Cheers: 14 Easy Recipes Instantly Made Better With Beer

Sometimes cracking a cold one to enjoy while you cook dinner is the way to go. But have you ever considered reserving some of your beer for the meal you’re cooking? There are tons of recipes that you can add beer to to enhance the flavor. Check out some of our favorites below and let us know yours in the comments.

Related: Cheap Beers That Are a Source of Hometown Pride

If you’re after a taco recipe that embraces robust flavor, this one's for you. The combination of chipotle peppers and pale ale is unexpected but creates a powerful flavor to help up the ante for your next Taco Tuesday.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Gourmet

Related: 50 Easy Slow Cooker Dinners That Truly Are 'Set It and Forget It'

Not only is this crispy chicken marinated in beer, it’s served with a mushroom gravy that’s also made with beer for a dish that’s extra boozy and full of flavor.

Recipe: Cafe Delites

Related: 50 Cheap and Easy Chicken Recipes

Meatballs are always a good go-to potluck or tailgate dish and this recipe takes things up a notch with a sauce that’s made from a combination of beer and lemon juice.

Recipe: Damn, Spicy!

Complete with tender beef, potatoes, carrots, and a delicious broth flavored with rich Guinness beer, this recipe might end up being your new go-to way to prepare beef stew.

Recipe: Fox and Briar

Related: Guinness Cake and Other Delicious Recipes You Can Make With Irish Stout

With a sharp, bold taste, this beer cheese dip is all things rich and creamy. Made with Guinness, the flavor is particularly robust and this recipe also includes instructions on how to make salty soft pretzel bites.

Recipe: Reluctant Entertainer

Beer and cheese just work together, and when it comes to mac and cheese, you can use just about any beer for the cheese sauce whether you like a pale ale, a light IPA, or a stout. The beer balances out the sharp flavor of the white cheddar and the green onion brings the perfect amount of bite to the dish. 

Recipe: Life As a Strawberry 

If you’re an apple cinnamon person, this one is a must-try. With apple pie spice, brown sugar, and cinnamon, the flavor of this bread really packs a punch and it's only heightened by the addition of Redd's Apple Ale. 

Recipe: The Frugal Navy Wife

Whether you want to enjoy them as a side dish or an appetizer, onion rings are always tasty, and using a beer batter to fry them makes them even better.

Recipe: Just a Taste

Bacon, beer, and cheese are some of the most universally loved ingredients around. So why not combine them with beef and throw them on a bun for some seriously next-level sloppy Joes? 

Recipe: Dinner Then Dessert

When it comes to beer and cooking, beer can chicken has to be one of the most popular recipes, and it’s one of the easiest, too! Just crack open a cold one, rub down a whole chicken with your favorite spice mixture, set the chicken cavity on top of the can, and throw it on the grill for a juicy, flavor-packed dinner.

Recipe: Gimme Some Grilling 

Does it get more classic than beer-battered fish? Adding beer to the batter before dredging and frying the fish helps create a crispy, golden-brown coating that has a subtle yet scrumptious flavor that enhances the fish.

Recipe: I Wash You Dry

If you have a garden and you need to find a use for your cucumbers or you’re just a  do-it-yourself guru who enjoys making your own pickles, listen up. This spicy, boozy take on pickles will give your next batch just the right bite. The combination of IPA beer, fresh dill, crushed red pepper, and apple cider vinegar harnesses a myriad of flavors.

Recipe: Recipe Girl

Pumpkin fanatics everywhere will love this recipe for pumpkin beer bread. Although any beer will work for this tasty bread, you can try using a pumpkin ale to really embrace the flavor.

Recipe: Gimme Some Oven

Why have barbecue ribs when you can have beer-b-q? Not only does the rub for these ribs include robust flavors like sweet paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper, the sauce is out-of-this-world when it comes to the flavor palette. Combining stout beer with dark brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and a few other pantry staples creates a unique and rich barbecue sauce that will have you drooling.

Recipe: Food Network