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You don’t need any baking skills to enjoy a fresh loaf of homemade bread hot from the oven! This no-knead, no-yeast 5-Ingredient Honey Beer Bread recipe is the quickest, easiest, and tastiest loaf that you will ever prepare. Warm, moist, and buttery, the bread is delicious with dip for a party-friendly appetizer, or tasty alongside a bowl of soup or chili for a cozy dinner!
Easy Beer Bread Recipe
The term “beer bread” refers to any bread that has beer included in the dough mixture. This particular 5-ingredient recipe is made with no yeast, so it’s a quick bread that rises with the help of the leavening agent in the self-rising flour and the beer. Best of all, it comes together in about 5 minutes, so it’s a great last-minute option when we need a simple side dish or a delicious appetizer with minimal effort.
What does beer bread taste like?
The slightly sweet beer bread has a rich, full-grain flavor, making it perfect with savory dishes like soup and chili, and equally tasty when toasted with butter and jam for breakfast. The beer gives it a “yeasty” flavor, without overpowering the loaf. The alcohol cooks off in the oven, so kids can freely enjoy the bread, and no — it won’t make you drunk!
Ingredients
This easy beer bread recipe comes together with 5 basic ingredients, which you can keep in your pantry for any last-minute cravings! As always, specific measurements and complete step-by-step baking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Self-rising flour: this flour includes baking powder (a leavening agent that helps the bread rise) and salt. If you prefer to make your own self-rising flour at home, see these helpful instructions to start with all purpose flour.
- Beer (at room temperature): light beer, non-alcoholic beer, and stronger, darker beer will all work. The beer flavors the bread and helps it rise.
- Honey: enhances the flavor of the bread, adds sweetness, and keeps the bread moist. You can substitute with sugar instead of honey, but I find that the texture of the bread is best with honey.
- Salt: the self-rising flour already includes some salt, but I like to add a little bit more to balance the sweetness of the honey.
- Butter: melted butter on top of the bread helps it brown in the oven, adds rich, delicious flavor, and gives it a crisp exterior (while the inside stays moist and tender). We prefer the salty contrast of salted butter, but unsalted butter is fine too.
The Best Beer for Bread
You can alter the style and taste of your bread by changing the type of beer that you use in the dough. For instance, I’ve shown a very mild, light beer here, which creates a light, subtle loaf of bread that’s appealing to young kids. If you prefer a more pronounced beer flavor, use an IPA (pale ale) for moderate flavor, or a stout or dark beer for a stronger taste. Essentially, the bread will taste like a more mild, toned-down version of whichever beer you choose to use.
How to Make Beer Bread without Yeast
This easy recipe comes together with about 5 minutes of prep. There’s no yeast, no kneading, and no rising time required!
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Stir together the self-rising flour, honey, beer, and salt in a large bowl, just until combined. Do not over-mix.
- Transfer the shaggy dough to the prepared loaf pan.
- Pour the melted butter over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean).
- Serve warm, or cool on a wire rack before slicing.
How to Eat Beer Bread
There are so many ways to enjoy this versatile loaf of bread! Hosting a party, tailgate, or cocktail hour? Serve the bread with spinach dip, crab dip, pimento cheese, or shrimp dip.
Spread butter on top and drizzle your slice of bread with extra honey. It’s great on its own, delicious as toast for breakfast, tasty for hearty sandwiches at lunch, or perfect as a simple side dish at supper. Here are some entrees that go with beer bread:
- New Orleans Red Beans and Rice
- Crock Pot Potato Soup
- Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Bean Soup or Easy Ham and Bean Soup
- Frogmore Stew
- Southern Chicken and Pastry
- Chicken and Dumpling Soup
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
- Cheeseburger Soup
- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Beef Chili, Slow Cooker Chili, or Texas Chili
- White Bean Chicken Chili or Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Farmhouse Chicken and Rice Soup or Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Grandmother’s Hamburger Soup or Crock Pot Cabbage Soup with Hamburger
- Dutch Oven Beef Stew, Crock Pot Chicken Stew, or Chicken Stew
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup or Creamy Mushroom Soup
- Aunt Bee’s Crab Bisque
- Broccoli Cheese Soup or Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup or Creamy Pumpkin Soup
- Shrimp Soup
- Brunswick Stew
How to Store Homemade Beer Bread
Wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, the bread will stay fresh at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze
To freeze the bread, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then again in aluminum foil, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter overnight.
Recipe Variations
- Cheese Beer Bread: Add 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese (or another flavorful shredded cheese of your choice). A teaspoon of garlic powder, 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives, or chopped jalapenos would also be delicious savory additions!
