Make your favorite stadium snack at home! Our creamy Pretzel Cheese Dip uses a handful of ingredients and can be made in less than 20 minutes. Bake up some frozen soft pretzels and enjoy your favorite game-day snack any time you crave it.
Warm soft pretzels with cheese is a favorite game day snack at nearly every sporting event. But did you know you can make your own creamy Pretzel Cheese Dip at home in less than 20 minutes?
Make this easy and irresistible homemade beer cheese dip once, and you'll never buy the preservative-filled, pre-made stuff again.
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Why you will love this recipe
✔️ It's foolproof. This dip starts with a simple roux made of butter and flour which makes it easy to get a smooth and creamy cheese dip.
✔️ It's versatile. Have some fun with the cheese in this dip. I love it with sharp cheddar and pepper jack for a little kick, but feel free to use your favorite flavors. Swiss, Gruyere and Monterey Jack are all great options.
✔️ It's packed with flavor. The beer, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce are the secret ingredients that set this dip apart from the others.
✔️ Great for parties! This cheese dip trumps any stadium food you can buy and can easily be made ahead of time!
Ingredients
This pretzel cheese dip is made with a handful of real ingredients.
Ingredient Notes:
- Milk - Whole milk gives you the creamiest dip. Skim milk does not thicken as well so I usually avoid it in this recipe.
- Cheese - You'll want to buy blocks of cheese and shred it yourself for the smoothest dip. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with additives so it doesn't clump and doesn't melt as well.
- Beer - The taste of the beer shines through in this cheese dip. The darker the beer is the more bitter the dip will be. I love to use a pilsner for this recipe.
Instructions
Creamy cheese dip only takes a few simple steps to make.
Start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add the flour, salt & pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook whisking constantly for 30 seconds.
Gradually add the milk and beer whisking constantly until smooth and thick.
Gradually add the cheese by the handful and whisk until melted before adding additional cheese. Be sure to use low heat otherwise the cheese will be grainy.
FAQs
Use a beer you like to drink because the flavor will shine through. A lighter beer gives you a flavorful dip without a strong beer flavor. Dark beer or stout will make your dip taste more bitter.
Yes, you can! Feel free to use an N/A beer if you want the flavor without the alcohol or you can omit it entirely and just use milk for this recipe.
Soft pretzels are always a hit but the sky is the limit for options. Serve it with mini naan bread, crackers, fresh veggies, or chips. Play around with different options and find your favorite.
Yes! Make it according to the recipe and allow it to cool completely before refrigerating. It will last in the fridge for about 3-4 days. When you're ready to use it, reheat it in a slow cooker or microwave on low heat, stirring in more milk or beer to thin to the desired consistency.
Tips for best Pretzel Cheese Dip
▶︎ Always use a block of cheese and grate it yourself for the smoothest, creamiest dip. Pre-shredded cheese does not melt as well as freshly grated.
▶︎Use a beer you like to drink. The beer flavor shines through so be sure that you use something that you like to drink when you make it. A pilsner or pale ale will give you the most neutral flavor when serving a large group. You can even use a non-alcoholic beer if you want the beer flavor without the alcohol.
▶︎ Use whole milk. Whole milk will give you the creamiest dip that will reheat well. If you use skim or 1 percent milk, it will not be as thick and may separate if you need to reheat it.
▶︎ Add cheese gradually. Stir in some cheese and let it melt before you add more is a key step in getting smooth cheese dip.
▶︎ Use low heat. If you heat the cheese at too high of heat, it will become grainy. Low and slow is the best way to make this dip!
More Easy Appetizers
Here are some of our other favorite snacks!
Need more ideas? Try this Million Dollar Dip or check out all of our appetizer recipes.
Did you make this recipe? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Your feedback helps us and your fellow readers!
Recipe
Pretzel Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup beer
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium low heat.4 tbsp flour
- Add salt, pepper, flour, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 30 seconds whisking contacntly.4 tbsp flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 tsp dijon mustard, ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Slowly add milk and beer and cook until slightly thick, whisking constantly.¾ cup whole milk, ¾ cup beer
- Reduce heat to low and add grated cheese by the handful whisking until smooth before adding additional cheese. Continue until all cheese is melted.2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
Notes
- Make it ahead of time and let it cool before refrigerating.
- When ready to serve, reheat in a slow cooker or in the microwave. Add a little milk or beer to thin to desired consistency if the dip has gotten too thick.
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Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
I have made this in the past and swear I used cream cheese in the recipe. Have you updated this to not include cream cheese? I made it a few weeks ago with above recipe and it did not taste the same as before.
Hi Christy! I did change it slightly, if you want to make it the old way you can add 4 ounces of cream cheese. The original recipe did not have butter, you added the flour, salt and pepper to the shredded cheese and then added to the beer.
How much does this recipe make? Having a party for 20 or more was think if I should double the recipe
Hi Brandy,
One recipe serves 6-8 so I think you are spot on to double it for 20! Good luck!
made this for the Super Bowl and it was a huge hit! Cooked on stove, then transferred to a crockpot. Thank you for the great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Janel!
Could this be soup? Would love a recipe for beer cheese soup and may need to work with this as a starter.
Hi Linda, Great news! We have a beer cheese soup recipe on the site too! https://www.garnishwithlemon.com/beer-cheese-soup/ It's a definite keeper! Enjoy!