Drinks
Beer

32 Recipes to Get Things Cooking with Beer

By

Food & Wine Editors

Updated on May 30, 2023

Steamed Mussels with Coconut Milk and Thai Chiles — Photo:
Diana Chistruga

Cooking with beer is a great idea — both as an ingredient and as an enjoyable beverage to keep you whistling while you work in the kitchen. That special combination of malt and hops provides a beautiful backdrop of flavor in all kinds of dishes. It makes a sensational braising liquid for everything from carrots to short ribs; it adds complexity to stews and chilis. Beer batter imparts amazing crunch to fried foods like cheese curds and fish, and even works in sweet applications such as Guinness ice cream (which you'll definitely want to serve with chocolate-covered pretzels). Pour yourself a cold one and make sure you've got another bottle or can handy for whichever recipe you choose to make first.

01 of 32

Classic Beef Chili

classic beef chili

Fresh poblano, toasty ancho chile powder, oregano, and beer come together to make a flavorful bowl of chili perfect for game day with friends. Use a pilsner or amber beer, depending on your preference; IPAs and stouts won't work as well here, as their flavors are too strong and can make the chili taste bitter.

02 of 32

Fried Cheese Curds with Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce

Fried Cheese Curds — Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis

White cheddar cheese curds are battered and deep-fried until they're golden brown for an irresistible appetizer or snack. The batter includes white rice flour, which is the secret to extra-crispy frying. It's spiked with lager and gets a subtle zip from yellow mustard.

03 of 32

Beer-Battered Fish Tacos

Beer-Battered Fish Tacos — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

IPA adds depth to the crunchy coating on perfectly cooked, beer-battered cod fillets. The tacos also feature bright homemade pickled red onions and a cabbage slaw that gets tart creaminess from lime crema and a hint of sweetness from honey.

04 of 32

Frito Pie

Frito Pie — Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman

Frito Pie is a glorious mess of corn chips, chili, cheese, and other toppings piled together — often right in the chip bag — for a satisfying meal that's perfect for tailgating or other casual get-togethers. Our recipe relies on homemade chili, which gets a bite and some bitterness from amber beer and sweetness and acidity from tomatoes.

05 of 32

Steamed Mussels with Coconut Milk and Thai Chiles

Steamed Mussels with Coconut Milk and Thai Chiles — Diana Chistruga

This is chef Tyler Florence's idea of a party-friendly one-pot dish. He simply steams plump mussels in reduced lager until they're just starting to open and then adds a creamy, spicy, slightly tart mixture made with garlic, ginger, chiles, cilantro, coconut milk, and lime juice.

06 of 32

Blue Crab Beignets

Blue Crab Beignets — Greg DuPree

Here, beignet batter thinly coats a creamy, warm crab filling with a crisp, light crust. The batter, which includes amber lager, is loose and can be tricky to shape at first; keep frying and practicing — your beignets will improve with each batch. These are ideally eaten while still very hot, so make them while enjoying aperitifs in the kitchen.

07 of 32

Beer and Cheddar Soup

Beer-and-Cheddar Soup — © Con Poulos

This creamy beer cheese soup is mildly spiced with jalapeños and enhanced by smoky bacon. Served with garlic toast, it's a comfort food classic.

08 of 32

Beer-Steamed Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce

Beer Steamed Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce — © David Malosh

This recipe comes courtesy of Suzanne Goin and her husband, David Lentz — he’s been cooking beer-steamed shrimp for his family for years. It’s easily scaled up to serve even more people.

09 of 32

Porter Bundt Cake with Whiskey-Caramel Sauce

Porter Bundt Cake with Whiskey-Caramel Sauce — © Con Poulos

This richly flavored cake features quintessential Irish ingredients such as dark porter beer, dark brown sugar, and whiskey.

10 of 32

Hungarian Sausage Stew with Ale

Hungarian Sausage Stew with Ale — © Antonis Achilleos

This recipe for lecsó (LEH-tcho) — a traditional sausage, tomato, and bell pepper stew from Hungary — is made with beer for a deep, rich flavor.

11 of 32

Brazilian Beer-Marinated Chicken

Brazilian Beer-Marinated Chicken — © James Baigrie

Cookbook author Steven Raichlen flavors this speedy chicken dish with Xingu (a Brazilian black lager that has a distinctive cola-like flavor), plus mustard and onion — evoking the classic combination of beer and bratwursts. "The marinade brings a lot of flavor to a meat that really needs it," he says.

