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This beer cheese dip is ultra cheesy, made in a skillet, and features a winning trifecta of bacon, beer, and cheese for the best companion to chips and a party app everyone will go wild for.
If you’re a fan of the blog, you know I’m a fan of the cheese. From the cheesiest mac and cheese to cheesy scalloped potatoes and queso dip, I can’t resist a cheesy dish. And when it comes to dips, I say the more cheese the merrier. This beer cheese dip is the ultimate football-watching food to nosh on (I made it for my husband). But it’s also a stellar appetizer for any party or shindig, because how can you go wrong with a winning trifecta of bacon, beer, and cheese?
Why You’ll Love It
- This beer cheese dip is so simple to make requires fewer than 10 ingredients
- It’s smooth and creamy, cheesy, and the perfect consistency
- Thanks to onions, bacon, and beer, it’s full of awesome savory, well-balanced flavor
The Best Chip to Dip: Kettle Brand
When Kettle Brand Potato Chips asked if I’d be interested in creating a tailgating-inspired recipe for fall, it simply wasn’t that much of a stretch to stick right with my theme and go with the cheese. Kettle Brand potato chips are perfect vehicles for this type of dip because they’re extra crispy, they’re thick, and they can stand up to the girth of a stout cheese dip like this. And they come in so many flavors that favor cheese that you don’t have to choose just one. So I chose all of them. Actually, I barely scraped the surface of their flavor barrel. I mean, how DO you choose? But if you put me in a room full of yellow jackets without a bee keeper’s suit on and twisted my arm and told me I HAD to choose which I liked best with this dip, it would be narrowed down to Sriracha, Maple Bacon (I know, right!?!?!), and Pepperoncini. I can’t get enough of those puckery little buggers. And now they flavor a chip! I’m doomed.
Beer Cheese Dip Ingredients
- Bacon—feel free to omit if you want to make this vegetarian
- Butter—for sautéing the onion
- Onion—I use a yellow onion but a sweet Vidalia also works great
- Dijon mustard—I used a mixture of grainy mustard and Dijon. If you prefer one over the other, make your choice. However, I will always use the grainy in my dip even if I have to give up the Dijon.
- Stone ground mustard—I love the flavor and texture this lends
- Cream cheese—For creaminess and the perfect smooth consistency (please use full-fat). You’ll also have less chance of the mixture breaking or separating when baking.
- Beer—Preferably an IPA or dark brown ale
- Sharp cheddar cheese—To impart the most cheesy flavor into this dip I used a sharp Wisconsin cheddar. The sharper the cheese, the more flavor you’ll get. If you prefer a milder bite, go for the medium heft.
- Hot sauce—such as Frank’s or Tabasco
- Kettle Brand Chips—for dipping
How to Make Beer Cheese Dip
- Cook the bacon. First, cook the bacon until crispy, then crumble or chop it into pieces.
- Sauté the onions. Next, melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onions until soft.
- Whisk in the mustard and beer and bring the mixture to a boil. Then, whisk in the cream cheese and shredded cheddar, followed by the crumbled bacon.
- Bake until bubbly. Pour the bacon beer cheese dip into a greased quart baking dish and top with more shredded cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake until golden around the edges and bubbling.
FAQ and Recipe Tips
- Can I make this beer cheese dip in advance? You can make this dip 3 to 4 days before the big game and refrigerate until ready to use. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature before baking so the inside gets warmed while the top toasts.
- For the creamiest texture, buy a block of cheddar cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is often coated in cornstarch to prevent it from clumping together, which can make for a grainy cheese dip.
- Feel free to experiment with the style of beer you use, however, I would suggest you don’t use a light-style beer for this recipe as it won’t translate the beer flavor as well. I used an IPA from my man’s beer fridge (oh yes he does) but a dark or nut brown ale would be super tasty too. Remember, the different flavors of beer will definitely impact the flavor of the dip, so choose according to your level of beer love.
- To serve hot at a tailgate, make this recipe in a slow cooker and take it directly to the game. Follow all of the directions for cooking the dip, but instead of transferring the cheese mixture to the baking dish to be baked in the oven, transfer it to a slow cooker insert and cook for 1-2 hours on high.
Storage
This beer cheese dip is best the day it’s made, but it will keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. Gently rewarm on your stove or on the “warm” setting on your crockpot or slow cooker.
Beer Cheese Dip Serving Ideas
In addition to Kettle Brand chips, you could serve this beer cheese dip with any of the following:- Warm, soft pretzels
- Toasted baguette rounds
- Crudités
- Toasted pita points or pita chips
- Crackers
More Game Day Dip Recipes You’ll Love
- Chicken Nachos
- French Onion Dip
- Little Smokies (Beanie Weanies)
- Slow Cooker Sriracha Meatballs
- Chorizo Queso with Beer and Chiles
- The Best Clam Dip EVER
Beer Cheese Dip
This ultra cheesy, irresistibly good beer cheese dip made in a skillet adds everyone's three favorite condiments to the party: bacon, beer and potato chips.PrintServings 12Calories 384kcalIngredients - ½ pound bacon slices
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ yellow onion , diced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1-12 ounce beer , (preferably an IPA or dark brown ale)
- 6 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese , (about 8 ounces)
- Generous dashes of hot sauce such as Frank's or Tabasco
- Kettle Brand Chips for dipping
Instructions - Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add bacon to a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté 10 minutes until just crispy then remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Cool and then chop or tear the bacon into rough pieces. Discard the bacon grease.
- In a medium high-sided skillet or saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk in the mustard and then add the beer, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add the cream cheese then reduce the heat to medium. Whisk the cream cheese into the beer mixture until the cheese melts and becomes creamy. Turn off the heat.
