Beer Cheese Soup Recipe - Chisel & Fork (2024)

| Updated by Ryan 1 Comment

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This simple beer cheese soup recipe consists of some vegetables, good sharp cheddar cheese and most importantly - your favorite beer. You can really change the flavor by what beer you choose, which for me is usually a pale ale.

Beer Cheese Soup Recipe - Chisel & Fork (1)

Up until five years ago I had never had beer and cheese soup. It was one of those things I would see on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives and my mouth would be salivating. Partly because Florida is pretty warm as most know, soup just isn't a super popular dish.

But then I moved to Portland. The first night I was there I went to Deschutes Brewery and saw they had beer cheese soup! It was an instant decision to order and I've been in love with it ever since. I learned pretty quickly that almost every micro brewery in Portland had their own offering of beer and cheese soup. So needless to say I tried quite a few varieties.

I mean it has cheese and beer, how could it not be good! I was in soup bliss until I moved to Maryland where it just isn't as popular. So I set out to make my own version to pair with some homemade pretzel bites and I created this easy beer cheese soup recipe that is pretty fantastic.

Like anything that relies on wine or beer for flavor, the type of beer you use will affect the taste. I usually use a pale ale but give your favorite beer a try and soon realize this is the best beer cheese soup recipe out there.

Jump to:
  • Recipe Ingredients
  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Variations
  • How to Freeze
  • Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
  • Other Soup Recipes
  • Beer Cheese Soup
Beer Cheese Soup Recipe - Chisel & Fork (2)

Recipe Ingredients

  • Unsalted Butter - cooks the veggies.
  • Carrots, red bell pepper, lemon - adds flavor to the soup.
  • All-purpose flour - makes a roux to thicken the soup.
  • Chicken broth - low-sodium is best.
  • Beer - use your favorite beer.
  • Half-and-half - makes the soup creamy.
  • Sharp cheddar cheese - the sharper the better.
  • Worcestershire sauce - adds some umami flavor.
  • Dijon mustard - mustard and beer just go together.
  • Hot sauce - just gives a touch of heat.
  • Nutmeg, salt, black pepper - enhances the flavor.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Melt butter in large dutch oven over medium heat and add carrots, pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add flour and stir until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
  3. Slowly add chicken broth, beer and half-and-half. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Add cheddar cheese to soup in stages, whisking between each. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, mustard, lemon juice, hot sauce and black pepper.
  5. Use immersion blender and blend soup until smooth. You can also add the blender and blend in stages.
  6. Serve immediately with some pretzel bread.
Beer Cheese Soup Recipe - Chisel & Fork (3)

Variations

The two ingredients that can alter the flavor of your soup are cheese and beer. So mix and match to your liking.

  • Cheese - Gouda, Monterey Jack, Havarti, and Gruyère all make for great options besides cheddar.
  • Beer - lagers, ambers, pale ales or stouts all make for a great soup.

How to Freeze

Just wait for it to come to room temperature before covering in an air-tight container and placing in the freezer. You can keep in the freezer for up to 6 months before using.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • Usequality low-sodiumchicken or vegetablebroth. Remember a lot of theflavorwill come from the broth.
  • Use a beer you enjoy as it determines the flavor
  • Do not skip on adding thehalf-and-half as it addsrichness and mouthfeel you wouldn’t get otherwise. If you don’t want to use half-and-half, you could try coconut milk.
  • Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has additional ingredients that you don’t need.
  • Use animmersion blendertopureethe vegetables. It is much easier than adding to theblender in batches.
Beer Cheese Soup Recipe - Chisel & Fork (4)

Other Soup Recipes

  • Loaded Potato Soup
  • Sweet Potato Chili
  • Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Chili
  • Salsa Verde Chicken Pozole
  • Broccoli Cheddar Soup
  • Guinness Beef Stew
  • Chicken Noodle Soup

If you’ve tried this beer cheese soup recipeor any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow meonFacebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.

Beer Cheese Soup Recipe - Chisel & Fork (5)

Print Recipe

4.75 from 4 votes

Beer Cheese Soup

This beer and cheese soup recipe is loaded with very sharp cheddar cheese and whatever your favorite beer is which for me is a pale ale.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Calories: 452kcal

Author: Ryan Beck

Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter (8 tbsp)
  • ¾ cup carrot, diced
  • ½ red bell pepper, diced
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (12 oz) beer (preferably pale ale)
  • 1 ½ cups half-and-half
  • 1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated (aged 2+ years)
  • ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • Dash hot sauce

Instructions

  • Melt butter in large stockpot over medium heat. Add carrots, pepper, salt and black pepper and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until veggies are soft. Add the flour and stir until incorporated, about 2-3 minutes.

  • Add chicken broth, beer and half-and-half and cook at a simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

  • Add cheddar to soup in stages, whisking each batch until smooth. Add the Worcestershire, nutmeg, mustard, lemon juice, hot sauce and ½ teaspoon black pepper and stir to combine.

  • Use an immersion blender and blend soup until smooth. It should take about 2-3 minutes to get everything. You can also puree in a blender in batches.

  • Ladle in bowl and eat with some pretzel bread.

