Name: Easy Beer Bread Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup sugar; 12 oz beer (light in color); 3 cups all purpose flour (sifted); 3 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp salt; 1/4 cup salted butter (melted)

A piece of cake sitting on top of a wooden table

With only three ingredients, this easy and delicious beer bread recipe will become a favorite.

Jump to Recipe

This beer bread recipe yields a simple quick bread, also known as a yeast bread, that is flavored with beer. Baking bread doesn’t get much easier than this because there’s no kneading, no messing around with yeast, and best of all, no rising time!

If you’re cooking with beer, you might as well give this Beer Marinated Chicken a try. You’ll be surprised at how delicious it is. If you want another great quick bread recipe, check out our pumpkin banana bread.

MORE BREAD RECIPES
No Knead Bread | Banana Bread

BEER BREAD INGREDIENTS

Many quick breads get their rising action from baking powder or self raising flour, not yeast and that’s exactly how this beer bread recipe works.

To make your beer bread recipe, you will need:

1/4 cup sugar
12 oz beer light in color
3 cups all purpose flour sifted
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup salted butter melted

PRO TIP: You can adjust the flavor based on the type of beer you use.

Best Beer for Beer Bread

Because the beer you use in your beer bread recipe will have a significant effect on the loaf you make, you want to be sure you choose a suitable beer that matches your tastes. A light-bodied beer will make a bread with a lighter flavor compared to a dark beer or stout.

Guinness is for stout lovers
If you’re an IPA lover, use Harpoon IPA
Pabst Blue Ribbon is good for those who like adjunct macro lager
Brown ale lovers should try Newcastle
If you like Belgian beer, Golden Monkey from Victory Brewing Company is the one for your bread
Oarsman Ale from Bell’s Brewery is the best for sour beer lovers

HOW TO MAKE THIS BEER BREAD RECIPE

This homemade beer bread recipe will make one loaf but you could always double or triple it to make more.

STEP ONE: Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a large mixing bowl.

STEP TWO: Pour beer into the bowl with dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Mixture will be sticky.

A tray of food on a plate, with Beer bread

STEP THREE: Transfer bread mixture to greased loaf pan. Use a spoon to spread bread mixture out to edges while leaving it somewhat uneven on the top to give it a more rustic look when it’s done cooking.

STEP FOUR: Pour melted butter over the bread mixture and place in the oven at 375 degrees.Cook at 375 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered.

STEP EIGHT: Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Serve with butter, honey, and jam

hOW DOES THIS RECIPE WORK?

Beer might be made with yeast but it’s not yeast from the beer that makes this bread rise. In fact, most commercial beers don’t contain living yeast organisms, so the beer is simply there to provide carbonation which helps to make the bread super fluffy and adds a sweet flavor.

Beer and bread are created in a very similar way. Yeast is used to turn sugars into both carbon dioxide and alcohol but a large portion of the alcohol evaporates during the baking process for bread.

Because you get to use beer in this recipe smells the bread smells amazing and unlike any other loaf. Even if you’re not a fan of beer, you’re going to love this beer bread recipe. It’s great for both your breakfast toast or a lunchtime sandwich.

A bottle of beer and a bowl of food, with Beer bread

How to Freeze

You can keep your beer bread fresh for a few days when sealed in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature. Beer bread can be frozen if you want to keep it for longer and don’t intend to eat it right away.

When you freeze beer bread, I recommend that you slice it first. Once you have cut the beer bread up, place baking paper between the slices so they don’t freeze together. The best way to freeze this loaf is to wrap it in plastic wrap and place in a plastic freezer bag to keep it extra fresh.

Serve this with

There are so many delicious things that you can serve with homemade beer bread! Soups and chili go particularly well with beer bread to help you mop up all the liquid. Make sure you try this hamburger soup with it!

If you’re a meat lover and enjoy a good barbecue you should think about swapping cornbread for beer bread as an accompaniment for barbecued ribs or brisket.

Any kind of dips and spreads go well with homemade beer bread. I particularly like hot buffalo chicken dip or spinach artichoke dip.

A close up of food on a table, with Beer bread

This beer bread recipe uses beer to create a fluffy loaf interior with a delicious textured. Something so novel but so tasty will surprise and impress all your guests, whether they are beer lovers or not. With just three ingredients and three steps, this just might be your new favorite quick bread.

More Quick Bread Recipes You Will Love

Alternatives to this recipe:

Cheesy Pull Apart Bread