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This hearty, comforting beer cheese potato soup combines the best of both worlds – marrying the timeless flavors of sausage and potato soup with the classic Wisconsin beer cheese soup. Real, simple, whole ingredients mean you can feel good about serving this meal to your family, because you know exactly what’s in it!
How to make sausage and potato beer cheese soup:
Brown turkey sausage in a heavy bottom pan or dutch oven.
Then melt butter. Because butter makes everything better, right?
Add the classic combination of my favorite aromatic veggies – onion, carrots and celery.
Saute for 10-12 minutes.
Then add garlic, oregano and thyme and cook for another minute.
Add flour, stir to coat veggies and cook for one more minute.
Add a can of your favorite beer. I recommend an IPA or lager.
Add chicken broth.
Add potatoes and bring to a simmer.
Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Transfer half the soup mixture to a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Pour soup back into the pot.
Pour in heavy cream.
Add shredded sharp cheddar and stir until melted.
Add a quick splash of white balsamic vinegar to the pot.
Then add the sausage back into the soup.
Return pot to medium heat and cook for a couple minutes, until sausage is heated through.
Garnish with green onions and shredded cheddar and enjoy!
Why you’re going to love this beer cheese soup:
- It’s loaded with REAL ingredients. Which is what makes it a favorite in our household. You won’t find any condensed soup or processed Velveeta cheese here!
- Beer + cheese + potatoes + sausage. It pretty much doesn’t get better than this winning flavor combination!
- It’s quick and easy which makes it a great weeknight meal! Chopping veggies and brown sausage is all that is required for prep which means you can have this dinner on the table in about 45 minutes. Be sure to check out my tips section below for notes on how to save time on prep in this recipe!
Making beer cheese soup ahead of time:
As with most good things in life, this soup just gets better with time.
- Make this soup as directed below, let it cool for about an hour, then pop it in the fridge for up to a week.
- About an hour before you’re ready to eat, transfer soup to a crock pot and turn it to warm. About 10 minutes before serving, crank it up to high to make sure it was fully heated through and then dig in!
- Alternately, you could reheat this soup in a sauce pan on the stove over medium low heat, stirring frequently for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
- Be sure to season to taste with salt and pepper after reheating!
Tips for making the best beer cheese potato soup:
- Prep ingredients as you go. While the sausage is browning, chop your onion, carrots and celery. Then while the onion, carrots and celery are cooking, mince your garlic and dice your potatoes. While the potatoes are simmer, grate your cheddar. This will save you lots of precious prep time!
- Buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. It’s often cheaper to buy a block of cheese rather than a bag of shredded. Freshly shredded cheese will also melt better as pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose to help the shreds not stick together, which can also prevent the cheese from melting evenly.
- Use good quality beer. Skip the Bud Light and find a high quality craft beer with a flavor that you enjoy. No dark beer – stick to lagers, ales, IPAs or the like.
- Use your favorite sausage – if you like it spicy (like me) use that. If you’re more into a mild Italian sausage, that will work great too!
- Salt liberally throughout cooking. The ingredients in this soup are simple, so be sure to salt liberally throughout the cooking process.
Frequently asked questions:
- What kind of cheese should I use to make beer cheese soup?
- I like to use sharp cheddar for this recipe.
- Sharp cheddar on it’s own can have a very strong flavor, but when mixed with all the elements of this soup it becomes very mellow and melts nicely into the soup.
- Can my kids eat beer cheese soup?
- Yes! By the time this soup gets to the dinner table all that’s left is the flavor from the beer – the alcohol is long gone as it’s cooked off during the simmering process.
- What if I don’t like beer?
- Then you haven’t had the right beer! Check out this post about how to find the right beer for you! This is a good opportunity for you to try a local made beer or something you maybe haven’t had before. Be adventurous, be daring – try new beer!
- You might find that you actually love beer when you taste the right one!
Other hearty soups you’ll love:
- Vegan Curry Ramen Soup
- Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Vegan Tomato Soup
- Tuscan Tomato Tortellini Soup
- Vegan Curry Lentil Soup
- Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup
Beer Cheese Potato Soup with Sausage
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This hearty soup combines the well known flavors of sausage and potato soup with the very classic Wisconsin beer cheese soup.
Ingredients
- 19.5 oz. spicy turkey sausage
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
- 12 oz. can of your favorite beer
- 2 lbs. russet potatoes, diced in 1/2″ pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon white balsmic vinegar
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Garnish:
- sliced green onion
- shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add turkey sausage and brown, crumbling with a spatula until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Heat butter in the same large pot (no need to wipe it out) over medium high heat.
