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This quick bread is SO easy to make, and includes plenty of beer, cheese & butter. All VERY good things. Beer Bread may be your new favorite thing!

cheddar beer bread slices on a slate board

Stop whatever you are doing, I’m serious. Go in the kitchen. Mix this up and then get on with something else for an hour. Trust me!

Quick to mix up, and only 45-50 minutes to bake (no yeast means no rise time – and more importantly – no kneading!)

I’m quite in love with this beer bread recipe, clearly. I mean – who wouldn’t be? Essentially, it’s a basic beer bread with cheddar added. I use this exact same recipe to make Jalapeno Cheddar Beer Bread (add sliced jalapenos to the batter) and also Bacon Gruyere Beer Bread (switch out the cheddar for gruyere and add bacon). The possibilities really are endless!

Pouring the garlic butter over the top of the batter results in a crunchy, buttery crust that is impossible to resist. The bread is pretty sturdy – so it can handle butter being spread on it, or it being dunked into a chili, stew or soup.

This beer bread will last for a few days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. I mean, if there are leftovers at ALL.

Hope you love this bread as much as we do!

cheddar beer bread slices on a slate board, with butter

cheddar beer bread ingredients on a marble counter, with labels

FLOUR – regular old flour works best in this. You may want to try a mix of whole wheat flour and white flour, but I like mine all white.
BROWN SUGAR – pack this in, to make sure you are measuring correctly.
BAKING POWDER
SALT – I use kosher salt
GARLIC POWDER – this is used twice, once in the batter, and once mixed into the melted butter and poured over the top. Yummy!
CHEDDAR CHEESE – fresh grated or pre-packaged, this is one recipe where the way you get your cheese grated doesn’t matter!
BEER – choose one you enjoy. I prefer lighter colored beers for this -(lager, pilsner, wheat beers), the brand doesn’t matter. The flavor does!
BUTTER – I use salted butter

How to make this recipe:

Scroll for Recipe

The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.

how to make beer bread - step by step instructions with photos

LET’S PREP:
Gather your ingredients and a 9×5 loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and open the beer (do try to resist taking a swig, but I won’t judge you if you do!).

LET’S MIX:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar baking powder, salt, and half of the garlic powder. (Pics 1 & 2). Fold in the cheddar and make sure it’s well distributed (Pics 3 & 4).

Pour in the beer (go slow, so it doesn’t foam up all crazy-like) and gently mix together with a wooden spoon until just combined. The mixture will be lumpy, so don’t overmix, it does not need to be smooth. Shaggy is good. (Pics 5, 6 & 7).

Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan.

Melt the butter and add the remaining garlic powder and mix it up. Pour the butter on top of the batter (Pic 9).

LET’S BAKE:
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes. The loaf is done when a toothpick comes out clean and top is golden brown. And you can’t stand it anymore.

fully baked beer bread on a cooling rack

Kylee’s Notes & FAQs

What kind of beer to use in beer bread?
Use a good one! Seriously, just use a beer that you enjoy (we like a lager in this recipe, but pilsner is also good!)
What about alcohol?
Cooking with beer is totally fine, we’re using it for the flavor – not the alcohol – which is great because cooking it evaporates the alcohol! Let your kids have a slice!
What should I eat with this?
Personally, I like a little butter on mine. But it’s AWESOME with vegetarian chili, broccoli cheddar soup, and is a great sub for cornbread.
How do you know it’s cooked?
Stick a toothpick into it! It should come out clean. The top will be golden.
Mix a little Italian seasoning into the topping. It will remind you a little of Red Lobster Biscuits!
Change it up! Use gruyere cheese, and add 1/4 cup of cooked, crumbled bacon to the batter. Oh YES PLEASE. I also like to add chopped green chilies to mine. It’s divine.
Wait until the beer bread has cooled enough before slicing. If you cut into it too soon, it will be stodgy. Stodgy is not good.

fully baked cheddar beer bread in the pan

If you have tried this recipe or any other recipe on Kylee Cooks, leave a comment and rating – I truly love to hear from you!
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