Beer cheese soup is creamy comfort food in a bowl! This recipe is super easy and cooked in just one pot.
You all love my beer cheese dip, so I know you'll love this new recipe for beer cheese soup! My recipe is easy and creamy and cooks in just one pot. I love to serve it in pretzel bread bowls, but you can use any regular bowl. I would recommend dipping soft pretzels into your soup if you don't use the pretzel bowls. It's just SO good!
Best Beer Cheese Soup
There are many reasons we love this recipe for beer cheese soup.
- It dirties just one pot. I use my Dutch oven, but any large stockpot will do.
- It's a very creamy soup and flavored with bacon. Who doesn't love bacon?
- Beer cheese soup is comfort food.
- We think it's the best beer cheese soup!
Ingredients
This creamy soup uses simple ingredients you can easily find. Below is a list of what you need to make beer cheese soup:
- Bacon: Starting with bacon is everything! The taste exudes through out. Use kitchen shears to cut into small pieces then cook in the pan.
- Onion and celery: Veggies to add a base of flavor.
- Garlic: For convenience, use the minced jarred variety -- I do all the time.
- Light beer: Use your favorite ale because the taste will shine through!
- Chicken broth: You can also use beef broth or veggie stock.
- Flour: To thicken beer cheese soup, combine flour with the hot broth and stir it back into the soup.
- Heavy cream: Creates a creamy milky texture and also contributes to thickening.
- Cheese: You can use what's listed in the recipe (cheddar/monterey jack, or you can use your favorites... like Gruyere, Irish cheddar, etc.). I do recommend shredding your own cheese instead of buying pre-shredded or it may not melt as well.
- Salt & Pepper: To taste, of course.
Click here for full recipe ingredients and instructions.
How to Make Beer Cheese Soup
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for step-by-step instructions on how to make beer cheese soup. The general steps are as follows:
- In a large pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain grease, reserving some.
- Sauté the vegetables over medium heat until soft.
- Pour in half of beer and cook until reduced. Stir in chicken broth.
- Add rest of beer, bring to simmer.
- Stir in roux (flour mixed with hot broth) to thicken.
- Bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes.
- Whisk in heavy cream and season to taste. Heat another 10 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat, stir in cheese until smooth.
- Serve immediately and garnish with bacon pieces.
Storage and Leftovers
Refrigerate up to 5 days. You can keep the beer cheese leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals or on the stovetop over low heat.
Freeze up to 2 months. Once beer cheese soup is cooled, transfer to freezer container and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Some will say 3 months, but 2 months is where I draw the line for most food before it starts getting some freezer taste to it.
Thaw overnight. If reheating from freezer, thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat in the microwave in 30 seconds intervals or on the stovetop over low heat.
Reheat over low heat. To avoid the cheese from curdling, make sure you use low heat when reheating leftovers. It is important when using the microwave to pay attention and stir every 30 seconds.
Expert Tips
Use an immersion blender. It's optional, but I like to blend the vegetables into the soup so it is smooth. To make it easy, I use my immersion blender. I love this handy tool because then I don't have to transfer the hot soup to a blender or food processor while spilling it everywhere.
Non-alcoholic beer. Although much (not all) of the alcohol is evaporated from cooking, if you'd rather use nonalcoholic beer, you can. This might make you feel better about serving it to your kids, but it's your call.
Cheese variations. I like to use extra sharp cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack because I love both flavors and they are both inexpensive and readily available at any grocery store. BUT, you can switch it up to suit your tastes and use your favorite cheese.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
If you love this beer cheese soup, you may also like these other soup recipes!
- Split Pea Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Hearty Tomato Soup
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Recipe Card
Beer Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick bacon , cut into small pieces
- 1 small yellow onion , peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stalk , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 12 oz. light beer
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz. block sharp cheddar cheese , shredded
- 4 oz. block Monterey jack cheese , shredded
- salt & pepper , to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, cook bacon pieces until crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan; drain excess grease reserving about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan.
- Add onions and celery to the pot with the reserved drippings, season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat while tossing occasionally until just soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, toss and cook another 1 minute.
- Pour half of the beer into the pot. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and the rest of the beer, then bring to a simmer. Optional: Use an immersion blender to blend the onions and celery into the soup until smooth.
- Remove ½ cup of the hot liquid to a small bowl and whisk with the flour. Slowly stir mixture back into the pot. Bring soup to a boil over high heat, reduce to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Whisk in the heavy cream and more salt & pepper, to taste. Heat for 10 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat. Gradually stir in cheese until smooth. Serve in individual bowls topped with bacon, or stir the bacon into the pot of soup then serve.
Notes
- Try making our Pretzel Bread Bowls for serving this soup!
- Store leftovers in fridge for up to 5 days, or freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheat in microwave stirring in 30 second increments or on stove top over low heat.
- Nutrition information is an estimate only and may vary based on ingredients used.
