Ever since I first learned that there is such a thing as soup made of beer and cheese, I’ve wanted to veganize it. I psyched myself out for a while and put it off, and then October rolled around. It seemed like the right time to go for it! I think traditional cheddar beer soup is an Oktoberfest thing, but I know very little about beer, so I could be totally wrong about that. In any event, couldn’t we all go for a big bowl of cheesy vegan soupy goodness during the fall anyway? So the whether or not this is traditional is a moot point: it’s a good idea!
What is Beer Cheese Soup?
Traditional beer cheese soup is just what it sounds like! Thick, creamy soup made with a base of beer that has cheese (usually cheddar) melted in it. It’s usually also got some robust seasonings like mustard, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce in there, and some versions include veggies.
How to Veganize Beer Cheese Soup
I included two ingredients in my creamy base for this soup: cashews and pureed veggies! If you read this blog regularly, you probably know of my love for cashews and that they blend up super creamy. (You can even make dairy-free cream out of cashews!). So that part was easy. But the veggies part was kind of inspired. Like I mentioned above, some versions of beer cheese soup include veggies as well as beer and cheese. I decided to include them in mine, but in double the amount you’d normally find in beer cheese soup. Half the veggies just serve the normal purpose of veggies in soup, adding texture and flavor and all that, but the other half gets blended up to give our soup even more of a creamy, savory base!
How to Make Vegan Beer Cheese Soup
It all starts with the veggies. We’ll be using carrots, leeks and celery. Heat up some olive oil and cook those veggies for a few minutes, until they begin to soften up. Add some garlic and cook it with the veggies for about a minute. Next, add some flour. This is going to help thicken the soup. Stir everything well so that the flour forms a coating on the veggies and cook everything together for two minutes or so. Now it’s time to add the beer! Pour the whole bottle into the pot, stir it well, and bring it up to a simmer. The liquid should get pretty thick rather quickly, so make sure you’re stirring it often and scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon. Let the beer cook for about 5 minutes, until it reduces by about half, and then add half of the broth (we’ll get to the other half in a minute).
Bring the broth up to a simmer and let everything cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the veggies are tender. Now it’s time to make our cashew mixture! Place the cashews into your food processor bowl with about ¼ cup of broth and blend them to a smooth paste. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and then, and add more broth as needed to smooth the mixture out. Once you’ve got a relatively smooth paste, ladle some of those veggies out the pot and into the food processor. Blend them up with your cashew paste.
Once the mixture is pretty smooth, add it to the pot. If you still have any broth left, add that as well. Mix everything up and stir in some seasonings: nooch, mustard, hot sauce and vegan Worcestershire sauce. Heat the soup back up, and if you’d like, thin it with some additional broth or water.
I like to top mine with some smoky homemade croutons (instructions for making them are included in the recipe below).
Can this soup be made gluten-free? Probably, but I haven’t tested any gluten-free versions. I think your best bet would be to skip the flour and thicken the soup towards the end of cooking with some arrowroot or a slurry made from cornstarch and cold water. Add a bit a time until it gets as thick as you like it. Where can I find vegan Worcestershire sauce? Most health food stores carry vegan brands — look for Annie’s or Edward & Sons. Whole Foods brand is also vegan. If you can’t find it in stores, try online. Why does this recipe include yeast? That’s not the same type of yeast you’d use to bake bread. Nutritional yeast is a type of deactivated yeast that adds a cheesy, savory flavor to dishes. You can read up on the details here. Look for nutritional yeast in the natural foods section of your supermarket, or buy it online. What type of beer should I use for this soup? Brown ale works best, but other varieties of medium to dark beer will work as well. I used Bell’s Best Brown Ale. Not all beer is vegan. Check with Barnivore to ensure the variety you choose is. Leftovers of this soup will keep for about 3 days in a sealed container in the fridge. Want some additional toppings? This soup goes great with coconut bacon. Want some more vegan cheesy soup deliciousness? Check out my vegan broccoli cheese soup!
Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!
