Smooth and creamy beer cheese dip is a crowd pleasing appetizer that's easy to make and ready in 15 minutes. It pairs perfectly with pub-style soft pretzels, crackers, veggie trays and just about anything else you can think to dip into it!
What's great about this recipe
- It's a craving-satisfying pub-style appetizer at home!
- It can be made in 15 minutes or less.
- You can choose from a wide variety of beer styles.
- You can dip anything into it, and soft pretzels are what it's best with.
- It can be made ahead of time and warmed up.
- It can be kept in a slow cooker to keep warm.
- It's perfect for game day or Super bowl snacking, gatherings, and weekend snacks for a crowd.
Ingredients needed
Choose a light flavored beer like a lager or pale ale. Avoid IPA's, which (albeit delicious, and my favorite type of beer) have too strong of a hop flavor. Also steer clear of stouts; while delicious on a winter evening, they don't go well in beer cheese.
Use a mild or medium cheddar cheese, as sharp cheeses don't melt as smoothly. DO NOT USE 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.
How to make this recipe
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).
Tips and Tricks
- 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.
Love pub-style snacks? You don't need to find a corner booth to enjoy them! Just bring the beer, find a comfy seat on the couch, and try all of these crunchy, salty, craving-satisfying appetizers.
More pub-style appetizer recipes:
Crinkle Cut French Fries-- SUPER CRISPY thanks to a light dusting of rice flour, with that iconic wavy cut!
Gluten Free Onion Rings-- aren't just gluten free for the heck of it. Using gluten free rice flour gives homemade onion rings a crunch that doesn't quit!
Cream Cheese and Crab Fried Raviolis-- are creamy inside, hot and crispy outside, and perfect for indulging in (if you like Crab Rangoon's- these are right up your alley!)
Sweet Potato Fries-- the French Fry's sweeter sibling. Sweet and salt and crispy and oh-so dip-able!
Spicy Mayo-- a must have for any pub-style fried snack.
**Did you make this recipe, and did you make it "smooth style" or leave the pepper pieces? Let me know in the comments!
Beer Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ red bell pepper diced, optional
- 2 cloves garlic minced, optional
- ½ onion minced, optional
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- pinch cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 8 oz medium cheddar cheese shredded off the block
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded off the block
- 1 cup light beer lager, or pale ale
Instructions
- If opting to use the fresh bell pepper, onion and garlic (totally optional) dice and mince them up first.
- In a small sauce pan on medium high heat, add butter, diced bell pepper, minced garlic and onion, onion and garlic powders, cayenne, and dried parsley. Saute 4-5 minutes until veggies are soft and seasonings are fragrant.
- Leaving heat on medium high, pour in the beer. Simmer and reduce for 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Add in the cream cheese, in pieces.
- Stir on low, until combined.
- Shred the cheddar cheese directly off the block (do not use pre-shredded cheese) and add to pot. Stir on low until completely smooth and melted; about 10-15 minutes.
- Serve warm, with soft pretzels. Store in airtight container for up to one week.
Notes
- Either on the stove top, on low, covered, stirring occasionally. Do not turn the heat past medium low at the highest.
- Or, in the microwave, at 40% power for one minute intervals, stirring in between until loosened, creamy and warm again.
- 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.)
Debbie
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
Love the idea of extra spices for a kick!
Amy
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
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
Do I use plain flour or self rising flour?
Erin
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
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
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 🙂
Kate
That cheese sauce looks amazing! Wondering if there are quantities for the flour, salt, sugar and yeast to go in the pretzels?
Erin
Caitlin, thank you so much for bringing that to my attention! I have spent so much time getting this recipe right, and then I go and forget to add my measurements! Go figure. They are in now, in the paragraph about making the dough, they are not in the beer cheese recipe card itself. I am planning to do a separate post for just the pretzels, but for now you can (now) find the measurements in that paragraph. Thank you so much! I hope you like them, I'd love to know what you think 🙂