Pimento Cheese
This pimento cheese recipe is the best! This pimento cheese is the perfect combination of cheesy, tangy, peppery (spicy if you wish), and spreadable.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
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.
Pimento cheese is creamy and cheesy, tangy, peppery (spicy if you wish), and spreadable. 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.
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.
Watch How to Make Pimento Cheese
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
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hi! Came across this as I searched for a sauce to drizzle on or dip fried green tomatoes. How you you make this more creamy to use as a sauce versus dip? More mayo or more cream cheese? Another liquified?
Hi Fawn, this is meant as a dip. But, I would recommend zhoug as a nice spicy sauce!
It was excellent! Followed the recipe to a T. Cannot wait to serve it again.
Love it! This one is good to have over and over. Thank you for your review, Dawn.
So good and my go-to recipe now. I wouldn’t change a thing.
We like our sandwiches with a layer of sliced cucumber.
This is a great recipe. Gives me great ideas to use it with. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Michael!
Great recipe! I made this to celebrate my first official day of retirement. I will make this again for company.
Thank you for sharing, Sharon! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
I grew up eating my Grandmother’s homemade pimento cheese. With Duke’s Mayo only! I will try your recipe but I have to use Duke’s, lol. I live in NC and I have never heard of your brand. If no Duke’s, I’d try Hellman’s.
Cheesy, spicy, and YUMMY!
I forgot the mayo, but it makes a great slightly hard spread too.
I’m happy you enjoyed it!
absolutely delicious!. . thanks for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome, Stevie.
This recipe is fabulous! Real deal – made per directions using Dukes and Tillamook. As Creole/NC transplants in New England we make regular runs to NC for the basics-sausage, bacon and Dukes Mayo. Tillamook, a New England or Canadian extra sharp is a must! Serve on a fried green tomato and top with a fired shrimp. Or eat on a smash burger. Or straight out of the bowl .
First I’d like to say I love all the recipes I have tried from you! I’m not a big commenter, but I’m trying to get better. Lol.
How do you think pickled peppers would go in this recipe? We like a little heat.
I cannot wait to try this recipe tomorrow! Five stars because I’m sure it’ll be great :)
Hi Tiffany! Thank you for your review. I’m not sure about pickled peppers but you could try it. You can also increase the other spice if you like.
This is my new favorite dip/spread. It’s super easy to make and tastes delicious! I added a healthy tablespoon to some homemade mac and cheese and that took it over the top. Making my second batch this afternoon….
Hooray! Thank you for your review, Midge.
Pretty good. I think I would add more cheddar/less cream cheese.
I’m 56 years old and I can’t fathom living anywhere else but the South.
yes, Duke Mayo that is , and no, no jalapeño peppers. My humble opinion.
And they don’t have Pimento Cheese in Wisconsin Or California?
I have found that adding a little blue cheese crumbles tends to really bring up the flavors.
Exactly what I was looking for, after being disappointed with expensive store-bought pimento cheese spreads full of unwanted ingredients. So easy, followed the recipe, except for the jalapeno, using Coastal English mature white cheddar and Best Foods mayo. Perfect spreadability and taste. A new favorite!
That’s great to hear, Rose! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Perfection! This is the recipe I’ve always wanted. We used to get it in Sanibel. Happy to be able to make it at home!
Thanks for the recipe. You should consider also using metric measurements for the rest of the world.
I made this yesterday per the recipe with the omission of the salt and used it for a quick lunchtime sandwich today. It was really, really delicious! So much better than even the premium brands (think Palmetto, etc.)!!! I am a convert!
I love it, Claudia! Thank you for sharing.
