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My favorite honey beer bread recipe is ultra-easy to make with just 6 ingredients (no yeast required) and tastes so buttery and delicious!
Looking for an easy homemade bread recipe that doesn’t require a packet of yeast?
This honey beer bread recipe is here for you. ♡
If you have never made beer bread before, I’m telling you, bread-baking doesn’t get any easier than this! Simply stir 5 basic ingredients together (flour, baking powder, salt, beer and honey), brush melted butter on top of the batter, and bake until golden. Then — voila! — in less than an hour, the most delicious, buttery, cozy and comforting beer bread will yours to enjoy in no time.
It can be served up with just about any kind of meal, although we’re especially partial to dipping it in soups and stews at our house. It can also be easily frozen and saved for later, if you would like. And it’s also easy to customize with various herbs or a handful of shredded cheese, if you would like.
I have probably made this recipe hundreds of times, and thousands of our readers have made and loved it too. So if you haven’t yet given it a try, I say it’s time! ♡
Honey Beer Bread Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Honey Beer Bread Ingredients:
All you need are 6 simple ingredients to make this honey beer bread recipe:
All-purpose flour: This recipe is total comfort food for me, so I have only ever made it with all-purpose flour.
Baking powder: To help the bread rise.
Salt: I used fine sea salt.
Honey: Which balances out the savory flavors here with the perfect hint of sweetness.
Beer: I typically use an IPA, but just about any kind of favorite beer will work in this recipe!
Butter: Which we will use to grease the pan and brush on top of the bread to give it some extra-delicious buttery flavor.
How To Make Beer Bread:
Alright, here are the basic steps for how to make beer bread — it couldn’t be easier!
Make the batter. Super simple! Just stir together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then stir in the beer and honey until combined.
Add the butter. Pour about half of the melted butter into a 9×5-inch bread pan, and brush it all around to grease the inside of the pan. Add the batter and spread it out in an even layer. Then brush the remaining melted butter evenly on top of the batter.
Bake. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and transfer the pan to a wire baking rack and let the bread cool for at least 10 minutes.
Serve. Slice with a bread knife, serve warm and enjoy!
(Detailed recipe instructions and ingredient amounts included in the full recipe below.)
Possible Beer Bread Variations:
Want to customize this beer bread recipe? Feel free to…
Add herbs: Stir some fresh or dried herbs into the batter. (I especially love adding in some fresh or dried rosemary.)
Add garlic: Feel free to also mince a clove or two of garlic and add it to the batter to make garlic beer bread.
Add cheese: Add in a cup or so of shredded cheese to make cheesy beer bread.
More Easy Bread Recipes:
Looking for more easy bread recipes to bake? Here are a few of my faves!
This honey beer bread recipe is quick and easy to make with just 6 simple ingredients! See notes above for possible seasonings that you can add in too.
Ingredients
Scale
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup honey*
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
1/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F.
Make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Slowly pour the beer and honey into the flour mixture, and stir until combined.
Add the butter. Pour half of the melted butter into the bottom of a 9×5-inch bread pan, and brush it around to grease the inside of the pan. Add the batter and spread it out in an even layer. Then brush the remaining melted butter evenly on top of the batter.
Bake. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and transfer the pan to a wire baking rack and let the bread cool for at least 10 minutes.
Serve. Slice with a bread knife, serve warm and enjoy!
Honey: If your honey seems super-thick and does not drizzle easily, I recommend warming it up in the microwave or on the stovetop for a few seconds so that it will mix into the batter more easily.
Is the dough supposed to be all goopy and lumpy? Making this now and have it in the oven, I added a bit more flour to the dough because it was a wet sopping mess :(
Also why is the butter put at the bottom of the loaf pan vs. in the dough?
Had a friend make this and recommend your recipe. Do you think subbing whole wheat flour for some of the 3 C all purpose would be OK?
meredith —
If you haven’t already tried this yourself, I made this with 1/2 whole wheat & 1/2 all-p (because I didn’t have enough of the all-p!) and it tasted great!
i make this all the time for my husband, but i use 3 cups of self rising flour so i dont need to use the baking powder, and i use brown sugar instead of white, and i have added italian seasoning(dry packet) or spinch dip(dry pkg) or french onion(dry) or garlic ceddar, all are very good!
