Obatzda Recipe (German Beer Cheese Dip) (2024)

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Obatzda, a flavorful German Beer Cheese Dip, is a beer garden classic made with camembert cheese, butter, and beer! This easy cheese dip can be made ahead and makes a delicious appetizer or snack with pretzels or rustic bread. Perfect for your next Oktoberfest party!

Obatzda Recipe (German Beer Cheese Dip) (1)

Obatzda is a classic Bavarian dish that you can get in every beer garden, supermarket in Bavaria, or traditional Bavarian restaurant. But it’s super easy to make at home with ingredients you can get at your local supermarket! This easy recipe is perfect for making ahead.

There are many different ways to make this beer cheese spread but one thing they all have in common are the main ingredients: aged soft cheese like Camembert or Brie, good quality butter, and a small amount of wheat beer.

Obatzda or Gerupfter(Franconian name) is traditionally seasoned with paprika, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. You can add chopped onions to the dip but I recommend adding them just before serving otherwise they could develop a bitter or soapy taste when you make the dip in advance.

I’ve tried many different variations of this beer cheese dip and the recipe below is my favorite way to make it!

Obatzda Recipe (German Beer Cheese Dip) (2)

Tips and Trick for How to make Obatzda

  • If you can’t have alcohol you can omit the beer or use a non-alcoholic beer.
  • Instead of wheat beer, you can also use any other German beer.
  • Using your hands works best to mix the ingredients together.
  • Take out all the ingredients from the fridge half an hour before starting to make this recipe. Cut the butter into small cubes, it will come faster to room temperature. Using room temperature ingredients makes it easier to mix everything together.
  • To make my beer cheese dipeasily spreadable even after sitting in the fridge overnight I add a spreadable cheese likeLaughing Cow Cheeseto the camembert cheese. A common problem with Obatzda, made only with cheese and butter, is that it gets quite firm in the fridge. Don’t use cream cheese instead of spreadable cheese wedges. The cream cheese flavor is not the right choice for this dip.
  • Add the sliced onions just before serving this way you can store the cheese dip longer.
  • Serve this beer cheese dip with pretzels, pretzel bread, or a rustic sourdough bread. MyBavarian Pretzelsare perfect to make with this recipe!
  • This recipe is perfect for your Oktoberfest party but also makes a great addition to every holiday appetizer buffet!

Obatzda Recipe (German Beer Cheese Dip) (3)

Looking for more German recipes? Try out these authentic recipes:

  • German Pork Hock (Schweinshaxe Recipe)
  • German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)
  • German Cucumber Salad Recipe
  • Authentic German Potato Salad
  • Easy German Spaetzle Recipe

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Obatzda Recipe (German Beer Cheese Dip) (4)

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5 from 20 votes

Bavarian Beer Cheese Spread (Obatzda)

By: Julia Foerster

Obatzda, a flavorful German Beer Cheese Spread, is a beer garden classic made with camembert cheese, butter, and beer! This easy cheese dip can be made ahead and makes a delicious appetizer or snack with pretzels or rustic bread. Perfect for your next Oktoberfest party!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 6 oz Spreadable cheese, like Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss
  • 7 oz Brie , or Camembert Cheese
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 tbsp wheat beer
  • 1/2 tsp caraway, ground
  • 1 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
  • 1 white onion, finely sliced

Cups - Metric

Instructions

  • Cut the Brie (or Camembert) Cheese into small cubes and add it to a medium bowl.

  • Add Laughing cow cheese, butter, wheat beer, ground caraway, ground paprika, salt, and freshly ground pepper and mix with a fork until combined and smooth.

  • Cover airtight and let it sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

  • Take it out of the fridge and let come to room temperature before serving. Garnish with chives and finely sliced onion rings. This dip keeps fresh in the fridge for about 3 days (without onions).

Nutrition

Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 423mg | Potassium: 65mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 615IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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Categorized as:
Appetizer Recipes, German Recipes

About Julia Foerster

Hi, I'm Julia! Born in Germany, I call Canada now my home and love to share my favorite dishes with you! Here you'll find hundreds of recipes, all made from scratch, with lots of tips and detailed step-by-step instructions.

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Obatzda Recipe (German Beer Cheese Dip) (2024)

FAQs

What is Obazda made of? ›

Obatzda is a creamy and addictive German beer cheese dip from Bavaria. It's made from Camembert cheese (a soft-ripened cheese similar to Brie), cream cheese, butter, onions, chives, spices and beer.

