Rich, creamy, and totally irresistible! Beer cheese soup has a long history in brewpubs and restaurants worldwide and it’s really easy to make at home too!
This soup is decadent and delicious, even better served with crispy garlic cheese toasts! Use a great quality cheddar and any kind of beer from a lager to a stout or even a non-alcoholic beer!
I am so excited to have partnered with Cabot Cheese to share this yummy beer cheese soup!
Why We Love This Soup
CHEESE! Hands down my favorite addition to any dish, this soup is rich and cheesy. Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar adds heaps of rich cheesy flavor.
This recipe is so beloved because it’s a cinch to make, uses fresh and flavorful ingredients, and only takes one skillet!
All the savory flavors of bacon, broth, and Cabot Cheddar Cheese come together for a satisfying soup that really delivers.
Ingredients/Variations
Cheese: This is one of the main flavors of this dish so it’s important to choose a high-quality cheese with lots of bold cheesy flavor.
Cabot Seriously Sharp adds great flavor in this recipe. Cabot is a cooperative owned by over 800 farm families in New York and New England and produces cheeses that are rich, creamy, and packed with the flavor. They’re also naturally lactose-free, naturally aged, and naturally gluten-free!
Change the cheeses to change the flavor of the soup:
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- For extra flavor, try Cabot’s Spicy Jack Cheddar Cheese or Smoked Bacon Cheddar.
- Wildly Horseradish Cheese (my favorite cheese on the planet) goes great with a lighter Irish Ale.
- Or try Cabot’s Pepper Jack Cheese or Cracked Peppercorn Cheddar Cheese for a little zip in this recipe.
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Beer: Much like a beer cheese dip, anything goes in this recipe. A darker beer will have a stronger flavor and add a bit more bitterness to the soup while of course, a lighter beer like a lager means a lighter flavor. Non-alcoholic beer works in this recipe too.
Broth & Cream: Chicken broth and heavy cream provide the best creamy and rich base for this easy cheesy soup!
For a lighter version of this soup, try substituting heavy cream with light cream or milk. This will change the texture and thickness of the soup but is still delicious! You can also replace the chicken broth with a vegetable broth.
Cheese Toast: It is the perfect addition to this beer cheese soup but you can always replace it homemade croutons or a slice of sourdough baguette! The sourdough is a bright flavor that complements the depth of beer cheese soup perfectly!
How to Make Beer Cheese Soup
Beer Cheese Soup is so easy to prepare!
- Cook bacon and then cook veggies in the leftover bacon drippings until tender.
- Stir in flour (per recipe below).
- Slowly whisk in the beer and broth into the soup base while bringing to a simmer.
- Add remaining ingredients (except cheese) and cook until bubbly. Remove from heat.
- Mix in cheese stirring until the soup is smooth.
Ladle soup into bowls (or bread bowls!), garnish with bacon crumbles, extra shredded cheese, and serve with cheesy toast.
How to Make Cheese Toast
This easy cheesy toast is perfect for soaking up all of those amazing soup flavors!
- Butter baguette slices with garlic butter.
- Top with cheese and broil until bubbly & browned!
Prep the cheese toast in advance and pop in the oven just as the beer cheese soup is finishing to serve both while hot and bubbly!
Tips for Success
This soup is easy and versatile, it’s practically fool-proof! But to help you succeed every time here are some helpful tips and tricks!
- Allow the flour to cook a full minute before adding liquids, this removes any starchy flavor.
- Add the beer a bit at a time mixing after each addition. The mixture will seem thick and pasty at first but will smooth out.
- Cook over medium heat, high heat can cause the dairy (cream) to scorch.
- When adding cheese to a sauce or soup, remove the mixture from the heat before stirring in the cheese. If the soup is too hot, it can cause the cheese to separate.
Creamy Cheesy Soups
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Homemade Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Philly Cheesesteak Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Did you love this Beer Cheese Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Beer Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 rib celery finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 12 ounces beer
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded, divided
Broiled Cheese Toasts
- 12 slices baguette 1/2" thick
- 2 tablespoons garlic butter
- 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Spread garlic butter over 12 baguette slices. Top with cheese and place on a baking sheet.