- Add fresh herbs or dried herbs like rosemary, basil, parsley, or thyme.
- Mix in diced bacon or ham.
- Irish: Use Guinness stout or another similar Irish beer for a robust, full-flavored loaf of bread.
- Sweet: Double the honey in this recipe to ½ cup. You can also mix in raisins, dried currants, or dried cranberries for a loaf that’s similar to Irish soda bread.
Tips for the Best Beer Bread Recipe
- Properly measure the flour. Always spoon and level the flour or weigh it on a kitchen scale — do not scoop it out of the package. Incorrectly measuring the flour packs it too tightly into the measuring cup and results in a dense, dry loaf of bread.
- Use a beer that you enjoy. Light beer is fine, non-alcoholic beer is fine, and a darker, more robust beer works well if you like a more prominently flavored bread.
- Do not over-mix the dough. Stir until just combined — a few lumps are fine. Over-mixing will result in a dry, dense, tough loaf of bread.
- Make sure that your self-rising flour is fresh. If the leavening agents in the self-rising flour are no longer effective, your bread will not rise.
- Pouring melted butter over the batter helps it brown, adds flavor, and gives the bread a buttery crust. We like the salty contrast of salted butter, but unsalted butter will also work (whichever you prefer).
More Homemade Bread Recipes to Try
- No-Knead Bread
- Persimmon Bread
- Best Ever Banana Nut Bread Recipe
- Jalapeno Cheddar Bread
- Irish Soda Bread
- Garlic Bread
- Focaccia Bread
- Easy Homemade Bread
- Honey Wheat Bread
- Soft Dinner Rolls
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 (12 ounce) can of beer, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the self-rising flour, honey, beer, and salt until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan.
- Pour melted butter over the top of the dough.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
- Properly measure the flour. Always spoon and level the flour or weigh it on a kitchen scale -- do not scoop it out of the package. Incorrectly measuring the flour packs it too tightly into the measuring cup and results in a dense, dry loaf of bread.
- Use a beer that you enjoy. Light beer is fine, non-alcoholic beer is fine, and a darker, more robust beer works well if you like a more prominently flavored bread.
- Do not over-mix the dough. Stir until just combined -- a few lumps are fine. Over-mixing will result in a dry, dense, tough loaf of bread.
- Make sure that your self-rising flour is fresh. If the leavening agents in the self-rising flour are no longer effective, your bread will not rise.
- Cheese Beer Bread: Add 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese (or another flavorful shredded cheese of your choice). A teaspoon of garlic powder or 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives would also be delicious savory additions!
- Mix in diced bacon or ham.
- Irish: Use Guinness stout or another similar Irish beer for a robust, full-flavored loaf of bread.
- Sweet: Double the honey in this recipe to ½ cup. You can also mix in raisins, dried currants, or dried cranberries for a loaf that's similar to Irish soda bread.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in December, 2017. It was updated in February, 2022.
I noticed you used a can of lite beer.
Does it matter?
Do you taste the beer?
Hi, Barbara! No, it doesn’t matter at all.
I used the Miller Lite because that’s my personal preference so that’s what I had on hand. With a light, mild beer you definitely don’t taste it. The beer gives the bread a “yeasty” flavor, but not a strong beer flavor.
If you want a bit of beer flavor, then I would use a darker, stronger beer. It still won’t be overpowering, but you’ll get more of that beer taste.
Enjoy!
Hi, Tina! If you don’t have a bag of self-rising flour in your pantry, that’s no problem. You can make 1 cup of self-rising flour by placing 1 cup of all-purpose flour in a bowl. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
This recipe calls for 3 cups of self-rising flour, so you would need to combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour with 3 teaspoons of baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon of salt.
I would add 1 1/2 baking powder to 1 cup all purpose flour, so in total 4 1/2 tsp baking powder, also added 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tbsp herbs de Provence, 1/8 cup sunflower seeds, and after 45min baking, smeared butter on top and sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked another 10min. As an idea, change sun dried tomatoes with black olives or onion chutney. Otherwise Blair, excellent recipe.
ThThanks!e bread turned out great!
Great! Thanks, Annette!
Can Iuse gingerale instead of beer?
Thanks, Linda
Hi, Linda! Yes — I think that would technically “work;” however, the bread will have a much sweeter (and slightly ginger-y) taste to it…so just be aware that the end result will taste different if you decide to use it. 🙂
Can this bread be frozen? I would love to make more than one loaf at a time. Thank you
Hi, Sandra! Yes, the bread can definitely be frozen after baking. Just allow it to cool completely and then wrap tightly. Enjoy!