What is the best beer to use for beer cheese dip? ›

I used Fat Tire because that what I had on hand, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options. No need to use anything fancy! What brands of cheese do you recommend? For the Cheddar, you can use a good supermarket brand, like Cabot or Tillamook.

What beer is best for German beer cheese? ›

I prefer something with a more amber color and wheat flavor, like a Wheat beer, a German Hefeweizen, or a Lager. I don't recommend an IPA, as that super hoppy flavor will override the cheese (unless that's your favorite kind of beer and you love the hoppy flavor; then by all means, go for it).

What is beer cheese dip made of? ›

Beer cheese dip is typically made by heating beer with ingredients like garlic, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan until the beer reduces, mixing in cheese and milk, and continuing to cook until the cheese is melted. The resulting mixture is a cheesy spread that can be served warm or cool.

What is Obazda in English? ›

Obatzda [ˈoːbatsdɐ] (also spelt Obazda and Obatzter) is a Bavarian cheese spread. It is prepared by mixing two thirds aged soft cheese, usually Camembert (Romadur or similar cheeses may be used as well) and one third butter.

Is beer cheese popular in Germany? ›

Rather than American-style beer cheese that is served warm, Obatzda is made and served cold. Obatzda is one of the most popular snacks at Oktoberfest where it is served alongside fresh Bavarian pretzels.

How do you thicken beer cheese dip? ›

While the beer heating up, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of warm water in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch slurry to the boiling beer, whisking constantly to fully incorporate it. Bring the beer back up to a boil, at which point the cornstarch slurry will slightly thicken the beer.

How much alcohol is in beer cheese? ›

Roughly speaking: Beer cheese sauce, bourbon caramel and other sauces brought to a boil and then removed from the heat typically retain about 85 percent of the alcohol. Diane, cherries jubilee and other recipes that flame the alcohol may still have 75 percent of the alcohol.

What do you serve with beer cheese dip? ›

This warm cheddar beer dip is fantastic paired with soft or hard pretzels. It also goes great with vegetables like celery, cauliflower or broccoli florets as well as toasted baguette slices or crackers. If possible, use a brick of cheddar cheese and grate the cheese yourself.

What do Germans call beer? ›

Beer in German is “das Bier” and the plural is “die Biere”. There are so many different beers in Germany that it's easy to get overwhelmed.

What beer do Germans drink most? ›

By far the most popular type of beer in Germany is pilsner, generally known as 'Pils'. The light-golden beer with the dry hoppy aroma is very popular in the North, West and East.

What cheese is used at Oktoberfest? ›

Given booter-keh-zuh's mild, buttery taste and creamy texture, the name is a flawless fit. Butterkäse is featured in a variety of different traditional Oktoberfest dishes, but we're equally happy to snack on it solo with a stein of our favorite beer. For pairing, our top recommendation would be a Kolsch.

Why is my beer cheese dip grainy? ›

The sauce is gritty because you overcooked it and the cheese broke. Cheese is an emulsion and if it is overheated the emulsion breaks, separating it into oil and milk solids, which is the grit you taste in your mouth. You can't fix it. Either live with the grit or throw it out and start over.

How do you fix a broken beer cheese dip? ›

Adding Liquid: If your cheese sauce has started to curdle, the first thing to do is immediately take it off the heat. Adding a splash of the sauce's base liquid, such as cold milk for a milk-based sauce, can help minimize the damage. You can also try adding a splash of wine, beer, or cream.

What state is known for beer cheese? ›

But beer cheese? It's a Kentucky thing. Nearly every brewery and brewpub menu around Louisville has an iteration of the mouth-watering appetizer: most traditionally a combination of cheddar cheese, beer, cayenne pepper, paprika and some garlic.

What is a German spread? ›

Obatzda, a popular German Cheese Spread enjoyed alongside fresh Brezel (pretzel) in Bavarian Biergartens, is a creamy orange dip with a delightful flavour. This delectable spread is primarily made with camembert cheese, complemented by butter and quark (fresh cheese) or cottage cheese.

Does beer cheese have alcohol? ›

Primarily crafted from milk, butter, and melted cheddar, plus a bit of beer, the dip might lead some to wonder if it includes enough alcohol to feel a booze-induced impact. Rest assured, while beer cheese does contain alcohol, it's typically not enough to give anyone a buzz.

Is there cream cheese in Germany? ›

In Germany, cream cheese, known as frischkäse, is used as a spread on sandwiches among a few other things. I used to LOVE picking out a new flavor at the grocery store. There is just this mass amount of options it was amazing!

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