the best beer cheese fondue

Beer cheese fondue is one of our game day favorites! Sharp cheddar cheese and light beer combine to make a delicious, creamy hot beer cheese dip in only ten minutes.

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The best way to represent the Green Bay Packers on game day? With cheese, of course!

As I’ve shared with y’all before, I’m born and raised a Packers fan, so when I was thinking of a recipe to celebrate my favorite NFL team, beer cheese fondue was a no brainer!

Packers’ fans are called cheeseheads, a tribute to Wisconsin’s bountiful cheese production.

What started as an insult hurtled from some Chicago White Sox fans has become an affectionate term and has been totally embraced by Packers fans, reflected by the bright orange foam cheesehead hats you can see in the sea of fans at any Packers’ game.

Any true Packers fan definitely owns a cheesehead!

I whipped this cheddar fondue up a few weeks ago for our game watch party where the Packers played stomped on the Lions.

(AJ is a Lions’ fan so we’re definitely a house divided.)

And besides being a great tribute to the best team in the NFL, beer cheese fondue is one of my favorite things to make on game day because everyone loves dipping bread, apples and other yummy snacks into a communal pot of ooey, gooey, melted cheesy goodness. (If you’re looking for another delicious cheesy dip for game day, what about smoked queso or thunder cheddar cheese dip? Yum!)

Plus, it’s delicious and easy to make. (We’re talking less than 10 minutes for one of my favorite game day and party recipes!)

Who doesn’t love a recipe that is so easy you can spend most of your time focused on the game?

If you want even more easy recipes for game day, check out my Pepperoni Bread, Roasted Jalapeno Poppers or my Slow Cooker Buffalo Turkey Meatballs!

LOOKING FOR EIGHT FABULOUS CHEESE FONDUE AND CHOCOLATE FONDUE RECIPES?

My cookbook, Stunning Spreads, offers more than seventy-five approachable recipes for easy entertaining, including eight recipes for warm, melty cheese fondues and sweet chocolate fondues. 

Each recipe not only has detailed step by step instructions to make a variety of different cheese fondue recipes, including a classic Swiss fondue, bourbon gouda fondue, cheddar cheese fondue, baked fondue with red wine and caramelized onions and more cheese fondue recipes, but has beautiful color photography and pairing suggestions of what to dip into your cheese fondue!

WHAT IS THE BEST BEER FOR BEER CHEESE FONDUE?

One of the stars of this beer cheese fondue recipe is, of course, beer!

(Beer is one of the main ingredients; we will get to the other star, the cheese, in a sec!)

While white wine is typically used to make fondue, this recipe substitutes beer as the fondue base. You can use a variety of different beers in this recipe, but as a base, I prefer to use a lighter beer like an American craft lager or saison.

Typically I just use whatever beer we have in the fridge (I’ve used everything from a lager beer like Bud Light, Miller Light, Coors Light and PBR to craft beers in my beer cheese dip batches.)

As a tribute to Wisconsin, I used New Glarus Spotted Cow (a light Saison brewed in Wisconsin) in this batch.

But an IPA or a Pale Ale also work great in this cheddar cheese fondue recipe…they would just give your beer cheese fondue an added layer of flavor.

And if you’re looking for a more robust flavor, a dark beer (like a porter or a stout) would also work (just make sure it doesn’t have subtle sweet flavors like vanilla or coffee!)

Some of my favorite Pale Ales to use are Pisgah Pale Ale and Sugar Creek Pale Ale, and one of our favorite Charlotte breweries, NoDa Brewing’s Hop, Drop, and Roll adds a little bite to the beer cheese I love.

WHAT IS THE BEST CHEESE FOR FONDUE?

So we’ve covered our beer base, so let’s talk about the other important ingredient in beer cheese fondue: cheese!

When you’re making a creamy beer cheese or fondue, you want to use good melting cheeses so the texture stays nice and smooth.

This recipe calls for a blend of two different cheeses: cheddar and Emmentaler. I like this blend because the sharp cheddar brings the flavor and Emmentaler is a Swiss cheese that melts really easily, giving us the flavorful, melty texture we’re looking for.