Eating this now. Love the texture of the bread, moist and dense—-delicious! Used Bud light because we had it, definitely will try with a honey wheat some time.
I made this bread today and it was delicious! I used a bottle of yuengling. The bread was so moist and buttery. My husband and I ate half the loaf in one sitting.
@ Ben: no, you can’t refrigerate the batter. Quick breads like this one depend on the chemical reaction of baking soda + moisture to rise, so once you mix the batter, it’s a ticking clock (unlike yeast dough, which can chill in the fridge for a considerable amount of time). If you let it sit until the reaction is over, it won’t rise in the oven.
Yay – A beer bread that is not dry! This turned out beautifully! I used Pacifico beer because I have a case that never made it to a friend over the holidays, and we won’t drink it. I also added a cup of cheddar cheese, which adds great flavor. I cut the sugar in half. I might add some dried dill next time. I used my Kitchen Aid to make the dough which made the prep super fast and easy. Looks like that case of Pacifico will be put to good use! Thanks for the recipe!
I just put this bread in the oven….the only thing I didn’t do is “spoon” the batter in to the loaf pan. I hope that isn’t going to make a bad difference. The only beer I had on hand was a dark creamy beer. Crossing my fingers for a decent turn out!!!
I just got done making some TS beer bread for a gathering tomorrow. I ate one slice and am wanting to eat the whole loaf! So I decided I had better find a recipe so I can make more for myself to keep. This one looks/sounds delish (LOVE the idea of using honey!) and I can’t wait to try it! I always use BudLight with the TS box beer bread and it turns out SO good! Our local brewery has a honey beer that I think I will try with your recipe, as I think they would compliment each other nicely. Thanks!!!
LOVED the honey beer bread!!! My family loved it as well!! It will definitely be a GO TO recipe for me!! Why? Because it’s EASY and turned out GREAT the first time!!!
I love this recipe. Have made it many times. Today I’m baking up a batch using Sam Adams Cherry Wheat Ale, and upping the sugar to 1/2 cup. I’ve made this before and it’s soooo yummy (the Sam Adams Blueberry ale makes really great bread, too). I think I’m going to try brown sugar this time, instead of white. I was trying to think of some good mix-ins for this sweet bread though, and I’m not really coming up with anything. Any ideas?
I only had Sam Adams Cherry Wheat in my fridge so I am SO happy to read that someone else has used it and it turned out well. I just popped it in the oven, and cannot wait to try it with some honey, butter, and jam (three separate slices of course) ;)
Has anyone compared this to Tastefully Simple’s Beer Bread? I know with their you an make it hundreds of ways (with and without beer). Just curious if it is similar at all.
Uh- mae-zing! This bread is delicious and amazingly easy! I always get a piece of beer bread when I eat lunch at a local eatery, I never realized how easy it was to make! So dang delicious! My husband was being crochety and didnt want to try any so I shoved a small piece in his mouth. Needless to say it wasnt the last bite he took! Going to try it with cheddar and jalepenos soon.
I found that adding the combined dry ingredients to the beer works better than the other way around. Seems to mix in quicker and batter seems moister – try it!
I like to add 3 TS of brown sugar. and i add half the butter to the mix and put rest on top like u mentioned. and also my grandmother adds PEPPER not a lot but she said its awesome
Made this just now and not only was it super easy but it was super easy. At first I tasted the batter and I was concerned it had too much of a beer taste (I did add 16 oz can of beer :/) but once it baked it was so nice and moist. Will make again. The butter, sugar and honey add a nice taste.
I just finished making this bread – it’s fantastic! I used a bottle of oatmeal stout that I had in the back of my fridge, and I think it turned out well. I’ll admit that there is a bit of a bitter taste to the outside crust of the bread, but it’s really faint, and the middle of the loaf is delicious.
I didn’t see any comments about freezing the bread, but I’m going to give it a try and freeze half of the loaf I made today. And I will definitely try adding cheese to the next batch!
