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    Home » Blog posts by Rosanna ETC » Food

    Cheesy Beer Soup With Cheddar And Crispy Bacon

    Published: Nov 9, 2021 · Modified: Mar 15, 2022 by Rosanna Stevens · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

    Cheese and booze, what's not to love? It's soup season and this cheesy beer soup is a winner if you like rich and decadent food with nutty flavours and warm, cosy vibes.

    This is a deliciously thick soup with beer and cheddar cheese topped with spring onion and crispy bacon. It's one of my fave dutch oven soup recipes and is ready in just 30 minutes which is also a winner in my opinion. I developed this recipe whilst in the mountains above Big Bear Lake in California and it has a real apres-ski vibe to it, I can imagine getting back from a day on the slopes and slurping it up hot and steaming from the bowl.

    I served my cheesy beer soup with freshly baked German pretzels from the local deli, and they complimented the soup perfectly but a crusty roll will do just as well. Or even brioche, to get that sweetness from the glaze that works so well with the cheesy taste. You don't need an immersion blender for this recipe, it's a one-pot soup and is pretty fool proof!

    Cheesy beer soup

    This cheesy beer soup is perfect in cold weather, a cosy soup for winter.

    I have a real thing for soup, and you can check out all my other soup recipes here.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Wine pairing
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Top Tip
    • Cheesy beer soup

    Ingredients

    This cheesy beer soup recipe is pretty simple but as always, get your ducks in s row by measuring out your ingredients first and making sure you have them all ready and waiting to go.

    Ingredients for cheesy beer soup
    • Cheddar cheese
    • Beer (lager)
    • Chicken stock/broth
    • Double cream/whipping cream
    • White onion
    • Flour
    • Bacon
    • Butter
    • Mustard powder
    • Cayenne pepper
    • Spring onion/green onion
    • Butter

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Cut the bacon into 1cm strips using scissors and dice the onion.

    Hint: To make the bacon easier to cut, put it in the freeze for five minutes beforehand

    Place the bacon strips in a dutch oven casserole pot and turn the heat on to medium, allowing the meat to heat up at the same rate as the pot, rendering the fat nicely.

    bacon cut into strips

    Once the bacon is crispy, remove it to a plate using a slotted spoon.

    Add more butter to the pot, and then the onions.

    Cook the onion in the butter and bacon fat, and once they are softened, add the flour, whisking it into the butter to avoid lumps.

    Pour in the beer, whisking all the while, and then bring to a simmer and leave for five minutes to cook off the alcohol.

    Stir through the chicken broth, and then the mustard and cayenne pepper. Allow the flavours to incorporate for a further five minutes.

    Now add the cream, and once it is back at the simmering point, turn off the heat.

    Gradually add the grated cheddar cheese, allowing it to melt and incorporate into the soup. Once all the cheese is added, turn the heat back on and gently bring back up the temperature but do not allow it to boil.

    Warm your pretzels or bread in the oven and serve the soup in bowls topped with bacon and spring onion.

    Cheesy beer soup served with warm pretzels

    Wine pairing

    Serve beer! A hoppy West Coast IPA or an English Ale would pair wonderfully. If you are set on wine, then try a dry Reisling or a Grüner Veltliner.

    Substitutions and Variations

    Here are a few ways you can change up this cheesy beer soup recipe to suit you or put your own twist on it.

    • Cheese - I used cheddar in my soup, but you could try other cheeses like gruyere or gouda
    • Beer - try this with ale, or even wine to change it up!
    • Spice - if you want even more of a kick, add more cayenne pepper or stir in extra mustard.

    Equipment

    I love using one of my enamelled dutch oven casserole pots to make soup as the heat distribution is marvellous.

    Storage

    Store any leftovers in the fridge and reheat gently when you want to eat it. It will be fine for 2-3 days.

