Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Two kinds of cheeses and some staple spices balance out the beer taste perfectly.
Texture: Not too liquidy but not too thick like a chowder either. Just the perfect texture to dip a pretzel into and enjoy! You can also easily play around with the recipe to get your preferred consistency.
Ease: Incredibly easy to make and ready in less than 10 minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: You won’t find an easier appetizer!
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My recipe for Easy Homemade Pretzels wouldn’t be complete without the best pretzel companion: homemade beer cheese dip.
This is the ultimate easy appetizer that comes together in hardly any time at all – and the taste is AMAZING! It’s perfect for game nights with friends, taking to a potluck at work, game day – you name it. I’ve also listed ideas for what to pair your beer cheese with below.
One of the great things about this easy beer cheese dip is you can also experiment with the consistency if you prefer a thinner or thicker dip.
Add a bit less milk for a thicker dip or more milk for a thinner sauce.
No matter the final consistency or what you serve it with, I promise you’re going to love this beer cheese dip recipe.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Beer Cheese Dip
The Best Beer
Use any beer you enjoy drinking will make for a great beer cheese dip! I prefer something with a more amber color and wheat flavor, like a Wheat beer, a German Hefeweizen, or a Lager.
I don’t recommend an IPA, as that super hoppy flavor will override the cheese (unless that’s your favorite kind of beer and you love the hoppy flavor; then by all means, go for it). Be careful that the beer you use doesn’t have added flavors like fruits or sugary sweets.
You can also use non-alcoholic beer if you prefer.
The Cheese
I love using sharp cheddar cheese and gouda cheese, but Gruyere, Swiss, fontina, or other melting cheeses work well here too! Just make sure it’s freshly shredded so it melts down smoothly, for a Beer Cheese Dip with a super silky texture.
Tip: your food processor makes quick and easy work of shredding lots of cheese!
The Milk
Whole milk works best for a creamy dip. Milk alternatives and lower-fat milk products simply won’t work as well.
The Spices
Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and kosher salt add the perfect amount of flavor without adding much heat. Feel free to adjust the spices up or down to taste, noting that older spices carry less flavor than brand new spices.
If you prefer more spice, add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
What to Serve with Beer Cheese Dip
- Homemade Bavarian-Style Pretzels – these go SO perfectly with this Beer Cheese Dip!
- Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites
- Fresh veggies (broccoli, carrots, celery, cauliflower)
- Tortilla chips
- Roasted potatoes
- Sourdough bread
- Spread on a Burger Bun before adding your patty + other burger toppings
How to Store Beer Cheese
Store this dip inside an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
Beer Cheese Dip
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2/3 cup wheat beer
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated smoked gouda cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and whisk together until a thick and clumpy paste (roux) forms and the raw flour cooks out, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in the milk. Continue whisking until it slightly thickens, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the remaining ingredients.
- Remove the cheese dip from heat and pour into a serving dish. Allow to cool slightly to thicken. Serve warm.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Heat over stovetop or in the microwave before serving again.
Recipe Notes
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Photos by Joanie Simon | The Bite Shot
This is a wonderful recipe. I used dry mustard in place of Dijon. I used half-n-half for whole milk. It is easy to make your own, which I really like. Thank you for sharing!
This beer cheese was a huge hit! I used Heineken non-alcoholic beer as it was a work function, I’ve already shared the recipe with others. Thank you for making an easy, delicious recipe!
The texture is great, but I found it tasted too strongly of the beer I used, a witbier. Had to adjust with more seasonings and cheese to lessen the dank flavor. Next time cut amount of beer in half.
I made this recipe with 1/2 cup white vermont cheddar and 1 1/2 cups smoked gouda – delicious!
The only thing I would change is the Swiss cheese. It didn’t melt very well and was a bit lumpy. Maybe Havarti or Gouda would be better. My guest loved it. It’s not a large amount, so if you’re hosting more than 5-6 people, you should double it.
It is so rare that even when I follow a recipe to the T, the finished product looks EXACTLY like the recipe pictures. But this does, and it tastes awesome. My husband: “These are SO good!” Paired with a spicy beer cheese, of course!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!! I’ve tried so many beer cheese recipes and this is by far the BEST one!
So happy you loved it, Karey!
Can’t wait to try this! After it is made, could you put it in a crockpot to keep warm?
Thank you!
Hi Ali! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! If it gets too hot, the beer cheese dip might separate slightly, so just keep an eye out for that and give it a good whisk to bring it back together if this occurs. Let us know what you think once you’ve tried this delicious dip!
Excellent dip!! I did use a citrus beer and next time I’ll try a beer without citrus as it does give off the citrus flavor. My one question is can I freeze this dip?
Hi Taylor! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed this beer cheese! We haven’t tried freezing this dip, but I don’t think it would freeze well as dairy often separates when thawed. It will keep for up to a week in the fridge, though. Of course, feel free to give freezing it a try and let us know how it goes!
1000% deliciious! I’ve used all types of cheeses and beers (whichever can my husband does not like) and it turns out amazing! Not grainy, smooth, and fantastic with these pretzels. Making them now by request of my guests tonight. Thank you, Tessa!!
They came out great! First time using a lye bath and the results are as advertised. Dark chewy pretzels. It seemed to me that recipe needed more water so I added until dough was stiff.
Glad the pretzels were as good as you hoped, Herb!
This is the best cheese dip I’ve EVER had. It’s super creamy and chock full of flavor. I love the addition of smoked gouda too, so delicious! My husband and I literally stood right over the stovetop and dipped our freshly baked pretzels into the cheese straight from the pan, it was just too good to spend any extra time putting it into a regular bowl and sitting down haha! I used Weihenstephaner, and it was the perfect lighter beer. I tried using Guinness in a previous batch and didn’t prefer how strong the beer flavor was, but other readers might like that! 🙂
So happy you loved this recipe, it’s a favorite of mine too!