If you are looking for a soup that is tasty, creamy and filling, try some beer cheddar soup.
This particular recipe is heavy on the vegies but is just as creamy and flavourful as traditional cheese beer soup. If anything, the wide selection of vegetables gives it a richer flavour.
Beer cheddar is not complete with a topping. Different people prefer their own toppings. Some use popcorn, others opt for bacon and others use even more cheese to garnish the soup.
In this vegetarian recipe, we’ll use pepitas. These are shell-less pumpkin seeds. They make for an excellent and healthy garnish.
Beer cheddar soup is filling enough on its own. It’s great as a snack, an appetizer or a comfort food on rainy days.
The best part is that it’s safe for the entire family, kids included. The alcohol in the beer will have evaporated by the time the soup is ready to serve. You’ll just have to simmer it for a bit longer than usual.
What You’ll Need
There are three main groups of ingredients you’ll need.
There are the vegetables, which form the rich base of the soup. Here are the vegetables you’ll need. Feel free to leave out vegetables you are not a fan of and replace them with other vegies.
- ½ cup diced onions
- 3 carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
You’ll also need cheese. This recipe uses cheddar cheese, which produces a rich creamy soup with an unmistakably milky flavour. Make sure you get quality cheese for best results.
- 1 pound cheddar cheese, shredded.
The other main ingredient is beer. Here the best choice is mostly up to you. Some people prefer using a light beer while others prefer the sharp taste of hoppy beers like IPA or Cream Ale.
Oktoberfest beers are also popular for cheese soup. They are not very bitter and their spicy and malt flavours become more apparent when heated.
- A 12-ounce bottle of beer
Other Ingredients
- Four tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper – ideally freshly ground using salt and pepper grinders
- 1 cup pepitas – Available at most grocery stores. You can also buy a pack from Amazon.
For extra-flavouring, some people also add vegan Worcestershire sauce (2 tablespoons) and mustard (1 tablespoon).
Preparation and Serving
Sauté the onion in the olive oil in a large saucepan. You can also use a stock pot. Just make sure that whatever you use is big enough to fit all ingredients with plenty of space left to allow stirring.
When the onions turn translucent, add all your selected vegetables including tomatoes, garlic, carrots, celery and whatever else you are using.
Add each vegetable at a time, stirring properly every time. Sauté the vegies for about 10 minutes until they have softened.
Add flour slowly as you whisk to avoid lumps. To prevent lumps, you can also try mixing the flour with water in a bowl then pour the well-mixed paste into the sauce pan.
Next, add the beer slowly then the broth. Turn the heat to low and leave the liquid to simmer.
Add the shredded cheese in handfuls and mix. Then flavour the soup with salt, pepper and any other condiments you want to use.
When the soup begins to simmer again, remove it from the heat.
Note: If kids are going to be partaking in this soup, simmer it for at least an hour to let the alcohol evaporate.
Serve the soup in bowls and top with pepitas.
Creamy or Chunky
Some people don’t mind the chunky bits of vegetables in the soup. They give it a nice texture and make it more filling.
If you don’t want it too chunky, blend half the vegetables then leave the other half as they are.
If you don’t want any chunkiness at all, blend all the vegetables (except the onions) before adding them to the soup.
Alternatively, use an immersive blender after the soup is ready.
