Beer Batter Recipe

A square, overhead shot of the finished beer batter. The batter is in a clear, glass bowl with a whisk wooden handle in the batter. All this is laid on a wooden board.

5 from 1 vote

This is my go-to for the crispiest golden beer batter. I use it for crispy fried fish, onion rings, fried pickles, fried jalapeños - the list is endless. It's easy to prep and can be made a couple of hours ahead too.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: accompaniment

Cuisine: British

Keyword: battered fish, beer batter, Fried Food

Servings:

Author Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

120 g (1 cup) self-raising flour (see swaps)
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA)
½ tsp baking powder
240 ml (1 cup) refrigerated pale ale (it MUST be cold) see swaps

Instructions

Place the flour, cornflour and baking powder in a large bowl and stir together to combine.
120 g (1 cup) self-raising flour (see swaps), 2 tbsp cornflour, ½ tsp baking powder
Stir in the pale ale until no lumps remain.
240 ml (1 cup) refrigerated pale ale (it MUST be cold)
Place the batter in the refrigerator until ready to use (the batter can be made ahead and refrigerated for 2-3 hours if you like).

Notes

Can I make it ahead?

Yes, you can make it ahead. Just cover and refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours.

Swaps:

If you haven’t got self-raising flour, replace it with the same amount of plain (all-purpose flour PLUS 1 tsp of baking powder (you’ll also still need to add the additional ½ tsp baking powder to the batter).

If you don’t want to use pale ale, you can use lager, or for a non-alcohol version, replace the pale ale with soda water (remember it needs to be COLD).

How to scale up and down this recipe:

You can halve this recipe to serve 2 or double it to serve 8, as long as you stick to the same ingredient ratios.

Nutrition

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