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    Beer Cheese Soup

    Beer cheese soup is exactly what it sounds like it is, and it tastes exactly as good as it sounds like it would—1,000% delicious.

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    Beer Cheese Soup with bacon, peppers in a bowl with pretzel rolls and a spoon

    Creamy, Cheesy, Bacon-y Comfort Food.

    Cheese soup is not healthy. Not for a second. But it is all-American cheesy comfort food, and worth every last indulgent bite. We’ve pulled out all of the stops for this one. Our beer cheese soup gets its melty, creamy-with-a-kick perfect from not one but three kinds of cheese, a good dose of smoky bacon, jalapeno for kick, and heavy cream for silkiness. Imagine tucking into a bowl of steaming hot, freshly made beer cheese soup after a long day of playing in the snow (or in our case, a Pacific Northwest downpour)—did you know that soup could be hearty and rib-sticking? Well, you do now.

    ingredients for Beer Cheese Soup grated pepper jack and cheddar cheese, bacon, green onions, bell peppers cream and onion
    crispy bacon in a soup pot
    jalapeño red bell peppers and onions added to rendered bacon fat in a soup pot.
    wooden spoon stirring jalapeño red bell peppers and onions added to rendered bacon fat in a soup pot.

    Thanks, Wisconsin!

    We’d just like to say thanks to Wisconsin, the supposed birth place of beer cheese soup, for giving the American people a food that so purely expresses our love for cheese. If you’ve ever wished it was socially acceptable to just eat melted cheese on its own, this is the soup for you. Essentially, beer cheese soup is just a riff on Beer Cheese Dip that you can eat with a spoon—no dipping needed. Because this soup is a celebration of cheese, we’re really going all out. While you could make this a cheddar beer soup, we like it better with a variety of cheeses:

    • Sharp cheddar cheese. Salty and assertive, sharp cheddar gives the soup a zippy cheese flavor and its sharpness doesn’t get lost in the creamy soup base.
    • Medium cheddar cheese. Milky and mild, we add medium cheddar for the sunny color that it gives to the soup, as well as its flavor.
    • Pepper Jack cheese. We’re pepperheads (in case you hadn’t noticed) so we just had to throw in a little pepper Jack. Plus, Monterey Jack is an exceptionally good melting cheese. Plus you can snack on it while you grate the cheese—obviously a bonus.
    wooden spoon stirring jalapeño red bell peppers and onions with beer and stock
    wooden spoon stirring jalapeño red bell peppers and onions with beer and stock and cream
    bacon, jalapeño, red bell peppers and onions with beer and stock and cream in a soup pot for beer cheese soup
    bacon, jalapeño, red bell peppers and onions with beer and stock and cream in a soup pot with cheddar and pepper jack cheese

    The Best Beer Cheese Soup, IMHO

    Since we’re not from the midwest, it feels a little wrong to say that ours is the BEST beer cheese soup recipe out there. But then again, if we really do feel that way—and honestly, we do—isn’t it in the best interest of beer cheese soup lovers that we share our recipe?! What a dilemma.

    How about this? We’ll just tell you that this is our very favorite way to make beer cheese soup? We can promise that’s true for sure. We’ve already talked about the cheeses you’ll need to make this easy beer cheese soup. We’ll walk you through the rest of the ingredients that make this soup recipe so very good:

    • Bacon. Clearly this makes everything better.
    • Onion
    • Peppers, including a jalapeño. The little spark of chili pepper heat helps to cut through the richness of the cheese soup and is really welcome amidst all of that fat. If you don’t want too much heat, try half a jalapeño, and be sure to scrape out the seeds before adding it to the pot.
    • Stock.
    • Beer! We like to use a pilsner—whatever you choose, you definitely want something light in color.
    beer cheese soup with bacon, jalapeño, and green onions in a soup pot

    How to Make Beer Cheese Soup

    In just about 20 minutes, you’ll be digging into big bowls—bread bowls, if you’re feeling fancy—of luscious beer cheese goodness. Here’s how to make this easy beer cheese soup:

    1. Cook the bacon. Once it’s nice and crispy, carefully remove the bacon from the pan. BUT! Leave about a tablespoon of the rendered fat in the pan to serve as the base for the next step.
    2. Sauté the onion and peppers in the fat, along with a little thyme.
    3. Add butter to this mixture and, once it has melted, stir in some flour to make a roux. This flour-fat mixture (the roux) is an important part of creating a base for a creamy soup like this. Once it’s cooked a bit—you want to cook the rawness out of the flour—move on to the next step.
    4. Liquid time! Pour in the beer first, then the stock and cream.
    5. Cheese time! Now that the beer soup base has been created, you’re ready to add all of your cheeses. Stir constantly as you add the cheese, and add it slowly. This will ensure that it melts and gets evenly distributed.
    6. Serve! Stir in the bacon, and serve garnished with—you guessed it—even more bacon!
    Beer Cheese Soup with bacon, peppers in a bowl with green onions

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    Beer Cheese Soup with bacon, peppers in a bowl with pretzel rolls and a spoon

    Soup is All You Need.

    When it’s beer cheese soup, that is! Comfort in a bowl is what we’re all about. Snap a photo of your cheddar beer soup and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

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    Beer Cheese Soup

    Originally published: October 30, 2017

    • Serves: 6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  25 min
    • Calories: 518
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    Ingredients

    • ½ lb bacon, cut into ⅓ inch pieces
    • 1 small onion, finely chopped
    • 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
    • 1 jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
    • 1/4 cup flour
    • 4 tbsp butter
    • 1 1/2 cups pilsner beer
    • 2 cups chicken stock
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
    • 4 oz medium cheddar cheese, shredded
    • 2 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
    • salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
    • chives, optional
    • flat leaf parsley, optional

    Method

    1. In a large sauce pan or soup pot, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until bacon is crispy, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain off all but 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat.
    2. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and thyme and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
    3. Reduce heat to medium and add the butter, stirring until completely melted.
    4. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour is fully incorporated. After the flour is incorporated add the beer, stirring constantly until it the mixture thickens.
    5. Slowly add the chicken stock and cream and stir until completely combined. Bring to a low simmer.
    6. Add the grated cheese a handful at a time until melted.
    7. Salt and pepper to taste and add in half of the cooked bacon.
    8. Garnish with additional bacon, chives or flat leaf parsley if desired.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories518
    • Protein20 g
    • Carbohydrates10 g
    • Total Fat43 g
    • Dietary Fiber1 g
    • Cholesterol110 mg
    • sodium806 mg
    • Total Sugars2 g

    Beer Cheese Soup

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Mindy

      Can this beer cheese soup be frozen?

      we wouldn't recommend freezing this one. the texture won't hold up well.

    • Lucas/Tai

      I'm underaged and want to make this for a school C.A.T for business class. . . Can I just add extra stock to substitute or add something else?

      Yes! Enjoy!

    • Cyndy

      Does the beer have to be warm?

      Nope! Hope you enjoy!

    • Verna

      What do you serve with it?

      Bread, salad, roasted vegetables, grilled chicken or steak.

    • Sara

      Does the beer cheese soup taste as good the next day? I want to make it for work but would need to make the night before and reheat the next day

      Yes! Reheat on low until warmed through.

    • Ben

      I made this with my fiance. We couldn't find any pilsner, so we substituted with a 4.9% lager. Also, upon initial taste tests, it was not "cheesy" enough for a beer cheese soup. We added 8 oz of sharp and 8 oz of medium cheddar. Holy cow was this soup good. It would make the perfect fall/winter time "warm you up" soup. Very hearty, very delicious.

      Thanks Ben, we are glad you enjoyed it!

    • Stephen

      It was delicious 😋

      Thanks Stephen!

    • Rhonda

      I made this soup today and followed the recipe exactly. It did not disappoint, amazing!

      Thanks Rhonda, so glad you loved it!

    • Wendy

      This was delicious! I added yellow potatoes steamed - Rueske's Bacon.

      Thanks Wendy, glad you loved it!

    • Hannah

      I made this today with a couple minor adjustments. I just used a bagged Mexican cheese blend since it has all the same kinds of cheese she describes in the recipe. I also added garlic powder in the mix of seasoning the veggies. Turned out great. Next time I think I won't use as much thyme as called for in the recipe. Just a personal preference.

      Thanks Hannah, glad you enjoyed it!