Yummy. I added shredded cheddar and garlic and omitted the agave Big hit at diner … Hubby said we old need to ave more parties just to have left over beer…
Hello! Thanks for the recipe! Made this in a spring form pan, then sliced the top off, added sandwich stuff, and brought to a potluck picnic! Even used some of my own homebrew as well! Will be making this again.
Thank you for the recipe! It was simple and delicious! I used a pumpkin ale with a little pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and added brown sugar to the top. It turned out better than I expected and I can’t wait to do it again with a wheat beer, garlic, and sharp cheddar!
Found this on Pinterest, of course. Came out perfect, just as written, just as photographed. So easy and so delicious with chili for dinner tonite! Yummy!!!
Has anyone ever tried to freeze this before baking it and just taking it out when you are ready to bake it? This would be great to have on hand, although it is super easy to make, but just wondering!
I’ve made three batches of this! I used Magner’s Cider for one (amazing! And used Lager for another. For the third, I used lager, added one teaspoon on garlic powder and some basil. I topped the batter in the pan with olive oil instead of butter. It’s great garlic bread with spaghetti!
I made this for my husband using pumpkin beer and he absolutely loved it. I think I’m going to have to buy out the local stores of all the pumpkin beer so I can continue to make it past October. =)
I just made this recipe using blue moon pumpkin beer and substituted the honey for maple syrup and added some cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s amazing. I also paired it with lotus brand biscoff spread.
I LOVE this recipe!!!!! I have made probably 5-6 loaves in the past two weeks!!! My husband tried it and said it brought him back to childhood when his momma used to make beer bread. It was amazing seeing him re-live that smell and flavor. He looked me very seriously in the eyes and said “No…no way! Better than mom’s!” So I guess I have you to thank ;) I also used maple agave instead of honey and added cheddar cheese and spicy IPA beer – flavor out of this world! A new tradition in our house. Thanks again!!
-Jillian
I made this and it was amazing! I used honey & real maple syrup (you can find it at Target!) instead of sugar, 3 cups of whole wheat flour, an amber beer, added herb seasoning mix & some shredded cheddar, and doubled the butter. It was definitely a little dense, but still very tastey and a little nutty. Next time I will probably try 2c whole wheat & 1c AP flour. Still, it was delicious!!
I know this is probably a ridiculous question but, would this work with beer that has gone flat? My husband and I are not beer drinkers either but we always seems to have some around left over from boiling shrimp etc. I look forward to trying the recipe…it sounds so tasty! Many thanks!!
Is the dough supposed to be all goopy and lumpy? Making this now and have it in the oven, I added a bit more flour to the dough because it was a wet sopping mess :(
Also why is the butter put at the bottom of the loaf pan vs. in the dough?
Had a friend make this and recommend your recipe. Do you think subbing whole wheat flour for some of the 3 C all purpose would be OK?
If you haven’t already tried this yourself, I made this with 1/2 whole wheat & 1/2 all-p (because I didn’t have enough of the all-p!) and it tasted great!
i make this all the time for my husband, but i use 3 cups of self rising flour so i dont need to use the baking powder, and i use brown sugar instead of white, and i have added italian seasoning(dry packet) or spinch dip(dry pkg) or french onion(dry) or garlic ceddar, all are very good!
amazing! not only did this make my entire apartment smell amazing, but I dare say its the most delicious this ive ever made. wow.
Eating this now. Love the texture of the bread, moist and dense—-delicious! Used Bud light because we had it, definitely will try with a honey wheat some time.
I made this bread today and it was delicious! I used a bottle of yuengling. The bread was so moist and buttery. My husband and I ate half the loaf in one sitting.
@ Ben: no, you can’t refrigerate the batter. Quick breads like this one depend on the chemical reaction of baking soda + moisture to rise, so once you mix the batter, it’s a ticking clock (unlike yeast dough, which can chill in the fridge for a considerable amount of time). If you let it sit until the reaction is over, it won’t rise in the oven.