12 of 32

Daube de Boeuf with Belgian Ale

Daube de Boeuf with Belgian Ale — © Stephanie Meyer

"January in Minnesota. End of story," writes chef Andrew Zimmern. "We know a thing or two about cold-weather comfort food, especially a one-pot rock star beef stew that will warm you from the inside out. This is 'food with a hug' at its best. On the technical side, it’s simple. Resist the temptation to fussy it up until you’ve made it a few times, then you can do what you want with it."

13 of 32

French (Canadian) Onion Soup

French (Canadian) Onion Soup. Photo Â© Kate Mathis — © Kate Mathis

Chef Hugue Dufour makes a pork broth for his French onion soup using bacon for smokiness and a pig's foot for richness, along with two bottles of brown ale. Omit the pig's foot for a lighter broth.

14 of 32

Scallop Fritters

Scallop Fritters — © James Baigrie

These light, crisp fritters include bits of chopped scallops in a batter made with clam broth and pilsner — the perfect expression of chef Jimmy Bradley's New England tastes.

15 of 32

Cider-Glazed Turkey with Lager Gravy

Cider-Glazed Turkey with Lager Gravy — © Con Poulos

Lots of people brine their turkeys. Not chef Michael Symon, who thinks brining makes the bird a little rubbery. He salts his turkey well and refrigerates it overnight to season it. Before roasting, he covers the breast and legs with cheesecloth that's been soaked in a cider-infused butter. For his beer-spiked gravy, Symon recommends the German-style Dortmunder Gold, made by Great Lakes Brewing Company, from his home state of Ohio.

16 of 32

Beer-Battered Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Beer-Battered Buttermilk Fried Chicken — © Tina Rupp

This is the quintessential recipe for crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside fried chicken. Allow two to four hours for the chicken to soak in the buttermilk mixture, which imparts tangy flavor while tenderizing the meat. Thanks to the carbonation in the beer, the resulting crust is especially crunchy and flaky.

17 of 32

Beer-Braised Turkey Tacos

Beer-Braised Turkey Tacos — © Joseph de Leo

Skinless turkey thighs and drumsticks are packed with flavor. Chef Deborah Schneider braises the meat in beer until ultratender, then shreds it for tacos. "It's also fabulous in a sandwich," she says.

18 of 32

Smoked Porter-Braised Beef Short Ribs

Smoked Porter-Braised Beef Short Ribs — © Fredrika Stjärne

This rich braise is sweet, smoky, and pleasantly bitter all at once. The recipe calls for a smoked porter; if unavailable, substitute a regular porter or another dark beer. Polenta is the ideal accompaniment for the short ribs and their luscious sauce, but mashed potatoes or egg noodles would also work well.

19 of 32

Fennel and Sweet Onion Pizza with Green Olives

Fennel-and-Sweet-Onion Pizza with Green Olives — © John Kernick

Miami chef Michael Schwartz makes this pizza with Pernod-braised fennel, caramelized onions, and Trugole, a semisoft Italian cheese that melts beautifully. His crust includes brown ale and a touch of whole wheat flour for extra flavor.

20 of 32

Guinness Ice Cream with Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

Guinness Ice Cream with Chocolate-Covered Pretzels — © Maura McEvoy

This ice cream has a strong, malty Guinness flavor that goes supremely well with the salty milk chocolate–covered pretzels. If you don't want to make the chocolate-covered pretzels, they're easy enough to buy.

21 of 32

Beer-Braised Carrots with Coriander and Feta

Beer-Braised Carrots with Coriander and Feta — Charissa Fay

“When it comes to cooking with beer,” says chef Alex Guarnaschelli, “I like using Heineken because it adds a pleasant sweetness and a faint yeasty taste that I love.” The brown sugar and earthy flavor of the carrots are perfect with feta, which adds just the right amount of richness and salt.

22 of 32

Mo's Sticky Ribs

Baby back ribs glazed with peach jam and ketchup. — © Tina Rupp

Pit master Fred Donnelly makes these spectacularly sticky ribs at home. "Anyone you make them for falls in love with you," he says.

23 of 32

Spicy Beer Mustard

Spicy Beer Mustard — © Hector Sanchez

Chef Jeremy Nolen honed his skills by updating German classics at Brauhaus Schmitz in Philadelphia, including this intense mustard for sausages.

24 of 32

Stout-Braised Short Ribs

Stout-Braised Short Bits — © Christina Holmes

Braising short ribs in beer makes them super tender and adds a slight bitter note. Chef Sarah Simmons cooks her ribs in Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout; you can use any dark beer you fancy.

