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
A plate of obatzda, garnished with white and green onion
Place of originGermany
Main ingredientsAged soft cheese (usually Camembert), butter, paprika powder,
Ingredients generally usedsalt, pepper, beer
VariationsLiptauer
2 more rows

What German beer is best for beer cheese? ›

Instead, Arias likes to use a German hefeweizen in beer cheese. A hefeweizen is a type of wheat beer that is perfect for warm weather sipping — it has a pleasantly bready taste but is also very crisp.

What does Obatzda taste like? ›

What does Obatzda taste like? Given the heavy presence of ripe cheese like camembert, freshly chopped onion, and a number of spices, Obatzda had a sharp, strong taste (but not spicy) with a rich and creamy consistency throughout.

Does the alcohol cook out of beer cheese dip? ›

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 is the history of Obatzda? ›

Obatzda History

Obatzda dates back to the 1800s when it was first created by an innkeeper called Katharina Eisenreich. It's thought she made the tasty dish using leftover ingredients, and the dish proved to be wildly popular with the guests at her Bavarian inn. Obatzda was extremely popular during the 1920s.

Which German beer is sweet? ›

Maibock/Traditional Bock

Plain ol' traditional bock sits right in the middle—amber to brown in color, it's a strong, very malty lager that weighs in around 6 or 7% ABV. Expect a toasty, bready, slightly sweet flavor from the Munich and/or Vienna malt that make up the bulk of the grain in this beer.

What does German cheese taste like? ›

Young Tilsit cheese taste boasts a mild, creamy character with a subtle nuttiness reminiscent of Havarti or a young Gouda. Its texture is smooth and supple, yielding easily to the knife. This stage showcases Tilsit's gentle side.

Does beer cheese taste like beer? ›

The resulting cheese has a distinct flavor of beer and often a marbled appearance, depending on what type of beer is used. This type of beer cheese is a solid cheese, as opposed to beer cheese, which is a spread or dip.

Can kids have beer cheese sauce? ›

Can I serve beer cheese dip to kids? It's a little tricky. Most of the alcohol cooks off, leaving just the beer's flavor behind. While some residual alcohol could remain, it's a very minor amount.

Why is my beer cheese dip grainy? ›

High heat causes the proteins in the cheese to become denatured, resulting in clumping. It's also why citrus helps fix the problem. Acids unwind the clumped-up protein molecules and prevent the sauce from seizing any further.

How do you thicken beer cheese sauce? ›

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.

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!

Is beer cheese German? ›

Easy German Beer Cheese Spread (Obatzda)

This traditional German snack is a tasty, spreadable cheese that goes great on pretzels, rye bread, and even crackers!

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