No eggs! Just those 3 ingredients (and salt if you like). 🙂
I know that. 🙂 I said in the post that “the yeast in the beer helps the bread rise.” When I noted “no yeast” on the image, I meant that you don’t need to use an active yeast packet and take the dough through the rising process. Just read the post a bit closer next time before criticizing, please.
I understood what you meant by no yeast right away! Thanks for the recipe. I’m making it now – without the salt. Almost wish I’d have put it in. Guess I’ll have to make it again!
Thanks, Jen! 🙂
Enjoy the bread! It’s so good with chili — now I want another loaf…
Have a great week!
No bread recipe out there ever uses eggs.
Lol!! Ok. Except more than half the recipes that came with my bread machine have egg in them.????♀️ The internet is full of bread recipes with egg in them. But “no bread recipe EVER uses eggs”! So sure, you go on with your bad know it all self. Google is a useful tool. USE IT!!!!! You,sir, are not google????????
Awesome easy recipe Blair. My first loaf turned out perfect and the flavour was great. Everyone enjoyed it. Will certainly make again.
Paul
Eggs in bread???
That’s awesome, Paul! Thanks for letting me know! So glad that it worked well for you. 🙂
This bread also makes good homemade garlic bread. Just find a good recipe for garlic spread and you’ll never buy frozen garlic bread again.
Great tip about the garlic bread! 🙂
I don’t get it. No matter what recipe I use with self-rising flour, it never ever rises at all and comes out heavy and dense. I followed this recipe to a T and the results are the same. Would it help at all to add baking powder? If I buy a pre-packaged box of beer bread mix at Walmart, it turns out perfect every time. I just can’t figure out why the bought mix turns out great but homemade from scratch doesn’t.
Hi, Russ! I’m honestly not sure why it didn’t work for you. Is your self-rising flour fresh? If the active ingredients are old, they lose their effectiveness and can result in a baked good that doesn’t rise properly. Also, you want to be sure that you’re not overworking the batter before baking. As with muffins or any other quick bread, too much stirring, kneading, or overworking will cause the final product to be dense and dry. You just want to gently fold everything together until it’s barely combined. Maybe those tips help?
I have read that the absence of sifting the flower causes the bread to be like a brick! I always sift my flour and the results are outstanding
Can you use flavored beer? I have done Seagrams flavored beer I would like to try.
Hi, Dottie! Absolutely! You can use any type of beer, just keep in mind that the beer you pick will impact the flavor of your bread. A darker beer yields a much richer, beer-flavored loaf than a light beer. If your flavored beer is sweet, you’ll also end up with a sweeter loaf. Have fun experimenting!
This was easy and delicious. I stored it in a gallon zip lock bag for a couple of days and it stayed nice and fresh.
Thanks, Michele! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! I appreciate you taking the time to come back here and let me know. Have a great weekend!
If you over kneed the bread it will be dence and heavy (baker are taught or naturally have light hands)
Hi,
I love making this bread. Always make it with corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty’s every year. I add rosemary to mine and the recipe I have also calls for pouring melted butter on top.
While it tastes yummy, mine looks lumpy an not smooth in the middle. Yours looks more smooth like a loaf of bread.
I wonder if it’s because your flour is presifted or maybe because my recipe calls for butter poured on top?
Do you think either of those would make a difference? I’m definitely going to try making it your way.
Thanks,
Chris
Hi, Chris! I wouldn’t think that the butter on top should change the texture too much, but I do think that the pre-sifted flour could make a significant difference. I would try using pre-sifted flour next time (or just sifting your own flour) and see if that helps. 🙂 The rosemary sounds like a delicious addition!
Do we measure the SR flour before or after sifting?
Hi, Vicki! I don’t even bother to sift the flour. 🙂 I just kind of fluff it in the jar, scoop it, level it off, and then whisk the ingredients together to remove any lumps.
can I add bannas or carrots toit
Hi, Susan! Yes, I think either of those would work well! 🙂
This sounds soooo delicious, what a great idea to use beer instead of yeast.
