Creamy German Beer Cheese Soup
This Creamy German Beer Cheese Soup is the perfect dish to help get ready and brave the cold weather with. It’s a decadent soup that’s velvety smooth and oh so good. This easy comfort food is so easy to put together and can be made and on the table in about 30 minutes! I also have a fabulous pairing idea for dipping. Read on…
Think back to last week for a moment. Remember the Cheese Stuffed Soft Pretzels recipe? This soup is the nice, warm bath that I enjoyed dunking these warm pretzels into and that has proven to be one epic meal. You can see this delicious action happening below.
German Beer Soup is one of the oldest soup recipes in Europe. There are many variations from using cream and eggs, to a sweet version using cinnamon and raisins. Personally, the combination of beer and cheese is a win-win for me.
For a classically traditional beer cheese soup, the Germans use what is known as ‘mountain cheese’. This mountain cheese, called Bergkäse refers to a variety of cheeses produced in the Alps. Since I don’t have easy access to these delicious cheeses, I used gruyere. However, sharp white cheddar is also a good substitute.
Would you believe that they used to serve beer soup for breakfast until the 19th century? Yep, it’s true. However, I digress…
Unfortunately, the traditional Oktoberfest festival in Munich was cancelled this year, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the classic foods that they eat at this famous festival. It is soup season after all.
The creaminess comes from the addition of potato and along with the cheese, with this combination, what’s not to love?
Cooks tip:
When I was testing this soup recipe, I first added the cheese before blending (I normally add it after). I thought this would ruin the soup, but it turned out to be extra creamy this way.
If you’ve made this Creamy German Beer Cheese Soup, please leave a comment below. You can also ask a question there. I love to hear from my readers!
Creamy German Beer Cheese Soup
Creamy and delicious, this potato and vegetable-based soup gets extra flavor from beer and cheese.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 14 ounces potatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cups (50 grams) yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) leek, white part only, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) carrot, chopped
- 3 cups vegetable stock or broth
- 1 bay leaf and sprig of rosemary tied together
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups (16 fl ounces/472 ml) German light beer
- 8 ounces (220 grams) gruyere or sharp white cheddar cheese
- Chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter until melted. Add the potatoes, onion, leek, celery and carrot. Reduce heat a little and cook for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften.
- Stir in the salt and pepper. Then add the stock, bay leaf/rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to a light boil and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the beer and cheese until warmed. Stir well while the cheese melts to prevent sticking to the bottom.
- Use a hand blender to blend in the pan, or transfer in batches to a blender and blend until smooth and return back to the pan to heat to desired temperature. Taste for seasoning.
- Serve garnished with chives.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 314Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 39mgSodium 1056mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 3gSugar 4gProtein 7g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
4 Comments on “Creamy German Beer Cheese Soup”
I may have to use sharp cheddar in this recipe, as well. I will check to see if I can find gruyere bur I don’t aways find the cheeses I am looking for in my local grocery. I do have some white sharp so that is good. I really look forward to tasting this soup. I am wondering how leftovers might freeze. I am thinking this might not be possible, but if you could just confirm my suspicion I would really appreciate it.
Sharp cheddar will work just fine if you can’t find gruyere. You can freeze the soup, but it must be completely cool beforehand and sealed very well. Defrost in the fridge slowly and heat slowly in a pan to prevent any separation. Enjoy.
I made this for football this past weekend and was a hit. So good and creamy. I didn’t trust myself making the pretzels so I bought them. Maybe I’ll try them for Superbowl but definitely making the soup again.
Ha ha, try a dry run on the pretzels so you will be an expert by then 🙂