This Easy Beer Cheese Soup recipe is quick and simple to make with cheddar cheese and Cheez Whiz and is unbelievably delicious! I've tried quite a few beer soups in my life, but this is the best beer cheese soup recipe ever! And you don't even have to like beer (or Cheez whiz) to love this meatless creamy soup!
This was adapted from a copycat of the Grainery Beer Cheese Soup (in North Dakota) and lightened up a lot to make it Weight Watchers friendly. It pairs well with this Baguette Garlic Bread, or Everything Bagel Cloud Bread Recipe (0 WW points). This recipe is great any time of the year, but ideal for Father's Day!
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🥘Ingredients
You don't need heavy cream for this beer and cheese soup, as you can simply thicken it up with a roux. For this Beer Cheese Soup recipe, you'll need:
- chicken stock
- Cheez whiz *I use light
- milk * I use 1%
- sharp cheddar cheese * I use low-fat
- beer * I use Genuine draft
- Worcestershire sauce
- Mushrooms ( sautéed with unsalted butter and seasoning salt * I use Lawry's seasoning salt)
- flour
- olive oil
- chopped chives
*See recipe card for quantities.
🔪Instructions
How to make beer cheese soup:
Sauté mushrooms in butter and seasoning salt under mushrooms are tender but still firm.
Add chicken broth, milk, Cheez whiz, cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and beer. Whisk over medium heat, stirring until melted and smooth.
Mix flour and oil until paste forms.
Add to soup broth and cook until it starts to thicken.
Add chives. Continue to cook on medium-high, whisking frequently until it thickens even more. then reduce to simmer
Simmer for about 10 additional minutes. The texture should be like heavy cream but the consistency should be thick like gravy. *If not thick enough, add a little more roux and simmer until it reaches desired consistency.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Beer - you can use any kind of beer you prefer, but I like Miller draft, as it's a cold filter draft beer that's light and exceptionally smooth tasting. You could use a lager or a pale ale as well. You could use a non-alcoholic beer if you prefer not to have alcohol in the soup. Generally, this soup is best with any type of beer or whatever beer you already enjoy!
- Cheese- you can use regular cheese (not low-fat) if you prefer and if you don't have sharp/old cheddar cheese, you can use medium (although it won't taste quite the same) or you could use white cheddar instead.
- WW friendlier - use a light beer (I recommend Coor's light), light Cheez Whiz, and light margarine/butter replacement
- Chives - you can substitute green onion
- Vegetarian beer cheese soup - you can use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make this soup vegetarian
- Spicy - add a little of your favorite hot sauce or a bit of cayenne pepper to spice this up!
- Bacon - you can add some crispy bacon (or turkey bacon) if you desire
🥗 Side Dishes
The Cheddar Beer soup can be served as a side or a main course and goes well with bread, soft pretzels and/or salad. Try it with:
You can also serve this creamy beer cheese soup in a fun and delicious bread bowl - see how to make bread bowls here!
🍽Equipment
You really only need a large pot and a whisk for this soup! You could also use a dutch oven. No immersion blender required. *See recipe card for equipment recommendation photos and links
🌡️Storage
Store this easy beer cheese soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, whether you make it in advance or have leftover beer cheese soup. It freezes well in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
👪 Serving Size
This beer cheddar soup recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
Cheesy soup is comfort food at its finest. And this recipe is lighter than most beer cheese soups @ 8 WW points. You can further reduce the points by using non-fat milk, light beer, and light butter, as well as non-fat cheddar cheese (if you can find it. )
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
It's best to stick with smoother beers and avoid hoppy beers, such as IPA's, which tend to have a bit more of a bitter flavor.
Beer adds a rich, earthy flavor to soups that makes it taste like it's been simmering for hours. Like salt, beer brings out the flavor of food and adds more complexity to the dish. Most of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process.
⭐ COMMENTS & REVIEWS
Did you know that commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways to support your favorite recipe creators? If you loved this recipe, please comment and rate it in the recipe card or share photos on social media using the hashtag #foodmeanderings or tagging @foodmeanderings !
If you are looking for a delicious recipe for Dad on Father's Day or any day, this EASY Beer Cheese Soup is going to hit the spot!
And if you love cheesy creamy soups, try my Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup as well!
📋 Easy Beer Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup Cheez Whiz (half of a 16 ounce jar)
- 1 ½ cups milk * I use 1%
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese (low-fat)
- 1 cup beer
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- ⅛ teaspoon Lawry's seasoning salt
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped chives
Garnish
- additional chopped chives, if desired
Instructions
- Sauté mushrooms in butter and seasoning salt under mushrooms are tender but still firm.
- Add broth, milk Cheez whiz, cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce and beer. Whisk over medium high stirring until melted and smooth.
- Mix flour and oil until paste forms.
- Add to broth and cook until it starts to thicken.
- Add chives. Continue to cook on medium heat, whisking frequently until it thickens even more. then reduce to simmer.
- Simmer for about 10 additional minutes over medium-low heat. Texture should be like heavy cream but consistency will be thick like gravy.
- if not thickened enough, add more roux, then simmer for about 10 more minutes until desired thickness is reached minutes.
Garnish
- Garnish with additional chives
Terri Gilson
This is my favorite version of beer cheese soup, hands down. I love that I was able to lighten it up and make it Weight Watchers friendly without sacrificing flavor. The combination of cheddar and Cheez Whiz gives it such a rich, creamy texture, and using a roux instead of heavy cream keeps it surprisingly light. Even people who aren't big beer fans enjoy this soup!