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Homemade Beer Cheese

Homemade beer cheese dip is an instant crowd pleaser that's ready in 20 minutes or less. It pairs perfectly with pub-style soft pretzels, crackers, veggie trays and just about anything else you can think to dip into it! 

Bowl of creamy cheese dip surrounded by soft pretzels with salt on brown paper.

This is a pub style appetizer you can enjoy at home in less than 20 minutes.

The nice thing about this beer cheese, is that you can make it ahead of time in your slow cooker and keep it warm for hours.

Beer cheese is one of those dips that tastes delicious with anything. Try soft pretzels, veggies and crackers.

Ingredients

Ingredients in the beer cheese recipe.

Beer- Choose a light lag

Use a mild or medium cheddar cheese, as sharp cheeses don't melt as smoothly, and avoid pre-shredded cheese.

Smoke paprika adds a literal smoky flavor to the beer cheese, but you can opt for sweet paprika instead.

Cayenne pepper is spicy, so use a very small pinch, or substitute with black or white pepper.

Use a full fat cream cheese, a low fat cream cheese won't result in as smooth smooth melt.

Instructions

Sauté the minced red bell pepper, garlic, and onion in a bit of butter until softened (photo 1). You can mince the vegetables very finely, or leave them chunky. (For an ultra smooth cheese, without this texture, puree the mixture after the beer is added.)

Add the beer (at this point, you can use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables with the beer for an ultra smooth cheese) and cream cheese (photo 2).

Stir the cream cheese and beer over medium low heat until the cream cheese has fully melted (photo 3).

Add the shredded cheese and stir on medium low heat until smooth and creamy (photo 4).

Step by step images for how to make homemade beer cheese.

Tips

  • Shred the cheese off the block; pre shredded cheese has anti-caking ingredients that don't allow it to melt as smoothly.
  • Keep the heat below medium to melt the cheese. Heating it too high can cause the cheese proteins to separate and become grainy.
  • To make the cheese ultra smooth, puree the sautéed peppers and onions after the beer is poured in the pot. Conversely, leave them minced for a slight bit of texture in the beer cheese dip.
  • Choose a light, low-hop beer like a lager or pale ale.
Beer cheese with soft pretzels on a baking sheet.

Try these other related recipes below.

If you tried this recipe, leave a rating in the recipe card.

📖 Recipe

Ramekin of beer cheese by a salted soft pretzel on parchment paper.

Beer Cheese Dip

Smooth, velvety, perfectly dip-able pub style beer cheese dip is ooey, gooey and totally cheesy and is best served with soft baked pretzels!
4.50 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beer cheese, beer cheese dip
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 154kcal
Author: Erin
Cost: $3.40

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • ½ red bell pepper diced, optional
  • 1 teaspoon garlic minced
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 3 tablespoon flour
  • pinch cayenne pepper to taste
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 3 cups cheddar cheese shredded, medium or mild
  • 12 oz beer lager, or pale or amber ale
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Mince the vegetables.
  • In a small sauce pan on medium high heat, add butter, diced bell pepper, and minced shallot. Sauté until soft.
  • Add minced garlic, sauté for another 2 minutes.
  • Whisk in the flour until smooth.
  • Add the beer, and bring to a simmer for 5-10 minutes to cook out some of the alcohol.
  • Reduce heat to medium low.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend the vegetables into the beer mixture until smooth.
  • Whisk in the Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, cayenne pepper, and cream cheese.
  • Add in the cream cheese, stir until smooth.
  • Add the shredded cheese, and stir until smooth and melted.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve the beer cheese dip warm.
  • Serve warm, with soft pretzels, or vegetables or crackers.

Notes

To reheat the beer cheese:
  1. Either on the stove top, on low, covered, stirring occasionally. Do not turn the heat past medium low at the highest. 
  2. Or, in the microwave, at 40% power for one minute intervals, stirring in between until loosened, creamy and warm again. 
To make the beer cheese dip silky smooth:
  1. After the beer is added, and the cream cheese has melted, use an immersion blender to puree the ingredients until smooth. (This should be done before the shredded cheese has been added, for best results.)
Beer cheese can be stored in the refrigerator, covered for up to one week. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 534IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 218mg | Iron: 1mg
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Recipe Rating




Melisa

Thursday 13th of October 2022

For the beer cheese, it mentions to add in Worsterchire sauce & Dijon mustard, but doesn't mention the amount to put in. I just guessed, but this was delicious. Everyone at our Oktoberfest party loved it!

Debbie

Saturday 8th of August 2020

Made the beer cheese and it was delicious. I added some extra seasonings for a kick. The result was a little thin so added a small amount of dissolved cornstarch and it was perfect.

Erin

Saturday 8th of August 2020

Love the idea of extra spices for a kick!

Amy

Friday 26th of June 2020

The cheese in my cheese dip came out curdy...not sure why I shredded it off the block. Any ideas to save it? It smells great!!

Erin

Wednesday 1st of July 2020

Hey Amy! Thanks for your comment. So, that can happen with cheese if you heat it too high for too long (it breaks and separates), or it's possible that it just didn't have enough time to melt. But I'm guessing if it looked clumpy it may have simmered at too high of heat. The same goes for any dairy, although some are more stable than others at higher heat. I'm sorry it didn't work out! Feel free to email me if you'd like!

Paula

Monday 15th of June 2020

Do I use plain flour or self rising flour?

Erin

Monday 22nd of June 2020

Hey paula!, regular all purpose flour should work great. I'd avoid self-rising just because of the extra baking soda and baking powder, you might eliminate the iconic "chew" and "stretch" that we like to see with a typical soft pretzel :)

Rachel

Monday 25th of May 2020

Erin! Thank you so much for posting this recipe! With everything going on with this pandemic, I've really been taking the reins in feeding my family. I'm usually just the chef, but I've been dipping my toes in the baking scene and this recipe seemed like a mix of both! The beer cheese dip was phenomenal! I followed the recipe to a T, and it was a real hit! And of course, I had to have the pretzels too. Wish we took pics of the pretzel twists we made. Will definitely be making both the dip and pretzels again!!

Erin

Wednesday 27th of May 2020

Rachel! Words cannot express how happy that makes me! There's something so satisfying about making your own beer cheese with soft pretzels to dunk, it's such a special treat! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, and that you are baking! It's worth the extra effort isn't it! Thanks again for your lovely comment :)