This easy recipe combines the robust flavors of German beer and cheddar cheese to make a rich, creamy soup that’s good to eat on any cold day.
Yep, you heard me! German Beer Cheese Soup recipe for 30 Minute Mondays!
You’re going to love this beer and cheese soup – it is so simple to put together but the flavor tastes like it took all day.
Plus, it’s made from a bunch of ingredients that you probably already have lying around. I bet you even have one lonely carrot shoved into the bottom of your produce drawer just waiting to be called to action.
Alright, enough about lonely carrots. Let’s talk about this cheddar beer soup.
You’ll need to make a very personal decision when you decide to make this soup. It’s about your beer preferences. If you love, love, love beer and are just dying to find a way to eat it rather than drink it, go with a full-bodied ale.
If you want the beer to be a playful accompaniment to all the cheese, opt for something a little more subtle, like a wheat beer or pilsner.
Because I’m a Portlander and beer is, like, 40% of my diet, I went with a really heady ale brewed by the local Widmer Brothers Brewery. If this is your first time making beer soup, I’d suggest starting with something a little less strong.
If you don’t care about the beer or the cheese and you’re just here to look at the cute soup bowls, here’s a link to get some of your own.
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Here’s Your Recipe!
30 Minute German Beer Cheese Soup
This easy recipe combines the robust flavors of German beer and cheddar cheese to make a rich, creamy soup that's good to eat on any cold day.
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves peeled garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 16 ounces beer
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon or stone-ground mustard
- 10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, and garlic; saute 10 minutes.
- Add the flour and stir well. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes until the flour turns golden brown.
- Combine the milk and half-and-half. Slowly pour into flour mixture, whisking constantly until combined.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the beer and mustard. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently until foam subsides.
- Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes until thick. Remove from heat and whisk in the cheese a handful at a time. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 600Total Fat 43gSaturated Fat 26gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 127mgSodium 724mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 2gSugar 5gProtein 23g
Nutrition information has been auto-calculated for your convenience.
Comments
Any idea how Corona would work in this? It’s what I have at home.
Give it a try and let us know. My guess is that it will work fine in the recipe, but not have as bold of a taste.
I made this last night ,pretty bad ,bitter taste ,I don’t think it needed the carrot or mustard ,will make again ,but without these 2 things . my wife also said it tasted funny ,bitter ,Pete
Hi, Peter! Which beer did you use?
We made this tonight and used a Labatts Blue and it came out great! Serve with warm,fresh bread and Irish butter and this was a huge hit! Very filling and perfect on a very cold, snowy night in Upstate NY! Thank you for sharing and I look forward to trying another one of your recipes!
I made this to the letter – against my better judgment. I didn’t use heavy cream, and turned the heat up before I added the beer and sure enough, it curdled the milk/half-and-half. Dijon mustard was also too sweet since plenty of sweetness came from the onion and carrot. Next time I would use heavy cream, make sure the cream temp was really low before adding the beer, and use Coleman’s spicy mustard.
I love the idea, but how many servings does this recipe provide?
How much does this recipe yield?
Hi there! I’m also a Portlander, so when I found this recipe I got pretty excited that it was from another Portlander!
My fiance and I chose to use a Bridgeport Brewing Cream Ale . . . And it was AMAZING! Alton Brown has always said, “Don’t cook with something you won’t drink.” So, we got something that we would drink.
I absolutely LOVED this recipe, and will be using it again – that’s for sure! Thank you SO much for sharing this!
Ooh I LOVE their cream ale! That sounds awesome 🙂
I have lived here in germany for the last nineteen years. yes we do have cheese soup but the biggest mistake your making is it has what we call gemisht in it. thats half pork, half beef mince in it. all cheese soup has meat and leeks. its a normal winter classic. also its not made with grated cheeses its made with what they call smeltzkase. melty cheese. this is a kind of spready cheese which comes in a tub and has a low melting point. we love cheese soup and have it often.
