Easy Cheddar Beer Cheese Dip for Pretzels

This easy cheddar beer cheese dip, made in just 20 minutes, pairs perfectly with warm, soft pretzels. Grating cheddar cheese straight from the block is the secret that makes this beer cheese dip super melty and dangerously addictive. Sure to be a crowd pleaser at your next tailgate, game day, Superbowl party, or movie night, this beer cheese dip tastes great with any number of your favorite, dippable snacks.

Best Beers for This Cheese Dip Recipe

Here are some of the best options for the cheddar beer cheese dip:

• German beer – Try a mild Pilsner
• Lager beer – Pretty standard
• IPA beer – Using IPA beer for beer cheese will add a strong beer flavor, so you should also add 2 tbsp of sugar to offset the bitter hoppy flavor.

Ingredients for Beer Cheese Dip

You will need to decide what type of beer you’re using for your cheese dip first — either IPA, lager or a German beer.

Then, of course, you need plenty of freshly grated cheddar cheese! In addition to the beer and cheese, you’ll need butter, flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley to finish off your delicious cheddar beer cheese dip.

Finally, all you need to prep your pretzels is a batch of store-bought or homemade soft pretzels with butter and salt.

How to Make Cheddar Beer Cheese Dip

It’s ridiculously easy to make cheddar beer cheese dip from scratch!

Step 1. First, grate a fresh block of cheddar cheese. If you prefer a short cut, you can thinly slice the cheddar cheese instead.

Step 2. Next, set a large pot on a burner at medium heat, and add in the butter and flour. Stir the mixture for about 30 seconds to form a roux.

NOTE: A roux is a thick paste-like mixture of butter and flour. It’s “done” when the mixture is lightly browned and it sticks to the back of the spoon.

Step 3. Once the roux is ready, add in garlic powder, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir the seasonings for about 2 minutes.

Step 4. Slowly pour the beer into the roux mixture and whisk until it thickens. After about 5 minutes of whisking, add in the grated cheddar cheese.

Step 5. Continue to whisk the mixture until the cheese melts completely, then remove the cheddar beer cheese dip from heat — if you do not remove from heat, the dip will continue to thicken.

FAQs

What is the best type of cheddar to use for this dip?

This recipe used a yellow sharp cheddar cheese from Tillamook. Grating fresh cheddar cheese is preferred for this recipe because it melts better, but in a rush, using pre shredded cheeses will work. You can also use a white cheddar for beer cheese with a more mild flavor.

What extra seasonings can I use?

Add more flavor to cheddar beer cheese with a little dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Cajun spice blends, or diced jalapeños. I always keep frozen jalapeños in the freezer to use on the fly in recipes like this.

What if the beer cheese dip is too thin?

If the cheddar beer cheese is too thin, you can thicken the beer cheese with an extra tablespoon of flour or cornstarch. Add flour or cornstarch to a separate bowl and mix with ¼ cup of the thin beer cheese sauce. Slowly add the new thick sauce back in to the beer cheese recipe. The beer cheese will also thicken as it sits.

Check out these other crowd pleasing party foods.

Soft Pretzels and Cheddar Beer Cheese Dip – A Perfect Duo

Bacon, jalapeños, and fresh herbs, like the parsley used in this recipe, are great choices for toppings when serving beer cheese for a party.

How to heat soft pretzels for beer cheese

Soft pretzels can be found in the frozen section of most grocery stores. In my local store, I found fresh baked soft pretzels. To reheat soft pretzels, coat them with butter and salt and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Looking for another crowd pleasing appetizer? Check out this Mexican salad. It’s a great make-ahead salad you can also use as a dip.

Another perfect pairing for this dip can be made in the air fryer. When you’re craving wings, but want to keep it healthy…. That’s when you need to try using your air fryer. My methods produce the most crispy air fryer wings ever, and there’s no oil in the recipe! I love this recipe because it is so easy to scale— If I’m making a meal for two adults and a toddler, it’ll be one pound, but if I plan to serve these as a party appetizer I’ll do two.

Tasty Tips

• Perfect Pairings: This recipe can be used to dip more than just soft pretzels. Make beer cheese sauce for brats, hard pretzels, tortilla chips, loaded fries, potatoes, and for dipping thick crusty bread.
• Soft Pretzels: Find soft pretzels in the bakery section or frozen food section of the grocery store. You can also make your own pretzels, fast, with this mix. Mix it up and try using soft pretzel bites.
• All the Cheese: Shred your own cheese from a block, instead of using pre shredded cheeses, because it will melt better and create a super smooth texture.
• Make Ahead: This easy cheddar beer cheese dip can be made a day ahead and keeps in the fridge for a couple of days. But, if you’re anything like me, hubs and our friends, this delicious beer cheese dip won’t last longer than a football game at your house.

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Meat thermometer recommendations

Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly. 

On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:

1. Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
2. ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill. 

It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature. 

How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.

While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!

Are you a foodie, too?

Let me know when you make this cheddar beer cheese dip. I also recommend this green onion dip.

When you make it, find me @sipbitego on Instagram to share your dish. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel.