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 love the pimento cheese spread/dip! I read that some people thought it was salty so I left out the added salt and it was perfect!
My children love pimento cheese! Enter Mom at Christmas with the homemade kind with a tiny bit more cayenne pepper as they all like heat. Huge hit! Empty bowl! Request for more!
An absolutely delicious version of this southern favorite! It will be my go to recipe for pimento cheese from now on. I used Duke’s mayo and Cabot Sharp Cheddar Cheese and served with Ritz crackers. My husband loved it on his hamburger as suggested. Next time I think I will try making a grilled cheese with it and thinly sliced Virginia ham-yum!!
Delicious! The first time I tried this recipe, I knew it was going to be a “keeper”. My household gobbled it up and I make it at least once a month. I even made it as a Christmas gift for extended family last year (gifted in pretty glass wide mouth pint jars with a ribbon around it) and had more than one person ask me to share the recipe! I goes together quickly and keeps well and I like that it doesn’t have raw onions in it, as some other recipe versions do.
(The only adjustment I made to the recipe was omitting the salt. The cheddar cheese I use is sharp, aged cheddar and so it already has enough saltiness that I don’t need any added salt.)
Oh my! This is GOOD pimento cheese, and this is from a Southern Girl who KNOWS pimento cheese. I made this exactly by the recipe in a food processor and it was a breeze. It’s wonderful on crackers, in a sandwich, stuffed into celery sticks, or straight out of the bowl. You just can’t go wrong. Just throw away all of your other pimento cheese recipes (well, maybe not your Grandma’s) and use this one. It’s heaven!
Great, classic pimiento cheese recipe!
So good! Easy to make and always a crowd pleaser! My go to appetizer to serve!
This is delicious and a great and simple gift to make for the holidays or the host/hostess.
I’m a Southerner, and I’ve eaten pimento cheese all of my life. This technique and recipe are terrific. The food processor makes it so much easier than making it by hand. Instead of 8 oz of cheese, I use 8 oz of sharp cheddar and 8 oz of mild cheddar. I like the consistency better with a higher ratio of cheese. For pimento, I prefer Trader Joe’s Fire-roasted Red Peppers. I double the amount of cayenne. After all, I am doubling the amount of cheese. This is a favorite with family and friends. I sometimes serve it as a dip with Fritos, or a grilled cheese sandwich, or with crackers or celery. Yummy! Thank you, Jen!
Made this yesterday and it was a huge hit! I added a few spoonfuls of jarred chopped jalapeños and it gave it the perfect heat.
Hi,
I made this a month or so ago and enjoyed it tremendously, and came back to the site a couple days ago for recipe to make it again. It seemed to have more cream cheese, but I went ahead and followed the directions. It does seem different. I’m curious to know if this recipe been modified to increase the cream cheese from 4 oz to 8 oz?
It’s the same, Pat. Hope you enjoyed!