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Honey Beer Bread

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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!

Honey Beer Bread Recipe

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

How To Make Beer Bread

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.

Honey Beer Bread

How To Make Beer Bread:

Alright, here are the basic steps for how to make beer bread — it couldn’t be easier!

  1. Make the batter. Super simple! Just stir together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then stir in the beer and honey until combined.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Serve. Slice with a bread knife, serve warm and enjoy!

(Detailed recipe instructions and ingredient amounts included in the full recipe below.)

Easy Beer Bread Recipe

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.

Best Beer Bread Recipe

More Easy Bread Recipes:

Looking for more easy bread recipes to bake? Here are a few of my faves!

Honey Beer Bread with Butter

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Beer Bread Recipe

Honey Beer Bread

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 128 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Total Time: 70 minutes
  • Yield: 1 loaf 1x

Description

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

  1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Serve. Slice with a bread knife, serve warm and enjoy!


Notes

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.

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536 comments on “Honey Beer Bread”

  1. I love this recipe. Use it often when unexpected company shows up and I need bread. I’ve added cheese and jalapeños. Yum. I’ve added dried tomatoes, dried onion flakes and cilantro. I’ve added Garlic, dill, dill pickles cheese and left out the honey. It is so versatile. What’s in the oven now? A new experiment. Dried cherries and almonds and 1/2 cup honey. We will see. ?






  2. Please can you tell me if I can use rye or rice flour for this recipe?

  3. Amazing recipe and SO easy to follow. I have never made bread before and I was amazed how delicious this turned out. The only thing I would change is that I chose an IPA which had far too much of a citrus flavor which came out in the bread (Still amazing-but a bit sweet for my taste). For future bakers I would suggest using a very piney/salty IPA or another saltier beer.






  4. I love this recipe, it uses much less butter than other recipes call for, but still delivers all the flavor. We don’t like IPA beer, so we usually make it with Firestone 805. It has become a favorite as we shelter at home, nothing like fresh bread for comfort food!! :)






  5. My family loved this. Thank you.






    • Not bad, not bad at all! I made this with a pumpkin ale, and because the batter was slightly bitter, I increased the honey by 1 tablespoon. The bread baked beautifully, with a great nose, even crumb and was served warm with honey butter. This is definitely going in rotation this Fall!






  6. Used Michelob Ultra and baked in a clay bread pan. Used an Eggwash half way through. Beautiful loaf. Light and tasty. Good toasted with basted eggs on top. Tried it before with Texas Shiner Bock. That was really nice too. Sub self rising flour for the flour, salt, and baking powder if you have it.

  7. I added shredded cheddar, chopped green onion and jalapeno. Great base recipe you can tweak. I used Rolling Rock but I think I will try a beer that’s a bit heartier next time.






  8. This bread recipe is incredibly easy, minimal ingredients that I had on hand, and delicious! It’s a win all around! I can’t wait to pair it up with big bowl of winter chili.






  9. Super easy and turned out delicious! Was light and smooth and so so easy! I love this






  10. Ok made the bread and as a dough it is Crazy Bitter to the point of gross…. was it because I took your comment about “any beer will work” to literal

  11. The good news is that I used gluten free flour and the bread held up beautifully. The bad news is that I used a strong IPA and the bread just tastes like cooked beer, which is not great, especially for my beer hating husband. I thought the extra hops would give it more of a sour taste but this is not edible. I will try again with a lighter beer and cheddar cheese.

  12. I just made this with leftover Miller beer, maple syrup instead of honey and sub one cup whole wheat with the two white wheat. I also baked it in a cast iron dutch oven 4 qt lined with parchment paper and put the butter in the same as the recipe. Baked for just 40 minutes and it turned out superb. It was so easy and quick. Thank you!!!






  13. Should you use warm beer that is flat? Or just room temperature beer?

    • Use room temp. It doesn’t need to be flat, just open it before you start measuring and it’ll be fine.

  14. Cracked across the top. What could the problem be?

    • It’s a “dump bread”. It will do that unlike a kneaded dough.

    • I made the bread for the first time last night to go with a pot of lentil soup. I was so looking forward to something delicious. It was eh…tasted bland and you can really taste the beer. I did use cold beer vs room temperature and that may have affected taste. It also was a little doughy as if it did not cook all the way through. Family did not like – daughter’s boyfriend did like. Maybe it will taste better tomorrow.

  15. I’ve gotten to the point where I make this once a week! It’s so easy and it’s in the oven in only 15 min prep time! Love that! Came to the comments to see everyone’s ideas for other add-ins. This is a staple in my kitchen. It’s in the oven now with an IPA. I like the strong taste from the IPA but the kids enjoy the smoother flavor of a more Hefeweizen. It really will change the flavor of the bread and the alcohol cooks out. I want to try with different flours and see if I can sneak in any healthy ones. :)






    • I made the bread with a cup of whole wheat instead of totally using all purpose flour. It is a tiny bit tough in the crust but i like the chewiness of it. Thought the bread tasted great and i am a sourdough convert. I used a can of Blue Moon Belgian White beer.