I just made this using pFriem’s Pilsner (pretty solid choice, if I do say so myself) and I sauteed the veggies a lot longer than 10 minutes, due to my temperamental electric stove. HOLY MOLY this is good. It’s like.. part cheese dip, part soup. It wears many hats.
I would willingly go all the way to Zoiglhaus Brewing in DEEP Southeast Portland for their bier cheese soup before this rainy, Portland night. Nah, son. Not anymore. This is the money ticket right here. Currently dipping half of a loaf of Grand Central Bakery’s Como bread in it as we speak. The gluten gods would be pleased.
There is nothing German about Beer Cheese!
Seriously. I am living in Berlin and even when I went to Oktoberfest this year I was expecting to find it everywhere and its just not a thing here. Germans like sweet mustard (it’s delicious). But I can not wait to introduce them to beer cheese. I can’t believe they don’t know about it.
I made this recipe tonight, came out delicious and all the family loved it. Served it with a pumpernickel loaf warmed in the oven. Got 4 good-sized servings. Used Stella Artois this time, maybe try a Bass Ale, or Blue Point Toasted Lager next time for a sweeter flavor. My question is a bit technical; if I were to double the recipe would I double the amount of flour and butter as well, or might that over-thicken the whole thing?
Hi Tomas! So glad you liked the recipe. If I were going to double it, I’d also double the flour and butter. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
I live in a dry county and have to drive about an hour to buy alcohol. I can’t drink any due to a strong taste-aversion to the raw alcohol flavor, but love to make stew or chili with Guinness Extra Stout in them. Or burgers simmered in 1/2 stick of butter and 1/2 bottle of the stout. (I freeze the other half to use later.) Anyway, it’s the only beer I’ve ever cooked with so I was wondering if you think it would be too strong for this?
I think it might be a little too strong for this soup!
What kind of beer should I use? something like a Blue Moon or pale ale?
Also, what kind of salad would pair well with this kind of soup?
Everyone who wants to make a SUPER GOOD & SUPER EASY beer bread from a mix: order some from: Tastefully Simple. No, I do not work for the company, but I’ve made their beer bread many times. Make it in March with a corned beef dinner!!!
I love this soup, I like making mine with a nut brown ale, also I like to add in potatoes and just have this with bread as a full meal.
Oh hey, beer cheese soup! I used to have this all the time when I was a kid- it was a bit hit at Super Bowl parties.
We always would throw in some popcorn right after serving- it gives the soup a nice crunch and helps with any bitterness.
That is such a great idea!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. My grandmother use to make something similar to this but could never find the recipe for it. I appreciate you posting this.
Have you ever tried this soup with a Porter? I’m not a big fan of Porters, but I have a couple in my fridge that I don’t know what to do with…. think I’ll give it a shot in this soup.
I LOVE Porter, but I haven’t made it with this soup. If I were you, I’d try using a bit of Porter and a bit of broth. 🙂
I wanted to love this and was excited to make it but it didn’t wok for me…it was way too bitter. I used a Vienna style lager so im not sure if it was the beer choice, or the Dijon, but it was very bitter unfortunately. Is 16oz of beer correct? I’d suggest using 12, or maybe just a very light beer and less Dijon for this to work.
Hi, Shannon! I’ve definitely tried quite a few variations of beer in this recipe and find that the stronger the beer, the more bitter the soup will be. Since it’s being reduced down during the cooking, it can get a bit strong! If you’re sensitive to bitter tastes, which a LOT of people are, I’d stick with something very pale and mild, or substitute a bit of chicken broth in place of the beer. Dijon shouldn’t have a bitter taste to it, but if you prefer you can use dried mustard powder instead. Start with a teaspoon, taste it, and add more if you like! I hope this helps 🙂
I want the recipe for the bread you show with it!!!
Hi, Anna! It’s just some Irish soda bread – I used my recipe ( https://thewanderlustkitchen.com/savory-irish-soda-bread/) but used whole wheat flour and took out the dried fruit.