- Broil cheese toasts 6" from the heat until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Reserve drippings and remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
- Add butter to reserved bacon drippings. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and cook over medium heat until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in flour and dry mustard. Cook 1 minute.
- Slowly add beer a little bit at a time whisking after each addition. The mixture will be very thick at first. Add chicken broth and cream a little bit at a time whisking until smooth after each addition. Add Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, smoked paprika, and fresh thyme leaves.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat while whisking. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat.
- Set 1/4 cup cheese aside for topping, stir remaining cheese into the soup until melted.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, top with reserved cheese and crumbled bacon. Serve with cheese toasts.
Notes
- Allow the flour to cook a full minute before adding liquids, this removes any starchy flavor.
- Add the beer a bit at a time mixing after each addition. The mixture will seem thick and pasty at first but will smooth out.
- Cook over medium heat, high heat can cause the dairy (cream) to scorch.
- When adding cheese remove the mixture from the heat before stirring in the cheese. If the soup is too hot, it can cause the cheese to separate.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Bread, Main Course, Soup
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I didn’t have a carrot or celery but had everything else so I thought I would try it anyways and still turned out great. Yum!
Made this a regular go-to while traveling the upper Midwest of the U.S. for years. Searched for 12 years for a suitable replacement recipe. THIS ONE. My whole family loves it. Even my kid who hates cheese!
I will definitely be making this again! It was a crowd pleaser! I did end up having to put the veggie, flour and beer mixture in the blender to get it smooth. No amount of whisking was working. But after that, every was great. I did add more thyme than called for, and I added 1/2 tsp of salt. I also added an extra 1/2 cup of the cream and chicken broth to make sure there was enough for everyone (family of 5). I served this in homemade bread bowls. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
The Beer Cheese soup is an excellent soup to enjoy on a cold winter day. It is a very thick, tasty,
hearty, lip smacking soup. I used a mild beer….Michelob Lite. If you want an even heartier taste use a more full body beer. I made the soup following the exact measurements but feel it could use more chicken broth to thin it a tad bit as the body is extremely thick.This recipe definitely earned a spot in my list of rotating winter soups.
I haven’t tried the recipe but maybe you should spend a bit more time tasting beers. Dark beer is not usually more bitter, the lighter IPAs however, ARE more bitter. There is a scale called IBU and the higher, the more bitter. The lower, the less bitter. Look it up.
Hi Fran, you are right that IPAs will have the highest IBUs, but in this case we refer to a lager which will typically have one of the lowest IBUs. As stated in the post “A darker beer will have a stronger flavor and add a bit more bitterness to the soup” which holds true. Darker beers are brewed using darker malts which inherently give a more robust, intense, and complex flavor to the beer which will therefore transfer to the soup. Often the bitterness will be a bit more in these beers because brewers use slightly more hops to balance out the robust flavor from the malt. I hope this helps!
My first time making a beer cheese soup. I liked it! I added a bit more salt and “ better than bullion” and more pepper. We made garlic baguettes. Yum. I can’t have it too often though! Watching my wright! Lol
I’ve made this soup several times now and look forward to making it every winter! To me this is the ultimate comfort food for a cold day. I usually use a blonde ale (farmer’s daughter, I think only available in Canada) and a 2 year old cheddar. I don’t even like beer very much, but I find the beer taste mixed with the cheese and spices is just right, not overpowering. I skip the cheese toast and pair it with pretzel bread mini-baguettes (again for you Canadians – from Farm Boy).
I used a full box of chicken broth, a full beer and 6 CUPS of cheese. 6 oz is not enough to taste like a cheese soup in my opinion. I also used Sriracha, a little cayenne and a spicy smoked paprika. With those changes, it was a wonderful soup.
Terrible recipe. Followed recipe exactly. Very strong and almost bitter – I assume from the spices. Threw it out. Yuck.
Made this recipe today minus the cheese that will be added tomorrow when we plan to eat it. so far, tastes delicious! The beer flavor wasn’t swallowed alive by the cheese, which has happened with previous Beer Cheese recipes. We also doubled the recipe using the brand “Garage Oktoberfest” beer & extra sharp Vermont cheddar. We plan to serve it with a variety of dipping items such as Pretzel Breadsticks, sliced pumpernickel, & fresh Farmer’s popping corn. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you for sharing some love.