  16. I followed the instructions to a T and it came out so well! I used a Michelob Ultra Infusions Lime & Prickly Pear Cactus and it gave it almost an olive oil flavor that was so amazing. Loved having this bread toasted with some butter! Will make it again. YUM.






  17. I tried another beer bread with no honey but this one seems MUCH better I’ll try it

  18. I made another beer bread but this looks much better with the honey I’ll try it too

  19. hi there! i have some cider in the fridge with a 7% alcohol content. Would that work as a replacement for the beer? thanks!

    • The Alcohol content doesn’t matter much. Mainly, it helps the rise from the yeast already in the beer and carbonation. I use Shiner myself and it comes out dense in texture but light in flavor. I think a cider bread would taste amazing with some honey butter!

  20. Simple, fast, easy, Great taste and texture. Made it to eat with fresh homemade soup. Loved it..

  21. Great recipe. Made it last week with honey will try a more savoury option this week!






  22. I sort of liked the bread. We used a Goose Island IPA and I thought the beer tasted bitter, but wondered if it was the 1 Tablespoon of baking powder!!!

    Family didn’t like it. I am curious about the corona ~ so may try that :)

  23. I have made this 4×!
    I subbed out flour for gluten free flour.
    Honey for maple syrup
    Beer for tonic water
    Butter for vegan butter.
    Not only did I make this for me. I didn’t realize my gluten eating non vegan hubby would tear this up!
    I now make 2 at a time. Mine has raisins and cinnamon and his has cinnamon and sugar.






  24. Hi, Ali! Literally just finished eating my first slice of this bread. SO DELISH. I needed bread to go with dinner (needed, not wanted, lol!) but only had a few hours so beer bread was an obvious choice. First time beer bread maker here, always thought it looked too soft if that makes sense? And it was so crazy easy to make, and I was so surprised by the fantastic crunchy crust on top! I have this fancy pan, that has fall shapes on the bottom, and I guess is meant for things like pumpkin bread? But that’s all I had, and it made such a great crust on all sides of my bread. I’m in love. I added a bunch of garlic, and will totally add in some fresh herbs in with the butter next time. Short story: Thanks so much for the recipe. :)






  25. I’ve just made this, good but too much baking soda. I’ve done a very similar recipe earlier this week w 2 tsp baking powder. Im thinking somewhere in between for the honey addition, maybe. I did like this rise on this one better but I could definitely taste the b. soda in the final product. Otherwise, perfect amount of honey, good texture and overall flavor. Will be trying again.

    Note – the beer used reallllly effects the flavor.






    • It calls for baking powder not soda. Maybe that’s the issue you’re having. I’ve made this several times (making it today to have with homemade soup) and it’s always delicious.






  26. Very good. I used an Angry Orchard Crisp Apple because that was all the beer I had and it turn out great. What a good flavor the bread had.






    • I have made this many times – everyone loves it – glad to see the post about using the angry orchard, I have been planning to try that – I do bump up the amount of honey – I ‘ m a beekeeper so I always have lots on hand

  27. Came out great and had to hide some from my roomate who went through half of a loaf dipping it into the Pot Roast gravy I made for it to go with.






  28. This was amazing- so easy, smelled wonderful while baking and was delicious! Thank you!

  29. Curious to know if anyone has tried this in a cast iron skillet?

  30. This bread is amazing (and super easy to whip up)!! I used a dark beer and sprinkled a bit of Italian seasoning on top before baking. Smelled so good, I couldn’t wait to get it out of the oven. Thanks for sharing – will be making another loaf yet today. :)






  31. Couldn’t be easier, or tastier!






  32. Hands down the best beer bread recipe that I have ever tried! The wet to dry ratio is perfect…and the addition of honey? Perfection!






  33. Just made this last week… added grated colby jack and sliced jalapeños. Sooooo good! This is my new “go to” bread!






  34. The batter was ALARMINGLY THIN, and I wasn’t sure if I should let the batter sit after adding to the pan. I let it sit for about 2 minutes and only saw a couple of air bubbles on the top and decided just to put it in the oven. It puffed up very nicely!! Be sure to check the middle with toothpick/knife as mine looked done on the top/edges but needed several checks before the middle was set. Don’t skip the 10 minutes in the pan, the outside needs to firm up before removal. Heavy texture, excellent for a winter side for your soup/stew/chili, probably not so great for a sandwich. :) I sprinkled the top with flaky sea salt and dried rosemary.






  35. Haven’t tried this yet. Has anyone used dark beer with it?

  36. I added more honey because I wanted it to be sweet. It was perfect! Love the crusty top!






  37. Could I substitute Mike’s Hard Lemonade (various flavors) for the beer? I know beer provides the yeast, and I don’t know if Mike’s would do the same.

    I have to try your recipe – it looks wonderful! I just need to buy the beer.

