- June 8, 2021
- Appetizers
Three Ingredient Beer Cheese Sauce
This easy to make, low carb keto beer cheese sauce recipe is only three simple ingredients and is incredibly versatile. You don’t have to be following a low carb diet to want to devour every bit of this deliciousness on your veggies, chicken, pork, and more!
Who doesn’t love a delicious, creamy, dippable cheese sauce, am I right? I’m no stranger to a good beer cheese dip recipe either and have thoroughly enjoyed making bacon wrapped chicken wings dipped in the delicious concoction, as well as having a very popular recipe for low carb beer cheese soup too!
In fact, you can whip this up by using just three simple ingredients and follow a few helpful tips and techniques and you are on your way to cheese sauce heaven my friends.
This sauce takes less than 15 minutes to make and makes a large batch that can easily be made ahead of time or be used throughout the week with simple reheat instructions.
Be sure to read through the article below to help answer common questions, provide you with options for keeping this low carb and keto friendly, and share all the endless ways to use this cheese sauce and enjoy it with your favorite foods. Let’s dive in!
“School” Supplies:
- Cheese Grater
- Large Pot
- Whisk
“Class” Notes:
Here are some commonly asked questions and cooking techniques that will be helpful to you before you begin. If you’re ready to start cooking, jump down to the recipe below.
What’s the best low carb beer for keto beer cheese dip?
What’s the best low carb beer out there? Well, it’s the one you like to drink. My recommendation is to use what you think tastes the best, because that’s the flavor that will ultimately come out into the sauce.
If you’re looking for more detailed information regarding different net carb counts in low carb beers, you’re in luck. I break it all down in my guide on how to drink alcohol on a low carb keto diet. The short and sweet of it though is that the lowest carb beer on the market is Michelob Ultra or a Corona Premier coming in at only 2.6 net carbs per can.
What kind of cheese should I use?
For a standard beer cheese sauce, I really prefer a sharp shredded cheddar cheese. It’s important that no matter what cheese you use, you shred your own.
Why should you avoid pre-shredded cheese when making any cheese sauce? Well, pre-shredded cheeses are coated to prevent sticking and clumping in the packaging. This impacts the outcome of how well your sauce holds together (and no one likes a lumpy broken sauce my friends).
Other options for this beer cheese dip would be:
- Smoked Cheddars or Other Smoked Cheeses
- Spicy Pepper Jack
- Colby Jack Blend
3 Ingredient Sauce:
For this recipe I used-
- 1, 12 oz. Low Carb Beer (Miller Lite is what we had on hand)
- 8 oz. Softened Cream Cheese
- 8 oz. Block of Shredded Cheese
I always like to add salt and pepper and sometimes depending on what I used the sauce for, I may add other spices like my all purpose BBQ rub, this Cajun BBQ dry rub, or even my homemade Tajin seasoning blend with some pepper jack cheese too!
Cooking Instructions:
- Start with softened cream cheese and add it to a large pot. Start the heat on low and immediately add your beer to the cream cheese.
- It’s going to look gross at this point. Beer and cream cheese in a pot is not a great combination but trust me it get’s better. Whisk the mixture together and break up the cream cheese. This is why a larger pot works best for some vagarous movements to work out the lumps and bring the temperature to medium heat.
- Once the cream cheese has dissolved into the beer, slowly add in 2 cups of cheese, one handful of at a time. Whisk until it has been incorporated.
- Continue to repeat this step and slowly and gradually melt the cheese into the sauce. Stir continuously to prevent burning or scorching. Remove the sauce from the heat when all the cheese has been added.
- Need to reheat your sauce? Simply place it in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir and heat as needed until hot!
What do I do if my sauce is too thin?
The sauce may appear somewhat thin (it’s not quite as thick as my cauliflower mac and cheese sauce which is made with heavy whipping cream). As the sauce cools slightly however, it will thicken more.
If you’re concerned about the outcome after it has slightly cooled, you can cautiously add a 1/4 -1/2 tsp of xanthan gum into it. I suggest this with caution as too much can cause the texture to become very slimy and unpleasant. Cornstarch works in a pinch too!
What should I pair with this beer cheese sauce?
The ideas are endless, but here are a few of my favorite ways to use this sauce:
- Make a keto fondue platter and use this cheese sauce instead
- Try my spiralized grilled brats with beer cheese
- Pour over these delicious grilled radishes or blistered green beans
- Serve it up over these crispy grilled chicken quarters
- Or try it with my bacon chip nachos
- Try these keto soft pretzels for dipping too
Three Ingredient Beer Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1, 12 oz. Low Carb Beer
- 8 oz. Softened Cream Cheese
- 8 oz. Block of Cheddar
- Add salt, pepper, and preferred spices to taste
Instructions
- Start by shredding your block of cheese and set it aside.
- In a large pot with the heat off, add the softened cream cheese (this is a must) and the beer. Turn the heat to medium low to start.
- Use a whisk to break up the block of cream cheese and whisk it into the beer. It looks gross, just go with it.
- Adjust the heat to medium and continue to whisk down the cream cheese. Small pieces are ok, large chunks are not. Once you see only small pieces you can start adding the cheese.
- Reduce the heat to low and slowly and gradually add in the cheese one handful at a time. Whisk each handful in until it melts and incorporates into the mixture.
- Repeat this process until all the cheese is gone. Season with salt and pepper to taste and any other preferred spices or dry rubs for a nice kick (see post above for several ideas).
- Remove from the heat for 5-10 min and let it thicken a bit and then transfer into a heat proof safe dish for dipping or pour over your favorite foods!