- Add onion, carrots, celery and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 10-12 minutes.
- Turn heat to medium and add garlic, oregano and thyme and cook for another minute.
- Then add flour and stir to coat veggies. Cook for one more minute, stirring frequently.
- Stir in beer, chicken broth, and diced potatoes along with another pinch of salt and pepper.
- Cover, turn heat up to medium high and bring to a simmer.
- Once it begins to simmer, turn heat to low, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Stir occasionally to prevent potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Remove soup from heat. Transfer half of the soup mixture to a high speed blend. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour back into pot.
- Stir in heavy cream and shredded cheese. Then add white balsamic vinegar.
- Add cooked sausage back into the pot. Heat the soup over medium heat for a couple minutes, until sausage is heated through.
- Garnish with green onions and shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy!
Notes
Prep ingredients as you go. While the sausage is browning, chop your onion, carrots and celery. Then while the onion, carrots and celery are cooking, mince your garlic and dice your potatoes. While the potatoes are simmer, grate your cheddar. This will save you lots of precious prep time!
Buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. It’s often cheaper to buy a block of cheese rather than a bag of shredded. Freshly shredded cheese will also melt better as pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose to help the shreds not stick together, which can also prevent the cheese from melting evenly.
Use good quality beer. Skip the Bud Light and find a high quality craft beer with a flavor that you enjoy. No dark beer, stick to lagers, ales, IPAs or the like.
Use your favorite sausage – if you like it spicy (like me) use that. If you’re more into a mild Italian sausage, that will work great too!
Salt liberally throughout cooking. The ingredients in this soup are simple, so be sure to salt liberally throughout the cooking process.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sausage potato soup, beer cheese soup, cheesy potato soup
This post was originally published in November 2018. It was updated in September of 2019 to include process shots, step-by-step instructions and tips for making the best beer cheese soup every single time!
Sheila
January 20, 2019 at 11:30 amI made this soup yesterday and it is delicious!!! It easily ranks as the top one or two that I have ever made. I am 56 years old and have made a lot of soup in my life so that is saying a lot. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I will be making it again and again. I followed the recipe exactly.
★★★★★
Midwest Foodie
January 20, 2019 at 3:59 pmI am SO glad that you liked it! Thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂 This is definitely one of my favorites too!
Midwest Foodie
February 4, 2019 at 10:20 amThe perfect combination of hearty veggies and spicy sausage – this soup is the best way to snuggle in and enjoy the winter weather!
★★★★★
Luke
September 17, 2019 at 11:03 amWow, now this is a beer cheese soup!! Being from the Wisco myself, I’ve had a lot of beer cheese soups, and I have to say this one takes the cake! Or should I say cheese!! And beer!!! Beer and cheese!!!!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
September 17, 2019 at 11:26 amSpoken like a true Wisconsinite!
Lisa J
September 27, 2019 at 7:34 pmThe sausage, can I use Owens, or a Jimmy Dean hot breakfast sausage?
Kylie Lato
September 27, 2019 at 7:37 pmI feel like the breakfast sausage might throw the flavor off a bit. But it’s worth a shot if that’s all you have on hand! I’d recommend an Italian or spicy sausage!
Katie
October 7, 2019 at 9:14 amCan you do this in a crockpot instead and if so how would I do it that way?
Kylie Lato
October 7, 2019 at 10:19 amI am not sure that this would be an ideal crock pot recipe unfortunately 🙁 Just with the browning of the sausage, then boiling potatoes, blending part of the soup, melting the cheese, etc. I’m not sure that it’d be easily do-able in a crock pot. HOWEVER, you could totally make this soup up to a week in advance, keep it in the fridge and then warm it up in the crock pot!! If you do end up doing that, just make sure you season to taste with salt and pepper after reheating. Great question Katie!
Jennifer
October 30, 2019 at 11:43 amDoes this soup freeze well?
Kylie Lato
October 30, 2019 at 12:32 pmI have not frozen it before, but I wouldn’t see why not!
Kathy Etter
October 31, 2019 at 3:31 pmThis soup is amazing. I used Founders IPA and it gave just the right bitterness to compliment the spicy sausage and richness of the cream. I did end up using Bob Evan’s spicy sausage in the tube because my grocery didn’t have spicy turkey sausage. I also used an immersion blender and it worked fine. This is going in my favorites and I will make it again.
