This rich and creamy Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup gets the seasonal treatment, and the homemade herbed croutons add a happy crunch to this satisfyingly easy meal!
I’m really not much of a soup person.
Soup can be a great meal, but I have to be in a particular mood to enjoy it (unless it’s black eyed pea soup – I’ll eat that any time of the year!) The fact that I’d share a soup this early in the “cooler weather” season, and enjoy it as much as I did…it makes me wonder.
Did I mention it’s, like, a 30-minute meal, too? Win-win for football season AND easy fall dinners!
This page includes step by step instructions, as well as tips and notes. If you’d like to skip all that, feel free to scroll down to the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. There is also a “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page if you’d rather not exercise your scrolling finger!
Why you’ll love this pumpkin beer cheese soup
- Pumpkin. Beer. Cheese. Fall flavors galore!
- A super dippable soup – think pretzels, chips, French fries…
- A highly customizable meal – add veggies, substitute in your face cheese, etc.
- A great way to use up leftover pumpkin (and maybe the beers left behind from Halloween parties gone by…)
Ingredients
- Olive oil and unsalted butter
- Shallots
- Fresh garlic cloves
- All-purpose flour
- Whole milk
- Chicken or vegetable broth
- Pumpkin puree – not pumpkin pie filling!
- Lager beer – I recommend something hearty and/or German!
- Shredded cheddar cheese – feel free to use your favorite kind of cheeses in here!
- Worcestershire sauce
- Bay leaf & fresh thyme
- Nutmeg, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, & black pepper
- Croutons – store bought is fine, but try my recipe for homemade ones in the recipe card!
For exact ingredient measurements and recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
This beer cheese soup is incredibly customizable!
This is a mash-up of three of my favorite things – pumpkin, broccoli cheddar soup, and beer. Samuel Adams Octoberfest, to be precise, which is what I used in here. I’m sure any ale (not stout) would work well, so if you get the urge to make this soup during a random April cold snap in Somewhere Amazing, MN., feel free to use whatever you’ve got.
If you feel like it needs veggies, go ahead and toss those in here, too. Honestly, I just wanted something akin to a bowl of melted cheese. And the lazy floating croutons are just so perfect, but even dipping pretzels and tortilla chips in this soup would be pretty excellent.
Just make sure you serve it in the pumpkin shells for full effect. So fun! (The secret? Steam them in the Instant Pot, then cut ’em in half and use the fresh guts in this soup!)
How to make beer cheese soup
- Heat oil & butter in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. When melted and shimmering, cook shallots & garlic for 2-3 minutes, until browned. Reduce heat to low, sprinkle flour over and stir, cooking for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in milk, broth, and beer in a stream. Add bay leaf. Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Stir in pumpkin puree, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes, then carefully remove and discard the bay leaf.
- For smoother soup: remove saucepan from heat. Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender,) puree contents of the pot until desired consistency is reached. Return to low heat.
- Add cheese about 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly, and cook until cheese is melted, 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Portion into bowls and top with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar. Serve with croutons and fresh thyme.
More hearty winter dinners to enjoy!
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Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup
Ingredients
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 shallots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 12 oz. (1 bottle) beer (we used Sam Adams Octoberfest)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups pumpkin puree canned or fresh
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme plus more for serving
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese plus more for serving
Herbed Croutons
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 loaf Italian bread cubed (about 6 cups)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup
- Heat oil & butter in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. When melted and shimmering, cook shallots & garlic for 2-3 minutes, until browned. Reduce heat to low, sprinkle flour over and stir, cooking for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in milk, broth, and beer in a stream. Add bay leaf. Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Stir in pumpkin puree, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes, then carefully remove and discard the bay leaf.
- For smoother soup: remove saucepan from heat. Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender,) puree contents of the pot until desired consistency is reached. Return to low heat.
- Add cheese about 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly, and cook until cheese is melted, 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Portion into bowls and top with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar. Serve with croutons and fresh thyme.
Herbed Croutons
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, simmer the oil, sliced garlic, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper for 5 minutes. Discard the garlic.
- In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the oil mixture, coating as evenly as possible. Spread the cubes on the baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the croutons with the grated Parmesan, then bake for 8-9 more minutes, until golden brown. Sprinkle the croutons with more salt if desired, then serve on top of the soup.
Notes
Nutrition
This pumpkin beer cheese soup recipe was originally published on October 2, 2017. It was updated with high quality photos and extra useful information on October 29, 2023.
Deanna says
Mmmm I love beer cheese soup!! I never thought to incorporate pumpkin!!!
Wendy Klik says
Oh my…..I love the flavor profile of this soup and cannot wait to try it.
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Oh my goodness this looks incredible! The soup alone sounds fantastic and then you threw croutons on top and served it inside of the pumpkin skin!? Presentation FTW.
Kathy McDaniel says
What a delicious looking soup! The presentation is gorgeous! I love pumpkin season!!
Phoebe Hendricks says
I’ve honestly never tried Pumpkin Soup, but now I’m dying to! Beautiful presentation!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
This soup looks so creamy and delicious!! This is a must try this fall!!!
Carolyn Ingram says
This looks incredible! The photos are beautiful!
yummy mummy kitchen says
I love this idea! So festive for autumn!
Jennifer A Polovitch says
i am really looking forward to making this recipe today. its nasty and rainy outside. i’m thinking to add some bratwurst to it.
The only complaint i have is that i used your print button and it printed out the whole web page, to include this coment box…not just the recipe, so i just ended up throwing about 20 pcs of paper in the trash, which really makes me sad.
Erica says
Oh my goodness, how strange! Could you tell me which print button it was (at the top of the post or in the recipe card) so I can look into it? I’m so sorry about the wasted paper & ink, I’ve never heard of that happening before. I hope the soup was at least delicious for you, Jennifer. 🙂
Canadian Mom says
I loved the sound of this recipe so decided to give it a go for Halloween. Ingredient issues: I didn’t have worchestershire sauce on hand which never happens! I used a little beef ‘better than bouillon’ it was the closest thing I had. I had only whipping cream and 1% milk , no whole milk so I did half of each hoping to fall somewhere in the middle. What I forgot is that low fat milk won’t purée as well but it’s ok. I used the sharp white cheddar I had on hand which still made soup orange in colour but I’ll try orange cheddar next time for extra bright colour. The old cheddar I used was not strong so I’d go for strong if you want the cheddar flavour to come through. I used the pumpkin from inside our jack-o-lantern 🎃
The recipe was easy to follow and tasted out of this world! Honestly, the best soup I’ve ever had and my husband agreed. It’s now the next day and when I reheat it there’s a little tang I don’t remember. It’s still good but I’m wondering how well beer as an ingredient reheats? If I ever make this in advance I may save the beer and add to the reheat. Thoughts?
Great recipe! (Ps This is the first time I’ve commented on a recipe!)