Best Beer For Cheese Dip
What kind of beer do you like best? Then that is the beer you should use!
- Dark Beers like stouts, and malts will produce deep and bitter flavor.
- Light Beers like ales and IPAs will give a lighter kind of flavor .
- Non-Alcoholic beers work just fine in this recipe too!
Consider what you are serving with the dip and choose the flavor from there! The darker beers are best with pretzels, pretzel sticks, tortilla chips, and bread. For the lighter-flavored version, use carrot sticks, broccoli and cauliflower florets or zucchini rounds.
How To Make Cheese Dip
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together half and half and cornstarch until smooth.
- Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 30 seconds, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.
- Immediately stir in cheese and return to low heat and stir to fully melt cheese. Serve warm with tortilla chips for dipping.
- Note that the sauce will not reheat well so scale as needed.
Ingredients In Beer Cheese Dip
Most of these ingredients you will already have on hand in your kitchen! There are just a few that you may have to pick up at the store. So read this over, grab what you need, and get to cooking! Once you try it, you will know exactly what you need for next time and it will be so easy! See the recipe card below for a list of exact measurements.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Flour: Mixing the butter and flour will make a roux which is what helps thicken up the dip!
- Milk: Mix this in and whisk until it thickens. Dont give up, it will happen!
- Beer: Any brand of beer will work.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: I like to make sure that my cheese is freshly grated. Freshly grateed cheese blends in better making a smooth texture.
- Gruyere: This adds in the most amazing flavor to the dip!
- Paprika: A sweet spice that adds to the overall flavor.
- Garlic: I loooove whenever garlic is added into a recipe, especially a dip!
- Dijon mustard: This gives it a bit of a zesty tang without being to mustard flavored.
You May Like: What Color Is Cheddar Cheese
Why This Nacho Cheese Sauce Is The Best:
- Real ingredients. This recipe uses freshly grated cheddar cheese, not processed cheese from a block. You’ll be able to notice the difference in the taste.
- Only three ingredients needed. You’re going to be amazed at how simple, delicious, and easy this cheese sauce is to make.
- Amazing texture. Cooking with evaporated milk gives you a super smooth and creamy nacho cheese sauce. Other recipes that start with a roux can cause your sauce to separate. They can also be easier to ruin if you’re not careful with the temperature.
- Simple and easy recipe. This homemade nacho cheese is essentially fool proof as long as you don’t heat it above a medium heat and remove it from the heat once it’s fully melted. So easy!
- Versatile. Nacho cheese sauce is fantastic on tortilla chips, of course, but it can also be used in so many other recipes.
Once you make my homemade nacho cheese, you’ll never again make nachos by sprinkling shredded cheese on chips and sticking them in the oven or microwave, or by using a pre-made nacho cheese, or by using one made from a block of non-dairy cheese. It’s that delicious and easy!
Easy Ingredients For Creamy Cheese Sauce:
With just 4 simple and familiar ingredients, you can make a cheese sauce that is so tasty you will want to drizzle it on everything! Basic ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry and fridge will combine easily and make a creamy sauce everyone will enjoy.
- Butter: Gives the sauce rich flavor.
- Flour: Thickens the sauce.
- Milk: Thins the sauce out a bit and adds sweet flavor.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: Freshly grated cheese will melt better and give a stronger flavor than the coated shredded cheese you can buy in a bag at the store.
Also Check: How You Make Macaroni And Cheese
How To Make Homemade Nacho Cheese:
Full ingredient list and detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.
- shredded cheese and cornstarch
- melted with evaporated milk
While the cheese is nice and hot, smother those tortilla chips and serve it alongside your favorite nacho fixings!
Variations On This Easy Cheese Sauce:
- Creamy Enchilada Sauce: Use Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Add 1 tablespoon of chili powder for an irresistible enchilada sauce.
- Nacho Cheese Sauce: Use Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack cheese. Add 1/2 cup of salsa for an easy nacho cheese sauce perfect for chip dip!
- For Macaroni and Cheese:Double all ingredient amounts! I like cheddar for macaroni and cheese, but use whatever youd like!
- To make dip for Chicken Cordon Bleu Skewers: Use Swiss cheese and add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Its irresistible!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on , , or !
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VARIATIONS ON HOT BACON CHEESE DIP
- Cheese: You can experiment with your Hot Bacon Cheese Dip by using different types of cheese. Along with the shredded cheddar cheese try mixing in Swiss cheese, Monterey Jack, American, or mozzarella cheese.
- Spicy dip: For a little extra heat in your Hot Bacon Cheese Dip, try adding cayenne pepper flakes or mixing in a little hot sauce. Make sure to add the spicy ingredients slowly to the Hot Bacon Cheese Dip. That way you dont end up with something too spicy to eat.
- Add-ins: For more variations try mixing in a teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, or fresh parsley with the Hot Bacon Cheese Dip. You can have fun experimenting with different herbs and seasonings. You could even chop up some green onion or chives to sprinkle over the top before serving.
