This Easy Beer Cheese Soup is so rich, so creamy, and loaded with bacon, veggies, beer, dijon, THREE ooey, gooey, cheeses, and more!

General
Ingredients
How to make
Get the recipe
Step-by-step video
Frequently Asked Questions
What beer to use
Alternative cheeses
How to store
Nutrition information

One of my favorite things to do is cozy up with a steaming hot bowl of soup. And what better soup to do that with than one that involves beer, cheese, AND bacon? (The answer is none. This is the ultimate cozy soup.) I mean, come on! I’ll take a whole pot, please and thanks!

Ingredients

Bacon and THREE cheeses are what make this soup extra special. The smokiness from the bacon, plus the combination of cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and pepper jack is unreal. If those cheeses aren’t your jam feel free play around with your favorites, but try to have something creamy and tangy like cream cheese, something flavorful like sharp cheddar, and something that melts really well like pepper jack.

Any beer can be used in this soup, just be sure it’s one that you enjoy drinking, because the flavor will come through. Not a beer fan? Use something light like Blue Moon!

Bacon – creates texture and provides a smokiness to the soup.
Butter – gives the veggies a rich flavor.
Celery, Carrots, and Onion – aka “mirepoix” is the classic veggie combo that is a base for many soup recipes.
Garlic – adds a nutty flavor.
Salt and Pepper – brings out the flavor of the other ingredients and adds a bit of spice.
Flour – thickens the broth.
Chicken Broth – thins the soup while also adding flavor.
Beer – use your favorite! We really like an IPA for a full-bodied flavor, but if you’re not a beer drinker, feel free to use something lighter like Corona.
Worcestershire Sauce – gives the soup just a hint of tanginess.
Dijon Mustard – adds some heat and flavor. It pairs beautifully with beer.
Cream Cheese – makes the soup extra creamy and adds a bit of tang.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese – adds amazing flavor and holds up nicely next to the flavor of the beer.
Pepperjack Cheese – adds just a little bit of a spice kick and melts really well.

I really do think you can use any kind of cheese in today’s recipe, but whatever you use, avoid buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is packaged with an anti-caking agent, so you may end up with a gritty soup.

If you absolutely can’t get away from pre-shredded cheese, blending the soup after it’s cooked in a high powered blender will help to smooth it out.

How to make beer cheese soup

For such a rich, full flavored soup, this recipe is surprisingly quick and easy to make. If you want to save time, be sure to prep your veggies and shred your cheeses beforehand!

Pro tip

Let your cheeses come to room temperature and add small handfuls at a time. This ensures even melting and incorporation into the soup.

Cook bacon in a large stockpot. Remove.
Cook veggies in the butter.
Add flour, beer, broth, worcestershire sauce, and mustard.
Slowly stir in cheeses.
Blend in a Vitamix or other high-powered blender until velvety smooth.
Serve, garnish, and enjoy!

Only six steps to creamy perfection in a bowl! If you’re not in a cheesy mood, definitely check out these Easy Soup Recipes for other great, cozy soup options!

What beer to use

I love a good IPA, so that’s the beer I chose to use for this recipe. That being said, you can definitely use your favorite type of beer instead and it is sure to be equally as delicious! If you’re not a huge beer fan, use something light like a lager.

What cheese is best for beer cheese soup?

You’ll want to use something creamy, something flavorful, and something that melts really well.

Cream cheese: this is our something creamy. It makes the super a little bit richer and adds a great tangy flavor to offset the richness.
Sharp cheddar: something flavorful. A powerful flavor like sharp cheddar holds up nicely to the robust beer flavor.
Pepper jack: our melty cheese. Not only does this provide a velvety texture, it also adds a nice hint of spice.

Personally, I love the combination of the cheeses used in this recipe, but if you want to give other cheeses a try, use goat cheese for the cream cheese, mild or white cheddar in place of the sharp cheddar and/or monterey jack in place of the pepper jack cheese. Although it may change the flavor of the soup a little bit, it will definitely still taste SUPER yummy!

What cheeses did YOU try?

What to serve with beer cheese soup

This soup just SCREAMS for something to be dipped into it, plus beer and carbs are just the perfect pairings, so be sure to have something like a soft pretzel or pillowy roll at the ready. To offset the richness, I also love a nice crisp salad on the side. Here are some of my favorite pairings: