Pimento Cheese
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Pimento cheese is a tangy and creamy cheese spread that’s often referred to as the pâté of the South. It’s wonderful on crackers, crudités, sandwiches, or even burgers.
I grew up in Northern Virginia, pretty much the only part of the state that’s not considered the South, but I’ve always loved Southern food. One of my favorite Southern specialities is pimento cheese, which is often referred to as “the pâté of the South.”
Made from sharp Cheddar, mayonnaise, cream cheese, and jarred pimentos, this spread is wonderful on crackers, crudités, sandwiches, or even burgers. It also makes a fabulous party dip, but don’t wait for a special occasion to make it—you’ll love having a jar in the fridge for everyday snacking.
Table of Contents
“I will never buy store bought again. Oh, my was this fun to make and DELICIOUS.”
What You’ll Need To Make Pimento Cheese
- Cream Cheese: Serves as the creamy base that binds all the ingredients together, ensuring a smooth and spreadable consistency. Be sure it’s a room temperature for easy mixing.
- Mayonnaise: Contributes creaminess and imparts a rich, slightly tangy flavor. It’s crucial to use a good quality brand, such as Hellmann’s, Duke’s, or Best Foods.
- Worcestershire Sauce, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper: These seasonings provide depth, savory flavor, and a subtle kick.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Lends a bold and tangy flavor. A good supermarket brand like Tillamook or Cabot is fine. Grate the cheese from a fresh block, as pre-shredded bagged cheese has a powdery coating to keep it from clumping together.
- Diced Pimentos: Adds a sweet and tangy flavor, a pop of color, and a slightly chunky texture. Find them in the supermarket near the pickles, olives, and capers. Some stores may also stock them in the canned vegetable aisle, alongside items like artichokes and roasted red peppers.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
I think it’s easiest to make pimento cheese in a food processor but no worries if you don’t have one; you can easily make it in a mixer or by hand.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Process until smooth and evenly combined.
Remove the blade, scraping any of the mixture back into the bowl. Switch to the grating blade.
Cut the Cheddar cheese into pieces that will fit into the feed tube. With the machine running, add the cheese through the feed tube until it is all grated in.
Transfer the contents of the food processor to a large mixing bowl and add the diced pimentos.
Stir everything together to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Serve with crackers or crudités and enjoy!
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Pimento Cheese
Pimento cheese is a tangy and creamy cheese spread that’s often referred to as the pâté of the South. It’s wonderful on crackers, crudités, sandwiches, or even burgers.
Ingredients
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 (8-oz) block sharp Cheddar cheese (a good supermarket brand like Tillamook or Cabot is fine)
- 1 (4-oz) jar diced pimentos, drained
Instructions
- Food processor instructions: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon of salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Process until smooth and evenly combined. Remove the blade, scraping any of the mixture back into the bowl. Switch to the grating blade. Cut the Cheddar cheese into pieces that will fit into the feed tube. With the machine running, add the cheese through the feed tube until it is all grated in. Transfer the contents of the food processor to a large mixing bowl. Add the diced pimentos and stir everything together to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (I usually add about ¼ teaspoon more salt, but it depends on the saltiness of the cheese.)
- Mixer instructions: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Beat until smooth and evenly combined. Coarsely grate the Cheddar cheese and mix in along with the diced pimentos. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (It's a good idea to taste the pimento cheese on the crackers you plan to serve it with, as the saltiness can vary.)
- Transfer the spread to a serving bowl and serve with crackers and/or crudités. If serving later, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (18 servings)
- Serving size: 3 tablespoons
- Calories: 141
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 164 mg
- Cholesterol: 28 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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I have made this many times. My 17 year old daughter requests it often. It’s always delicious and consumed quite quickly! I add a diced fresh jalapeños minus seeds and membranes. Adds a little kick and color. Love your recipes!!❤️
Perfect recipe! My family devoured it, thank you!
This would have been good. The Worcestershire sauce ruins it. I love every recipe I’ve tried, except this one. I’ve cooked a minimum of 3 recipes a week since I found your site! This one needs additional tweaking. Thanks
The worcestershire sauce “ruins” it? That must be a personal taste issue for you. Maybe you have a strong sensitivity to the flavor of tamarind. The majority really like it.
I love Worcestershire sauce, so it works for me, giving it another layer of flavor. Maybe use less.
I’m not a mayo fan either. I know you suggested sour cream but said it would be quite tangy. What about Greek yogurt?
Hi Tai, Greek yogurt will work here but I think it’s just as tangy as sour cream.
Was recently in NC and had a hot version of this. Can I heat it? I’used so many of your recipes. They ever disappoint — always 5 star! Can you please answer quickly as I would love to serve this heated for Thanksgiving. Thanks!
Sure, Linda, I think you could get away with serving this warm. (And glad you like the recipes!)
Made it for our family gathering. It was a hit of the night! People spread it on crackers, bread even on celery ribs. I’m going to make it again but use spreadable goat cheese instead of Philadelphia.
I love this recipe for pimento cheese spread! I altered the recipe and by grating the cheddar in the food processor first – then removed it to a bowl. Then, I added the creamed cheese ingredients and creamed them together with the blade. Then, I put the cheddar back in the food processor and gave it a few pulses. Last, I added the drained pimentos and gave it a few more pulses. I found that grating the cheese in the food processor didn’t make a fine enough grate to mix into the creamed cheese in mixture for a spreadable dip – hence the change. I served it with pretzels and saltine crackers. This makes a lot of dip, but it saves very nicely for a few days, at least.
I wanted to try a fan favorite for a super bowl party. Let me just say people who I had just met were telling me how much they liked the Pimento Cheese dip. I made this recipe as instructed. The construction was not challenging and came together quickly. I would definitely recommend for a quick party contribution. I used pita chips for the dip as well. I want to try using this in a grilled cheese sandwich later.
We visited friends in South Carolina and discovered pimento cheese for the first time. Could not find it anywhere here in Minnesota so I was delighted to find this recipe. I’ve even tried it with dairy-free cheddar cheese and the flavor is great. Love it!
Oh, M’Gosh! Thanks for sharing your dairy-free idea. I have an allergic kid that might love this dairy free!
Oh, Wow, I’m a southerner and this recipe is da bomb!! Bacon would be awesome too! If I wanted to add jalapeños, would you use fresh minced or jarred? Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it Jules! You really could go either way here — with the jalepenos — both fresh and jarred will work. 🙂