My Favorite Cheese Dipping Sauce for Soft Pretzels
This beer cheese dipping sauce is super easy, flavorful, and amazing with homemade soft pretzels! It's definitely one of my favorite appetizers of all time. It takes just 15 minutes to make, and you can prep it ahead of time for easy serving. You need to give this one a try!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (60 grams)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour (30 grams)
- 3/4 cup whole milk (180 milliliters)
- 3/4 cup light beer or whole milk (180 milliliters)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of cayenne, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper, more to taste
- 2 cups freshly-shredded sharp cheddar cheese, lightly packed (160 grams)
- 1 cup freshly-shredded gruyère cheese, lightly packed (80 grams)
- Chopped fresh chives, for garnish, optional
- Mini soft pretzels for serving
Equipment
- Medium saucepan or medium skillet
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk into a thick roux. Cook for 1 minute to cook off the raw flour taste.
- Slowly add the whole milk and beer, whisking constantly, until the sauce is completely smooth. Bring the dip to a gentle simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the dip is slightly thickened. Then, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the cheese one handful at a time, making sure the cheese is completely melted before adding more. Stir until the dip is completely melty and smooth. Taste and add more seasonings, if needed. Pour the dip into a serving bowl and garnish it with fresh chives, if using. Serve the dip immediately with soft pretzels and enjoy!
Notes
Freshly-shredded cheese is absolutely 100% key for this recipe! If you use pre-shredded cheese, the dip will come out grainy.
Feel free to swap the gruyère with Swiss, gouda, more cheddar, or another melty cheese.
1 cup of cheese can vary depending on how much you pack it in. I weigh my ingredients, and 1 cup of cheese is ~ 80 grams depending on the type of cheese. If you're not weighing the cheese, pack it lightly to make sure you have enough.
If the cheese isn't melting off heat, return the pan to the stove on the lowest setting. Don't overheat or it'll make the cheese grainy!
To make this recipe in advance, let it cool. Then, store it in an airtight container for 3-4 days. When you're ready to reheat the dip, add it to a saucepan with a splash of milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the dip is hot and smooth. Add more milk to thin, if needed.
If I'm making this recipe for a party, I like to keep it warm in a slow cooker. Just spoon the dip into a small greased slow cooker and set it to WARM. Stir every once in a while to prevent burning.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 128kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 29mg, Sodium: 191mg, Potassium: 45mg, Sugar: 1g, Calcium: 177mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @sundaytable.co on Instagram!