Beer Cheese Dip is an easy appetizer that is perfect for game day or when hosting friends.
A combination of your favorite beer, a variety of cheeses, and delicious seasonings this recipe is a welcome addition to any appetizer spread!
Holly’s Highlights For Beer Cheese Dip
- Flavor: This cheese dip has a bold flavor—the beer can be light or dark which will change the flavor of the dip.
- Difficulty: It’s easy to prepare.
- Ingredient Tip: Medium or mild cheese is not recommended, it doesn’t have enough flavor for this dip.
- Prep note: Shredding your own cheese will make the smoothest dip.
- Serving suggestion: Pair with warm pretzels, tortilla chips, or veggies like carrot sticks.
Ingredient Tips for Beer Cheese Dip
Cheese: Use a combination of sharp cheddar cheese and gruyere. While you can use any cheese, a mild cheese will have a milder flavor (and won’t pair well with a bold dark beer). I highly recommend sharp cheddar.
For the smoothest sauce, shred cheese from a block for this recipe. Pre-shredded cheeses will taste great, but the additives that keep them from sticking in the bag mean they do not melt as nicely.
Beer: Use the beer you like best!
- Dark Beer, like stout or malt, will produce a deep, slightly bitter flavor. Great for serving with your favorite bread.
- Light Beers like ales, pilsners, and IPAs will give a lighter flavor (this is my preference). These pair well with vegetables.
- Non-alcoholic beer works well in this recipe, too, and is great served with any dipper.
How to Make Beer Cheese Dip
- Melt butter, seasonings, and flour (creating a roux) RECIPE BELOW.
- Add beer and milk, whisking after each addition. It will seem thick and almost pasty at first, but as you continue to stir, it will smooth out nicely.
- Once thick and bubbly, whisk in the cheeses.
Holly’s Favorite Dippers!
I often make beer cheese dip for pretzels and serve it warm like a cheese fondue. But the dipper possibilities are endless!
- Bread: soft pretzel bites or pretzel sticks, tortilla chips, chunks of French or sourdough bread, soft breadsticks, and garlic crostini rounds are some of my favorites.
- Veggies: celery sticks, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, carrots, zucchini rounds, bell pepper strips, and whole (cooked) baby red potatoes.
- Fruits: sliced green apples, pears, and grapes give it the perfect balance with sweetness.
Storing Leftovers
As with most recipes containing dairy, beer cheese dip does not freeze well. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Cheesy Favorites
Did you make this Beer Cheese Dip? Leave a rating and a comment below!
Beer Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- ⅔ cup beer
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 8 ounces
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese or Swiss cheese, 4 ounces
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter, flour, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in milk and beer a bit at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Continue cooking over medium heat, add in mustard and Worcestershire, cooking sauce until thick and bubbly.
- Turn off the heat and add the cheddar and Gruyere cheese. Stir until melted and smooth.
- Serve warm with vegetables, tortilla chips or soft pretzels.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dip, Party Food
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Has anyone tried making this with GF flour and GF beer? Or substituting or leaving out the beer?
I have never tried this recipe with gluten free flour or beer but I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Re: Light Beer. I realize it means light color, however, can you use the low calorie light beer, i.e., Genesee Light or Miller Light?
This sounds delicious and am looking forward to trying it soon!
Yes, those should work well in this recipe.
had to substitute mozzarella with the cheddar, used Heineken beer, it’s delicious!!! goes well with my fresh bakes sourdough pretzels!!
Can I make this a day ahead of time, refrigerate overnight, and then warm up the next day in a crock pot?
I haven’t tried reheating it in a crockpot but I can’t see any reason it wouldn’t work. It’s a small recipe so you’ll want to ensure you’re using a little crock pot and stirring every now and then as it warms. Once it’s hot, I’d suggest turning it down to warm so it doesn’t overheat which can cause the cheese to separate.
Delicious dip!! I made this once with Budweiser and once with Guinness. The Guinness tasted better to me, but it turned the dip a darker gray/brown color, given its darker color. Any recommendations on how to get the fuller flavor of the Guinness with the color of the Budweiser? Thanks!
For more flavor I would recommend a brown ale which will have more body and flavor then a lager (however will still contribute more color), I would not use an IPA because the bitterness does not translate well in cooking.
Delicious! I used an amber bock, and some hot sauce. I used extra sharp cheddar cheese and a gruyere and swiss blend. So incredibly tasty!
I was so nervous about making the beer cheese dip. I thought for sure I would make it curdle, but following every step of the recipe and choosing the best ingredients, my dip was absolutely delicious! Thank you for the fabulous recipe and the step by step instructions. So delicious that I will definitely take it to the Superbowl party my family has every year. Hope the Packers will win this year!
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Jeannine! I hope everyone else does too!
After reading several comments saying this recipe was bland, I decided to go quite heavy handed on the seasonings and added some smoked paprika. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly and it was delicious! I made the Pretzel Bites recipe on this website to go with it, and it was a perfect combo.
So happy to hear you loved it, Sandra! Thanks so much for leaving a comment
Loved the beer cheese dip. It comes together beautifully, and it’s smooth and creamy. We used it on fries, burritos, and pretzels.
We did not much care for this recipe. The consistency was thick and pasty and the flavor was bland.
Im sorry to hear that, Molly! Thank you for trying our recipe.
I’ve made this twice for homemade soft pretzels, and it is easy and delicious.
I followed the recipe as written except I omitted the cayenne. Like a few others have said, mine turned out a bit pasty/chalky. There was a mild cheese flavor despite using 2 cups (1 block) sharp cheddar and half a block of swiss and strong garlic and mustard flavors. I did not like this dip.
I’m sorry to hear that, Sarah! Thank you for trying our recipe.
I don’t understand the high rating on this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly and it’s s thin and not creamy, chalky, bland and somehow has no cheese flavor. It looks good but tastes very disappointing.
Can this recipe be made ahead of time and frozen then reheated?
Hi Erin, this recipe does not freeze well.
This was just ok to me. Needed more seasoning, imo. Not much flavor besides cheese flavor.
Delicious!! Made for St. Patrick’s Day. Easy and Quick to make. Started the recipe right before guests came and put in a small crockpot. Served with crackers, chips, carrots, celery and pretzel bites. it was a Big Hit. Will definitely make again
I did not care for this dip. Followed directions as shown. Consistency was pasty and for the taste – not flavorable – even for all the cheese ingredients, etc. I will try a different recipe next time.
I agree. Not creamy and cheesy…it felt very pasty and too heavy with flour.
Hi Eve, thanks for the feedback. Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this dish as much as we do!
I found the need for more mustard & worcestershire.
I am curious, you mention cheddar, gruyere and mozzarella (for the creamy texture). I do not see mozzarella in the ingredient list.
Am I overlooking it?
Hi Margaret, sorry for the confusion. This recipe has been updated for improved flavor and I would follow the recipe as written. Enjoy!
Overall it was very simple to make, a great recipe for a beginner. The next time I make it though I think I will add a little more beer or seasoning. It was a basic recipe and all I could really taste was the cheddar. Thanks for the recipe.
It had no taste despite doubling the cayenne and Worcestershire and putting hot sauce and additional seasonings in.
Love this recipe. I’ve made it exactly like written multiple times to take to events with pretzel bites. Everyone raves about it. It does make a good amount of cheese sauce so if you have a smaller family maybe cut recipe down.