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 made this for my mother who does not like cayenne pepper. Omitted the cayenne pepper and added a dash of onion powder. It was perfect.
I will never buy store-bought pimento cheese ever again. This is hands-down the BEST pimento cheese I’ve ever had. Guess what everyone’s getting for Christmas? 😂🥰
I used 1/2 and 1/2 Tillamook sharp yellow cheddar and old croc white cheddar. I cut the mayo back to 1/4 cup and it tasted great but I felt like it was missing something. I spread a thin layer of mayo on a piece of cheddar cheese sourdough and put the pimento on top–that’s what it was missing. I know others have loved it with less but for me it really does need more than 1/4 cup.
Made this as an appetizer for a hosted dinner last night with BBQ’d pork ribs, Jen’s Black Bean and Corn Salad with Honey-Chipotle Dressing and potato wedges. It was delicious. But there were only four of us and I have a good amount of the pimento cheese spread leftover. Crazy question maybe, but can the cheese spread be frozen?
Glad everyone enjoyed it. 😊 Unfortunately, I don’t think it will freeze well – sorry!
Would this be okay to make 2-3 days ahead of time?
Sure – it will keep nicely for up to 5 days. Just bring it to room temp before serving.
I would give this a million stars if I could!! Just made it and WOW!
There was no need to adjust the seasoning. It’s perfect!
Just saved and printed the recipe.
I made this for my wonderful who is also such a great cook just as a little surprise and treat. She loves it. It really is easy and I’m planning on making another batch for her today.
Thanks for sharing another one of your great recipes. I’ve made many of them and they are all great.
Delicious! Make it all the time…..added chopped jalapenos today! OUAC you are my go to!
I had pimento cheese years ago and loved it. I saw this recipe and had to try it. This is delicious. It is very easy to make and so so yummy. I did use Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese and Duke’s mayo. Jen, your recipes never disappoint!
This pimento cheese spread is delicious, and very similar to the way I’ve made it for years. The difference is that I never included cream cheese, and I like the taste better as you make it, including the cream cheese – when it’s initially made. But after it’s refrigerated it gets so much firmer as the cream cheese hardens again, and the spread tears the bread or breaks the crackers. I tried to microwave some on a very low setting, which softened the cream cheese but also began to melt the cheddar, and was not a solution! Your recipe doesn’t say to use whipped cream cheese (which I don’t usually care for anyway) but would that be a solution? I don’t see that others find the firm cream cheese to be a problem, but maybe they eat it all when freshly made?
Hi Judy, Glad you like it! I’d just let the cheese come to room temperature before serving – it will be much easier to spread.
Use creme cheese spread instead of cream cheese loaf.
I made this as a cheese ball and covered with fresh, chopped parsley for a gathering. The only thing I added to the recipe mixture was chopped, green onions (scallions). I served with Fritos and it was truly delicious.
one more helpful addition: I froze this for an hour or so to harden enough to form into a ball.