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!
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 ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded, divided
Broiled Cheese Toasts
- 12 slices baguette ½" 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 ¼ 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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Excellent soup; love it!!!
Delish! I doubled the recipe and fed 6 of us with leftovers but this was a side dish for steaks.
I made it almost exactly as the recipe reads, and I will make it again!
I made this soup and it was the best beer cheese soup I have ever tasted! I love beer cheese soup and am usually disappointed when ordering it in a restaurant so I wanted to make my own. I really like to taste the beer as well as experience the texture of a thick creamy soup with bits of carrots and onions. This soup was easy to make, was delicious, and checked off all of my list of must have in a soup. I used Lactose free milk and could not tell the difference. I will make this soup anytime I get a craving for beer and cheese.
So glad to hear that you love this soup so much Jules!
I want to do the same with soy milk. Did you use the same amount as regular milk or did you need to use more?
Can this soup be frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe but dairy doesn’t always freeze well.
Love it! Try it for sure!
Yummy
Make sure to double recipe if you’re making for 4 people.
This was delicious but I disagree that it makes 6 servings. I served it to 4 and had hungry people!
Thanks for the feedback, Sue!
I have tried this amazing cheese soup recipe and i found this recipe really an amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us.
What can I substitute the chicken broth with? My husband is not vegan, so he’ll eat the cheese, but the chicken broth would be a big no as he is a vegetarian. Thanks!
You can use vegetable (or mushroom) broth. It will change the flavor slightly but I”m sure it will still be delicious!
I made a version of beer cheese soup based on this recipe and Rachel Ray’s recipe from YouTube. Hers doesn’t have bacon.
I didn’t really measure exactly I tend to do everything to taste.
Also it was my first time making beer cheese soup so I was definitely winging it and this was the closest to what I had in mind…I ended up taking out some veggies but now regret it.
Fried up a pound of bacon (after cutting in small pieces with a kitchen shears). Removed bacon. Dumped oil (wish I had saved a couple tablespoons to fry veggies in). Set aside.
I chopped a yellow onion, 3-4 celery stalks, and about a 1/2-3/4 cup of carrots because it was all I had. Pulsed in a blender. In my cute new soup pot I sautéed the veggies in a little garlic infused olive oil and a little salt. Added 1-2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp or so of cayenne pepper. Garlic powder and onion powder – didn’t measure but not a lot 1/4 tsp of each? Half a tsp each? Maybe more. Sautéed. Added a little beer to wet down and sautéed longer. Also added some beer to the pan I fried bacon in and deglazed it. I added that to the veggies. Eventually added the rest of the beer and let it cook down. In the meantime made a roux of soy free earth balance and flour – 1/4c of each about. Cooked for a couple minutes and then added a little of the beer from the veggie pan. Then whisked in slowly 1c lactose free whole milk.
I added three cups of water and three teaspoons of vegan chicken better than bouillon (highly recommend so good) to the veggies and let that simmer. I grated 7 oz of 2 years aged cheddar and 4oz of smoked sharp cheddar (Kraft). Whisked that in little by little . Occasionally added liquid from the veggies – did this all on low -med heat. Once the cheese and milk mixture was smooth and slightly thickened I added that to the veggies/broth and then continued to whisk – it didn’t get super thick but it wasn’t runny either. It had a ton of flavor. I simmered for a little bit. Planned on mixing in the bacon but decided to add that to the bowls with a little bit of shredded cheese.
I let the cheeses come to room temp so they were soft when I grated them.
I did remove some of the veggies but totally regret this and it wasn’t necessary.
I used coors light because my mom had some in the fridge from having people over on Labor Day.
My son loved it. I should have made more but wasn’t sure it would turn out and didn’t want to have a giant pot of ruined soup. Next time doubling it – not doubling the bacon though. It was super super good. I think pulsing the veggies is key – Rachel Ray gave me the idea.
HI Sharon, Just wanted to tell you I found a vegan chicken broth! It’s called “Better than Bouillon, Chicken, no chicken” or pretty close to that, LOL. Its delicious too!
I found it at vitacos online. But, some grocery stores may carry it too!
looks so yummy
My 9 month old son eats everything that we eat, I’m curious if this is okay for him to have (because of the beer)?
Hi Ashley, while most of the alcohol content from the beer is cooked off a small percentage can remain in the soup. I hope that helps!
This might be a silly question, but is there any way to cook this in a crock pot? Since there are so many different steps, I wasn’t sure.
We haven’t tried this recipe in a crockpot Amanda. But you are right, with all the steps I am not sure how it would turn out. If you try it please let us know how it turns out!
Gotta try this
Can’t wait to try the beer
Could Almond flour be substituted in this recipe?
I haven’t tried it but don’t think it would work for consistency.
You would need something to thicken the recipe, perhaps cornstarch would work in place (although the ratios and method would be different). If using cornstarch, you’d want to create a slurry and add it at the end to thicken the soup. Keep in mind that the cheese will also thicken it some when removed from the heat.
Havn’t tried yet; can’t wait
Looks great! How can I make it healthy…or less bad…without losing too much deliciousness ❤️❤️❤️
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
You could try reducing the butter and replace the cream with evaporated milk or whole milk. Instead of making a roux, I would suggest mixing the flour with the cold milk until it’s smooth and then adding it in and letting it simmer. I haven’t tried this method so if you try it, let us know how it goes for you!
Mixed measurements doesn’t help ♂️
Hi Dan, for the beer and shredded cheese in the soup you will want to use about 1 1/2 cups of each. And for the cheese on the cheese toast, it is approximately 1/2 cup. Hope that helps!
Can’t wait to make this!! Sounds delicious!!