I'm a big sucker for cheese dips. I was that one person at the market deli counter ordering a tub of spinach artichoke dip. Yup, I have no shame. It only makes sense that I share my favorite beer cheese dip made especially special with the addition of pumpkin beer. Make this pumpkin beer cheese dip and I bet you won't be turning back.
Recipe
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar shredded
- 8 ounces Colby Jack cheese shredded
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin beer
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Melt cream cheese in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 8 ounces sharp cheddar, 8 ounces Colby Jack cheese, 1 ½ cups pumpkin beer, and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens, stirring frequently.
- Remove cheese sauce from heat and serve hot.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
As easy as this pumpkin beer cheese dip is to make, there are a couple of tips to make it go even smoother. First, shred your own cheese. Pre shredded cheese is coated with an additive that makes it melt differently than freshly grated cheese. In my personal experience, freshly grated cheese just makes a smoother dip.
If you don't have a nonstick pot, I suggest melting the cream cheese in the microwave first. It can stick to the bottom of the pot and create a mess if you don't have a non-stick pot. Cut the cream cheese into small chunks and heat it in the pot over low heat. Skip this step and the cream cheese will never fully melt resulting in a clumpy dip.
For the beer, I used Blue Moon harvest pumpkin wheat beer but you can honestly use whatever beer you prefer. Just note that darker beers may make the dip more bitter.
Add the sharp cheddar, Colby jack cheese, and simmer the sauce until the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick. Season with salt and there you have it.
Enjoy your pumpkin beer cheese dip with soft pretzels, tortilla chips, pita chips, carrot sticks, really anything!
For more pumpkin inspiration check out these pumpkin cream puffs!
Robyn Hepler
I love the flavor of this dip!! I have made it several times and mine never seems to get thick. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong?
Cherry on My Sundae
If all of the cheese is fully melted, I'm not sure why the sauce isn't thickening up. The easiest way to help thicken it would be to add cornstarch. Whisk together the beer with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and add it to the cheese sauce. You can start with 1 teaspoon and add more depending on the consistency of the sauce. Flour will also help thicken the sauce. I hope this helps!