Move over traditional macaroni and cheese, Beer Cheese Mac and Cheese is here.
That’s right, I said Beer Cheese Mac and Cheese, and it’s everything you need in comfort food. Combine your favorite beer into your sharp Cheddar cheese to make this rich and flavorful cheese sauce. And that pretzel topping? It’s the perfect finishing touch!
Traditional mac and cheese usually have some type of bread crumb topping. But for this, I really wanted to combine all the elements of pretzels with beer cheese sauce dip, so I used crushed mini pretzels.
Trust me on this, if you like beer cheese dip and pretzels and macaroni and cheese then you’re going to love this. The pretzels add the right amount of crunch and a little extra hint of salt to each bite. All you need to do is crush them up then sprinkle them on top before baking, super easy!
How to make Beer Cheese Sauce
This easy beer cheese sauce is the star of the dish! It’s warm, hearty, and everyone will ask for this recipe! So let’s talk about making the sauce.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pot over medium heat.
- Next, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir to combine. Cook for about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the 3/4 cup of beer, cook for 30 seconds then add the 1 cup of half and half. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes to slightly thicken the sauce. Next add the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and stir so all of the seasonings have blended into the sauce.
- Pour in the 4 cups of shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (1 cup at a time) and whisk until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
That’s the sauce! Pour over your cooked macaroni noodles and follow the rest of the recipe for baking this to perfection.
Imagine this on a cool Fall day watching a football game!
Shredded Cheese: Grate Your Own vs Bagged
Ok, this is one thing I always do: I always grate my own cheddar cheeses.
Why?
Well, for one I enjoy the freshness of the cheese you get from grating your own cheese. Second, block cheeses come in many more varieties than bagged cheeses do so there’s lots of options for making your own shredded cheese.
Bagged shredded cheeses usually have a little corn starch added to prevent the pieces from sticking together in the bag. This can also cause the cheese to melt differently. Check it out for yourself! Compare some fresh grated cheese to the bagged kind and you’ll see the cheese you grated is softer, and a little moist. It just adds only a little amount of type to preparing a recipe to grate your own but it’s worth it!
If you don’t have a box grater, you can pick one up like this.
If you like Macaroni and cheese recipes you might like:
Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Cajun Mac and Cheese
Adult Mac and Cheese
I’ve also got this Ultimate Mac and Cheese Roundup!
PrintBeer Cheese Mac and Cheese with Pretzel Topping
Beer Cheese Mac and Cheese combines the classic comfort food of macaroni and cheese with the adult twist of beer flavor in a beer cheese. Topped with crunchy pretzels, this makes a great game-day dish!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 and 1/4 cups uncooked elbow noodle macaroni pasta
1 cup mini pretzels
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 and 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese (I buy two 8oz blocks and shred it myself. You won’t use all of the second block)
3/4 cup beer (see note below)
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic power
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
A few dashes of paprika to add color to top layer
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, then cook the macaroni pasta. Preheat oven to 350.
- Pour 1 cup of mini pretzels into a resealable bag. Use a meat tenderizer (or a hammer like I did) and pound to crush the mini pretzels. You don’t want to make a powder out of all the pretzels, you still want some chunky pieces in there. Pour into a bowl.
- Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Next, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir to combine. Cook for about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the 3/4 cup of beer, cook for 30 seconds then add the 1 cup of half and half. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes to slightly thicken the sauce. Next add the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and stir so all of the seasonings have blended into the sauce.
- Next, pour in the 4 cups of shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (1 cup at a time) and whisk until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
- Pour the cooked macaroni into the 9×13 baking dish, then cover with the cheese sauce, stirring so all noodles are coated with the beer cheese sauce. Top with the buttery crushed pretzels, then sprinkle with paprika (for color). Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes to get cheese browned.
Notes
When it comes to the beer, choose a good quality beer. I’d stay away from cheaper bargain brands and I haven’t tested this recipes using dark beers.
Keywords: beer cheese mac and cheese
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