This Beer Cheese Soup is rich, creamy, cheesy, and oh-so flavorful. Serve with garlic cheese toasts for an easy dinner everyone will love.
Easy Beer and Cheese Soup
Wow, was this beer cheese soup ever good! It disappeared from everyone’s bowls so quickly that they were racing back for seconds.
With a rich, creamy texture this beer and cheese soup makes a great comfort meal. I love to serve it with garlic cheese toasts – aka baguettes with garlic butter and cheddar cheese – to ensure that every last bit gets soaked up. It’s the perfect combination for a chilly evening when you’re craving something cozy.
It’s also a fun dish to serve friends and family–just be sure you make plenty because it will be gone fast!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Here are a few reasons to LOVE this beer cheese soup.
- Ready in an hour. This savory soup is quick and easy to make. From start to finish, it takes less than an hour to make.
- Beer + cheese + bacon. Need I say more? What’s not to love!
- Better than the restaurant version. Smooth and creamy with a fantastic flavor, this beer cheese soup is even better than what you’d order in a restaurant.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make the Beer Cheese Soup with Garlic Cheese Toast (the exact measurements and full recipe instructions are below in the printable recipe card):
For the Soup:
- Bacon – Because bacon makes everything better!
- Butter
- Vegetables – Onion, celery, and carrots add flavor, texture, and nutrients to the soup.
- Garlic
- Flour
- Seasonings – Dry mustard powder, paprika, dried thyme, and a bay leaf add flavor to the soup.
- Beer – See notes below.
- Chicken broth – You can also use vegetable broth.
- Heavy cream – Adds a rich, creamy texture and flavor to the broth.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds extra depth to the flavor of the broth.
- Cheddar cheese – Use sharp cheddar for the best flavor.
For The Garlic Cheese Toasts
- Baguette – Sliced into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
- Butter – Melted so the garlic sticks to the bread.
- Garlic powder
- Sharp cheddar cheese
What Kind of Beer Should I Use?
This is really up to you! We used a basic American beer in this recipe, but you can use your favorite lighter ale (pale ale, amber ale, or light brown) in the soup. Do stay away from IPA’s as their flavor is not quite right for this recipe.
How to Make Beer Cheese Soup
From start to finish, this soup comes together in under an hour.
- Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon in a soup pot until crispy. Set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot.
- Cook the veggies. Add butter to the drippings, then add the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for a minute.
- Add the broth. Stir the flour and mustard powder into the cooked vegetables. Slowly add the beer and chicken stock, stirring as you go. Stir in the heavy cream, followed by the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, paprika, and thyme. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the cheese. Remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy. Serve topped with crumbled bacon and garlic cheese toast.
How to Make Garlic Cheese Toasts
While these garlic cheese toasts aren’t technically part of this cheddar and ale soup recipe, they pair together so perfectly that they may as well be. And they’re so quick to make! Here’s how:
- Brush the slices with butter. Place the baguette slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Add the garlic powder to the melted butter, then brush over the baguettes.
- Add the cheese. Add a small pile of cheese to each baguette slice.
- Broil. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until melted and bubbling.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
Making beer and cheese soup for the first time? Here are a few helpful tips to get you started, plus the answers to a few common questions.
- Does beer cheese soup have alcohol? The soup is made with a can of beer but by the time the soup is finished cooking, most of the alcohol will have cooked off. The beer is more for flavor than anything else.
- Will beer cheese soup make you drunk? As noted above, the majority (if not all) of the alcohol cooks out of this soup. The minuscule amount remaining is not enough to make you drunk.
- Use beer you like to drink. Since the beer is primarily for flavor, one important thing when making this recipe is to use a beer that you like to drink, whether that’s Bud Light, a pale ale, amber ale, etc. The only thing I recommend avoiding is IPA.
- Shred the cheese from the block. I highly recommend shredding the sharp cheddar cheese yourself. It melts so much better, as it’s not coated with an anti-caking agent like pre-packaged shredded cheese.
- Simmer, don’t boil. Once you add the heavy cream, be sure to keep the soup at a gentle simmer versus a boil, as boiling it can cause the cream to curdle.
What to Serve with Beer and Cheddar Soup
As you’ve surely guessed, I always serve this beer cheese soup with garlic cheese toasts. It’s just the perfect combination. A match made in Heaven, you could say.
But if you don’t want to make garlic toasts, breadsticks or any crusty bread are other good options.
This cheddar beer soup makes a great “soup and salad” or “soup and sandwich” option, paired with either a fresh garden salad or your favorite sandwich. Brisket grilled cheese and hot ham and cheese are both fantastic options.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Fridge. Beer and cheddar soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The garlic cheese toasts can be stored in a ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze. You can also freeze your beer cheese soup for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge then slowly reheat on the stovetop, stirring frequently.
More Easy Soup Recipes:
- Instant Pot Coconut Curry Chicken Soup
- Philly Cheesesteak Soup in a Bread Bowl
- Easy Minestrone Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Beer Cheese Soup with Garlic Cheese Toast
Ingredients
Soup
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion peeled and finely diced
- 1 celery stalk finely diced
- 1 carrot peeled and finely diced
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 12 ounces beer
- 1 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika (smoked or regular)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Garlic Cheese Toasts
- 8 baguette slices, each 1/2 inch thick
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside, leaving the bacon drippings in the pot.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the bacon drippings and melt over medium heat. Add the diced onion, celery, and carrot and cook (stirring often) until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and mustard powder to the cooked vegetables in the soup pot; stir well and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Slowly add the beer and chicken stock, stirring well as you add the liquid. Add the whipping cream and stir until combined.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, paprika, and thyme. Stir the soup and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat and stir in 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- To make the garlic cheese toasts, lay the slices of the baguette in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Combine the melted butter and garlic powder and brush over the baguettes. Top each slice of bread with the shredded cheddar cheese. Broil the cheese toasts for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Cool slightly before serving.
- Serve the soup in individual bowls topped with the reserved bacon (crumbled) and garlic cheese toasts.
Last Step:
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