Hot Beer Cheese Dip (Bread Bowl)

This cheesy, creamy beer cheese dip tear apart bread bowl is a party favorite that your guests will love! Made with gooey cheese, mixed with your favorite beer, and served in an edible bowl. It will be gone in minutes!

I don’t know anyone that doesn’t love a good cheese dip. Especially this hot and melty one that comes in its own serving dish. And it’s edible so no dishes to wash after it’s gone.

This cheesy dip is perfect for football season (think Super Bowl), game night or your next potluck party. And there are so many options for dippers! It’s perfect for a soft pretzel or some celery sticks.

This beer cheese bread bowl is like a delicious cheese volcano! Once you pull apart the side it will pour out so be ready. I learned this the hard way, LOL!

Try making it in a skillet like this Mexican beer cheese dip recipe I made not too long ago.

Mmm…hungry yet?

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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.

Ingredient Notes

• Bread bowl (boule) – This is a round loaf of rustic bread – often a sourdough bread. Use your favorite. If you use a German ale, a brown bread is delicious with it!
• White cheddar cheese – You will need shredded cheese but I recommend that you grate the cheese yourself. The bagged shredded stuff has powder in it to keep it from clumping. Substitute regular cheddar cheese if preferred.
• Mozzarella cheese – Monterey Jack is a great substitute that has a neutral flavor and pairs well with the beer.
• Beer – I use a lager beer, but you can use any type of beer that you prefer. Lighter beer such as pale ale or wheat beer will yield a lighter dip. Dark beer such as stout beer or a hoppy IPA will result in a dip with more beer flavor.
• Hot sauce – Other options to add a little kick would be sriracha sauce, dijon mustard or worcestershire sauce. You can also add spice with cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or good ol’ black pepper.

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How To Make Beer Cheese Dip

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Cut a circle in the top of the bread leaving about 1 inch around the edge. Remove the top and tear out the inside of the bread to make room for the dip, leaving about 1-inch wall around the middle and bottom.

2. In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth. Add the grated cheddar cheese and 1 cup of the grated mozzarella, stir to combine. Add the garlic powder, beer and hot sauce, stir until completely mixed.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour into the prepared bread bowl and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of mozzarella on top.

4. Replace top of the bread. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Serving Suggestions

I could seriously just drink this dip, but if you want to act “semi-adult” like I recommend some dippers. I know the bowl provides some bread to eat with it but you can also try:

• Crackers or hard pretzels
• Soft pretzels or pretzel bites
• Any crusty bread or crostini
• Raw vegetables like carrot slices, broccoli & cauliflower florets, or celery sticks
• Pita chips or other thick cut potato chips

Best Beer For Beer Cheese

You can use any beer that you like to drink! A “hoppy” beer will add some bite to it. An IPA will add some zip to it for sure. If you are looking to highlight the richness of the cheese, I would go with a stout like Guinness your favorite local lager.

If you want a lighter flavor, try a pale ale or a wheat beer. Just avoid anything fruity or with a strong citrus flavor like Blue Moon. Or skip it all and go for a non-alcoholic beer.

Storage & Reheating

After baking in the bowl, it won’t last longer than a few hours. You have the option of removing as much dip as possible from the bread and storing it in the fridge. But if it has sat out for more than an hour without staying warm, I don’t recommend keeping it.

How To Prep Ahead

Make the dip a few days ahead of time and then store in the fridge until ready to bake it.

I like to mix up a double batch of the dip itself and then only put half of it in the bread bowl. That way I can keep some for later.

Crock Pot Instructions

You can make this dip in a slow cooker and then transfer to a bread bowl or serving dish. Simply place all the dip ingredients in a crock pot and heat on high for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Best Cheese To Use

Use a softer cheese like white cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, gouda, and even Swiss. I don’t recommend using something really hard like a Parmesan, Asiago, or very aged cheddar. It just doesn’t melt as well and will be grainy.

Not a beer fan? Try it with champagne or Prosecco and change the cheeses to Swiss, Brie, Camembert, or Comte. Perfect for New Year’s Eve!

Tapas Tips & Tricks

• When people start tearing away at the sides of the bread bowl the dip will start to spill out. I suggest serving it in something with edges to catch the cheesy dip like a baking sheet.
• Alternatively, serve it in a regular dish and have people dip bread such as baguette slices into the bowl and don’t start tearing away the sides until most of the dip is gone. You can also use a fondue pot or mini crock pot on low heat to keep it melty and warm.
• Cut slices around the edge of the bread about 1.5 inches apart. Slice about 3/4 of the way, but not all the way through the bottom. This will make pull apart pieces for people to tear off and dip.
• You can experiment with the cheeses in this dip. Some good melting cheeses are Monterey jack, pepper jack, gouda and sharp cheddar cheese. Swiss cheese would result in a dip similar to a traditional cheese fondue. Sharp cheese is always a great flavor choice!
• Grate your own cheese for the best melting. Pre-shredded cheeses have a powder in them to keep them from clumping but it doesn’t let them melt very well. If you use a pre-shredded cheese I recommend adding 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch to the dip to help it stay creamy.
• Make it even heartier with some good ground pork sausage, bacon, caramelized onions, or Rotel.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please leave us a five-star review in the comment section below. Thanks!

Is it happy hour yet? It will surely feel like it with this hot beer cheese dip recipe. Cheers!

Beer Cheese Bread Bowl

This cheesy, creamy beer cheese dip tear apart bread bowl is a crowd pleasing appetizer that your guests will love!

4.42 from 81 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Savory Dips and Spreads

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Jennifer Stewart

Ingredients

Bread Bowl

• 1 round bread boule round loaf of rustic bread

For Beer Cheese Dip

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 1/2 cups grated white cheddar
• 1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella divided
• 1/2 cup beer I used a lager
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• a few dashes hot sauce more or less to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional, for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
• Cut a circle in the top of the bread leaving about 1 inch around the edge. Remove the top and tear out the inside of the bread to make room for the dip, leaving about 1-inch wall around the middle and bottom.
• Cut slices around the edge of the bread about 1.5 inches apart. Slice about 3/4 of the way, but not all the way through the bottom. This will make pull apart pieces for people to tear off and dip.

Make the beer cheese dip

• In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth. Add the grated cheddar cheese and 1 cup of the grated mozzarella, stir to combine.
• Add the garlic powder, beer and hot sauce, stir until completely mixed.
• Pour into the prepared bread bowl and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of mozzarella on top. Replace top of the bread.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is golden.
• Garnish with chopped parsley if desired and serve with additional slices of bread and/or crackers for dipping.
• Serve in a dish with edges to catch any of the cheese dips that might spill out.

Notes

• Use something to catch any dip that might spill out of the bowl like a baking sheet.
• You can experiment with the cheeses and different beers for other flavor options.
• Try it in a crockpot and serve the dippers on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 370mg | Sugar: 2g

{Originally posted 12/18/17 – photos and notes updated 04/16/25}

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