If you are needing something a bit cozy, a bit decadent, and LOT of flavor then this Potato Beer Cheese Soup is just for you. We all love a good beer cheese appetizer, but why stop there?
I thinned out a traditional beer cheese dip with extra stock and added some chunks of potato and we have a soup, people! It's creamy and cheesy with a slight taste of your favorite beer.
Beer Cheese Soup
Beer cheese is essentially made by creating a béchamel or a cheese sauce using butter, flour, and milk. We are using stock instead of milk and stirring in 3 types of cheese!
It is very important to use blocks of cheese and shred them yourself because the pre-shredded cheese has some preservatives in it that will keep it from melting down into a perfect soup.
You will be dissappointed if you get pre-shredded cheese! I used a combination of white cheddar, yellow cheddar, and Boursin Garlic and chive (the ultimate melting cheese!)
I also added a secret ingredient here to amp up the decadence level and it is....whole grain mustard! Tangy and savoy, it's a great addition to the soup that adds tons of flavor.
What Beer To Use
Honestly pick on that you like. I chose Fat Tire because it's not too heavy and not too light. The flavor was just beer-y (a word?) enough to taste but not over power the whole soup.
Feel free to use a more robust flavor though if you are up for it! A wheat beer or pale ale will be the most mellow and in my opinion the best option!
What to Serve with Beer Cheese Potato Soup?
PRETZELS were the only option here. I bought a bag of frozen pretzels from Trader Joes and they were a huge hit.
Pretzels are what you would traditionally dip in beer cheese so to me it just made sense. I also have a fun recipe for Chili Onion Crunch Pretzel Knots that would be amazing with these.
Or a slice of crusty bread would be just perfect. I also topped these bowls with some fresh sliced green onion and more cheese for that ultimate cheese pull moment.
Potato Beer Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 8 oz block sharp cheddar
- 1 Boursin Garlic chive cheese round
- 4 oz block white cheddar cheese
- 1 12 oz bottle of your favorite beer I used Fat Tire
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 3 russet potatoes chopped
- green onion for topping
- extra cheese for toppings
- serve with large pretzels
Instructions
- In a large soup pot over medium high heat add the butter and let it melt.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir continuously for about 3-5 minutes. We want to cook out the flour taste.
- It will start to turn a light golden brown, this is when you can add the onion and start to splash in the chicken stock.
- Slowly add chicken stock a few splashes at a time, stirring in between to let the sauce start to thicken.
- Once all the stock has been added, the mixture should be pretty thick and bubbly. Stir in shredded cheese and Boursin cheese and let it melt.
- Once the cheese melts in, add the beer 1/2 at a time. Same as with the stock, you want to let it thicken up a bit in between so keep stirring!
- Sprinkle in the salt, pepper, and whole grain mustard. Stir to combine.
- Add in diced potatoes the pot. The starch from the potatoes will continue to thicken the soup! So don't worry if it looks a little thin after adding the beer.
- Let this simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Using a hand held immersion blender blend the soup until about half of the potatoes are pureed. If you don't have a hand held blender, remove about 4 cups of soup and blend in a blender until smooth.
- Give it a taste and add salt if needed! If it still tastes bitter from the beer it may need more salt and continue cooking for 5 or so minutes.
- Serve with large soft pretzels and sliced green onion!