Beer Cheese Dip is ready in under 15 minutes and makes for the best appetizer! Customize it with your favorite alcoholic or non-alcoholic beer, serve with fresh homemade pretzels, bread, or even keep it light with fresh veggies! Everyone will love it!

Breadsticks in a pot of beer cheese dip.

We love nothing more than pub food. Not only is it the ultimate comfort food, but it’s also the best party food too! Win-win! The difficult thing with party food, is that you’re usually trying to coordinate making 10 different dishes all at once. That has led to far too much stress before a fun event, so we have embraced dishes like beer cheese dip because they are easy and quick to make, and completely delicious. We like to give party-goers options ranging from completely indulgent and over-the-top to moderately healthy, making dips a fantastic option! Choose between dipping with celery or pretzels to keep it light or totally indulge!

  • What type of beer should I use?

    There really aren’t any limitations here on what beer you should use. If you are an avid beer drinker, try this recipe with any of your favorite drinking beers. If you are not a beer drinker, stick with something light like an ale or a lager. If you avoid the consumption of alcohol for any reason, you can even make this recipe with non-alcoholic beer!

  • Milk Options:

    We love how creamy this dip is when using whole milk, but whole milk is not necessary. Feel free to use whatever milk you typically have on hand, or even experiment with half and half!

    If you are dairy free, opt for the higher fat and creamier plant-based milk alternatives such as oat milk or soy milk.

  • Cheese Options:

    We love beer cheese dip with a good sharp cheddar. Not only can you experiment with the many varieties of cheddar, ranging from mild to extra sharp, but you can also try your other favorite melting cheeses. If you’re feeling extra fancy, try a blend of cheeses! We recommend shredding your own cheese and not using store-bought pre-shredded cheese.

    If you are dairy free, use your favorite plant-based cheese alternatives. Not all plant-based cheeses are made equally, so stick with a brand you are familiar with that is supposed to melt well.

  • How spicy is beer cheese dip?

    With only 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, this should be fairly accessible to all spice levels. If you are extremely spice intolerant you can always leave out the cayenne. Prefer more of a spicy kick? Increase your cayenne to 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon depending on your own taste preferences.

  • Serving Suggestions:

    Our favorite way to eat beer cheese dip is to dip homemade pretzels into it. It is seriously amazing. However, you have SO many options here: french bread, baguette, crusty artisan bread, or tortilla chips. For a lighter option, include some fresh veggies for dipping: celery sticks, bell pepper strips, or broccoli florets.

  • Make Ahead Instructions:

    This dish becomes even easier when you can make it ahead of time! Make this recipe as instructed up to 2 days ahead of time. Allow it to cool before covering with plastic wrap or moving into a storage container with a tight fitting lid. When ready to serve, reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop over low heat, stirring every few minutes until heated through.

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious appetizer recipes:

A hand dipping a pretzel bite into a pot of beer cheese dip.