This easy beer cheese dip with skillet chili is the ultimate comfort food. A sure hit at your game night, super bowl party, potluck, special game day, or any day of the week!
It was said that "this might be the best thing we've ever made" and we agree! Creamy, melty, cheese topped with spicy chili - what's not to love!
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How to Make Beer Cheese Dip with Skillet Chili
Make the Skillet Chili
Since this is going on top of the cheese sauce we don't want a traditional chili which can be more liquid and soup like. This skillet chili is thick and has a little kick to pair well with the beer cheese dip. Just 4 main steps for this chili.
- Brown the ground beef, chicken, or turkey in a heavy duty skillet. (image 1)
- Add the spices. We used salt, pepper, chili seasoning, cayenne pepper, and onion powder. (image 2)
- Stir in tomato paste and water until well combined. (image 3 & 4)
- Add kidney beans, stir and set aside until ready to assemble dip. (image 5 & 6)
What Beer is Best?
Adding beer to cheese, besides just being delicious, helps to balance the richness of the cheese and adds a depth of flavor to the dish. The cheese dip will definitely have some of the beer flavor so use what you like to drink. We used a lager because we wanted a more subtle flavor. If you like a more hop forward beer an IPA or pilsner would be great. If you like drinking a porter or stout they will also work here. NOTE: If serving this at a larger party, we recommend using a more subtle beer flavor to appeal to a wider range of guests.
Make the Beer Cheese Dip
- Make a light roux with butter and flour. Cook the flour over medium heat for a minute or two to remove any raw flour taste. The flour is cooked when the butter and flour mixture smells like toasted almonds and is just starting to turn golden brown. (image 1 & 2)
- Add the ground mustard and stir. (image 3)
- Mix in the beer and stock and cook until the mixture thickens. (image 4)
- Stir in the cream and heat just until warm but not boiling. (image 5 & 6)
Add the shredded cheddar to the pot and stir. Once the cheese begins to melt remove the pan from the heat and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is creamy.
NOTE: If the cheese sauce is thicker than you want, add more beer, stock, or cream (in small increments) and stir until combined. If cheese sauce is thinner than you want, add more cheese (in small increments) and stir until melted and desired consistency is reached.
PRO TIP: Shred your own cheese if you can. Some pre-shredded cheese has a coating that, while it keeps it from sticking together in the package, might make it resist melting smoothly.
Assemble and Bake the Dip
Pour the cheese sauce into a cast iron skillet or an equivalent sized baking dish. We used a 10 inch cast iron and it was the perfect size. Gently spoon the skillet chili mixture on top of the cheese in the center of the pan. Place the pan in the oven and heat until cheese is warm and bubbly.
Favorite Riffs
- For an alcohol free version, use a non-alcoholic beer or substitute stock for the beer in the recipe.
- Spice up the cheese sauce with some ground cayenne or chipotle pepper.
- Substitute dijon mustard for the ground dry mustard.
- Use a mixture of cheeses; sharp cheddar cheese, white cheddar, gruyere, smoked cheddar, or some blue cheese would all be good.
- Mix up the chili seasoning with roasted, diced jalapeños, smoked chipotle pepper, paprika, or fresh diced onions (instead of onion powder).
- Substitute some garbanzo beans or white beans for the kidney beans in the skillet chili.
- Make it vegetarian. Substitute additional beans or a meat alternative like Gardein beefless ground crumbles for the ground meat. Use vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock.
- This beer cheese sauce is also great on its own without the skillet chili, BUT the chili takes it up a level!
What to Serve with this Dip
This homemade beer cheese dip is great with tortilla chips, crispy pretzels, or soft pretzel bites. Mix it up a little and serve the dip with some roasted baby potatoes or crispy french fries.
Make Ahead Tips
Make the beer cheese sauce and skillet chili up to 4 days in advance. Store them individually in airtight containers in the fridge until ready to assemble the dip. We recommend heating the cheese sauce until it can pour into the cast iron. Heating the cheese sauce helps it spread out and fill up the pan making it easier to add the chili on top of the cheese. Then bake as directed. REMINDER - Do not place a cold glass or ceramic baking dish into a hot oven. The temperature difference can cause the dish to break.
