Cheddar cheese and a smooth, pale ale are the perfect pair in this creamy, delicious Cheddar Beer Soup!
Today’s Cheddar Beer Soup is so delicious – you are going to want to make room for it on your game day menu! What a perfect way to feed a crowd, warm your belly, make your taste buds very happy – and cheer on your favorite team!
Inspiration for this rich and creamy soup came from an old cookbook that our neighbor Kristin loaned us a few months ago. It was a compilation of recipes submitted by staff and board members of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the museum café chef shared a Cheddar Beer Soup recipe in that collection.
My husband Jack (as he always does) took the recipe from the cookbook and added his own spin to it – mostly to give the flavors in the soup a delicious extra boost.
We made Cheddar Beer Soup with a sharp, white Vermont cheddar cheese and Blue Moon, a Belgian white ale with a smooth taste. The beer adds a wonderful depth of flavor to the creamy, silky, cheesy soup. But, if you prefer, you could leave it out entirely and still have a delicious cheddar cheese soup to serve!
You’ll also find diced onions, celery and carrots in this Cheddar Beer Soup – which add a little bit of texture and bite to the soup as well as flavor. If you prefer a completely creamy soup, feel free to use an immersion blender and pureed the soup before serving.
We served our Cheddar Beer Soup in sturdy bowls with some additional, finely-shredded cheddar and chopped fresh parsley on top. (Feel free to leave that off if you prefer.)
PrintIngredients
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Few grinds fresh nutmeg
1 ½ tablespoons dry mustard, such as Colman’s
2 quarts chicken stock
¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped small
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Few shakes Tabasco
1½ pounds good quality sharp white cheddar cheese (don’t buy pre-shredded)
1 12-ounce bottle light-tasting beer such as Blue Moon or any pale ale* (we do not recommend an IPA)
Optional: Additional shredded white cheddar and chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
In a 5-quart pot, melt butter over medium high heat and add onion, celery and carrots and sauté for three minutes. Lower heat to medium.
Add garlic and sauté one minute then add flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard and cook for two minutes.
Add stock and parsley, bring to a boil and simmer about five minutes or until vegetables are tender. Mixture will be somewhat thick so be careful not to burn the bottom and stir often.
Add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and cheese and cook just until the cheese melts into the soup.
Remove from heat and pour in the beer and stir.
Serve immediately.
Notes
*We do not recommend an IPA for this soup as it will add a bitter taste.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
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This cheddar beer soup sounds delicious. I will be making this soon. What is a IPA? Just want to know so I don’t use it.
★★★★★
Hi Carol – It’s a variety of brewing beer (IPA is short for India Pale Ale) and on the can or bottle, sometimes right near the name or at the bottom, you’ll see IPA or India Pale Ale. Hope that helps. Enjoy the soup!
Just wondered – is that 1 cut carrot (as shown) or supposed to be 1 cup carrots,diced? Thanks!
Thank you Janet – it is supposed to be 1 cup (not 1 cut) – I will update that ASAP! Thanks for your question!