Basic Beer Cheese
Basic beer cheese is an easy beer cheese recipe that needs only a few ingredients and barely any prep. The result is a cheesy dipping sauce appetizer perfect for dunking chips, fries, or soft pretzels into or even using as a sauce for mac and cheese.
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Don’t let the name of this post deceive you. While this basic beer cheese recipe is super easy, the taste is anything but basic. Unless you count basic deliciousness.
And not in the way that pumpkin everything is basic deliciousness. That’s a whole other ballgame.
This version of beer cheese is like your favorite pair of jeans. It goes with almost anything, and you can dress it up or down depending on the occasion.
Ingredients and Kitchen Tools
In this master version, you only need 4 ingredients and you are on your way to a molten pan full of cheese goodness that would make even cardboard taste out of the world amazing.
To make this you’ll need:
- Cheese- For this version I used a cheddar blend. I buy the preshredded stuff to save time, but you can grate your own. And you could use any version of cheddar or Jack cheese you like.
- Garlic- Fresh pressed garlic cloves. Do not substitute garlic powder here.
- Olive oil– Just a touch of olive oil to saute the garlic in.
- Beer- You can’t make beer cheese without beer. I’ve used Corona in this and darker beer like Guinness. I suggest using whatever your favorite beer is and whatever you have on hand.
That’s it and you get a delicious molten pan full of cheese goodness that would make even cardboard taste out of this world amazing.
You don’t need any fancy kitchen gear either. All you need is:
- A pan– I love cast iron for this.
- Garlic press
- Bottle opener- if you use a bottle of beer instead of a can
Beer Cheese Recipe- How to Make
1. Heat olive oil in a small skillet.
Coat small skillet with olive oil over medium heat.
2. Melt the cheese.
Add the beer, pressed garlic and cheddar cheese to the . Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted.
3. Enjoy!
Serve hot with your favorite dippers.
Dipping Ideas for Beer Cheese
Some of my favorite dippers for this beer cheese are:
- Soft pretzels
- Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Easy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Apple slices
- Veggies like carrot and celery sticks
Other Ways to Use Beer Cheese
And it’s not just a dipper. I also love putting this on top of or into other things like:
- Beer Cheese Stuffed Burgers
- Easy Ground Beef Tacos– why not dunk a taco into this?!
- Barbecue Rib Nachos
- Scrambled eggs and potatoes
- As a sauce for Beer Mac and Cheese or even regular mac and cheese.
- On top of Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
- Stir it into chili
Variations
Of course, you can fancy this up if you want or customize it to your taste kind of like I did with this beer cheese queso.
You want it to have a kick? Cool. Add some diced jalapenos.
You want to use a different kind of cheese besides cheddar or jack? Have at it.
Like things extra garlicky? Add more garlic.
See. This beer cheese gives you options.
Tips and Tricks
- This is one of those recipes that you need to be on top of. It’s not hard to make but it comes together so quick that you don’t want to turn your back while making it.
- It’s best served hot as soon as it’s made.
- To keep it warm while serving, keep over a burner set to low heat.
What is beer cheese made of?
This recipe uses 4 ingredients: cheese, beer, garlic, and olive oil. Some versions include other ingredients like cayenne pepper or hot sauce and some versions are served cold.
Does it have alcohol?
The alcohol in the beer cooks off while you are making the beer cheese. If you are opposed to cooking with alcohol, you could use nonalcoholic beer.
Can you get drunk from beer cheese?
Nope. The alcohol cooks off and leaves behind the flavor of the beer but not the actual alcohol itself.
Is beer cheese Southern?
Sort of in the way that buffalo wings are a New York thing. By that, I mean that beer cheese was invented in Kentucky but there it is commonly served cold more like Trader Joe’s pub cheese.
Other Cheese Dip Recipes
Looking for other cheesy dip recipes? Try these:
- Easy Jalapeno Popper Dip (with Cream Cheese)
- Chipotle Pumpkin Cheese Dip
- Beer Cheese Queso
- Caramelized Onion Cheese Dip
- Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Cheesy Baked Crab Dip
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Ingredients
- 1 tbs of olive oil
- 4 tbs beer
- 2 cups of cheddar cheese
- 6 cloves of garlic pressed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Coat small skillet with olive oil. Over medium heat, add the beer, pressed garlic and cheddar cheese. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite dippers. I like tortilla chips, veggies, and apple slices.
This looks so amazing! I want to put it on everything!
The cheese looks so good on that burger! I’ll definitely have to try this soon!
This looks incredible – I bet my hubs would love it!
With football season around the corner this is the perfect dish!!