- Set aside ¼ cup of the shredded cheddar. Add the rest of the cheddar cheese about 1 cup at a time to the beer mixture, stirring until the cheese melts and is smooth. Repeat until all of the cheese has been added.
- Stir in ¾ of the bacon, saving the rest for the top of the dip.
- Spray a 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the dip into the dish and top with the remaining ¼ cup cheddar cheese and the rest of the crumbled bacon.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the dip is bubbling. Serve warm with potato chips.
Notes To make this dip in a slow cooker: Follow all of the directions above but instead of transferring the cheese mixture to the baking dish, transfer it to a slow cooker insert and cook for 1-2 hours on high. Transfer to the big game tailgate in the slow cooker.Nutrition Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 574mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 856IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 428mg | Iron: 1mg
More Easy, Cheesy Appetizers to Make
ray
How long can we preserve it?
Nanci
I’m confused, the recipe calls for 6 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, about 8 ounces. I don’t know how 6 cups could be 8 ounces when there’s 8 ounces in 1 cup. Please clarify. Thank you
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Hi Nanci, It’s a weight vs volume. Once shredded, one cup of cheese is only a little over 1oz in weight.
Tawhidul Hasan
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Lisa Maria
Thanks for sharing this blog and many many learn this blog.Thanks for share this blog .
Lea
Can this be frozen as it appears from the recipe that it would make a lot of dip
Missy
Oh my gosh!! I made this last night to take to ladies night and it was a HUGE hit! I used shallots instead of white onions, only because I had them and I used extra rich honey brown lager for the beer. I will be making this for all of our tailgate parties.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!
CD
Tasty! Making 3 different beer cheese dips for an Octoberfest party, and this is the best!
jasmin dungan
I just made this for a german theme party. It turned out awesome! Thank you!!
Sonja
Does it hold up at room temp for dipping or must it be warmed the whole time it sits?
thanks!
Hi Sonja, it will be best for longer times if it’s kept warm.
Melena
So good!! Used Hopnosh IPA!!
Erika
Oh my gosh, this literally combines ALL of my favorite things! Yum.
G.S.
Never discard bacon grease! Once it cools a little, pour it in a container and refrigerate. Use it instead of butter or oil for searing pork or beef (use medium heat), for roasted potatoes, and for any dish that can be enhanced by a hint of bacon flavoring. Great as a substitute for oil when making cornbread!
I agree! In fact, I talked all about using the bacon grease for my Skillet Cornbread here.
E.B.
As a matter of fact, I didn’t even get rid of it for this recipe! I supplemented with a LITTLE butter, but it browned the onions nicely and added a depth of flavor. The onions also did a pretty good job deglazing the pan, since they gave up some moisture while cooking. The beer helped, of course, but the onions did most of the work!
Sarah
I’m confused by the 6c=8oz of cheddar. I’ve always gone by the measurement of 2c=8oz since that’s what preshredded bags say and most recipes are pretty close to that. Should I go with the weight on this one? I’m only asking because 6c vs 2c is a huge difference. Thanks!
I actually measured it and the cheese after shredding loosely filled 6 cups. Go for an 8 ounce block of cheese. Also, I prefer shredding my own cheese because it melts better. The pre-shredded cheese strands have a light coating on them so they don’t stick together and clump. Depending on the quality of the brand of cheese, melting might not be optimal.
meg @ With Salt and Wit
I could eat my weight in cheesy bacon dips! Adding this to our Sunday tailgate menu because who can turn down gooey sharp cheddar and bacon?
stefanie @ sarcastic cooking
Gah! I was jealous of your pups when I saw this on snapchat the other day!!!
Debs @ Wilde Orchard
I could eat my body weight in chips and Bacon Beer Cheese Dip. My mind was operating at several WTF’s a second and the conclusion was that I need to make this… NOW! B-E-A-utiful!
It’s all in the chips!
Gaby Dalkin
oh this is too good, cheese heaven!!
Sarah Kirner
How much cream cheese & is it softened before adding? How much onion? Chopped or diced?
It’s 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and 1/2 yellow onion, minced or diced small. I let my cream cheese sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to soften.
Sarah | Broma Bakery
You’re too good. I’ve had beer & cheese dip in my notes page on my iPhone for weeks now. Looks like you beat me to it! :) <3
It seems like that’s been happening a lot to me lately too! I’ll have a recipe in my queue and then someone else posts it. But there’s room for all of us, I’d love to see your version. Great minds, right?
Dana
Let’s just make em all and wallow in the amazingness!!! Can’t wait to try this tomorrow with some toasted fancy bread! : )
Dolores
Can not make it without the recipe :(
Hi! There was a technical glitch and the post went live before it was finished! All here now!
Tom
No mention of cream cheese in the ingredients….
Hi Tom, it’s 8 ounces of cream cheese and has been fixed to the ingredient listings. Thank yoU!
Theresa
Recipe please!!!!! Looks yummy
Charlotte Gonzalez
Where’s the recipe?????????
Laurie
Yes, please post the recipe. I’d love to make this (and I need to get some Sriracha chips stat!)
Uscolson
So…..where’ the recipe?
Bella B
YUM! I am totally craving this now. Bacon is good in everything.
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
Becky
Yes! Must… Have… Recipe!
karry
Where is the actual recipie or the link to it? Am I missing something? I don’t see anything in your post about how to get the recipie. It does look delicious so I would love to know how to make it!
HI Karry, sorry about the glitch. The recipe is in the post now. Thank you!
Mia Dumont
Yes, details of the recipe would be lovely…
judy
There is no recipe only pictures would like the recipe
Sorry about jumping the publishing gun! There was a technical glitch and the post went live before it was finished! The post and recipe is now all here and live!
Tori
Yum!!! I need 12 bags of chips STAT……..oh and bring pretzels TOO!!!