25 of 32

Spiced Beer Bread with Pumpkin Ale and Pepitas

Spiced Beer Bread with Pumpkin Ale and Pepitas — Justin Chapple / Food & Wine

Pumpkin ale and pumpkin pie spice dial up the flavor in this savory beer bread, which is studded with toasted pumpkin seeds.

26 of 32

Beer-Battered Fish with Malt Vinegar Aïoli

Beer-Battered Fish with Malt Vinegar Aioli — Greg DuPree

Chef Jeremy Sewall uses line-caught pollock for fish and chips at Row 34 in Boston because it's a firm fish that remains flaky when cooked. The beer batter should coat the fish without being too thick; when fried, the batter should puff and crisp while the fish steams inside the crunchy shell.

27 of 32

Carbonnade à la Flamande (Flemish Beef Stew)

Carbonnade à la Flamande (Flemish Beef Stew) — © Con Poulos

This classic Belgian beef stew is known for its sweet-sour combination of caramelized onions and beer. Any dark Belgian-style ale would be a good choice here. As with most stews, the dish will taste even better a day or two after it's made.

28 of 32

Beer-Braised Baby Back Ribs with Orange-Tamarind Sauce

Beer-Braised Baby Back Ribs with Orange-Tamarind Sauce. Photo © Jody Horton — © Jody Horton

"I started making my Abilene sauce 20 years ago, and every year I tweak it or add something," says chef James Holmes of his signature barbecue sauce. Despite its spicy intensity, the pork and beer flavors come straight through.

29 of 32

Creamy Risotto with Edamame

Creamy Risotto with Edamame — © Marcus Nilsson

This risotto was created when Jeff Smith's daughter, Isabelle, tossed some Laughing Cow cheese into a pot of risotto. "It adds a lot of richness without making the dish taste too sharp," Smith says. The cup of Budweiser beer is his own addition, a last-minute fix on a night he found himself without white wine in the house and "ended up preferring it to wine in this dish."

30 of 32

Beer-Braised Cabbage and Sausage

This hearty one-pot meal brings together bratwurst and green cabbage simmered with Worcestershire, mustard, caraway, and a beer to round things out.

31 of 32

Beer-Braised Chicken Stew with Fava Beans and Peas

Beer-Braised Chicken Stew with Fava Beans and Peas — © John Kernick

Chef Paul Kahan is a big fan of chicken thighs because they have so much flavor and are so inexpensive — the best of both worlds. He braises the thighs in beer to make an excellent stew that he (naturally) pairs with more beer, such as Pere Jacques from Chicago's Goose Island Beer Company, a Belgian-style ale full of caramelized malt flavors. You can use frozen fava beans, but add them, blanched, in the final step.

32 of 32

Beer-Braised Pot Roast

Beer-Braised Pot Roast — © Kana Okada

A perfect pot roast, delicious served over buttered egg noodles. Go for an amber ale here.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!

Related Articles

A person prepares a batter with leftover beer

How to Use Leftover Beer in the Kitchen

Yuzu Shandy

Have You Tried Upgrading Your Shandy With Yuzu?

FWX AN EVENING WITH THE MEN BEHIND LUKSUS AND RESTO 14

What It's Like to Spend a Night With the Minds Driving Beer-Centric Dining

Best High-Alcohol Beers

Beers and a scoop of ice cream in a side-by-side photo composite.

How to Make the Best Beer and Ice Cream Floats at Home

Snake River Zonker Stout

America's 50 Best Stouts

Dog Days of Summer (Ale) Cocktail Recipe

Dog Days of Summer Ale

Red Clay Michelada

7 Beer Cocktails You Can Make in Minutes

Everything You Need to Know About Milk Stout and 7 to Try

Ale vs Lager

How to Tell the Difference Between Ale and Lager

Top 10 Dark Beers for People Who Don't Like Dark Beer

It's Bitter To Be Hoppy Cocktail Recipe

It's Bitter to Be Hoppy

Canned beverages in cooler

Beer Wasn't the Go-To Drink for 49ers Fans Watching the Big Game — Here's Why

A beer being poured.

What Is an IPA? Everything You Need to Know About the India Pale Ale

Old Fashioned Cocktail Over Frosted Beer Glass

Would You Order a Beer Inspired by a Negroni or Old Fashioned?

It's Time to Book a Vacation to Japan

It's Time to Book a Vacation to Japan — Because Beer Biking Is Back