    These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

    Top Tip

    Don't buy ready grated cheese - it is coated with a chemical that prevents it from clogging together in the packed and this also stops it from melting properly, leaving you with lumpy soup.

    cheesy beer soup

    Cheesy beer soup

    A rich and cosy soup made with cheddar cheese and beer topped with crispy bacon
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 1076 kcal

    Equipment

    • Dutch oven

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 rashers bacon
    • 1 white onion diced
    • 350 ml lager
    • 200 ml double cream
    • 350 ml chicken broth
    • 400 grams cheddar cheese grated
    • 1 tablespoon mustard powder
    • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
    • 20 grams butter
    • 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 4 tablespoon spring onion
    • 4 soft pretzels

    Instructions
     

    • Place the bacon strips in a dutch oven casserole pot and turn the heat on to medium, allowing the meat to heat up at the same rate as the pot, rendering the fat nicely. 
    • Once the bacon is crispy, remove it to a plate using a slotted spoon.
    • Add more butter to the pot, and then the onions. 
    • Cook the onion in the butter and bacon fat, and once they are softened, add the flour, whisking it into the butter to avoid lumps.
    • Pour in the beer, whisking all the while, and then bring to a simmer and leave for five minutes to cook off the alcohol.
    • Stir through the chicken broth, and then the mustard and cayenne pepper. Allow the flavours to incorporate for a further five minutes. 
    • Now add the cream, and once it is back at the simmering point, turn off the heat.
    • Gradually add the grated cheddar cheese, allowing it to melt and incorporate into the soup. Once all the cheese is added, turn the heat back on and gently bring back up the temperature but do not allow it to boil. 
    • Warm your pretzels or bread in the oven and serve the soup in bowls topped with bacon and spring onion. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1076kcalCarbohydrates: 96gProtein: 38gFat: 58gSaturated Fat: 34gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 1900mgPotassium: 440mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2328IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 813mgIron: 6mg
    Keyword cheesy beer soup
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Comments

    1. Kayla says

      November 10, 2021 at 5:29 pm

      5 stars
      This cheesy beer soup is so delicious! It has all the cozy flavors that I love! I will be making this over and over again!

      Reply
    2. Julie says

      November 10, 2021 at 5:40 pm

      5 stars
      Beer? Wow, this is indeed so creative and hearty i love it!

      Reply
    3. Shilpa says

      November 10, 2021 at 8:54 pm

      5 stars
      This sounds interesting! Is there a substitute for bacon?

      Reply
      • Rosanna Stevens says

        November 11, 2021 at 1:04 am

        Hi Shilpa! To make it without bacon you'll need to use extra butter to cook the onions so that the roux forms properly, I'd say 2 tablespoons?

        Reply
    4. Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says

      November 11, 2021 at 1:20 am

      5 stars
      This soup looks so good! Great for Octoberfest, but I bet good anytime during the colder months.

      Reply
    5. Gina says

      November 11, 2021 at 2:07 am

      5 stars
      This soup looks so good and very warming. Perfect for the winter months.

      Reply
    6. Nora says

      November 11, 2021 at 11:06 am

      5 stars
      Yummy! This soup is so, so good! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!

      Reply
    7. Natalie says

      November 11, 2021 at 5:34 pm

      5 stars
      That soup sounds delicious. It's so creamy and warming too. I have to make this asap. Thanks!

      Reply
    8. Toby says

      March 21, 2022 at 12:02 pm

      5 stars
      I didn’t realise there was a way to combine 3 of the worlds greatest foods - beer, cheese and bacon. Thank you for a great yet simple recipe!

      Reply

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    Rosanna Stevens opening a bottle of champagne.

    Rosanna Stevens opening a bottle of champagne.

    I'm Rosanna, a trained chef, published writer and food and style fanatic. I believe in using food and drink to make every day an event with fresh and seasonal produce, wine pairings and a perfectly styled plate.

    I write for publications in the UK, USA and Central America on food, travel and the destinations I love and have also created several recipe ebooks and Stop The Scroll, a beginner's guide to food styling and photography. Thanks for being here!

    Learn more about me →

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