No Swiss? No problem!

A lot of times when I make this at home I don’t include the Swiss because it’s not a type of cheese we just have on hand, and beer cheese fondue comes out just as good with just some sharp or mild cheddar.

What are some other types of cheese for fondue? Gruyere cheese, Gouda, Swiss and American would also work!

DO I NEED A FONDUE POT TO MAKE BEER CHEESE FONDUE?

No!

If you do have a fondue pot, start with the beer, sauces and spices and then gradually add the cheese, but if you don’t have a fondue pot, no problem!

Just be mindful with a fondue pot (whether it is an electric fondue pot or one that is heated with a fondue burner and then a candle or Sterno)  to keep the heat low as you are adding the cheese so your beer cheese fondue doesn’t break, or separate into a gluey cheesy glob…ew.

You can avoid cheese globs or a big clumpy mess in a fondue pot by keeping the heat low and gradually adding the cheese.

Even if I am going to serve the beer cheese in a fondue pot, here’s a pro tip; I actually prefer to make the beer cheese fondue in a double boiler before transferring the finished product into a fondue pot (or in our case, a Crockpot Little Dipper.)

I love to whip up my beer cheese fondue about a half hour before kickoff and then transfer cheese mixture to my Little Dipper Crock Pot. 

This teeny tiny warmer pot totally worth the $15 in my opinion for dips and parties, but a regular crock pot will also do if you don’t want to splurge!

Make your own double boiler with a small bowl and a small saucepan of water (I use a small metal mixing bowl). Fill the pot with about one inch of water and then place a metal mixing bowl on top. Bring the water to a boil.

Reduce the stove to medium heat or medium-low heat and pour beer into the bowl and heat up the beer mixture (with the spices and seasonings) and then gradually add the cheese, a small amount at a time.

In the double boiler, the heat will be gentle enough that even with prolonged exposure that your fondue will never break and you’ll get a smooth, creamy consistency.

HOW TO MAKE BEER CHEESE FONDUE OR CROCKPOT BEER CHEESE DIP:

At most, this beer cheese dip takes about 10 minutes to cook before you can dig in and enjoy!

Start by heating your beer and spices (for this recipe, I use salt, black pepper, garlic and mustard powder). As that mixture gets warm, shred your cheese (if you didn’t buy it pre shredded) and toss it in a little bit of flour.

Once the mixture gets warm slowly add your cheese gradually…I do about one small handful at a time.

Once added, I use a whisk to whisk the cheese until it is melted, before adding another handful. Keep the heat low and fully melt one batch of cheese before adding the next to achieve maximum creamy cheesy goodness.

After adding the cheese and melting it, add a little salt and pepper to taste.

If you want to add a little spice to your beer cheese fondue, you can stir in some red pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce after the cheese is melted. I would do this to taste, adding just a little bit at a time and stirring so the spices or hot sauce do not overpower the flavor of the cheese.

WHAT CAN I DIP IN BEER CHEESE FONDUE?

As for what you should dip in your beer cheese fondue, my opinion is…everything tastes better dipped in cheese!

Here is a non exhaustive list of our favorite fondue dippers (also know as things we love dipping in beer cheese fondue):

French Bread (cut into slices or bread cubes…if using cubes make sure to also offer your guests fondue forks)

Baguette

Soft Pretzels

Ciabatta

Pumpernickel bread

Croutons

Crackers

Breadsticks

Hard or crunchy Pretzels

Tortilla Chips

Cucumbers

Fingerling potatoes

Potato wedges

Broccoli florets

Cauliflower florets

Bell Peppers

Asparagus

Brussels sprouts

Cherry tomatoes

Carrots

Celery

Shishito peppers

Whole fresh mushrooms

Granny Smith apples

Apple slices

Pears

Grapes

German sausage 

Pepperoni

Salami

Beef jerky

A dip what you want and as you please situation is perfect for four quarters of football!

(Also, how delicious would this beer cheese dip be on top of grilled brats, hot dogs, nachos, tacos or chili?

