Beer Cheese Dip

Beer Cheese Dip is creamy, flavorful, and packed with a duo of sharp cheddar cheese and gruyere cheese. Perfect for dipping soft pretzel bites, veggies, and more!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings servings/ 2 cups

Calories 141kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

¼ cup unsalted butter (56g)
¼ cup all-purpose flour (30g)
⅔ cup whole milk warm (160mL)
½ cup beer (120mL)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (15mL)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (113g)
1 cup shredded gruyere (113g)
Chopped chives for serving

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until pale and bubbly, about 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in milk, then the beer until smooth. Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, garlic powder, paprika, and salt until combined.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and gradually whisk in the cheeses a little bit at a time until all of the cheese is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, and serve immediately with your favorite dippers and garnished with chopped chives.

Notes

Grate your own cheese. Most recipes are enhanced when you grate a block of cheese instead of using pre-shredded cheese. Freshly shredded cheese adds the best flavor to this dip. Some shredded cheeses are coated in flour or other ingredients to prevent them from sticking together in the package, and these cheeses won’t melt as smoothly.
Whisk while adding each ingredient. For a smooth dip, whisk as you gradually add each ingredient. When adding the cheese, add just a little bit at a time while using medium-low heat.
Cook just until the cheese is fully melted. Overcooking the cheese dip will result in a grainy texture. Be sure to heat just until the cheese is melted, and adjust to low heat if the mixture starts to bubble up or stick to the pan.
Optional: hot beer cheese dip variation. Add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper along with the other spices and a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce for a spicy kick. Garnish with sliced jalapeno peppers.
Keep the warm dip in a crockpot. Use a small crockpot or a fondue pot set to the warm setting if you plan to serve this over an extended period. The dip will thicken as it sits at room temperature, so keeping it warm or reheating it occasionally will make it the most dippable.
Reheat slowly while whisking. To reheat, place the beer cheese pretzel dip in a small saucepan, whisk in 2 to 4 tablespoons of milk, and cook, whisking often, over medium-low heat until heated through. Alternatively, place leftovers in a medium-sized heatproof bowl, and microwave on high in 30-second intervals, whisking after each interval until heated through.

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