Tried this, and it didn’t work out. I think the recipe is fine, but the beer choice *does* make (or break) the soup. I used a Marzen (real German Oktoberfest beer), and it ruined the soup. Far too bitter. I think this soup requires a pilsener, like your typical popular American brands (Bud, Miller, light versions as well). Beer with too much flavor, especially hop bitterness, will overpower the other flavors rather than complement it. All of this is my opinion, of course. Your mileage may vary. Thanks for the recipe! I will try it again with a more conservative beer choice next time.
Hi, Eric!
Yes, the beer choice does make a huge difference! Try it with a pilsner – I think you’ll love it 🙂
Just made this for dinner….. So good……. Thanks Thanks for sharing!!!!!
Nice! I’m so glad you like it. Nothing like a cheesy soup!
Just doubled the recipe and am taking it to a brew pub for community pot luck, hope it holds up in a crock pot.
Wonderful! Enjoy!
Sounds delicious! I’m looking to multiply the recipe to make a large amount for an event! How would the soup do if I made it the day before my event and refrigerated it overnight? Would it taste the same after I reheat it? Or would you recommend making it the day of just hours before and keep it on low heat until it’s ready to serve?
Hi, Steve! I’ve never left this overnight, but I did refrigerate it for a few hours and then re-heat it again. I think it would be fine – you might bring a little broth along with you to thin out the soup in case it gets too thick from resting 🙂
This sounds so yummy! About how much does this recipe make?
It serves about 6-8 people, I’d say. I neglected to measure it at the time, but I seem to recall it came about half way up my 5 quart Dutch oven. Let’s say… 10 cups?
if you only put four cups of any liquids in you can’t get ten cups of liquid out, duh! that said i roughly doubled your recipe , cooking garlic, carrot, celery, and sweet onion as my aromatics and using half butter half bacon drippings as my fat and it turned out phenomenal i also did my liquids as 12 oz medium ale with homemade chicken stock adding up to 4 cups and a 16 oz half and half plus 1% milk adding up to 4 cups. i used a combo of asiago, aged swiss, and sharp cheddar for my cheese and was heavy om the cheese. it’s better than a restaurant also, when typing comments on your site it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to see them, they are in TINY light light gray………
Hi Laura,
The solid ingredients add the to bulk of the soup, duh.
I can’t get over how amazing this sounds! I need to try this soon!
Thank you, Kristen!! It really is comfort food at its finest 🙂
I totally know what you mean about the beer choice. I can go either way personally, totally depends on my mood. I can see going with the bolder flavors this go round and loving every drop! Pinned!
You’re so right, Katie! Sometimes you just need to go all out and go with the good stuff 🙂
I have never put beer in a soup before, but I love the idea! Pinning for later 🙂
You could get really crazy and make some beer bread with it, too! 😉
Mmmm! I love beer cheese soup and the bread looks delicious too! Do you have a recipe for the beer bread? I would like to make it when I make the soup! Thank you for posting your recipes! Can’t wait to try them!
Looks great! But what is half -and-half? 🙂
Hi! Half-and-Half is a dairy product made from 50% whole milk and 50% heavy cream 🙂
In England it is called second cream
Good to know!!
I have never made a cheese based soup before. This is definitely something that I need to try! Thanks for the idea, I love that you added beer too.. perfect oktoberfest inspired dish!
I’m glad you like it, Thalia!! You can’t go wrong with beer and cheese 🙂
Wow… this looks amazing! I don’t even really like beer but this sounds fantastic. Not to mention, is that cute little crock from Pier 1 because I just might have the same one 🙂 Great minds think a-like! Pinning this soup!
Hi, Dana! I think I got my crocks from Sur la Table, but I bet they have the same kind over at Pier 1. Two of my favorite stores!
how would it be to add bacon like a wisconsin cheddar soup