Unbelievably Good Recipes to Make with Beer

Beer-Braised Chicken Thighs with Cremini Mushrooms Recipe

A wide skillet and less liquid allow for a relatively short, intense braise--less than 20 minutes, compared to many hour-long versions.

Beer-Braised Pot Roast Recipe

This is no ordinary pot roast. First, it's rubbed with coffee. Then it simmers in dark stout beer and beef stock, yielding a deeply delicious gravy. Small carrots with tops and pearl onions elevate it further. 

Beer-Braised Top Blade Roast Recipe

You can also cook the roast in a slow cooker. After adding the stock, transfer to a 6-quart electric slow cooker, and cook on LOW for about 8 hours.

Flemish Beef and Beer Stew Recipe

Nothing says cozy like a hearty beer and beef stew. The sweet and sour Belgian ale adds major flare with flavors of plum, black cherry, and brown sugar which complements this seasonal stew for an oaky sapor.

Tangy Beer-Can Chicken Recipe

The can method keeps the bird moist while it grills because liquid in the can forms steam inside the cavity. Any canned beverage will work, since it won't really impart any noticeable flavor to the chicken. We like the bright, tangy flavor of good old-fashioned yellow mustard here.

Crab Boil with Beer and Old Bay Recipe

Blue crabs, once called the “pride of the Chesapeake”, can be found throughout the Coastal South when in season, which typically lasts from late April to October. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on some live blue crabs, there’s no better way to enjoy them than in an old-fashioned crab boil, or “crab feast,” as they say around the Chesapeake Bay.

Smoky Beer-Poached Grilled Corn Recipe

We took a technique that’s typically used for bratwurst and applied it to corn—with amazing results. You can save the beer after poaching the corn and use it for poaching brats or for steaming peel-and-eat shrimp.

Vegetable Soup with Beer Bread Recipe

Wanna know what the best thing about this dinner is (besides the fact that it’s highly comforting and delicious)? You likely already have everything you need to make it on hand. An incredibly simple, 4-ingredient savory beer bread is the perfect fluffy and buttery companion to a bowl of vegetable soup. A swirl of store-bought  pesto adds  touch of bright, fresh flavor, but if you don’t have it on hand, don’t sweat it. You can also top off your bowls of steamy soup with a dollop of sour cream or a handful of fresh herbs—just use what you already have in the kitchen to give the recipe a custom touch. 

Smoked Beer-Braised Pork Shoulder Tacos Recipe

The pork is especially flavorful if you rub on the spices well ahead of time and let the roast stand in the refrigerator overnight. Copeland uses Arrowood smoked lager for this recipe (it’s local for her), but you can use any smoked beer; if you can’t find one, try a nut ale, a porter, or just 1 1/2 cups chicken stock. Though the oven method here produces tastier results, you can also make the pork in a slow cooker; brown the meat on the stovetop first, and cook with the beer on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Grapefruit Beergaritas Recipe

This fruity beer cocktail falls somewhere between a shandy, a margarita, and a radler. Serve with citrus slices and a half-salted rim, if you'd like, or omit the salt for a straight-up refreshing sipper.

Bacon and Beef Stew Recipe

 Savory, rich bacon and beef pair perfectly with beer, mustard, and red wine vinegar creating a well-rounded, complex flavor profile. The recipe comes together quickly and makes 16 cups--enough for 12 generous servings. Make sure to use low sodium beef broth to keep a balanced salt level. Serve with crusty bread, cornbread, or butter rolls. 

Beer-Braised Chicken and Root Vegetables Recipe

Parsnips and rutabaga are good sources of soluble fiber, which keeps blood sugar levels in check. Simmering the veggies in beer infuses them with bold flavor; to make this without the beer, use unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.

Beer-Battered Pumpkin with Dipping Sauce Recipe

Øllebrød Recipe

Gunnar Gíslason, who hails from Akranes, Iceland, is the head chef of New York City’s Agern in Grand Central Station. As a co-founder of Noma—one of the world’s most celebrated restaurants—Claus Meyer has been one of the driving forces behind the New Nordic cuisine that has dominated the world stage for the past decade. At Agern (named after the Danish word for acorn), Gíslason and Meyer have combined their traditional cuisines to create øllebrød, a rye porridge with a foamy and silky skyr mousse on top. 

Making øllebrød is easy when chunks of leftover rye bread, along with cinnamon, cardamom, and lemon and orange zest, are soaked in beer overnight. Gíslason prefers “No Hero,” an oatmeal stout from Evil Twin Brewery, but you can use any beer of your choice as long as it’s not too hoppy. That’ll result in a bitter taste. In the morning, bring the rye bread to a simmer, and there you have your rye porridge. Ta-da! Scoop into a bowl, top with skyr (Icelandic-style yogurt), grated chocolate, and more zest for a cozy Nordic breakfast.

Øllebrød

Boudin Fritters with Sorghum-Mustard-Beer Sauce Recipe

Pecan-Breaded Pork Chops with Beer Sauce Recipe

Louisiana chef Horst Pfeifer combined dry mustard, celery salt, and pecans to create a memorable breading for pork chops. Serve them with your favorite vegetable and some crusty bread on the side for mopping up the rich, gravy-like sauce.

Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread Recipe

Mix the batter only until the dry ingredients disappear. (Lumps are normal.) Overmixing causes tough or misshapen loaves.

Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Light's wildly popular Classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew to create a simple, speedy version of a comfort food favorite. As the original recipe notes, a nutty dark beer adds richness and depth to the stew, but be careful not to choose a beer that's super-hoppy; it will taste too bitter.

Beer-Battered Corn Dogs Recipe

These crispy corn dogs will rival just about any festival or fair's version. The key here is to work with one hot dog at a time for the perfect golden batter crust.