Hi, Helena! Sorry that looks confusing. It’s supposed to be 1 (12 ounce) can of beer. So a total of just 12 ounces — nothing more. I’ll try to make that more clear in the recipe card formatting. Enjoy! 🙂
Mine turned out lovely and I am a avid Baker. Love this quick minimal ingredient bread. I usually plan ahead and make a loaf in my bread machine. But there are times I make something and wish I thought to add bread. This is perfect and so simple. And quick. Love the texture and the beer does add a unique earthy flavor to it. I did add flax seed to mine. I’ve made this 3 times this week because the kids can’t keep their hands off of it. I have 3 teenagers so I’ll probably have to make 2 at a time. Lol. Thanks for the recipe. It’s perfect for fall crockpot meals like chili and. stew. This one is definitely a keeper.
Thanks, Gail! So glad to know that you’ll continue to enjoy this recipe. 🙂
Have you ever made this int mini muffins? I can’t find my loaf pan
Hi, Keri! I haven’t tried that! I bet it would work — you’d just need to cut the baking time down to about 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Hi, Marge! I honestly have no idea! 🙂 I am definitely not an expert when it comes to the science of baking, so my best advice is to just tweak it or try something different and see how it goes. 🙂 I hope that you enjoy this recipe!
Loved this recipe, it turned out perfectly! In response to Marge, I used cold beer (as I’m impatient!) and it turned out just fine. I’ll definitely make this one again.
Thank you, Megan!
What if I don’t have self-rising flour. what can i substitute ?
Hi, Ellen! You can make your own self rising flour at home. Here’s a good explanation: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/homemade-self-rising-flour-recipe
Thank you.
Sounds just like a perfect beer bread!
5 stars for anticipation. I have no doubt this bead will be amazing g. Just like my gra mother made for me when I was small. Now I work at a brewery……how handy.so my question is can you use flat beer ie opened but sitting in the fridge with similar results. Cant wait to try my passionfruit cream stout..yummy.
Hi, Kalady! I wouldn’t recommend using flat beer. It might work, but the bread won’t rise as much, since part of the leavening comes from the carbonation. I hope that you enjoy the bread!
I’ve tried other beer bread recipe and love the simplicity of this one. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks, Edwina! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Just a quick question: Does this end up tasting or looking like cake or does it have more of a loaf of bread consistency
Hi, Sarah! I’d say it’s more like a loaf of bread. Similar to Irish Soda Bread, if you’ve had that before. 🙂 Kind of a cross between a quick bread and a regular white bread.
Going to try this right now! I am under “self quarantine” for 2 weeks and am already losing my mind!!! Thank you for such a simple, yet thorough recipe. Definitely going to sift my flour first, as I’ve read a few comments suggesting so. I may just make some banana cinnamon loaves as well ❤️
Thanks, Sarah! I hope that you enjoy the bread. I think it’s perfect with a bowl of soup or stew on a chilly day. Don’t lose your mind — we can all relate to how you feel right now! Hang in there. 🙂 Baking helps!
I was wondering if you can make this in a bread maker? Any help would be appreciated
Hey, Rick! I honestly have no idea, because I’ve never used a bread machine before. Sorry that I can’t be more helpful.
The aroma of this bread baking was wonderful. Grated extra sharp cheese into batter and covered top of bread with cheese before baking for dinner tonight.
Awesome! I agree — it smells so good while it’s baking. Enjoy, Deby!
Hi, Amy! Yes, I would use the salt in the self-rising flour in addition to the salt called for in the recipe. Enjoy!
If I want to turn this recipe into rolls, should I use muffin tins or do something else?
Hey, Sara! This is more like a quick bread — not a typical yeast bread. As a result, you won’t get “rolls” — they would be more like muffins — so I suppose I would try it in a muffin tin. 🙂
Should the dough proof or rise at all before being baked? Or just mix, transfer, bake?
Nope, just mix and bake! It’s more like a quick bread as opposed to a traditional yeast bread (that requires rising time). 🙂
i came across this recipe some 40 or 50 years ago in an Irma Bombeck cookbook. I’ve since lost the book and the recipe. Since COVID-19 I’ve been thinking of making beer bread since bread is in short supply here as is yeast. I used to make it into 4 long sandwich rolls by just shaping them and putting them on a cookie sheet. That’s the way my family liked it best. I never tried a loaf but think I’ll try it. Thanks for reminding me of this great bread!
I love the idea of making it into sandwich rolls, Nancy. I hope this recipe brings back good memories! Enjoy. 🙂
Hi,
I am not a baker. So I like this really simple recipe. We are running short of self raising flour. Can I use whole meal flour? Thank you very much.
