Pimento Cheese
This easy pimento cheese recipe is perfect for sandwiches or as a spread or dip. Just a few simple ingredients. Make it spicy or mild!
Today’s recipe is for pimento cheese!
This is one of my favorite things to snack on. I love it as a spread on crackers, but it can also be served warm as a dip, or as a sandwich filling.
It’s creamy and cheesy and has a great balance of savory seasonings.
Plus it couldn’t be simpler to make! It literally takes minutes and you’ll have enough to snack on for days.
This pimento cheese recipe is a perfect bring-along to a summer cookout. And if you’re looking for more easy appetizer recipes, be sure to check out my 7-Layer dip, Buffalo chicken dip, and onion dip recipes. All real crowd-pleasers for sure!
Table of Contents
- What is pimento cheese?
- Why this is the best pimento cheese recipe
- What does pimento cheese taste like?
- Ingredients
- Special equipment
- How to make pimento cheese
- How to serve homemade pimento cheese
- Expert tips
- Frequently asked questions
- A few more of my best southern recipes
What is pimento cheese?
This is a southern classic!
It’s a creamy dip or spread that’s loaded with cheesy flavor.
Mostly it’s just a blend of cheeses, mayonnaise, and seasonings, with pimentos folded in for a hit of sweet flavor.
Pimentos are just roasted red bell peppers. I buy them diced, in a little jar, like this: diced pimientos. Makes this recipe even easier!
It spreads easily at room temperature, so it’s perfect for pimento cheese sandwiches or as a spread on crackers. Or you can warm it up and you’ll have pimento cheese dip.
Why this is the best pimento cheese recipe
- Tastes amazing: Creamy, cheesy, and savory, with little pops of sweetness from the peppers.
- Few ingredients: Just a handful of pantry staples.
- Easy to make: Comes together in no time!
- Versatile: Make it spicy or mild, it’s totally up to you!
What does pimento cheese taste like?
This recipe for pimento cheese mixes up creamy and savory, with a little hint of garlic and onion. There’s a slight tanginess from the mayo, and a nice sharp flavor from the cheddar. Every now and then you get a pop of sweetness from the roasted red peppers.
If you like, you can turn up the heat with some cayenne pepper and/or diced jalapeno, but this is completely optional!
Ingredients
Cream cheese: If your cream cheese has been softened to room temperature it will blend much more easily with the other ingredients.
Mayonnaise: Any brand is fine, but a lot of people enjoy Duke’s or Blue Plate.
Seasonings: I like a combination of kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. You could also add crushed red pepper flakes.
Cheese: Shredded sharp cheddar cheese is my go-to, but you could use a milder kind if you prefer!
Pimientos: Diced pimiento peppers come in a 4-ounce jar, so all you have to do is drain them of their liquid.
Special equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons: Follow my guide on how to measure ingredients.
- Bowl: A large mixing bowl gives you plenty of room to groove.
- Mixer: This is optional, but a handheld electric mixer helps to get the base nice and smooth. You could just do it by hand too though.
- Strainer: Allows you to easily drain the pimientos of the liquid they’re packed in.
How to make pimento cheese
This easy recipe comes together in just 2 simple steps.
Step 1: Make the base
Start by placing the cream cheese, mayo, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne (if using) in your bowl.
Blend these ingredients together until smooth.
Step 2: Add-ins
Then add in the shredded cheddar cheese and drained diced pimientos.
Fold these last 2 ingredients in until combined.
That’s all there is to it!
How to serve homemade pimento cheese
Pimento cheese can be enjoyed for lunch or as a snack.
I like to garnish the top with a little sprinkling of cayenne pepper and some sliced scallions, but it really doesn’t need any added adornment.
At room temperature, it’s easy to scoop and spread. Chilled, it’s a little more firm.
You can scoop it onto bread for a pimento cheese sandwich, or spread it onto buttery crackers.
Or, transfer it to a baking dish and bake it in the oven for around 20 minutes at 350 degrees F, and you’ll have hot pimento cheese dip. <– This is especially delish with raw veggies!
This is also really good on a burger or on my better-than-takeout crispy chicken sandwich!
Expert tips
Soften the cream cheese: If your cream cheese has been warmed to room temperature, it will be a lot easier to blend up your dip.
Make it healthier: Try using light cream cheese, light mayo, and reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, for a healthy pimento cheese.
Spice it up: Add fresh or canned diced jalapenos (drained) for more heat, or just up the cayenne!
Frequently asked questions
Yes!
It’s ready to serve as soon as it’s mixed up, but this is one of those recipes that gets better the longer it sits. The flavors meld and marry and intensify, so don’t be afraid to make this pimento cheese recipe a few hours or even days ahead of time.
It will keep in the fridge for about a week.
It’s fine to leave this out for a few hours at room temp, but any longer than that and it should probably go into the fridge. It will keep there for around a week, in an airtight container.
I probably wouldn’t recommend freezing it, as the freeze/thaw process could affect the texture and make it separate or become grainy.
This recipe will give you around 3 cups of pimento cheese.
I’ve figured on a serving size of 3 tablespoons per person, as a spread or dip. So you should be able to serve around 16 people with this, as an appetizer.
The nutritional info is for 3 tablespoons, and it doesn’t include bread, crackers, veggies, or any other kind of dipper.
A few more of my best southern recipes
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Pimento Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (112 g) mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.75 g) garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.25 g) cayenne pepper, (optional) or to taste
- 2 cups (226 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) diced pimentos, drained
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese, mayonnaise, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne (if using) in a large bowl and blend together until smooth.
- Fold in the shredded cheddar cheese and the drained pimentos.