I made this recipe as close as I could with my ingredients. For cream cheese, I used Neufchâtel cheese, which is very similar to cream cheese but has fewer calories. I used pimento peppers from Goya and was surprised that there was a whole red pepper that looked like a red bell pepper in the 6.5 oz. jar I used. It wasn’t small cherry peppers at all but the pepper was mild and tasted good. I used Kraft real mayonnaise (normally, I make my own but I was out and pressed for time)and a whole frozen jalapeño pepper that I keep on supply. My cheddar was extra sharp from Aldi. The final product tastes wonderful and probably could be improved using a higher quality cheddar. A restaurant we like serves broiled pimento cheese with chips. It is gooey and wonderful.
My wife told her hair dresser I was making pimento cheese and the hair dressed said she adds some cottage cheese to a recipe similar to yours. Have you ever heard of that?
pimento cheese on raisin bread…yum!
instead of mixing it, use a fork and fluff it
Damn!
I used cream cheese spread… keeps it from getting hard when cold…
I always hated pimento cheese. Did NOT see what others saw in it. Husband and his family LOVE it. His mom always used Kraft Sandwich spread. I was trying to make it one day and decided to look up what was in the sandwich spread to add the main ingredients of it to my cheese. I used a little sweet pickle relish to it along with mayo, little garlic powder, little onion powder with couple drops of worchestershire sauce and oh my!! So good. Also have used sweet zucchini relish or sweet onion relish – OVER the top!! I will today, however, try your recipe because I like the idea of the cream cheese! I never even thought of that and I use cream cheese in everything! Even in my scrambled eggs while cooking, then shredded sharp cheddar after eggs are as done as we like. Im liking the idea of this pimento cheese going into scrambled eggs!! Thanks for your recipe!
Hooray! I’m glad you can enjoy this recipe for pimento cheese. Thank you for your review, Peggy!
It. Was. Delicious! Ok. I did put half of the cream cheese because I wanted to spring it on my hubby easy. He loved it so I didn’t tell him. I can add the rest next time. . Thank you for your recipe. This will be a nice edition to the get togethers at our house!
I’m glad you loved it, Peggy! Thank you for your review.
Hello! I am new to your blog. In your nutritional information do you share what a serving size is? For example a serving is 1/4 cup.
Thank you!
Hi Ceo, Yes, as you indicated it is 1/4 cup per the nutritional information. I hope that helps!
Thank you! Portion control is extremely important to me. Sadly because I have none. :-(
I just received your book! Excited about cooking again!
Yummy! My husband loves it !! Success and so easy
Thank you, Mindy!
Really great recipe. I omitted the garlic + onion powders, added 1/2 tsp dry mustard + 1/4 tsp smoky paprika, YUM! I used 1 small roasted fresh jalapeño instead of using Cheyenne. Made it in my food processor with the plastic (blunt) blade. Whipped up beautifully.
Do I have to roast my home grown pimento peppers first before making this spread?
Or use them raw?
Hi, you will want them cooked. I hope you love it!
Can you use Velveeta cheese instead of shredded cheese
What a delicious treat to find the perfect recipe from my southern (MS) past! Served this today as a tortilla pinwheel [with sliced deli ham] in my adopted country of Belize. It was a HUGE hit.
Thank you for reeling in some great memories for me, and making new ones in the Caribbean!
I love a little heat but jalapeños and I just don’t love each other, could I switch it up to diced hatch green chiles or flip a little cholula in there instead?
Hi, You can omit if you like and increase the cayenne if you like.
I have been making this recipe for a couple of years now. It never fails! Sooooo good, and sooo Southern. ;)
Love it. Anything store bought is awful!
Funny story:
A friend recently went through cancer treatment and I took a large container of spicy tortilla soup and a container of this pimento cheese over to her. I guess because I didn’t explain to her husband what this was (he’s such a Yankee), he didn’t realize the tortilla chips I included went into the soup bowl. So he thought this cheese was a dip for the chips…and he melted it! Lol.
Turns out, they loved it! So I guess it makes a great spicy queso dip as well. Ha ha
That’s a great story! I’m glad it was delicious both ways. Thank you for your review, Leona!
How about leaving out the jalapeños and adding chopped green olives stuffed with pimentos. Make a heavenly cheese spread everybody,loves. I also use valveeta instead cream cheese for a mild spread.