MORE BACON APPETIZER RECIPES
Easy Mexican Queso Dip
This homemade Mexican Queso Dip is easy to make and comes out creamy and smooth every time! Now you can make your favorite restaurant queso at home!
Getting an order of chips and queso whenever I go to a Mexican restaurant is an absolute must. Whats not to love about melted cheese paired with fresh tortilla chips? And a on the side, of course. I just cant help myself its one of my favorite things in the world!
Growing up, I used to make the classic Velveeta cheese dip. You know the kind Im talking about. A block of Velveeta, a jar of chunky salsa and a splash of milk. I used to love that stuff. In fact, I still do! But today I want to use the real stuff. 100% real cheese.
Ive made it my mission to come up with the best queso dip recipe I can possibly make. And Im proud to say that I finally did it.
The Creamiest Queso Recipe
After experimenting and making 3 different test batches of homemade queso dip, Ive finally perfected this recipe so that it comes out luxuriously creamy every time. The secret ingredient?
Cream cheese.
The cream cheese holds all the melted shredded cheeses together and keeps the queso silky smooth for a longer period of time compared to using no cream cheese at all. Which means you can sit back and enjoy your queso without having to worry about it getting chunky or hard once you take it off the heat.
How To Make Beer Cheese Dip
This cheesy appetizer is as easy as 1, 2, 3 and will probably be enjoyed just as quickly! This starts with a roux to make a thick sauce.
Tip: Shred your own cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheeses have additives that keeps it from sticking in the bag so it may not melt nicely.
What Is The Best Cheese For Nacho Cheese Sauce
I find colby jack perfect in this recipe, but if you wanted to use another cheese you totally could.
Or, if you like spicy sauce, double the paprika in this recipe for a spicy nacho cheese or use pepper jack cheese.
I definitely plan on making a white cheese/queso blanco sauce based on this recipe in the future.
Heres my favorite way to serve it: drizzled oh so generously over my 30 minute sweet potato refried bean nachos.
more mexican recipes
Create That Smooth Silky Sauce
A combination of cornstarch and evaporated milk creates that silky smooth sauce. Let them simmer together and thicken slightly before adding your cheese.
TIP: Taste test dip with the chips youre serving them with so as not to over-salt! Adjust seasonings if needed.
Take the experience to a whole other level by frying up your own Tortilla chips! Just cut tortillas into triangles shallow fry in oil, drain on a paper towel lined plate and season straight away with flaky sea salt.
Youll love them more than store bought chips!
How To Make Cheese Sauce For Pretzels:
First, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Second, whisk in the flour and keep whisking for about a minute until a thick paste forms.
Next, gradually add the milk and whisk. Let this mixture cook uncovered until it has thickend.
Now, remove from heat and add the cheese and salt.
Whisk this all together, stirring constantly, until the cheese has completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
The cheese sauce is best served right away with your favorite soft pretzels or soft pretzel Bites.
How To Make Nachos Chips
Knowing how to make nachos chips from scratch is a great skill to have on hand if you come upon an empty chips aisle or your party seems to need more chips but you dont have anymore on hand. All youll need is olive oil, corn tortilla wraps, and a little bit of salt. Check out our recipe on how to make Corn Tortilla Chips to get to know the entire process.
Super Easy Beer Cheese Dip
6:11 AMinCookingFoodLatest RecipeRecipe
Beer cheese dip is the creamiest, tastiest dip out there! It goes with everything and its the hit at every party. It has the perfect blend of flavors that will keep you coming back for more!
Dips are the absolute best and this one is no exception! You can dip just about anything in this and it will taste amazing. Start out by dipping it in this Crostini, these Pretzel Rolls, or this delicious Sourdough Bread. It will taste amazing with them all!
How To Make Nacho Cheese
More than anything, we love that the recipe is so simple. All it takes is mixing the ingredients together in a saucepan in this order:
BUTTER + FLOUR. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour.
ADD MILK. Pour in milk and stir until mixture thickens.
CHEESE. Add cheese and salt. Stir over heat until cheese has melted and ingredients have blended together.
Tip: If you like spice, add chopped jalapeños to the cheese mixture. The jalapenos add some spice, but if you dont want that, you can also add salsa or even some hot sauce for a bit of nip.
Crockpot? I dont make nacho cheese in the crock pot because it is so simple and quick. However, I do use the crockpot to keep it warm.
How To Make Cheddar Queso Cheese Dip:
- Shred the sharp cheddar cheese.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch on the cheese and mix with your hands.
- With the grating attachment on the food processor, grate the onion.
- Pour the onions in a saute pan and add a little oil. Cook on medium heat until the onions are cooked and slightly golden brown.
- Grate the jalapeno, garlic, and pepper. Add them to the sauteed onions and saute thoroughly. The veggies should be done but not brown.