Looking forward to trying this. Looks delicious:-)
Yay – A beer bread that is not dry! This turned out beautifully! I used Pacifico beer because I have a case that never made it to a friend over the holidays, and we won’t drink it. I also added a cup of cheddar cheese, which adds great flavor. I cut the sugar in half. I might add some dried dill next time. I used my Kitchen Aid to make the dough which made the prep super fast and easy. Looks like that case of Pacifico will be put to good use! Thanks for the recipe!
mmmmmmmmmmmmm
I just put this bread in the oven….the only thing I didn’t do is “spoon” the batter in to the loaf pan. I hope that isn’t going to make a bad difference. The only beer I had on hand was a dark creamy beer. Crossing my fingers for a decent turn out!!!
Ok…just out of the oven. Very crunchy crust….very buttery flavor. Good with honey spread on top. Anxious to hear my hubby’s review.
Wow! Loved the bread! I used whole
Wheat and brown sugar. Doubled the butter
Happy Valentines too me !thanks
Okay so I just made this bread and pulled it out and had a slice, so here’s my thoughts on my loaf:
I used a pale ale and I can still taste it a bit, I would definitely use a less dry beer than the one I chose.
I did double the butter and I think it’s WAY TOO MUCH. Next time only using the half stick.
I added a cup of shredded sharp cheddar and I don’t really notice it over the beer flavor and butter.
SO next time, less butter, sweeter ale, no cheese!
This sounds awesome and easy. I’ll try it tonight.
This bread turned out awesome! Just like the picture looked and very, very tasty!
Thank you!
I just got done making some TS beer bread for a gathering tomorrow. I ate one slice and am wanting to eat the whole loaf! So I decided I had better find a recipe so I can make more for myself to keep. This one looks/sounds delish (LOVE the idea of using honey!) and I can’t wait to try it! I always use BudLight with the TS box beer bread and it turns out SO good! Our local brewery has a honey beer that I think I will try with your recipe, as I think they would compliment each other nicely. Thanks!!!
LOVED the honey beer bread!!! My family loved it as well!! It will definitely be a GO TO recipe for me!! Why? Because it’s EASY and turned out GREAT the first time!!!
I love this recipe. Have made it many times. Today I’m baking up a batch using Sam Adams Cherry Wheat Ale, and upping the sugar to 1/2 cup. I’ve made this before and it’s soooo yummy (the Sam Adams Blueberry ale makes really great bread, too). I think I’m going to try brown sugar this time, instead of white. I was trying to think of some good mix-ins for this sweet bread though, and I’m not really coming up with anything. Any ideas?
I only had Sam Adams Cherry Wheat in my fridge so I am SO happy to read that someone else has used it and it turned out well. I just popped it in the oven, and cannot wait to try it with some honey, butter, and jam (three separate slices of course) ;)
Has anyone compared this to Tastefully Simple’s Beer Bread? I know with their you an make it hundreds of ways (with and without beer). Just curious if it is similar at all.
Yum. Just made this using Shock Top Raspberry Wheat beer and it is soooo good.
Ashley, yes, I used to buy the Tastefully Simple beer bread mix, now I use this recipe and it tastes the same but is so much cheaper!
I made this For Easter today and I used Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat Beer, I followed the directions exactly and it came out delicious!
I just made this twice in the past few days and I absolutely LOVE it! The entire loaf disappeared right before my eyes, haha! ^_^
Uh- mae-zing! This bread is delicious and amazingly easy! I always get a piece of beer bread when I eat lunch at a local eatery, I never realized how easy it was to make! So dang delicious! My husband was being crochety and didnt want to try any so I shoved a small piece in his mouth. Needless to say it wasnt the last bite he took! Going to try it with cheddar and jalepenos soon.
I just cracked up when I read your comment! Love it! Sometime you just have to do what you have to do! Blessings, Laura
does this need to be refrigerated?
It probably won’t last long enough to refrigerate, but I’d recommend freezing it over refrigeration. You could slice it and place in a zip loc bag.
I found that adding the combined dry ingredients to the beer works better than the other way around. Seems to mix in quicker and batter seems moister – try it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it is delicious!