Lauren
December 8, 2019 at 8:17 pmI’m a southern girl and I shine when making southern/cajun food but my husband is from WI so I’ve been dabbling with the Midwestern tastes and recipes. This soup is amazing! Even my young girls loved it. A must try for sure! We live in CO and used Colorado Native Amber Ale as our beer, and drank a couple while cooking the soup.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
December 9, 2019 at 9:42 amLauren – I’m so glad to hear that! I wish I had some more experience with southern flavors – it’s so fun to try traditional foods from other areas!! Thanks so much for the great review. I’m so glad your family liked this one! I always like to enjoy a beer or two while I’m making this one too 😉
Linda
December 12, 2019 at 5:33 pmI followed this recipe exactly as written. It is amazing. The best soup I have ever eaten.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
December 13, 2019 at 9:49 amLinda – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! This is definitely very high on my list of my favorites too! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review; I really appreciate it!
Julie
December 14, 2019 at 6:52 pmWow! This soup was amazing able perfect for a cold day!
I’m putting it in the family favorites section to make again and again!
Thank you for sharing 😁
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
December 15, 2019 at 4:02 pmJulie – I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!! We are having some frigid weather here in Wisconsin right now and this soup would be a welcomed reprieve!! Thanks for leaving a review!! 🙂
Tracy
December 15, 2019 at 12:02 pmIt’s delicious. I have it simmering right now. I think I need to be a bit more cheesy tasting. What would you say? Just add more cheese or maybe just not enough salt/pepper to bring out flavors? I’m just always so critical of my end product. .
Thanks much!! 👍🏻👍🏻
★★★★
Kylie Lato
December 15, 2019 at 4:09 pmI would definitely try adding a few pinches of salt first. Salt is always my first instinct when it comes to boosting flavors. I think most folks use far less salt and they should since it’s gotten a bit of a bad rap over the years 😉 I also just realized that I omitted the vinegar in the recipe card! I just added it in and that will definitely go a long way in boosting the flavors of everything. Great question Tracy!
Breanna
January 11, 2020 at 7:33 pmThis was fantastic! A perfect winter soup. I used Spotted Cow and it was great, and I don’t even like beer. A+ from this Wisconsin girl!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
January 12, 2020 at 9:20 pmThis is an A+ review! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this recipe Breanna!! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it!
Becky
January 12, 2020 at 4:09 pmCould I use my KitchenAid instead of a blender when mixing half of the soup?
Kylie Lato
January 12, 2020 at 9:19 pmI haven’t tried it, but I think the mixer would likely just mash up the ingredients rather than blend them. It’d be worth a shot if you’re not worried about getting a smooth, creamy texture though!
Suzanne Bader
January 13, 2020 at 11:40 amEasy and delicious!!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
January 13, 2020 at 11:55 amI am so glad that you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Suzanne – I really appreciate it 🙂
Sahitya
January 18, 2020 at 11:19 amLove it love it love it!!!
My husband and I can’t get enough of this soup. So hearty and comforting.
Thank you so much for the recipe.
We altered the ingredients a bit (used a different sausage, and we didn’t have celery and thyme), but this soup is just amazing.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
January 20, 2020 at 10:57 amI am so glad you and your husband enjoyed this one Sahitya! And I’m glad that you were able to adapt the recipe to what you had on hand!! Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
Jo
January 22, 2020 at 4:36 pmVery good. A little thinner than expected, but that may have been my fault as I used less flour than called for. I will try again.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
January 23, 2020 at 8:47 amSo glad you enjoyed it Jo! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
Sarah
February 6, 2020 at 11:36 amMade this with homemade pretzels the other night and It was one of the best soups I’ve ever made! Being from Wisconsin, this definitely tasted like home. Will be making it again in the future. Thanks!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
February 6, 2020 at 12:09 pmThat’s pretty much the best compliment ever when something “tastes like home”!!! That is my goal with every recipe 🙂 I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe and thank you so much for leaving a review Sarah!
Wendy
February 10, 2020 at 5:30 pmExcellent flavor for a very simple dish. Definitely in my soup rotation.
The only change I would make would be to double the potatoes. Otherwise literally perfect.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
February 11, 2020 at 9:26 amI can’t argue with more potatoes!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe Wendy – thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Tana
February 14, 2020 at 6:56 pmThis soup is FANTASTIC! We’re vegetarians so I left out the sausage and subbed veggie broth for the chicken, and added a bit more potatoes to bulk it up. The flavors are heavenly and our large family loved it. I’m making it again this week!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
February 17, 2020 at 10:59 amThat sounds amazing – I love the vegetarian substitutes!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for leaving a review Tana! 🙂