- Add the evaporated milk, spices, salt and pepper, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Stir until melted and smooth.
- Keep warm in a crockpot or in the oven on warm until you are ready to eat. Serve with veggies, bread, or tortilla chips. Enjoy!
- ½tspRed Pepper Flakes
- 2 Tablespoons Butter-For sauteeing the veggies
- 2Tablspoons Avocado oil-for sauteeing the veggies
Tips For The Best Cheese Dip
- The cheese dip will be a little runny at first, but will nicely thicken as it cools. With that said, this dip is best enjoyed right after making.
- You can always scale down the ingredients for a smaller party or make a double batch for a bigger game day get-together.
- Buy the best quality cheddar cheese you can for the best flavor.
Base For The Cheddar Queso Recipe:
This is the begging of some amazing queso dip. It all starts with some minced garlic, onion, and peppers.
You can use any peppers you like. For this recipe, I am using some jalapeno pepper and some yellow peppers that were on their last leg in my fridge. Yellow, orange, and red peppers would work the best. When I say, “work the best,” I’m only saying that because it won’t turn the queso dip a funky color.
I’m sure green peppers will taste great too if that’s all you have on hand!
This base, the minced onions, jalapeno pepper, and garlic, will give your queso dip some layers of flavor. I used the food processor and minced the onion first. I added a little avocado oil and butter to a pan and cooked the onions until they were cooked thoroughly.
Then I added the peppers and garlic and cooked them until they were also cooked thoroughly.
You can use just about any type of cheddar cheese for this recipe. Sharp cheese is my first pick. Sharp cheese will give it the most flavor but it’ll still turn out great if you use medium cheddar or milk cheddar.
Tips For Cheese Sauce Success
Here are a few tips to help make sure your nacho cheese sauce is a success:
- Make sure to cook the flour in the butter for one minute. This helps cook out the floury flavor.
- Use medium cheddar for smoother results. Sharp cheddar tends to break or become grainy easier than medium cheddar.
- Remove the pot from the heat before stirring in the cheese. Overheating the sauce once the cheese has been added can cause the sauce to seize up and become thick and/or grainy. If needed, use only low heat to help the cheese fully melt.
- Use block cheese and hand shred it when possible. Pre-shredded cheeses sometimes contain a lot of anti-caking powders, which can cause a powdery flavor in your cheese sauce.
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
Cheese Sauce For Pretzels
As promised, yesterday I shared our familys favorite snack Homemade pretzels bites. The kids devour them.
Im all about that dipping sauce so of course cheese dip is a must.
I made it and it worked perfectly for the homemade pretzel bites. In fact. it was wonderful and tasted just like Auntie Annes cheese sauce that they give you with their pretzels!
This simple and easy recipe completely solves the problem of delicious creamy cheese sauce for your pretzels.
Important Ingredients For Microwave Cheese Dip
The base of this simple recipe, lightly adapted from Bon Appetit, is made up of three simple ingredients when combined create a smooth and creamy cheese dip.
- Real mild cheddar cheese and fontina cheese: Be sure to buy blocks of cheese and grate it yourself. You will need 8 ounces total of cheese which should be weighed before you shred it.
- Ive tested this recipe using cups of shredded cheese and have gotten mixed results because the total amount of cheese will vary depending on how tightly you pack it into the measuring cup.
- I havent tested this recipe with pre-shredded cheese. If you do please let me know how it went in the comments!
- Cornstarch: Because were using real cheese we need a stabilizer, in this case, cornstarch, so that the cheese melts evenly and doesnt get stringy.
- Evaporated milk is the other secret ingredient used to create a smooth and creamy dip. Its more concentrated than regular milk and cream resulting in a smooth and shiny dip.
Recipe For Quick Cheese Dip
Ingredients for the cheese dip.
For this cheese dip you will only need 4 ingredients: butter, flour, milk and cheese. Add some salt and cayenne pepper if you like.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring all the time with a spatula. Whisk in half of the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Then gradually add the rest of the milk and cook until you get a creamy sauce about 1-3 minutes.
Turn heat to low and stir in the cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. You may add up to two tablespoons more milk if the consistency is rather thick. Season with salt and cayenne pepper, to taste.
Pretzel Bite sitting in a pool of cheese dip. I want that too!
Enjoy immediately with Pretzel Bites, Tortilla Chips or anything else.
If you are looking for a genius Pretzel Bite recipe, you can find it here.
For reheating: You can either reheat the dip in a small bowl in the microwave or you heat it in a small saucepan . But I assure you, there wont be any leftovers -)
Enjoy!
We made two different kinds of cheese dips: The easy cheese dip and the cheese dip with bacon and beer.
We still cant settle on which dip is better: The Quick Cheese dip or the Cheese Dip with Bacon and Beer in the blue dish. To come to a compromise, we simply made both -)