I know it seems a stupid question, but is there something I can substitute the beer with. Like, would root beer work?
lol no themain reason for the beer is the yeast in it to help the bread rise
Made it with ginger ale- fantastic!
i tried making this tonight and mine was kinda like doughy but done in the middle it had a baking powder taste to it what did i do wrong
I like to add 3 TS of brown sugar. and i add half the butter to the mix and put rest on top like u mentioned. and also my grandmother adds PEPPER not a lot but she said its awesome
Made this just now and not only was it super easy but it was super easy. At first I tasted the batter and I was concerned it had too much of a beer taste (I did add 16 oz can of beer :/) but once it baked it was so nice and moist. Will make again. The butter, sugar and honey add a nice taste.
I just finished making this bread – it’s fantastic! I used a bottle of oatmeal stout that I had in the back of my fridge, and I think it turned out well. I’ll admit that there is a bit of a bitter taste to the outside crust of the bread, but it’s really faint, and the middle of the loaf is delicious.
I didn’t see any comments about freezing the bread, but I’m going to give it a try and freeze half of the loaf I made today. And I will definitely try adding cheese to the next batch!
Yummy. I added shredded cheddar and garlic and omitted the agave Big hit at diner … Hubby said we old need to ave more parties just to have left over beer…
This is the most amazing recipe!!! :) I made it with Wood Chuck Fall Cider and we love it!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Hello! Thanks for the recipe! Made this in a spring form pan, then sliced the top off, added sandwich stuff, and brought to a potluck picnic! Even used some of my own homebrew as well! Will be making this again.
Just made this bread and loved it. Was wondering how it freezes?
Thank you for the recipe! It was simple and delicious! I used a pumpkin ale with a little pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and added brown sugar to the top. It turned out better than I expected and I can’t wait to do it again with a wheat beer, garlic, and sharp cheddar!
Found this on Pinterest, of course. Came out perfect, just as written, just as photographed. So easy and so delicious with chili for dinner tonite! Yummy!!!
Has anyone ever tried to freeze this before baking it and just taking it out when you are ready to bake it? This would be great to have on hand, although it is super easy to make, but just wondering!
I’ve made three batches of this! I used Magner’s Cider for one (amazing! And used Lager for another. For the third, I used lager, added one teaspoon on garlic powder and some basil. I topped the batter in the pan with olive oil instead of butter. It’s great garlic bread with spaghetti!
I made this for my husband using pumpkin beer and he absolutely loved it. I think I’m going to have to buy out the local stores of all the pumpkin beer so I can continue to make it past October. =)
The best part about this bread is that I have all the ingredients on hand all the time– very simple and super delicious!
Can this be made in a bread machine? Husband wants to use it!
I just made this recipe using blue moon pumpkin beer and substituted the honey for maple syrup and added some cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s amazing. I also paired it with lotus brand biscoff spread.
yum! made this tonight with a pumpkin beer… best decision ever. so good!!
I LOVE this recipe!!!!! I have made probably 5-6 loaves in the past two weeks!!! My husband tried it and said it brought him back to childhood when his momma used to make beer bread. It was amazing seeing him re-live that smell and flavor. He looked me very seriously in the eyes and said “No…no way! Better than mom’s!” So I guess I have you to thank ;) I also used maple agave instead of honey and added cheddar cheese and spicy IPA beer – flavor out of this world! A new tradition in our house. Thanks again!!
-Jillian
I made this and it was amazing! I used honey & real maple syrup (you can find it at Target!) instead of sugar, 3 cups of whole wheat flour, an amber beer, added herb seasoning mix & some shredded cheddar, and doubled the butter. It was definitely a little dense, but still very tastey and a little nutty. Next time I will probably try 2c whole wheat & 1c AP flour. Still, it was delicious!!
Loved it! It stuck to the pan in places so next time I will spray pan then add the butter. Tasted just like my parents used to make!
Wow, I can’t wait to make this with my chili. It looks like the perfect Sunday bread recipe!
I know this is probably a ridiculous question but, would this work with beer that has gone flat? My husband and I are not beer drinkers either but we always seems to have some around left over from boiling shrimp etc. I look forward to trying the recipe…it sounds so tasty! Many thanks!!