Jo
Hi, Jo! This is a perfect bread to start with if you’re not an experienced baker. You don’t want to substitute with regular flour because you need the leavening in the self-rising flour to help the bread rise. If you’d like to make your own self-rising flour at home, it’s really easy. Here’s an article that explains how to use regular all-purpose flour to make self-rising flour: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/homemade-self-rising-flour-recipe
Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Sheltering at home and using what I have on hand to reduce the times I must shop for food. Made soup and wanted some bread – but had no milk or yeast. Found this recipe and gave it a try. I did not have self rising flour but found out from King Arthur Flour website how to make some with what I had. It was so easy. The bread came out beautifully and tasted just as good as it looked. We will definitely have this again. Thanks.
That’s so good to hear, Marion! I’m glad that you enjoyed it and were able to make it work with what you had on hand. Thanks for letting me know!
Hi, Deb! I’m not sure — it’s hard to say what might have gone wrong. Sometimes overmixing or overworking baked goods (like muffins or quick breads) will cause the finished product to be too dense or tough. Maybe that was the case here? Or, it could just be that you were expecting a lighter yeast-like bread, which is different from this bread. This is more like a dense quick bread (like banana bread, for example) because it’s not made with yeast. Sorry that it wasn’t what you wanted. 🙁
Sounds good, as we are not able to go around much I will try your recipe.
I may try a round loaf though.
Thanks for the recipe.
Cheers Lin.
I don’t have a loaf pan – think I can use something else? Not going out to the store anytime soon during these crazy times
Hi, Denise! Maybe a muffin tin? They would be more like rolls or biscuits in the muffin tin, but that would be my next best bet. You’ll need to reduce the baking time, though, since the muffins would be smaller (probably about 25 minutes or so).
I was only able to find gluten free flour at the store… can this be made with gf flour?
Hi, Leslie! You need the leavening in the self-rising flour in order to help the bread rise, so a regular all-purpose or gluten-free flour (unless it’s gluten-free self-rising flour) will not work here. I’m not familiar with baking with GF flour, but you can make your own self-rising flour at home with all-purpose flour. You might be able to do the same with the GF flour — I’m just not sure. Here are the instructions if you want to give it a try: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/homemade-self-rising-flour-recipe
Thank you! I was able to find all purpose flour and modified it to use in this recipe. The bread turned out great and we all loved it!!!
Awesome! So glad that it worked, Leslie. Thanks for letting me know!
Just made this bread, and it’s delicious! So quick and easy! Love the slightly sweet taste. This will be breakfast tomorrow. Thank you so much for sharing.
Stay well
Thanks, Louise! So glad that you love it too!
Can a carbonated soda be substituted for the beer. I do not have ant beer in my house.
Hi, Beverly! I think the soda would probably “work,” in that the bread would probably rise okay. That said, I would worry about the taste of the bread with the soda. The beer isn’t very sweet, and adds a rich “yeasty” flavor to the bread. If you omit that and use a sweet soda, I’m concerned that the bread will be very sweet and will taste like whatever soda you use. I haven’t actually tried it, though — so just a thought!
Has anyone used non alcoholic beer in this recipe? Just me not wanting to “waste” beer 🙂
Hi, Lisa! The non-alcoholic beer should work fine!
Thanks Blair! I’ll be making this in the next day or so will let you know how it turns out, and which type of beer I used! Take care!
I made this yesterday using a non alcoholic Heineken lager and it turned out really well
Awesome! Thanks for following up to let us know, Lisa!
I’m gonna make this tonight for me and the boys, along with your dump corned beef and cabbage. Gonna add some lightly roasted caraway seeds and dill to give it a bit of a rye bread flavor.
Omgoodnessss this bread right here , it is my family’s new favorite thank you
That’s awesome, Laura! Thank you!
This recipe really caught my eye! Will definitely try this, using a dark beer (which I will have to purchase first). I really miss the first bread-maker that I had, bought another (different brand) & that one turned out to be a real piece of junk.
Now that my wrists are so achy, kneading bread is a no-no for me. Thank you so much for posting this! Love this blog, and look forward to seeing it every Sunday, a beautiful start for anyone’s week!
Thank you, Sandra! I’m so glad that you can enjoy this bread — no kneading necessary. 🙂 Thanks for joining me each Sunday for the weekly update, too!
We made this today to give to our neighbors. I added almost 1/2 cup honey and 2 light handfuls of craisins. We made a loaf plus one small cake pan to try ourselves. We like it very much and will add it to our cookbook. Thank you for the recipe.
That sounds perfect, Toni! Thank you!
Quick and easy. This went great with the pot roast soup/stew I made. I used a pale ale which my hubby loved. I would prefer the lighter flavor. Also added cheddar and garlic powder. So yummy!
Sounds delicious, Beth! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.