Notes

  • Usequality low-sodiumchicken or vegetablebroth. Remember a lot of theflavorwill come from the broth.
  • Use a beer you enjoy as it determines the flavor
  • Do not skip on adding thehalf-and-half as it addsrichness and mouthfeel you wouldn’t get otherwise. If you don’t want to use half-and-half, you could try coconut milk.
  • Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has additional ingredients that you don’t need.
  • Use animmersion blendertopureethe vegetables. It is much easier than adding to theblender in batches.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 536mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3400IU | Vitamin C: 16.5mg | Calcium: 460mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Did You Try This Recipe?I love seeing what you make so mention @ChiselandFork or tag #chiselandfork on Instagram and please give a star rating below!

More Soup Recipes

  • Hazelnut Soup
  • Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
  • Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Soup
  • Maryland Crab Soup

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chris says

    Beer Cheese Soup Recipe - Chisel & Fork (10)
    Going to have to try this!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Beer Cheese Soup Recipe - Chisel & Fork (2024)

FAQs

What is the best beer for beer cheese? ›

I used Fat Tire because that what I had on hand, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options. No need to use anything fancy! What brands of cheese do you recommend? For the Cheddar, you can use a good supermarket brand, like Cabot or Tillamook.

Why did my beer cheese soup curdle? ›

Why did my beer cheese soup curdle? This happens when the proteins separate and bind together. Your soup is no longer smooth and creamy; it's grainy and unpleasant. If your soup has reached this state, take your soup off the heat and stir in 1 cup of shredded Velveeta cheese.

What is beer soup made of? ›

The early beer soups were typically based on dark beer, cream and egg yolk thickened with fat and flour cooked together in a roux. Eventually they were flavored with onions, salt, pepper, spices and cheese to create a more substantial and satisfying dish.

What is Wisconsin cheese soup made from? ›

Place 1 cup chicken broth, carrot, onion and celery in 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes or until onion is softened. Add 2 cups chicken broth, milk, cheese, and hot pepper sauce. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Is Budweiser good for beer cheese? ›

Milk – Whole milk is going to give you the richest, creamiest result, but you can use 2% if that's what you have on hand. Beer – This is truly a matter of taste! My personal preference is Bud Light – the same beer we've always watched the staff use when we've dined at Melting Pot and had cheese fondue.

Why is my beer cheese not smooth? ›

High temperatures can cause the cheese to break and become grainy. Add More Liquid: Gradually whisk in a small amount of the liquid the sauce was made with (e.g., milk, cream, or broth). Use a low heat setting and continue to whisk until the sauce starts to smooth out.

What kind of cheese melts best in soup? ›

Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss and queso blanco can all work well. “The best cheeses to melt into soups are cheeses that are higher in moisture and have a lower melting point,” says Bauer. In addition to cheddar and Monterey jack, he recommends Fontina and Gruyère.

How do you thicken beer cheese? ›

While the beer heating up, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of warm water in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch slurry to the boiling beer, whisking constantly to fully incorporate it. Bring the beer back up to a boil, at which point the cornstarch slurry will slightly thicken the beer.

How do you make beer soup less bitter? ›

When cooked down too much, it can render your dish unpalatably bitter. There are two solutions: Choose a more mild-flavored beer with less hops, or reduce the beer separately and add it to a simmering soup, stew, or chili towards the end of cooking.

What is a good substitute for beer in soup? ›

Easy Substitutions

Use beef broth, chicken broth, mushroom stock, apple juice, apple cider, root beer, or co*ke instead of dark beer. With all of these ingredients, you want to be sure to replace the beer measure for measure to keep the liquid volume the same in your recipe.

What beer to add to soup? ›

Soups and Stews

When making stews or soups, make sure to replace the stock with stout or ale. If you're making a seafood soup or chicken soup, you can use wheat beer instead.

How long does it take for beer to cook out of soup? ›

The science:

Depending on the cooking method and how much alcohol is used, anywhere from 4 to 85 percent of the alcohol may remain. After 15 minutes of cooking, about 40 percent of the alcohol remains. Even after an hour of cooking, about 25 percent is left, and 10 percent remains after two hours.

What is pink soup made of? ›

It is made with kefir (fermented milk) and a generous addition of pickled beetroot, which gives the cold soup its bright pink colour. Then you just need to add some crunchy cucumbers and aromatic dill, and don't forget the hard-boiled egg.

Why put cheese rind in soup? ›

That's where parmesan rinds come in. Throw them in with a sauce, a soup, a stew, or stock and they'll melt (not disintegrate!) releasing just a little extra cheesy, salty flavor into your dish.

What is in German blood soup? ›

It was mainly prepared during pig slaughter, when fresh blood was collected and cooked with pork, vinegar, onions, root vegetables, and spices such as bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves.

What kind of beer is best for beer bread? ›

Lighter beers, such as lagers, ales and pilsners, will give your bread a lighter color, and mild taste that just about everyone loves. Darker beers like stouts and porters make a darker-colored loaf and have a stronger beer flavor. Hoppy beers like IPAs will give your bread a more bitter taste.

Is Stella Artois good for beer cheese? ›

Stella Artois

The crisp carbonation and fermentation-led style also cuts through the fat in cheese and cleanses the palate.

What is the best beer to cook with? ›

Wheat beers are great for chicken and seafood. If you're cooking pork, beef, and lamb, you will need ales, porters, and stouts. Hearty meat goes well with belgian ales. Stews pair well with ale.

Is Coors Banquet good for beer cheese? ›

Out of those selections I would just get coors banquet. Don't use either of the malt liquors (hurricane or 211) Heineken tends to add a grassy skunk note to food.

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