Bacon And Beer Cheese Soup

This Bacon and Beer Cheese Soup is a rich, decadent soup loaded with cheese and bacon with a lager infused broth. Made in just one pot, this flavor enriched soup is ready to be devoured in under an hour.

Fabulously rich and ever so luscious, this yummy bacon and beer cheese soup is one of my favourite creations! Made in only one pot, this soup is loaded with cheese and thick pieces of bacon, all married together with a rich, pale-lager beer broth.

I am a huge fan of soup, I don’t know about you but I crave soup on a regular basis, especially when it’s cold and it’s -11F (-24C) now! This feel good, comfort soup is an awesome meal to prep in advance for future meals or to eat throughout the week. Busy or not, this soup is ready in under an hour and ideal to make on a cold and dreary day.

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” card at the top of the page!

• Bacon – Chopped. The more the better!
• Onion – Large, chopped.
• Garlic – Fresh is best! Minced.
• Flour – I used all-purpose flour to thicken the soup a bit, you can use cornstarch as well.
• Chicken Broth – Low sodium or no sodium added!
• Milk – I used 2% milk.
• Lager – I used a pale lager, Pilsner.
• Cheese – Use a sharp or medium cheddar cheese.
• Salt and Pepper – To taste.
• Parsley – Fresh, chopped. For garnish.

How to make bacon and beer cheese soup

1. Cook Bacon – Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Mix Ingredients – In the same Dutch oven add the onion and cook until softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and stir. Cook for about 3 minutes – add the broth, milk, beer and whisk. Bring to a boil and let simmer until thickened, for 20 minutes.
3. Season and Finish – Stir in the cheese and continue simmering for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Add most of the bacon and stir it in.
4. Garnish and Serve – Serve soup ladled in bowls and garnish with remaining bacon and parsley.

Tips on adding cheese to soup

A lot of the time when making soup, your cheese can end up clumping. Here are some tips on how to avoid that issue!

1. Keep the soup at a low simmer – Too much heat can cause excess moisture to escape from the cheese, therefore it won’t melt nicely into the soup.
2. Choose the right cheese – You want to use a cheese with a high moisture content and a low melting point like sharp cheddar, fontina, Gruyere and Swiss. The flavor of sharp cheddar works best in this soup.
3. Add in only a little cheese at a time – When your soup is simmering, gently toss in small handfuls of cheese at a time to allow it to melt and incorporate fully.
4. Constant stirring – Continue to whisk or stir the soup until each handful of cheese is thoroughly melted and incorporated before adding more.
5. Beer in soup – Aside from upping the flavor factor, the tartaric acid in beer helps stop the cheese from clumping! The beer in this recipe aids in the luscious texture of this soup.

How to serve

This soup is perfect for those chilly nights in! There’s nothing like some toasted warm, crusty bread to dunk into this bowl of comfort. Some other suitable options for dippin’ :

• Garlic Cheese Bread
• Crackers
• Soft Pretzels
• Baguette
• Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks

You can also top your soup with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of green onions and some croutons to pull it all together!

Can I make this in advance?

You can absolutely make this soup in advance! Do not add any toppings – cool the soup completely before transferring into airtight freezer containers. You can store your bacon, cheddar and beer soup for up to 3 months in the freezer!

Tip: Your cheese soup may or may not separate in the freezer, to avoid this completely – don’t add the cheese until you are ready to serve the soup.

How to store leftover soup

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

See above for freezing instructions.

Did you like this soup recipe? Try these!

• Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Easy Tortellini Soup
• Taco Soup
• Lasagna Soup
• Baked Potato Soup
• Italian Wedding Soup
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Egg Roll Soup
• White Chicken Chili
• Italian Meatball Soup
• Stuffed Pepper Soup
• French Onion Soup