Beer Cheese Soup
This beer cheese soup is rich and velvety, made with sharp cheddar, a light lager, and crispy bacon. Keith's technique keeps it smooth every time, so it's a classic worth making from scratch.
Beer meets sharp cheddar
There's nothing we love more than making a big pot of soup, and this beer cheese soup recipe is one we keep coming back to. It's rich, velvety, and loaded with sharp cheddar and beer. The malty lager brings out the best in the cheese. Keith's trick is patience: he cooks the roux for a full three minutes, then lets the soup simmer low and slow once the cheese goes in.
We like to serve it with warm pretzel bites or Rosemary Focaccia for dipping, or a simple green salad to balance the richness. If you love our Craft Beer Cheese Dip, this soup is for you.
Jump to:
Ingredients you'll need
- Bacon. Thick-cut smoked bacon adds savory, smoky depth.
- Lager beer. Its malty notes bring out the cheese without overpowering it. More in the Top tip below.
- Sharp cheddar. The sharper the better. It melts into a rich, velvety base.
- Mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce. These two do the heavy lifting, adding depth and a subtle tang.
👉 see recipe card below for exact quantities.
🔪 Top tip
Use a lager or light lager for the most balanced flavor. Darker or hoppier beers change both the taste and the color.
How to make beer cheese soup
- Build your base. Start by browning the bacon and onions together. This is where the flavor foundation begins. The bacon fat left in the pan is liquid gold and goes straight into the next step.
- Soften the vegetables. The carrots and peppers go in next, picking up all those savory drippings as they cook down.
- Make the roux. Butter, chicken base, and flour go in together. Cooking the flour for three minutes before adding any liquid is the step that gives this soup velvety body. Then stir in the garlic, mustard powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add the beer and cream. Pour in the lager first, then the half and half. This is where the soup starts coming together. Give it five minutes over medium heat before moving on.
- Melt in the cheese. Add the cheddar and remaining butter and stir until completely smooth. Then let the soup cook low and slow for fifteen minutes. This is the step most people rush, and it makes all the difference.
- Finish and serve. Stir the bacon and onion mixture back in, reserving a handful for the garnish. Season to taste and ladle into bowls.
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email it straight to your inbox plus you'll get our best recipes delivered most Fridays, straight from Keith's kitchen.
Make ahead and storage
- Make ahead: up to 3 days in advance. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often to prevent separation.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat.
FAQ
Beer cheese soup is a creamy, cheesy soup made with sharp cheddar, beer, butter, flour, chicken base, and half and half. We add bacon, mustard powder, and Worcestershire sauce for extra depth of flavor.
In our opinion, the best beer for beer cheese soup is a lager, for a subtle and mild beer flavor. Darker beers can alter the flavor profile and the appearance.
It's made with beer, so if you'd rather skip the alcohol, use non-alcoholic beer instead.
Yes! It can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often to prevent separation.
Popular toppings include crispy bacon, green onions, chives, extra shredded cheese, croutons, or a even a drizzle of hot sauce.
🍅 making this recipe?
- Please feel free to reach out with questions. We're happy to help.
- If you enjoyed it, please leave us a comment with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Related recipes
Print
Beer Cheese Soup recipe
This beer cheese soup recipe brings sharp cheddar, crispy bacon, and lager together in one rich, velvety bowl. It's simple to make and one you'll come back to again and again.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 bowls 1x
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-cut smoked bacon, diced
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- ½ cup finely diced carrots
- ½ cup diced peppers (we used tri-color)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chicken base
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 12 oz lager beer
- 2 cups half and half
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using a Dutch oven or soup pot on top of stove, cook bacon and onions over medium heat until brown.
- Remove the bacon and onions from the pan and set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon grease.
- Add carrots and peppers to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter and melt, along with chicken base.
- Add the flour and mix until combined. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, mustard powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix.
- Add beer and mix, then add the half and half. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the cheese and remaining butter. Stir until combined and the cheese is blended.
- Cook over low for 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Add back the bacon and onion mixture, reserving ¼ cup to use to garnish.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Use a lager. Darker or more hoppy beers can change the flavor profile and alter the appearance of the soup. A light lager keeps the beer flavor subtle and balanced.
- Buy a block and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that keep it from melting smoothly, so your soup can turn grainy instead of silky.
- Don't rush the flour. Cooking the flour for three minutes before adding the liquids removes the raw flour taste and builds the body of the soup.
- Reserve the bacon and onion garnish. Holding back a quarter cup to top each bowl adds texture and a finished look.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: soups
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 452
- Sugar: 6.6 g
- Sodium: 970.6 mg
- Fat: 33 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.3 g
- Protein: 15.8 g
- Cholesterol: 80.1 mg
This is comfort food at its best! The beer gives this soup a tangy, rich flavor that is second to none. Our family loves it.