Your recipe tastes wonderful. I added chopped sweet pickle instead of the jalapeño. It was great both ways!
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
You’re welcome, Anne! Thank you for your review.
When I was a little girl we would drive from SoCal to Forney TX every summer to see family. The best for me was eating pimento cheese with Fritos and watching The Lawrence Welk show with my great grandmother Nanny. Your recipe has brought those memories back to me many times. Thanks
I use both yellow and white sharp cheddar and Kewpie mayo (there’s no comparison to anything else, gotta be Kewpie), and I add smoked paprika. But I like to vary the spiciness because I’m spreading it on toasted ciabatta rolls as open-faced sandwiches. So, for each sammie I sprinkle the spice mix of choice on top from the Teeny Tiny Spice Company: Jamaican Jerk, Ethiopian Berbere, Perfection Rub, Ras el Hanout, Garam Masala, Za’atar, Vindaloo, and Whoopass. To cut all that richness, I make an arugula salad with lemon, EVOO, and honey on the side.
Really appreciate this recipe as it was very simple to substitute vegan mayonnaise to create an egg-free option! My wife and I both recently learned that we are sensitive to egg and that was causing headaches. One of her favorites that we can’t simply purchase any longer was pimento cheese. This gives an awesome (arguably superior) option. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Troy! I appreciate your review.
I haven’t made this yet, but just discovered Duke’s mayo. I added a bit of spice blend and thought, ‘That would make a great spread.’ So here I am finding an awesome recipe for pimento cheese. Making it tomorrow, I’m out of cheddar!
Actually, I’m from the midwest, and I know what Pimento Cheese is, my mother grew up eating it and makes her own. I never tried it till recently and love it and look forward to trying your recipe, with the jalapenos! :) Carol
Pimento cheese is a staple in our family. My mom and dad made it, my children love it and we are constantly trying minor modifications. But we always go back to the simple form of cheese, mayo, salt and pepper with wonderful pimentos.
Try it on a burger it’s glorious.
Delicious! I used this recipe to stuff bacon wrapped poblanos. So GOOD!!
I have made this many times and it is always a hit!
That’s great to hear, Sharon! I appreciate your review.
Made your recipe tonight. Wanted a spicier version and didn’t have pimentos on hand, so I used Mama Oil’s peppers which have a bite to them. That was the only substitution. Super delicious! Can’t wait to share with co-workers.
Thank you for sharing, Tiffany!
Delicious
I’m serving Christmas Eve as a snack for my family as we have our tree
Creamy and flavored perfect
Thank you
Merry Christmas
Gigi Chapman
I love this recipe! Everyone asks for it when I make it. Best one I’ve found yet. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Ida!
FYI Ingredients list at beginning of article calls for sour cream, no cream cheese.
I love pimiento spread… no Duke’s Mayo on West Coast, but Best Foods is same company I understand.
I have difficulty finding pimento peppers in England, but note they are dried and ground to make paprika. Would it be possible to use this in place of the pimentos? Obviously not the 4oz I would have to add and taste to get the right amount. Also you can get smoked paprika. Hmm? wonder what some of that would taste like.
Hi Trevor, I’m not sure it will get you what you are looking for. You can try bell pepper and then maybe add some more seasoning. Let me know if you try it!
FYI, per web, Paprika is NOT made from pimento peppers….
I made this recipe to take to a house warming party. It was so delicious that the bowl was practically licked clean. My sister-in-law has texted me every day for a week to keep telling me that it is the best pimento cheese she has ever tasted. I will definitely be making more. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your review! I’m glad everyone enjoyed it.
I made the mistake of bringing this (in dip form) over to the home of some friends. They enjoyed it so much that I am now no longer welcome there without a bowl of pimento in tow. Thanks a lot, Kate!
Seriously, this stuff is habit-forming :)
You’re welcome, Austin! I’m glad you enjoyed it.