This Cheese Dip for Pretzels recipe is a melt-in-your-mouth, cheesy Guinness Beer cheese dip, made with homemade biscuit pretzels! Delicious for any party, potluck, gathering, or St. Patrick’s Day! It’s a creamy hot dip that everyone loves that you can also serve with Saltine crackers or tortilla chips.

Cheese dip for pretzels recipes

I love a good cheesy dip! And most of you know we’re an Irish family (well, I married in to one!), so we love sharing recipes and a good cheese dipping sauce for pretzels. Especially with biscuit, doughy-soft pretzels, this cheese sauce is delish served warm for game day, or any party.

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Cheese Dip for Pretzels

This Guinness Cheese Dip is perfect for dipping pretzels, saltine crackers, or tortilla chips, and make sure and get in on the quick secret for how to make your own pretzel bites!

Read more: Cheese Dip for Pretzels
overhead shot of a plate of pretzel bites with cheese on top

Beer cheese dip is made with sharp cheddar, mozzarella, Dubliner or Gruyere cheese, and cream cheese as the base. Plus you add Guinness beer (you can use any stout), and biscuit pretzels! You can’t go wrong with this crowd-pleasing dip recipe!

overhead shot of a plate of pretzel bites with cheese on top

Why I love this recipe

  • We love to serve it on the big board for St. Patrick’s Day.
  • It makes a good holiday or party dip.
  • Great for dipping pretzels (homemade) or regular pretzels, and tortilla chips.
  • You can use your favorite stout beer (but we love Guinness Beer).
overhead shot of a plate of pretzel dough next to a bowl of melted butter

Gather these ingredients

  • Sharp white cheddar cheese
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Shredded Dubliner or Gruyere cheese
  • Whole milk
  • Cream cheese
  • Dijon mustard
  • Chives
  • Garlic
  • Guinness beer or other stout
  • Kosher salt
  • Refrigerated biscuits
  • Baking soda
  • Egg
pouring melted cheese dip into dish lined with pretzel dough bites

How to make homemade pretzels

So, these bites aren’t your usual pretzel bite, but they are delish! You stat with refrigerated biscuits …

  1. Pinch: Using a knife, halve each biscuit and pinch into a ball. Set aside.
  2. Simmer: In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water and baking soda to a boil, then reduce heat immediately and bring water to a simmer.
  3. Add biscuits in batches and cook until puffy, 60 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon and place around the edge of an oval 10”-12″ skillet or baking dish (or dish of similar dimensions).
  4. Brush the pretzels with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.
  5. Pour dip into the center of skillet and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar.
  6. Bake until biscuits are golden and dip is bubbly—32-35 minutes depending on desired brownness.
  7. Garnish with chives and serve hot.
sprinkling shredded cheese on top of pretzel bites dish

How do you make the beer cheese dip?

You shouldn’t have a problem with the dip being thick, with all the cheese in this recipe.

  1. Cook: In a medium pot, cook the garlic in olive oil on low heat, then add the milk and beer.
  2. Simmer: Bring liquids to a simmer. Add in the cream cheese to the pot and soften over low heat.
  3. When the cream cheese begins to melt, add in 1/4 cup cheddar, mozzarella, Dubliner, and Dijon, stirring with a whisk until smooth. To taste for salt.
  4. If the cheddar beer cheese is too thin, you can thicken the beer cheese with an extra tablespoon of flour or cornstarch.
  5. Mix the flour or cornstarch in a separate bowl with 1/4 cup of the thin beer cheese sauce. Slowly add the new thick sauce back into the beer cheese recipe.
overhead shot of a plate of pretzel bites with cheese on top

Tips and substitutions

  • Is beer cheese dip alcoholic? A typical beer cheese dip recipe has only one cup of beer in a bowl of dip, so the alcohol content is very low!
  • You can swap out the cheeses for your favorite cheese, but you want it to be stringy-cheesy.
  • You can use non-alcoholic beer, or your favorite stout.
  • Optional to just make the cheese dip and skip making the homemade pretzels.
overhead shot of a plate of pretzel bites with cheese on top

How do you serve cheese dip with pretzels?

  • Beer cheese is traditionally served with saltine crackers, though it can be found served with various other crackers, most often as an appetizer.
  • I’m a big fan of making a cheesy dip and dipping pretzels in it, but there are so many other options!
  • Try serving this dip with a large crudités platter (a beautiful spread of veggies). Or, in the middle of an entertaining snack board (with crudités).
  • You might want to try your hand at making a small cheese board! Here’s a fun one to try: St. Patrick’s Day Snack Board, with a tub of Trader Joe’s Sharp Cheddar Pub cheese!
overhead shot of a plate of pretzel bites with cheese on top

More cheese dips you may want to try:

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Cheese Dip for Pretzels

This Cheese Dip for Pretzels recipe is a melt-in-your-mouth, cheesy Guinness Beer cheese dip, made with homemade biscuit pretzels!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 8
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Ingredients
 

  • ½ c. sharp white cheddar, divided
  • ½ c shredded mozzarella
  • 1 c. shredded Dubliner or Gruyere cheese
  • ½ c. whole milk
  • 1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp. freshly chopped chives, plus more for garnish
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • ⅓ c. Guinness or other stout
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 16.3 oz. can refrigerated biscuits
  • 2 Tbsp. baking soda
  • 1 large egg, whisked with 1 Tbsp. water, for brushing biscuits
  • Coarse kosher or sea salt
  • Chives to garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • In a medium pot, cook the garlic in olive oil on low heat, then add the milk and beer. Bring liquids to a simmer. Add the cream cheese to the pot and soften over low heat—when the cream cheese begins to melt, add in 1/4 cup cheddar, mozzarella, Dubliner, and Dijon, stirring with a whisk until smooth. To taste for salt.
  • Using a knife, halve each biscuit and pinch into a ball. Set aside.
  • In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water and baking soda to a boil, then reduce heat immediately and bring water to a simmer. Add biscuits in batches and cook until puffy, 60 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon and place around the edge of an oval 10”-12″ skillet or baking dish (or dish of similar dimensions).
  • Brush the pretzels with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Pour the dip into the center of skillet and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheddar.
  • Bake until biscuits are golden and dip is bubbly—32-35 minutes depending on desired brownness.
  • Garnish with chives and serve hot.

Notes

Reposted from Febrary 2020.
Cuisine: Irish
Course: Appetizer
Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer
Calories: 227kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 75mg, Sodium: 1382mg, Potassium: 78mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 553IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 373mg, Iron: 0.3mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!
Cheese Dip for Pretzels