Beer Cheese Soup
If you’re in search of a comforting and hearty dinner that can be whipped up in no time, look no further than this Beer Cheese Soup recipe. This creamy soup has the power to make any evening feel like a special occasion, even a weeknight. Despite its impressive appearance, beer cheese soup is surprisingly easy to make, making it a perfect choice for a quick and satisfying meal.
Beer cheese soup is the epitome of easy comfort food. It’s a creamy and cheesy soup that gives warmth and satisfaction, which makes it a comforting choice for a cozy dinner at home.
The best part is that it looks and tastes like something you’d find in a restaurant, but it can be prepared effortlessly in your own kitchen. And you know, with the price of going out for dinner staying IN for dinner is so much cheaper!
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What kind of cheese should I use?
Sharp cheddar cheese is the classic choice for beer cheese soup due to its bold and tangy flavor. You can also use other cheeses like Gruyère, Swiss, or an extra sharp cheddar. This soup uses cream cheese for an even creamier texture, as well.
What kind of beer should I use?
In this soup, I used a Miller Lite to keep the beer flavor light and tangy. But I think you can use any beer you like in this soup recipe.
If you like a good dark beer, go ahead and use it. Or smoked porter works, too. If you think you don’t want beer in your soup, you can even try a non-alcoholic beer. But I can assure you the combo of beer and cheese is classic.
What do I need to make Beer Cheese Soup?
Add these ingredients to your grocery list.
- Crispy bacon or use real bacon bits
- chopped onions
- minced garlic
- all-purpose flour
- cream cheese
- half and half
- chicken broth or chicken stock
- shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- beer, use one you would enjoy drinking
- Worcestershire sauce
- hot sauce, like Tabasco Sauce
- garnishes, such as more shredded cheese, extra crispy bacon, soft pretzel bites
- Dutch oven
Why did my beer cheese soup curdle?
One common issue that some may face when making beer cheese soup is the curdling of the soup. This can be quite frustrating, especially when you’re aiming for a smooth and creamy result. There are a few reasons why your might curdle:
- High heat can cause dairy-based soups like beer cheese soup to curdle. To prevent this, it’s essential to maintain a medium-low heat when cooking the soup.
- Ingredients like beer and Worcestershire sauce can be acidic, which may cause curdling when mixed with dairy.
To mitigate this, add these ingredients slowly and stir continuously. Overcooking the soup can also lead to curdling.
For best results, avoid extended cooking times is best once your soup is heated and the cheese is melted. The type of cheese you use can affect the texture of your soup.
Let’s get creative with beer cheese soup
Serve your beer cheese soup in bread bowls. I have a recipe for bread bowls but you can always buy them too. Either way works. Or serve it with toast and a big salad for an almost perfect dinner.
You can add fun toppings such as crispy bacon, chopped green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, or for a lot some fun drop-in fresh cheese curds!
Instead of serving this hearty soup with bread or toast, serve this soup with pretzel bread or soft pretzel nuggets like the ones you bake at home. You know the kind that are very similar to the old school mall pretzels but bite sized and affordably priced. Or make my soft pretzels!
How to store leftovers
If you have any leftover beer cheese soup you’re in luck! This is one of those soups that just tastes better the next day. The flavors meld, and make an even tastier soup.
Just be sure to store the leftover soup in an airtight container. We use these Pyrex Containers for fridge storage and for lunches we use these storage containers.
Beer Cheese Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 bacon strips
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup flour
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups half and half you can use a mixture of milk and heavy cream, or even evaporated milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 12 oz. beer I used Miller light in this
- 1 Tablespoon worcestershire
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- Chives for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Fry bacon on both sides until crispy.
- Remove, and set aside on a paper towel to drain, once drained crumble it
- Sauté onion in the bacon grease over medium heat until onion is soft and begins to brown a little
- Stir in garlic and flour until flour is completely distributed (i.e. no lumps left)
- Stir in cream cheese to get it started melting
- slowly add the half and half while stirring continuously
- then slowly add the chicken broth a little at a time, continuing to stir and break up the cream cheese until the mixture is smooth
- toss the shredded cheese with the corn starch, it will lightly coat the cheese and fall through the cheese to the bottom of the bowl, no worries just toss it all in
- sprinkle some of the cheese on top of the soup and stir it in, repeat with the remaining cheese until it's all incorporated keep the heat very low
- Add in beer, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce, and stir constantly to keep it from curdling, always keep the heat very low
- And finally, crumble bacon, set aside some for garnish, and stir the rest of the bacon it into the soup
- garnish with extra bacon and add it to the top of the soup bowl along with chives or green onion for serving
All look good. Will probably try all.