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There are a lot of things about Disney that are magical, but honestly? The food doesn’t get enough credit. This Canadian Cheese Soup from Le Cellier steakhouse at Epcot is the kind of thing you think about long after you’ve tasted it — rich, cheesy, a little smoky from the bacon, with just enough heat from the Tabasco to keep things interesting. The good news is you don’t need a park ticket to make it. This is the official Disney recipe and it works beautifully right in your own kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It tastes like something from a restaurant. Because it literally is — this is the Le Cellier recipe, and it shows.
The flavor is deep and complex. Bacon, blond roux, sharp cheddar, Worcestershire, a splash of Canadian lager — every layer adds something.
It’s more approachable than it looks. A few simple techniques and about 45 minutes is all it takes.
It feeds a crowd. Eight generous servings out of one pot, which makes it perfect for a cozy dinner party or a cold weekend.
Bread bowl optional but highly recommended. I’m just saying.
It’s the kind of soup people ask you about. Make it once and you’ll be making it on request for years.
I first had this soup at Le Cellier steakhouse in Epcot and I thought about it for weeks afterward. Pale and creamy and thick, with green onions scattered over the top — I took one spoonful and just stopped talking mid-conversation. My husband noticed. I told him nothing was wrong, everything was actually very right.
It took me longer than I’d like to admit to nail it at home. A couple of versions over the years that were fine but not quite it — too thick, or missing that something I couldn’t name. Turns out what I was missing was the beer. A Canadian lager stirred in at the very end, and suddenly everything clicked. That’s the secret hiding in plain sight, and once you know it you can’t unknow it.
A Few Notes on the Ingredients
Sharp cheddar is the move here, and white cheddar is what Le Cellier actually uses. I’ve made this with yellow sharp cheddar when that’s what I had and it’s delicious, but white cheddar gives it a slightly more refined, tangy flavor that feels closer to the original. Grate it yourself — pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it that keeps it from melting smoothly and you’ll end up with a grainy soup instead of a silky one. I know it’s an extra step. It matters.
The bacon should be cooked until just lightly browned, not crispy. This trips people up because the instinct is to take bacon all the way. But it keeps cooking once you add the vegetables and butter, and if you start it too dark you’ll end up with burnt bits in your soup, which is not what we want. Pull it back earlier than feels natural.
For the beer — a Canadian pale or golden lager is what the recipe calls for, and I think it’s worth seeking out. Molson Canadian is the obvious choice, or Labatt Blue if you can find it. A regular American lager works in a pinch. What you don’t want is anything dark or hoppy — an IPA will make the soup bitter in a way that fights with the cheese rather than complementing it.
The Tabasco is not optional, even if you’re not a heat person. One tablespoon in a pot this size doesn’t make it spicy — it makes it taste more like itself. Same with the Worcestershire. These are the background notes that you’d miss if they weren’t there.
Ingredients
½ lb bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons (¼ cup) butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
4 cups milk
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup pale or golden lager, preferably Canadian
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped green onion or chives, for serving
How to Make It
Start with a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven — this is not the time for a thin-bottomed pan, because you’re going to be making a roux and simmering dairy and you need even heat throughout. Cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until it’s lightly browned, about five minutes. Not crispy. Lightly browned. Pull back before you think you need to.
Add the onion, celery, garlic, and butter directly to the bacon and its fat. Cook everything together until the onion has softened and gone translucent, another five minutes or so. The kitchen will smell incredible at this point — bacon and butter and softening vegetables is one of the better combinations of aromas that exists in the world of cooking, and I say that with full confidence.
Stir in the flour and cook it, stirring constantly, for about four minutes. You’re making what’s called a blond roux — you want it to turn just barely golden and start to smell nutty, almost like popcorn. This is the step that gives the soup its body and a subtle depth of flavor that a plain roux wouldn’t have. Don’t rush it and don’t walk away from the pot.
Whisk in the chicken stock. It’ll go lumpy for a second — keep whisking and it’ll smooth out. Bring it to a boil, let it go for one minute, then reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the milk and simmer for another fifteen minutes. The original recipe doesn’t explain why the stock and milk go in separately, and I’m not entirely sure either — but that’s what Disney says to do, and I stopped questioning it after the third time it turned out perfectly. The one thing that matters here is do not boil once the milk is in. Keep it at a gentle simmer or the milk can split and the whole texture goes wrong.
Remove the pot from heat. Stir in the grated cheese, the Tabasco, the Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste. The cheese will melt into the hot soup beautifully — just stir slowly and let it incorporate. Then take your immersion blender and blend until the soup is mostly smooth. I say mostly because a little texture from the bacon and vegetables is a good thing, not a problem to be solved. Blend to wherever feels right to you — some people like it completely smooth, I like just a little body left in there.
Finally, stir in the beer. This is the last step and it’s a good one. The lager lightens the whole thing just slightly, adds a faint yeasty depth that you can’t quite identify but would definitely miss. Taste and adjust seasoning — it might want a little more salt at this point, or a touch more Tabasco if you’re someone who likes heat.
Serve immediately, topped with chopped green onion or chives. And if you happen to have a bread bowl situation available to you, this is the moment. This soup was made for a bread bowl. I believe that sincerely.
Variations and Serving Ideas
I’ve stirred in a little smoked paprika before — maybe half a teaspoon — and it adds a warmth that plays nicely with the bacon. Not traditional, but good. A pinch of dry mustard powder is another option if you want a little more sharpness to come through in the cheddar flavor.
If you want to make this without the beer, you can — add a splash more chicken stock to compensate. It won’t taste quite like Le Cellier, but it’ll still be an excellent cheese soup. I’ve done this when cooking for people who don’t drink and nobody complained.
Serve it with crusty bread, a simple green salad, or honestly just on its own in a big bowl with nothing else. It’s substantial enough to be dinner without any help.
Storage
Leftovers keep in the fridge for three days in a sealed container. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently — you don’t want to boil it again once the dairy and cheese are in there. If it’s thickened up in the fridge, a small splash of chicken stock or milk loosens it right back up. I wouldn’t freeze this one. Dairy-based soups don’t come back from the freezer the way you want them to.
I’ve made this soup probably a dozen times since I first worked out the recipe, and it still does the thing it did that first time at Le Cellier — stops conversation, makes people put down whatever they were doing, makes them ask what’s in it. There’s something almost embarrassingly satisfying about that. A bowl of soup that people remember. That’s not nothing.
Canadian Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb bacon chopped
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 ribs celery finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups milk
- 1 lb sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup pale or golden lager beer preferably Canadian
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- green onions or chives chopped, optional garnish
Instructions
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery, garlic, and butter and cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns lightly golden and smells nutty, about 4 minutes.
- Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the milk and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes, making sure the soup does not boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in the grated cheddar cheese, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender until mostly smooth.
- Stir in the beer and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve hot garnished with chopped green onion or chives.