Homemade Cheddar Pub Cheese
This Homemade Cheddar Pub Cheese is smooth, creamy, and made with real white cheddar cheese. It’s packed with savory flavor, it comes together in about 10 minutes, and it’s great served as a spread or a dip with crackers or pretzels!
Recipe Overview: This homemade cheddar pub cheese is creamy, spreadable, and full of sharp cheddar flavor. It comes together in minutes and makes an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer for parties or game day!
I love football, and although the game is important to me, so is the food! I thoroughly enjoy preparing (and eating) game day recipes that everyone will love.
Easy recipes like air fryer chicken wings and restaurant style salsa are crowd favorites, but you can’t beat a creamy, cheesy dip with beer can you?
This Homemade Pub Cheese is rich, creamy, and packed with bold cheddar and mild beer flavor — just like you’d find at your favorite pub.
It’s smooth and spreadable (not grainy or gluey), comes together in minutes, and is perfect for crackers, homemade soft pretzels, grilled burgers, or a simple charcuterie board.
This particular recipe is made at home with real ingredients, starting with the cheese. It includes real, freshly grated white sharp cheddar cheese for the best flavor. There’s definitely no Velveeta here!
Cream cheese and beer make it perfectly creamy and spreadable. A touch of Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce enhances the sharp cheddar, while smoked paprika adds warmth and depth without overpowering the cheese.
This is an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer for game day, holidays, or casual entertaining.
Need even more game day inspiration? Be sure to check out my collection of tailgating snacks that will score.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This pub cheese recipe includes real food ingredients, and most importantly, real cheddar cheese (there’s no Velveeta here!).
- It includes just a few ingredients and it’s ready in about 10 minutes.
- It’s ultra-smooth and perfectly spreadable, so it’s ideal for pretzels, burgers and cheese boards.
- This recipe can be made completely in advance, making it perfect for entertaining.
Recipe ingredients
There are only a few simple ingredients in this pub cheese recipe as shown below, and most are customizable.
- Cheddar cheese. Sharp white cheddar cheese adds big flavor to this pub cheese. Be sure to grate it fresh for the best texture and flavor. You can certainly use a combination of sharp and mild cheddar as desired.
- Cream cheese. Softened cream cheese lends a bit of tang and makes this pub cheese ultra creamy.
- Beer or ale. Use your favorite beer or ale. Six tablespoons adds the perfect amount of flavor and makes it completely spreadable.
- Garlic. Adds aromatic, pungent flavor. Sub fresh garlic with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Coconut aminos. Adds rich, umami flavor. Sub with tamari, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
- Dijon mustard. This doesn’t make the dip taste like mustard whatsoever, it simply adds savory depth of flavor.
- Smoked paprika. Adds smoky flavor without making the dip spicy, and adds color.
- Cayenne pepper. An 1/8th teaspoon adds just a bit of background flavor. Add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon more or omit it entirely.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to make beer cheese spread
This beer cheese spread is one of the easiest game day dips, and it’s sure to be a crowd favorite!
Everything is popped into a food processor and processed until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, use a stand mixer or hand mixer.
Pro tip: Use freshly grated cheddar cheese for best results. Allow the cheddar cheese and cream cheese to come to room temperature as the pub cheese becomes smoother much more quickly.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
Tips for success
- Start with room-temperature cheese. Softened cheddar blends more smoothly and gives you the creamiest texture without overprocessing.
- Grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well and can make the pub cheese grainy.
- Add liquid gradually. Whether you’re using beer, milk, or cream, start with less and blend until smooth and spreadable.
- Taste and adjust. Cheddar can vary in saltiness, so taste before adding more salt and adjust seasoning at the end.
- Chill briefly if needed. If the pub cheese feels too soft, refrigerate it for 20–30 minutes to help it firm up before serving.
Easy pub cheese variations
There are a number of ways to change up this recipe to make it extra spicy or swap the beer for a kid-friendly option.
- Extra spicy: Add additional cayenne pepper or hot sauce
- Smoky: Use smoked cheddar for half of the cheese
- Kid-friendly: Use milk or half and half instead of beer and omit the cayenne
Serving suggestions
Serve this soft, spreadable pub cheese with the following:
- Hard or soft pretzels
- Crackers or crostini
- Crunchy veggies
- Burgers or smash burgers
- French fries or baked potatoes
- Cheese boards or game-day spreads
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
- Store pub cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days
- Let sit at room temperature 20–30 minutes before serving
More game day snacks you’ll love:
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Homemade Cheddar Pub Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated at room temperature; see note 2
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into cubes and softened
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons coconut aminos sub with tamari, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper add more as desired or omit entirely
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 tablespoons beer or ale use your favorite; see note 3
Instructions
- Place the grated white cheddar cheese, cubed cream cheese, garlic, coconut aminos, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper, to taste in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pour the beer over the ingredients, then secure the lid.8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1 clove garlic, 2 teaspoons coconut aminos, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, 6 tablespoons beer or ale
- Process until smooth and creamy, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Dip is best served at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip:Â The dip will become smooth faster if the grated cheese and cream cheese are left out a room temperature to soften.
- Pub cheese is best served at room temperature. If you make it in advance, let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes or so before serving.
- Use gluten free beer to make this recipe gluten free. Swap the beer out with milk or half and half to make it kid-friendly.
- Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 5 days.Â
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
38 Comments on “Homemade Cheddar Pub Cheese”
Can this be done in a slow cooker?
I haven’t tried it but probably on low?
Wow! I used some of our homebrew and it is very tasty. Thank you.
This spicy cheese dip is calling my name! Especially with those veggies. I am not a big football watcher, but I’m definitely showing up for the snacks! Pinning!
The snacks do make the game! Thanks Katherine!
My hubby is heading off to a Super Bowl party on Sunday and now I know what I’ll be sending with him! He will love this dip!
This dip is so quick and easy — it will be the perfect thing to send! Maybe you can keep some for yourself? 🙂
5 Stars!! I made this yesterday and it is a keeper! Thank you for posting! I’ve been looking for a Pub Cheese recipe ever since Trader Joe’s had an in-store demonstration of a hot dip made from equal parts, by weight, of their Pub Cheese (which is pretty pricy), drained canned black beans, and salsa. Mix, heat, and serve. Your recipe was very easy to make and it was even better the next day. I bought an 8oz bag of preshredded sharp cheddar cheese to make it easy. Everything blended well and I let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then blended it again to make it extra creamy.
Nice recipe! Thank you again for posting!
Hi Bobi! Thank you so much for the feedback and I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the dip! I think blending it again once it comes to room temperature sounds like a wonderful idea too!
Amazing!!! Spicy cheddar, aka HEAVEN! I would watch football just for some of this.
Haha…if you’re not a football lover, this dip might make you one! 🙂