I love pimento cheese. There, I said it. If you’re not from the South, you might be wondering, “What is pimento cheese?”
Pimento cheese is a classic Southern cheddar cheese and pimento pepper dip. It’s affectionately referred to as “pâté du Sud,” or Southern pâté. If you appreciate cheddar cheese, pimento cheese is going to be your new favorite party dip and sandwich spread.
My grandmother, Mimi, made pimento cheese when I was little. I was a picky eater back then, but at least I had the good sense to appreciate her pimento cheese. I order pimento cheese every time I find it on a menu, which to my delight, seems to be happening more frequently these days.
I tried to find Mimi’s recipe in her handwritten recipe books, which are among my treasured possessions, along with her ring that I’m wearing on my left hand. I got lost in nostalgia and found my great-aunt’s Jell-o cucumber salad recipe, but not Mimi’s pimento cheese.
So, I came up with my own pimento cheese recipe. Let’s make some!
What are pimento peppers?
Pimento (also spelled pimiento) peppers are small red peppers that are not at all spicy. They’re often called cherry peppers when you find them sold fresh in grocery stores.
Pimento peppers are even more mild than red bell peppers. You might recognize them as the little red peppers stuffed inside green olives.
If you’re from the Midwest, rest assured that pimento cheese has nothing to do with pimento loaf. Pimento peppers are the only common ingredient.
Pimento Cheese Ingredients
In its most essential form, pimento cheese is made with cheddar cheese, pimento peppers and mayonnaise. I’ve played with the proportions of common elements to find my ideal levels of cheesy, tangy, peppery (spicy if you wish), and spreadable.
Freshly made, homemade pimento cheese tastes far superior to store-bought options. By making it yourself with quality ingredients, you can avoid strange preservatives. Here’s what you’ll need.
Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Be sure to buy a delicious extra-sharp variety so the cheddar flavor shines above all else. I used Tillamook.
Grate your cheese by hand on the large holes of a box grater. Don’t buy pre-shredded cheese, which is coated in powder that mutes the flavor and interferes with its creamy texture.
Cream Cheese
Cream cheese enhances the cheddar flavor and ensures that your pimento cheese is tangy and spreadable.
Not all pimento cheese recipes include cream cheese, but it just doesn’t taste right to me without it. I’d bet money that Mimi’s pimento cheese was made with cream cheese. If you read Serious Eats’ lengthy history on pimento cheese, you’ll see that cream cheese and pimentos have been friends for a long time.
Pimento Peppers
Pimento peppers are a given. They infuse the dip with mild pepper flavor and provide its signature reddish hue. Be sure to drain your peppers well, and give them a few extra chops if they come in slices rather than a tiny dice.
If you can’t find pimento peppers, roasted red peppers are a great substitute. Chop them up until you have a scant one-half cup. I used jarred peppers for my recipe tests, but you could go the extra mile and roast your own peppers.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise lends a silky texture and some key flavor. If we weren’t using cream cheese, we’d make up for it with additional mayonnaise, but I’ve found that a combination of the two yields the tastiest results.
Duke’s brand of mayonnaise is standard in Southern pimento cheese. I used Sir Kensington’s instead, since that’s the brand I keep on hand.
A Few Simple Seasonings
Pimento cheese flavorings vary by recipe. A combination of garlic powder and onion powder lend subtle and irresistible savoriness.
I like my pimento cheese a little spicy, so my recipe includes cayenne pepper as well. The heat is subtle but makes me go back for more. Take it up a notch with fresh jalapeño pepper, which adds seriously fresh flavor and a light crunch. A little bit goes a long way.
If you’re sensitive to spice, you can reduce or omit both the cayenne and jalapeño. You can always add more heat, but you can’t take it away.
How to Make Pimento Cheese
Pimento cheese is super easy to make, and ready in 10 minutes. You essentially just need to stir the ingredients together until combined.
I use my hand mixer to beat the ingredients together, which yields a nice, lightly fluffy texture. Don’t mix it up in a food processor, since pimento cheese is best when the individual ingredients retain some texture.
How to Serve Pimento Cheese
Here are a few classic serving ideas:
Pimento Cheese Sandwiches
You haven’t lived until you’ve had a pimento grilled cheese sandwich. You can also follow tradition and serve pimento cheese between two slices of bread, sliced into tea sandwich form if you’re throwing a party.
