepper jack cheese
• 2 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

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Instructions

1. Dice tomatos, onions and peppers. Reserve a sprinkling of tomato, onion and jalapeno for garnish.
2. In the large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Next add the onion, jalapeño and salt. Cook until the onions are soft, 3-4 minutes.
3. Next sprinkle the flour over the chopped vegetables and stir until they are evenly coated. Cook for about 1 minute to cook off the flour taste.
4. Next add the milk and cook, stirring occasionally until bubbles start to break the surface.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in a handful the shredded cheese and stir until the cheese starts to melt, add another handful of cheese. Continue until all your cheese has been added and is melted.
6. Stir in the spinach and the remaining tomatoes. Sprinkle the remaining garnishes on top.

Notes

• Serve with Jalapeño Cheddar Pretzel 
• To keep the sauce warm until it’s ready to serve, warm over low heat and add extra milk as necessary to keep the surface from thickening.
• This recipe is reprinted with permission from Donna Elick and Page Street Publishing

• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Cooked
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: cheese dip, jalapeno dip, how to make cheese dip