By Meredith Hayden
Appetizer

Buffalo Beer Cheese Dip

September 22, 2024

This is the ultimate cheese dip. It’s tangy from the beer, spicy from the buffalo, and savory from the cheese. Pairs perfectly with pretzels, hard or soft.

You definitely taste the beer here, so be sure to use one that you like to drink. I like a pilsner or lager for this, like Stella Artois or Peroni, as they’re not too overpowering in flavor but not bland. Do not use pre-shredded cheese here, or it will alter the consistency.

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Buffalo Beer Cheese Dip

Cook Time :10
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Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp unsalted buttter
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 1 12oz can or bottle of your favorite beer, pilsner or lager
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 pound sharp cheddar, freshly shredded*
  • 1/2 pound American cheese, like Kraft singles*
  • 1/4 pound whole milk mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded*
  • 1/4 cup buffalo style hot sauce, I like Frank's
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1-2 pinches of cayenne for extra spicy, optional
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • pretzels for serving

Instructions

  1. MAKE A ROUX: Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour. Cook out the flour for about 2 minutes, whisking occasionally.
  2. ADD THE LIQUID: Slowly whisk in the beer and the milk. Continue whisking until smooth, being sure to break up any flour clumps. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let simmer for another 5 minutes until it's thick and coats the back of a spoon.
  3. ADD THE CHEESE: Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the cheese. Continue whisking until all the cheese has melted and no lumps remain. Add the buffalo sauce, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne if using, and salt and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust as needed.
  4. TO SERVE: Take off the heat until you're ready to serve. To keep the dip warm while serving, warm up your serving vessel before adding the dip. To do this, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and transfer an oven safe serving bowl into the warm oven for about 15 minutes or so. Alternatively, if you don't have an oven safe bowl, you can warm it up using hot water. Run the tap on the hottest setting until the water is very hot. Turn off the water, place the bowl in the sink under the tap, then slowly turn the water back on careful not to splash yourself. Let the tap run for about 30-45 seconds. As the water fills the bowl and overflows out of the bowl it will heat it from the inside and out. If your tap doesn't get very hot, use hot water from a kettle.
  5. TO STORE: Let the dip cool to room temp, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.  Simply reheat on the stove until bubbling before serving.
 
Do not use pre-shredded cheese. It contains starches to prevent clumping in the bag which will alter the consistency of the cheese sauce. Also, be sure to use regular (processed) American cheese, not organic. It won't melt as creamy. You can also sub with something like Velveeta.

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What do you think of this recipe?

I’ve made this 3 times now, I omit the buffalo and use Pacifico. It’s so good!!

Made this today! I wish I didn’t add the smoked paprika I don’t think it needs it. Also this recipe makes a LOT of sauce, enough for a big crowd. I should have realized since it calls for 1.5lb of cheeses.