If you want to build a more substantial sandwich, pimento cheese is great with sliced cucumber (or dill pickles), tomato, sprouts or arugula, and even a fried egg.
As a Dip or Spread
Pimento cheese and crackers is a winning combination. If you want to lighten up your party spread, serve it with substantial strips of bell pepper (any color but green), cucumber, or celery.
You can take cues from pimento cheese and add pimento peppers to your favorite cheddar dishes. I can’t wait to add some to my go-to mac and cheese.
Please let me know how your pimento cheese turns out in the comments! I bet your friends will fight over it at your game day parties.
Looking for more party snacks? Here are a few favorites:
- The Best Guacamole
- Baked Jalapeño Poppers
- Crispy Baked Potato Wedges
- Perfect Stovetop Popcorn
- Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
Pimento Cheese
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Dip or spread
- Method: Mixer
- Cuisine: Southern
This pimento cheese is the best! It’s cheesy, tangy, peppery (spicy if you wish), and spreadable. Recipe yields 2 cups.
Ingredients
- 2 cups freshly grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1” cubes and softened at room temperature*
- 4 ounces pimento peppers**, well drained and chopped if in strips
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (Duke’s is traditional but I also like Sir Kensington’s)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (decrease or omit if sensitive to spice)
- ½ medium jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and minced (about 1 tablespoon; omit if sensitive to spice)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the cheddar, cream cheese, pimento peppers, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and jalapeño (if using), and several twists of black pepper.
- Beat the mixture together with a hand mixer, your stand mixer, or by hand with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula. Beat until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Taste, and add more black pepper if desired, and/or salt for more overall flavor (I usually add a pinch of two). If you’d like your pimento cheese to have more of a kick, add another pinch of cayenne. Blend again.
- Transfer the mixture to a smaller serving bowl. Serve your pimento cheese immediately, or chill it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Pimento cheese hardens as it cools; let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature to soften.
Notes
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes and the Lee brothers via The New York Times.
*Cream cheese tip: If you, like me, always forget to pull the cream cheese out of the fridge in advance, simply cube it into a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Warm it in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, just until it’s more pliable. We only need it warm enough to mix into the other ingredients, but not warm enough to melt the cheese.
**Where to find pimento peppers: You’ll find pimento peppers in well-stocked grocery stores, typically near the roasted red peppers. If you can’t find them, substitute a scant ½ cup chopped roasted red pepper. You’ll hardly tell a difference.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
KatyD
I like to add pimento cheese to mac n cheese
Kate
That sounds interesting!
Anne
I’m sure Sir Kensington’s mayonnaise is good (I love their mustards), but a true Southern pimento cheese is made with Duke’s Mayonnaise. Try your recipe with Duke’s.
Kate
Thanks for sharing your favorite, Anne!
JUlia
Haha, I thought the same thing! If it’s Southern, it’s gotta be Dukes. (Says the New England transplant with all the fervor of a convert.)
This recipe looks delicious! I’ll have to try it and see what all the little old ladies at church think next time I’m on snack duty. :)
Liz
Yes, I will have to agree with Julia. I know Duke’s isn’t available everywhere, so we Southerners are blessed to living Duke’s country!
Laurie
My goodness! I haven’t even thought about Pimento cheese in forty five years.
It used to come in little glass jars; we stuffed our celery with it and put it on the relish tray for company.
I’m going to make this with my own home grown pimento peppers; I’ll roast them first as you suggested for the red peppers.
I would love your grandmother Mimi’s recipe for a gelatin cucumber salad!
Do hope you will recreate it for us.
Kate
I bet they will be amazing with homegrown!
Gay
I,too, have been eating my mother’s And my pimento cheese since I was a picky eater child! And have served it to my children and grandchildren. The idea of adding cream cheese is new to me, but I think I’ll try it and cut back a bit on the mayo. Instead of the cayenne pepper and jalapeños we’ve always grate onion into ours—gives it milder, but essential kick. Enjoyed reading your history with this favorite food of mine.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you can relate! Thanks for sharing.
Rick
Gee thanks Kate, I also (*Laurie) haven’t thought about this in decades, and had it on celery, also.
I didn’t have a clue it was a Southern thing (grew up in western/central NY). I think I used to eat it straight from those little glass jars, too.