  38. I was simmering some kielbasa, sauerkraut and potatoes in beer and had most of a 36-oz can left over, so I did a quick search of beer bread recipes and thought this one sounded good. I have almost no experience with baking bread, so I wasn’t sure about the bread being done after 40 minutes when I stuck the toothpick in and there was more resistance than I expected, like it was still dense and doughy inside, but it came out “clean.” I couldn’t remember what the internal temperature of bread was supposed to reach, so I just baked it another 10 minutes. It still seemed to be a little too dense in the middle, so I left it in another 5 minutes and looked on the internet for the correct internal temperature. It’s 190°F for loaves. Mine was already at 200°F. It looked fine, but it was overcooked. It was still mostly good, but the bottom was crunchy, like the breading on fried chicken. I’ll definitely make it again and will check for doneness with my thermometer instead of a toothpick. (I’ve never had a problem checking cakes for doneness with a toothpick, I just wasn’t really sure the toothpick test would work for bread with it being denser and more glutinous. Live and learn.)






  39. I’ve made this with a few different beers and I’m a fan of making it with stout! I felt like making it with an IPA made for a slightly bitter bread. Not terrible, but the maltiness of the stout is so good! I also tried making it with a wheat beer and that was definitely the lightest in flavor.

    I’ve also made this with maple syrup (real maple syrup, not Mrs Butterworth) instead and that also is tasty. I actually think the stout paired with maple syrup is a delicious fall-esque flavor.






  40. I’ve made this recipe a couple of times and it has always been yummy. But the first couple of times I think I left it in the oven for too long so it was over baked, and used an IPA which affected the taste too much. But last night I used an Amber Beer and took the loaf out with strict discipline after 45 mins. It came out with a heavenly crust and a lovely moist texture inside that had a delicious sweet, salty and buttery flavour. It was a huge hit! Will definitely make this again!!!

  41. I can’t THANK you enough to share your breads recipes. I made your No Knead Bread twice in 3 days and gave me full confidence to try your other bread recipes. I alter this Honey Beer Bread by using a Pear Cider Beer and added in a fresh pear in the batter and I just baked it in the toaster oven! Couldn’t finish using the 1/4 cup melted butter so I served the bread with the leftover butter and orange mamalade and OMG !! It is the easiest, fastest and the most delicious ‘beer’ bread of all times!! I will definitely try with other ingredients next time, i.e. tomorrow. LOL
    Thank you again !!!






  42. Great recipe. Doubled it, made two loaves on Father’s Day, one for my dad and one for my gf’s dad. Both loved it. I sifted the flour, which I never do, as someone on another site said it was essential. Dunno if it is.






  43. Love this recipe!
    Didn’t have honey so i substituted it with some brown sugar syrup and milk powder for flavour
    Turned out perfectly!!






  44. I’ve made this a few times. Very flavorful IMO. I used a darker beer, a stout. I really appreciate how quick it is to make and put together. All from stuff that’s usually on hand. I like making bread and dough etc..but sometimes the kneeding, the rising, punching down, the fermentation, etc…it can be a process. So thats why this bread rocks. Quickly mix the 6 ingredients then bake, couldn’t be simpler. Makes great French toast too.






  45. My dad, bless his heart, brought Heineken 0% alcohol beer to a cookout at our house. The night prior he asked what type of beer we like and I said anything would be fine. What I should have said, is don’t bring Heineken 0% alcohol to my house.

    I now have what’s left of a 12 pack of this in my fridge (spoiler alert- it wasn’t a crowd favorite) and my husband and I agreed we’ll have to cook with the rest of it. I made this bread and it is DELICIOUS! Perfect soft texture and sweet buttery flavor. I drizzled it with honey and butter. I see a lot of this in my future. And a lot of alcohol.






  46. Very moorish! I am in NZ and we have been in lock down level 4 for 4 days… only allowed out for essential services and exercise, so this recipe meant I didn’t have to go out to the supermarket.
    The recipe came out great but I was wondering if you use fan bake , how big are your teaspoons and cups?






  47. This is the Best beer bread I have ever had!!! Moist and the honey really adds to the flavor!!






  48. I was printing the pretzel bites recipe when I saw the beer bread video and knew I had to make it while the pretzel bites were rising :) My husband is a beer brewer and I make flour from the grains he uses in brewing (spent grains). The grains are the equivalent of a very hearty whole wheat. I swapped out 1/2 cup of the flour in the recipe for spent grain flour and (of course) used my husband’s home brew for the beer. We’re currently enjoying this light-but-hearty beer bread with a bean soup for lunch and it’s just perfect! Great recipe! We’ll definitely be adding this to the rotation!






  49. can I just put this on a pan instead of in a loaf pan, free form? (like Irish soda bread)

  50. Amazing and easy to make! Worked and tasted best to me with an Amber Ale and make sure your beer is room temperature. Also, vegan butter worked like a charm. Subbed 1cup whole wheat flour.

    Only question is can i freeze this? And how long does it last for? Keep it on the counter or fridge?

    Thanky you!