Obatzda Recipe (German Beer Cheese Dip)
Obatzda is a flavorful easy German cheese dip or spread that combines rich camembert with cream cheese, butter, a few spices, savory onion, and a splash of German beer.
Servings 8 servings
Calories 216kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounce camembert cheese or brie cheese, at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons good-quality unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons wheat beer see Notes
- 1/2 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika or cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds lightly ground or crushed (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons minced chives divided into 2 1/2 tablespoons + 1/2 tablespoon
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
Optional Serving Suggestions:
- Pretzels
- Hearty bread slices such as rye, pumpernickel, and/or sourdough
- Cornichons or pickles
- Radishes sliced
- Red onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add the camembert or brie to a medium bowl. Use a fork to break up the rind into small pieces and mash the cheese. Mix in the cream cheese and butter with a fork. Mix in the beer, sweet paprika, hot paprika, black pepper, caraway seeds, and salt.
- Cover the bowl and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons chives and the red onion.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon chives. Serve along with pretzels or anything else you like.
Video
Notes
- Food Processor: I don’t like to use the food processor here because I like the cheese to have a little bit of texture and not be completely pureed.
- Wheat Beer: It’s traditional to use German wheat beer (Hefeweizen), such as Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, to make Obatzda. If you can’t find this, you can substitute with a wheat ale, such as Blue Moon or Samuel Adams Summer Ale.
- Storage: You can store this beer cheese dip covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Note that the longer it sits, the more pronounced the onion flavor will be and it can start to turn bitter after a while. After refrigerating for about 8 hours, the texture will change to a thicker, scoop-able consistency.
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 2 cups of beer cheese dip, or 8 (1/4-cup) servings.
- Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the optional serving suggestions.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 981IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 0.3mg