I’m sure this is much better…
Can’t wait to give it a whirl.
★★★★★
Kate
I hope you love it, Rick!
Sherlie Magaret
I am going to make some of this today. One question though, for being a Southern recipe, where is your Duke’s mayo? That is the go to Southern ingredient, I am not from the south but I use it all the time.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Sherlie! I prefer the one used in the recipe and don’t have that one as accessible here.
MARLENA Heilman
This is delish! I made it to take as lunch at my job. Made with white e-sharp Tillimook and it is ighter than usual PC, but I could sit down and eat with a spoon..Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Marlena!
Katie
Hi Kate! Is there any way to make this without the mayo? Egg allergy at my house :/
★★★★
Kate
Oh no! You can skip the mayo if you like.
Lindsey
You could use a vegan mayo brand instead. :)
Michelle
LOVE me some pimento cheese. I too have not tried it with cream cheese, but will in the future. I love to add sriracha to mine for the “kick”…it just mixes so well together with the mayo and sharp cheddar.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Michelle!!
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Tasty and easy to prepare, will make again! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome!
Sara
So it can also be made like this. Haven’t heard about like this since the day i started cooking. Thanks for sharing Kate.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for your review, Sara!
Jen
Omggggg. My husband went to The Masters practice round several years ago and ate SO many pimento cheese sandwiches, and ever since has been trying to recreate the magic of Augusta pimento cheese sandwiches with store bought versions. I made this recipe and he said it’s the closest he’s come to finding the magic Augusta pimento cheese!!! Definitely a household staple now and will be on my list of easy party recipes.
★★★★★
Kate
It’s so good on sandwiches! I’m happy this version met your husband’s standards!
Handpan les workshop
I remember this from way back, but I always loved it! Will try it soon together with some nachos ;)
★★★★★
Kate
Yes, with nachos would be delicious! Thanks for your review.
Bekah
I forgot to buy jalapeño but I had some chili paste in the fridge. Worked perfect. Really delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you were able to make it work with what you had on hand, Bekah! Thanks for sharing.
Emily
Made this tonight w leftover roasted red peppers… grilled it up in a grilled cheese… and watched my 2 kids and husband devour it – delicious!!
★★★★★
Kellan
This sure brings back memories! I will certainly try your version soon! One question, why do you think that green peppers shouldn’t be used for dipping?
Kate
I don’t love green peppers, but you can use them if you like!
Jackie
Kate: Made the pimento cheese recipe just as written – sneaked in a few chopped Peppadew peppers ’cause I’m having a love affair with them lately and took the whole lovely thing as an offering to an impromtu gathering at a local winery. Delicious! It received raves! Thanks so much for the recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you loved it, Jackie.
SARKARI RESULT
I like this one. I’m going to make this with my own home grown pimento peppers
★★★★★
Kate
Let me know what you think!
BookMyAdvertising
I will must try at my home! Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome!
Marketing Café
Really amazing recipe Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you like it!
OnlineCakeMalik
This recipe looks delicious! I’ll have to try it
Kate
Please let me know what you think!
Mags Angeles
I really love your recipe.
Thanks for sharing. More power to you and God Bless You :)
★★★★★
Sheila
I made this today and it’s the best I’ve ever had! Yum!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Sheila! Thanks for your review.
Melinda Lamb
Why have I never made pimento cheese before? My best friend is coming from Raleigh and she loves it so I decided to surprise her when she gets here.
I am licking the bowl. So delicious!! Thank you for figuring out your grandmoms recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Right? It’s so good. I’m excited you loved it, Melinda!
Keryy Linda
Hi,
can i skip garlic powder, please?
Sandra L Irick
Love your recipes. So great to have such delicious recipes for my transition to a vegetarian diet. I made this cheese spread, yum. Also used it for macaroni and cheese. Talk about easy.
Kate
I’m glad you loved it!
Kathy and Cookie
Amazing! Where do I start? I used the Tillamook (have been since a trip there in the 90’s) and that starts the magic. I had never used cream cheese and found I loved this texture better than all mayonnaise. Sandwiches, veggies, crackers, baked Mac and cheese, all are perfection with this Devine concoction revived from my past. Thanks! to Kate and Cookie from Kathy and Cookie (kitty)
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for commenting, Kathy!