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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To half the recipe, just half the ingredients??
Yes – enjoy!
Great recipe! I used 1/4 cup mayo, and replaced the cayenne with 1/8 tsp chipotle powder, which added a nice smokey element without being overpowering. Will be making again!
Yum! Try some inside a grilled cheese sandwich or on top of a burger. Have made this several times. Hard to stop once you start.
I’ve grown up eating pimento cheese, and this is a great recipe. I use the food processor technique that is so easy. I only use 1/4 cup Mayo, which is plenty for my taste. I prefer using Trader Joe’s Fire-Roasted Red Peppers, because they add more flavor than pimentos. Looking forward to a grilled pimento cheese sandwich for lunch today.
Delicious 😋
Comes together so fast and the flavor is excellent. I love that I can make this a day in advance. This recipe, along with your steakhouse burgers and lemon pound cake, are on the menu for our Labor Day BBQ. Thanks for always having such wonderful recipes. Your website and cookbook are my go-tos.
This recipe is delicious. I have RA so making it in my food processor was a blessing. Will definitely make again.
Great foundation recipe and brilliant technique! I like it chunkier since in the Carolinas this is used as a sandwich filling, just halve the cream cheese to 4oz and keep everything else as is. It’s also better with more zip, so use extra sharp cheddar and either up cayenne to 1/2 tsp or use a few dashes vinegar based hot sauce such as Tabasco or Louisiana brand instead. I would also wait until the end to add the extra salt as you may not even need it. Please don’t use different peppers! Bell peppers are not the same and you should enjoy this Southern classic in its full glory the first time!
Hi Jenn,
So I’ve been intrigued by this recipe for a while. Living up north I’d hear vaguely of pimento cheese but didn’t really know what it was. When I saw your recipe it looked really good so I set out to find these mysterious “pimentos”. No store around me carries them and trying to order them online has proven to be very difficult. When you Google the word “pimento” it says that any pepper is a pimento. We can get jarred roasted red bell peppers here, is that basically the same thing? Where can I order them from up here in Canada? Or can you tell me the names/brands or what type of pepper a “pimento” is, since Google insists this is a generic name for “pepper”? I would love to try this recipe as it looks super yummy! Thanks for your help in advance,
Hi Bry, Sorry you’ve had a hard time finding diced pimentos where you are. They are slightly different than your typical red bell peppers. I’m not sure what brands you may find in Canada, but if you google jarred diced bell peppers, you should see some options come up. I was curious though, and went to Amazon.ca and didn’t see diced pimentos as an option there so they may in fact be harder to get where you live. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Roasted red bell peppers are a good substitute, I sometimes use them when I don’t have pimentos and they might be even better! I live in Tennessee and have eaten and made pimento cheese most of my life. I realize this reply is quite late but if you didn’t try the roasted peppers please do, it will be a treat.
Easy recipe that’s been a go to of mine for a while now. Since cream cheese doesn’t agree with me I make it with goat cheese and it is Yum Yum Yummy!
Made this pimento cheese this evening. It was wonderful!!! Great texture and flavor, with a little bit of bite. I added more sharp cheddar to extend the recipe further, but I think this would work by itself or as the base of a cheese ball!! 11/10 per usual.