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Creamy, comforting Beer Cheese Soup is a Midwestern favorite for a reason! This cheesy beer soup recipe combines savory cheddar, flavorful beer, and a touch of bacon all in one hearty bowl.
Are you a beer lover? Try our 6-ingredient Beer Bread, Beer Cheese Dip, or Beer Can Chicken.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Beer Cheese Soup
- Cozy Comfort Food – This soul-warming blend of creamy cheddar, smoky bacon, and beer creates a comforting soup perfect for chilly evenings.
- Ready in 30 Minutes – This creamy, cheesy soup comes together in a flash! It is layered with flavor and tastes like you’ve been cooking all day.
- Customizable – Use your favorite beer and cheese for an out-of-this-world flavor combination that is easily customizable.
Ingredients
- Bacon – Optional, but highly recommended
- Vegetables (or Mirepoix) – Sweet Onion, Celery , Carrot, Garlic.
- All Purpose Flour
- Beer – Preferably an ale or lager that is low in hops. Choose something you like drinking that is not too hoppy or bitter. The flavors will become more concentrated as the soup cooks.
- Chicken Stock – Chicken broth would also work.
- Dry Mustard Powder
- Worcestershire Sauce – Optional. It adds a smoky tang in the background. Don’t overdo it – a little goes a long way.
- Paprika
- Heavy Cream – You can also sub half and half for the heavy cream if you prefer.
- Cheddar Cheese – Freshly shredded so that it melts into the soup (pre-shredded cheese won’t melt properly). Choose a high-quality cheese that you enjoy eating on its own.
- Salt and Pepper
- Green Onion – For garnish
How To Make Beer Cheese Soup
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Cook bacon until crispy and set aside.
- Cook the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in the leftover bacon fat.
- Mix in flour, beer, and chicken stock and let simmer.
- Blend the soup until smooth.
- Mix in dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, heavy cream, and cheese.
- Top with bacon, extra cheese, green onions, and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Choose a beer that is low in hops, like a light ale or lager, to complement the flavors. A hoppy beer (like an IPA) will make the soup taste bitter, which nobody wants!
Yes. For a thicker soup, you can use less chicken stock. For a thinner soup, use more stock.
Use freshly shredded cheese to ensure it fully melts and combines seamlessly into the soup. Pre-shredded cheese won’t melt the same as it is coated with anti-caking agents.
While beer is an ingredient in beer cheese soup, it’s important to note that the alcohol content in beer doesn’t completely cook off during the preparation process. So, the soup may still retain some alcohol content. As such, it may not be suitable for kids, pregnant individuals, or those avoiding alcohol. You can use a non-alcoholic version if you prefer.
To mitigate the bitterness in beer cheese soup, use a low hops beer like a light ale or lager. A hoppy beer (like an IPA) can make the soup taste bitter.
Beer soup originated in Germany as Biersuppe. German immigrants in Wisconsin added cheese (Wisconsin cheddar cheese, of course) to create the cozy and flavorful soup!
Storage
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat to avoid the cheese separating.
Helpful Tips
- The most important ingredients in this soup recipe are the beer and cheese! You want to use a beer that you enjoy drinking. If you don’t like the beer on its own, you won’t like the soup.
- You must use freshly grated cheese for this recipe. Trust me, it is worth the extra time to hand shred! Use high-quality cheese you enjoy eating on its own.
- You can skip the bacon if preferred. If not using bacon, start the recipe at the vegetable step and use oil or butter to cook instead of bacon fat.
- Be sure to chop the veggies extra small, so they cook through. You can use a food processor if you prefer.
- Adding garlic at the last minute helps prevent overcooking and a bitter flavor.
- It’s important to allow ALL of the flour to absorb in the veggies before proceeding to the next step. If the flour is not absorbing, you can add a splash of oil, but the bacon grease should be enough.
- Add the beer slowly, about ¼ at a time, until fully dissolved. When properly done, the mixture should look like a thick gravy.
- If you aren’t a fan of Worcestershire or don’t have it, you can skip it.
- Each time I make this, I end up using a different amount of stock. I recommend adding the stock until you get to your desired texture. The final consistency should be thick and creamy but not stretch like fondue. If the cheese is stretching, that is a good sign to add a splash of stock. The final texture of the soup should fully coat the spoon.
- Salt and pepper should be adjusted to taste. Cheese varies in salty flavor, and I typically add different amounts of salt each time I make it. 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper is a good starting point.
- Beer and Cheese Soup is delicious topped with cooked bacon, extra cheese, and sliced green onions. Other topping suggestions are croutons, crushed pretzels, and popcorn.
More Soup Recipes
Beer Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 bacon slices chopped
- 1 cup sweet onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/2 cup carrot finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 12 ounces beer of choice use a high-quality ale or lager, something low in hops to prevent bitterness
- 2-3 cups chicken stock divided
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper
- 1 green onion finely sliced (for serving)
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, cook bacon until crispy and browned. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, celery and carrots to the leftover bacon grease and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender and cooked through. Add garlic and cook for one additional minute.
- Slowly sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir until the veggies are fully coated and the flour is completely absorbed.
- Pour the beer in, ¼ cup at a time and stir constantly until each pour is completely dissolved and a thick gravy-like roux is formed.
- Slowly add the chicken stock, ¼ cup at a time until 2 cups are incorporated.
- Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the vegetables are completely cooked. Turn off heat.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until desired consistency is reached.
- Add the dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and heavy cream, and stir to incorporate.
- Add the cheese, and stir until fully melted.
- Add the salt and pepper and adjust to taste.
- If desired, add up to 1 cup of remaining chicken stock until desired thickness is reached.
- Top with cooked bacon, extra shredded cheddar and sliced green onions and serve. NOTE: Final consistency should coat the spoon, but not stretch like fondue.