Carne Asada with Nopales and Green Onions Recipe

Carne asada is ideal for hosts because it's quick and flavorful even without a marinade. Vidal Mozqueda, a backyard griller in San Francisco who works as a busser in the city's Acquerello restaurant, buys thinly sliced skirt steak at a carnicería. He grills it over a searing mesquite lump-charcoal fire; we used part briquets to help the fire burn longer. Cooked on a gas grill, the recipe is less smoky but still a crowd-pleaser. To drink, Mozqueda offers beer and pomegranate-sparkling water spritzers.

Beer-braised Pork Recipe

Nut-Seed-Beer Loaf  Recipe

Mornings can be so hectic. We know that. Let your slow cooker relieve the pressure of cooking breakfast with this overnight Instant Pot recipe.

Beer-Braised Brisket Recipe

Serve this deliciously rich beef over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Leftover brisket makes tasty sandwiches.

Basic Beer-Cheese Bread Recipe

This savory quick bread pairs well with soup or chili and is ideal for an open house or casual get-together.

Beer and Bison Burgers with Pub Cheese Recipe

An amber ale offers a great flavor addition to these robust bison burgers.

Chocolate Stout Brownies Recipe

The typical brownie has nearly 20g sugar--masking the flavor of the chocolate in an overwhelming wave of sweetness. Here we cut sugar in half for a richer, denser brownie that truly satisfies.

San Antonio Beef Puffy Tacos Recipe

Original tacos were a little different than the U-shaped tortillas invented by entrepreneur Glen Bell of Taco Bell. The real deal begins with a ball of masa flattened into a thin round that's fried to a golden crispness. The masa puffs up a bit, which is how the moniker "puffy taco" came into play. Stuff with ground taco meat, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and shredded cheese.

Texas-Style Chili with Brisket Recipe

Texas chili is purely beef-driven: no beans allowed. This version boasts smoky, complex, deep flavor from a mix of dried chiles and chili powders.

Crispy Andouille Hush Puppies Recipe

This crunchy, savory bite is a delicious dockside starter.

Spicy Lamb Tacos Recipe

Lamb makes for an interesting flavor break from beef. If you prefer less spice, just reduce the amount of chipotle powder.

Feijoada Leve (Brazilian Black Bean Stew) Recipe

Feijoada is, by most accounts, the recognized national dish of Brazil. With a full 12 ounces of lager beer incorporated into the stew, the flavors are out of this world delicious.

Spicy Bacon and Brew Muffins Recipe

We enjoyed the subtle heat in these muffins, but if you want to spice things up, add up to 2 teaspoons of ground red pepper.

Classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

A nutty dark beer adds richness and depth to the stew. Be careful not to choose a beer that's super-hoppy; it will taste too bitter. To get 2 pounds of trimmed meat, you'll probably need to purchase a 2 1/2-pound roast.

Orange-and-Ale Vinaigrette Recipe

Sean Paxton, founder of homebrewchef.com, cooks multicourse dinners with beer. This vinaigrette, which he makes with an India Pale Ale, shows beer's lighter side.

Stout Chocolate Cake Recipe

Stout Chocolate Cake isn't referring to the size of the cake but the flavoring—a bottle of dark beer is stirred into the batter. A good chocolate stout cake should be rich, nutty, and dark, but not too overpowering, and this cake is exactly that.

Pork Carnitas Nachos Recipe

Slow-cooked pork loin, brown rice, seasoned black beans, pico de gallo, jalapeños, and queso fresco make up the savory layers of Pork Carnitas Nachos.

Four-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

Four-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Pot Roast is the perfect dinner solution for your busy schedule. Just toss in the 4 ingredients and let your slow cooker do all the work.

Beeramisu Recipe

Pieter Vanden Hogen, chef at Oregon's Pelican Pub & Brewery, uses the brewery's award-winning Tsunami Stout for his version of tiramisu.

Stout Mac and Cheese Recipe

Serve with Wilted Spinach with Fresh Chile. Dark beer lovers will appreciate the flavor: cheesy up front and slightly bitter and malty at the end. Garnish with parsley for a pop of color.

New England Turkey Burger Recipe

Caramelized onions that have simmered in hoppy Sam Adams beer top our New England Turkey Burger while shaved Vermont Cheddar adds tang and richness to the meat.

Maple-Stout Quick Bread Recipe

Stout beer--think of Guinness, with its black color and intense richness--gives this bread a slightly bitter background note and gorgeous nut-brown hue.

Carne Asada con Mojo (Grilled Beef with Sour Orange Marinade) Recipe

Carne asada is a simple dish, but a well-balanced marinade and the right cut can make it a an extremely memorable experience.

Crab Cake Hush Puppies Recipe

Serve these Crab Cake Hush Puppies with your favorite rémoulade or cocktail sauce for tasty appetizers. Hush puppies, a Southern classic made by deep-frying a cornmeal batter gets a seafood makeover. Served with a creamy, thick dipping sauce, these salty critters are a great option for a potluck meal or an appetizer that serves to impress. Freeze any leftovers and defrost up to 3 months later.

Poblano-Jalapeño Chili Recipe

Meaty, juicy, moderately spicy, very delicious.

Fancy Fish Sticks Recipe

Beat the freezer fare by whipping up your own crispy fish sticks at home.

Shrimp Boil Recipe

You can't have summer without a shrimp boil or a backyard meal, and luckily this crowd-pleaser is a perfect al fresco meal. This classic shrimp boil recipe is a wonderful, easy way to prepare fresh shrimp. Don't forget the newspaper, because things are about to get messy. 

Game Day Chili Recipe

The perfect game day chili looks a lot like this. To serve a crowd, use a large stock pot and have everyone dig in and top with their favorite toppings.