This Beer Cheese Dip is the ULTIMATE appetizer or snack. It’s incredibly creamy, loaded with freshly shredded cheese and has the best flavor thanks to the beer! Pair with crackers, chopped veggies or my personal favorite…soft pretzels!
Happy October, fam! This is truly my favorite month of the year so I wanted to kick it off with a delicious and FUN recipe.
This year, Ben and I decided that we wanted to go all out the first weekend in October and do a little at home Oktoberfest!
So, we made homemade soft pretzels from my friend Stephanie’s cookbook and I whipped up this beer cheese dip. Oh, and of course we drank marzen beer while we had it. And yes, it was delightful.
Of course you don’t have to go all out like that to enjoy this beer cheese dip…the good news is, it takes no time to whip it up!
Why You’ll Love This Dip:
Like I said above, it is incredibly easy to make! You simply make a roux with some melted butter and flour, make a quick sauce by adding milk and stirring in your other ingredients!
Since it is so easy to make, it’s the best last minute appetizer to whip up to enjoy while watching your favorite Fall movie (hi Hocus Pocus!) or during a game day! Because let’s be honest, isn’t the best part about watching football the snacks?
It’s SO creamy and flavorful. I feel like I wanted to eat it with a spoon directly from the pot once it was done. From the hoppy beer, to the ground mustard, to the sharp cheddar cheese…so much flavor!
To me, Fall is all about the warm and cozy foods. This is perfect to eat while it’s popping hot and a chilly wind is blowing outside.
Ingredients You Need:
- Butter – feel free to use salted or unsalted, I used salted because that’s all I had. If you do use salted butter, Just be sure not to OVERSALT the recipe.
- All purpose flour – this ingredient is essential in making the roux! Aka a fancy word for the melted butter + flour mixture to help thicken the sauce.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – this will give it that over the top delicious SHARP taste. I used a combination of white cheddar and regular sharp cheddar.
- Beer – of course, the real star of the show. I used a Hoppy IPA which added a TON of hoppy flavor. If you’re not into hops, I would use a lighter beer like a pale ale or lager. However, you can honestly just use whatever beer you might have on hand. I bet a pumpkin beer would be super seasonal!
- Whole Milk – This ingredient is a must for the sauce. If you want to make this dip even richer, use half and half in place of whole milk.
- Stone ground Mustard – I used a seasonal stone ground mustard I found at Lidl, but you can substitute dijon mustard if needed.
- Garlic Powder + Onion Powder + Paprika + Salt – for spicing it up!
Best Tips for Success:
Get all of the ingredients ready to go and MEASURED. This will make your life easier as you prepare to make the sauce.
Use freshly shredded cheese! Pre-shredded contains preservatives that will make the sauce CLUMP and be cakey. You want it to be smooth and creamy. So please, for me, take the extra 5 minutes and shred the cheese!
I talked about a roux earlier – this is, like I said, just a fancy way of being the thickener for the sauce. You must whisk a LOT in this recipe. But I promise you, it goes by pretty fast!
I would just make the decision to stay BY the stove and whisk away! This will not only help the sauce thicken faster but it will also prevent any burning. Because let’s be honest, one quick distraction (hi baby Jack!) can result in being gone too long which can result in boiling aka burning!
Taste the sauce as you go BEFORE you add any salt. The cheese and salted butter will provide a good amount of salt so you don’t want to go overboard. And that’s coming from me, a person who literally adds an extra pinch of salt to everything, ha!
If you’ve let your sauce be on the stovetop for too long and it’s TOO thick, simply add in a splash of milk and whisk to thin it back out.
How to Store Leftovers:
If you happen to not eat the dip in one setting, simply scoop the leftovers into some tupperware with a tight lid and then pop it in the refrigerator. Mine stayed good for up to 3 days.
How to Reheat Beer Cheese Dip:
Here is the good news if you DO happen to have leftovers – this beer cheese dip reheats like a DREAM.
Simply add whatever leftovers you have back in a small pot on medium heat. Add a splash of whole milk and whisk until thick and creamy and warmed again. YUM.
I think the stovetop is the best way to reheat the leftovers but if you don’t have time to do that, you can pop it in the microwave, heat it for 30 seconds, remove, add a splash of milk, stir, and then pop it back in until it reaches your desired warm temperature.
What to Serve it With:
Soft Pretzels
Tortilla Chips
Sliced Veggies (carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower etc.)
Crackers
Warm bread (pita, naan etc.)
Sausage (bratwurst)
However you eat this beer cheese dip, I just know that you’re going to LOVE it. Cheers, my friends!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Instant Pot Guinness Braised Short Ribs
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Beer Cheese Dip
This Beer Cheese Dip is the ULTIMATE appetizer or snack. It’s incredibly creamy, loaded with freshly shredded cheese and has the best flavor thanks to the beer! Pair with crackers, chopped veggies or my personal favorite…soft pretzels!
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk (maybe more if needed to thin out sauce)
- 1 cup beer (I used a hoppy IPA, see blog post ingredient section for more ideas)
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp stone ground mustard (can sub dijon)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- salt to TASTE (add salt last! you don't want it to be too salty)
Instructions
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Begin by freshly shredding the cheese. This is a MUST for this recipe - as pre-shredded will make the sauce clumpy. Trust me, please take the time to shred it! Set aside once shredded.
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Go ahead and get all of the other ingredients prepped and ready to go (the AP flour, milk, beer etc.) - this will make your life easier as you prepare to make the sauce.
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To a medium sized pot, add the butter on medium heat. Let it melt. Once melted, add in the all purpose flour and whisk until combined. Let that cook for 1-2 minutes then slowly whisk in the milk.
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The sauce should thicken pretty quickly (within 1-2 minutes). Please don't let it go too long to where it will boil/burn! Once it's thickened, add in the beer followed by the spices and mustard. Whisk to combine.
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Lastly, add in the cheese and whisk until it is fully melted, combined and the sauce has thickened a bit. Mine took about 3-4 minutes with continual whisking.
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Remove from heat. It might still be a little thin, but I promise it will thicken up as it cools. If you let your sauce go too long and it's become TOO thick, simply add in a splash of milk to thin it up.
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Taste and add additional salt if needed NOW. The cheese and butter should have really given it quite a bit of salt, but if you feel like it needs more, now is the time to taste and add if needed.
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Pour into a bowl and serve while hot! If desired, garnish with some additional shredded cheese.
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Serve with soft pretzels (my fave!) or see blog post above for other ideas. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
See my best tips for beer cheese dip success in the blog post above!!!