Looking for something to compliment your beer cheese fondue and game day spread?

I’ve joined a group of bloggers from all over the country bring you football-inspired recipes this season.

Last month we shared our favorite tailgating recipes, and now we are sharing more than 60 recipes ideas for celebrating on game day. Click on their links below to join in!

Red Sea Party Punch by Celebrating Family

Bird Gang Sonoran Nachos by Love Bakes Good Cakes

GameDay Cheesecake Bars by Body Rebooted

Healthy Dirty Bird Dip by Dash of Herbs

Purple Potato Salad by The Culinary Compass

Chocolate Blackberry Cheesecake Parfait by Mom’s Messy Miracles

Easy Buffalo Chicken Sliders by Beer Girl Cooks

Quick and Easy Baked Buffalo Chicken Sliders by The Life Jolie

Blackened Steak + Blue Cheese Nachos by Feast + West

Easy Pimiento Cheese Crackers by Family Food on the Table

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Breadsticks by Honey & Birch

Italian Beef by Bread Booze Bacon

Welcome to the Jungle Cocktail by Love & Flour

Bengal Striped Bundt Cake by Foodtastic Mom

Polish Boy Potato Skins by A Mind Full Mom

Sweet and Salty Brownies by The Secret Ingredient Is

Cowboy Cookies by The BakerMama

Cowboy Chili by See Aimee Cook

Green Chili Pulled Pork Poutine by Cake ‘n Knife

Blue and Orange Jello Shot Gummies by Sustaining the Powers

Greek Town Loaded Potato Skins by The Mexitalian

Marbled Scotcharoos by Club Narwhal

Beer Cheese Fondue by Off the Eaten Path

Easy Beer Cheese Soup by Hello Little Home

Chicken Stack Sandwich by Around My Family Table

Bratwurst Sandwiches with Pub Mustard by What A Girl Eats

Game Day Cupcakes by Polka Dotted Blue Jay

Brownie Batter Dip by The Crumby Cupcake

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes by Two Places at Once

Tomahawk Cooler by Mixplorology

Spicy Jalapeno Popper Cheese Dip with Real Cheese by Simplify, Live, Love

Game Day Snack Tray by Coffee Love Travel

Bacon Mac Cups by West via Midwest

South Beach Punch by 2 Cookin Mamas

Miami Mahi Mahi Sandwich by foodbyjonister

Swedish Meatball Dip with Tater Tot Dunkers by Peanut Blossom

Fruity Dessert Pizza with Peanut Butter Chocolate Glaze by Bucket List Tummy

New England Rum Punch by Order in the Kitchen

Crawfish Etouffee by The Speckled Palate

Cajun Crawfish Fritters with Remoulade Dipping Sauce by For the Love of Food

Reuben Sliders with Homemade Russian Dressing by A Dish of Daily Life

Big Blue Cheese Steak Stromboli by Simple and Savory

Spinach & Artichoke Bites by Lauren’s Kitchen

Herb Pesto Arancini by A Little Gathering

Beluga Lentil Hummus by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Philly Cheesesteak Nachos by And She Cooks

Philly Cheesesteak Cheesecake by Nik Snacks

Game Day Cookie Cups by Me and My Pink Mixer

Primanti Style Sliders by Macheesmo

Pineapple Salsa by Living Well Kitchen

Tex Mex Cream Cheese Wontons with Bacon by Shaws Simple Swaps

Blue Cheese Blitz Dip by Cafe Terra

Chicken Adobo Fries by Brunch-n-Bites

Game Day Candy Bark by Life’s Ambrosia

Chicken Teriyaki Pizza by Loves Food, Loves to Eat

High Seas Sour Cherry Slush by Lizzy is Dizzy

Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs by Casa de Crews

Avery Williamson American Cake by Loaves & Dishes

Game Day Sriracha-Honey Nut Mix by An Oregon Cottage

Double-Stuffed Potato Skins by A Simpler Grace

Red Skin Potato Chili Nachos by A Joyfully Mad Kitchen