PRO TIP: If the cheese and chili dip will be served over the course of many hours, consider putting the dip into smaller, oven safe, dishes (like a ramekin). Top each dish with a bit of skillet chili and refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake one at a time, as needed, and replenish the dish with hot, fresh, food safe, dip throughout the party.
Saving Leftovers
The FDA recommends discarding any perishable food that has been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
If you're within the FDA recommendations this dip will last in the fridge up to 4 days. The chili will, most likely, be mixed in with the cheese. While it won't be as stunning of a presentation as originally, it is still delicious! Reheat in the oven or microwave until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
Other Favorite Dip Recipes
Some common FAQ's
No. This recipe, as written, contains beer. You can substitute non-alcoholic beer or stock for the beer in the recipe for an alcohol free version. NOTE: The alcohol DOES NOT evaporate out of the sauce. To remove all alcohol from a sauce it needs to cook for 3 hours or so.
Yes. Make the cheese sauce and skillet chili up to 4 days in advance. Store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge. When ready to assemble the dip, heat the cheese sauce and add it to the cast iron skillet. You want the cheese sauce to be liquid and fill the bottom of the skillet. Add the chili on top (you can heat this, but don't have to). Place the dip in the oven and heat until cheese is bubbly and warm. We don't recommend freezing the cheese sauce. The chili can be frozen and thawed to use.
📖 Recipe
Beer Cheese Dip with Skillet Chili
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: approximately 3 cups dip 1x
Description
Beer cheese dip with skillet chili is the ultimate comfort food. Served with chips or pretzels this is sure to be a hit at your next game night, Super Bowl party, or potluck!
Ingredients
SKILLET CHILI
- ½ pound ground beef, chicken, or turkey
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup water
CHEESE SAUCE
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
- 4 ounces beer (we like a lager, pilsner, or IPA)
- ¾ cup chicken or veggie stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (plus extra for garnish)
- Green onion, sliced (for garnish)
Instructions
MAKE THE SKILLET CHILI
- Brown ground meat in a skillet over medium heat. Once brown add chili seasoning, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, tomato paste, and water. Stir and cook until combined.
- Add kidney beans and stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Set aside until ready to add to assemble dip.
MAKE THE CHEESE DIP
- In a large pan, melt butter. Add flour and stir. Cook until mixture begins to turn golden brown and smell like toasted almonds! This will take about a minute.
- Add ground mustard, salt, and pepper to taste and stir.
- Add beer and stock and continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens, 1-2 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and cook just until hot, but not boiling.
- Add shredded cheddar cheese and stir until cheese starts to melt. Remove from heat and continue stirring until all the cheese is melted.
ASSEMBLE THE DIP
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add the cheese dip to a 10 inch cast iron skillet (or a baking dish).
- Spoon the chili mixture into the middle of the cheese mixture.
- Place in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven to melt the cheese, about 10 minutes.
- Serve with chips, bread, or pretzels.
Notes
Make ahead of time. This dip is a great make ahead recipe. Make the cheese dip and skillet chili up to 3 in advance and store in individual airtight containers in the fridge. Remove from the refrigerator when ready to bake. Heat the cheese sauce before pouring into the cast iron skillet. This helps the sauce spread out and fill up the pan making it easier to add the chili on top.
Riffs and Substitutions. Substitute non-alcoholic beer or stock for the beer to make this alcohol free. Spice it up with some jalapeños, or chipotle pepper in the chili, cheese sauce, or both!
Make this vegetarian. Substitute additional beans or a meat alternative for the ground meat and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dips and Spreads
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 ounce
- Calories: 153
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 281.9 mg
- Fat: 9.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.9 g
- Protein: 9.3 g
- Cholesterol: 33.3 mg
Mike says
Beer Cheese Dip. Chili. I really couldn't ask for anything more.
But really loved the cheese dip, was gone in minutes!
Rhonda says
So glad you loved it!