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Sharp cheddar, Colby Jack and cream cheese are blended with spices to create this classic Southern staple. This Pimento Cheese recipe is easy to make and crazy addictive.
Pimento Cheese is one of those foods that looks kind of mysterious. I was a little scared to try it the first time it was served to me. We were visiting my mother-in-law, who just happened to live in South Carolina at the time, and she served Pimento Cheese Dip as part of a cheese platter. She called it the caviar of the south.
A Grilled cheese sandwich made with this stuff is phenomenal. Try it, you’ll never go back to your regular old american grilled cheese again. Unless you run out of it but now I’ve solved that problem because it’s super easy to make.
We love to use this classic southern recipe as a sandwich spread between two slices of white bread for an epic Pimento Cheese Sandwich or a burger topping, as well.
Ingredients You Need
This Old Fashioned Pimento Cheese recipe is similar in style to Paula Deen’s Pimento Cheese.
- Cream Cheese – Room temperature full-fat cream cheese creates the smoothest richest cheese spread. You can use low-fat cream cheese but it won’t be as good.
- Mayonnaise – Because you’re using a good amount of mayonnaise, use a high quality mayo.
- Cheese – A blend of extra-sharp cheddar cheese and Colby Jack cheese give the perfect balance of sharpness. You can substitute with all cheddar cheese or experiment with different types of cheeses, if you prefer. Be sure to grate the cheese yourself and don’t use pre-shredded cheese.
- Seasoning – Garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper are non negotiable. I also use ground cayenne pepper for a bit of heat. It’s not overly spicy so resist the urge to skip it.
- Pimentos – Pimentos are jarred pimento peppers you can easily find in the grocery store. They’re the same pimentos that are used to stuff Spanish Olives. If you can’t find them, you can substitute with roasted red peppers.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How To Make Pimento Cheese
This homemade pimento cheese dip is so easy to make. Just put everything in a bowl and stir it together. So simple!
- Place the cream cheese to a medium bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the cheddar cheese, Colby jar, cheese, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the bowl with the cream cheese. Continue mixing on medium speed until well combined.
- Fold in the pimentos and mix to combine.
- Transfer the cheese mixture to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
You can make the whole recipe in the bowl of a food processor, too, to make it even easier. Just be sure to not process the dip until smooth.
My easy Pimento Cheese Dip recipe has a little kick from the addition of cayenne pepper, which isn’t really traditional. If you want to omit it because you don’t like spicy food it’s fine but it really doesn’t make it super spicy.
It just lends a slight background kick after you had a few bites. It’s, seriously, the BEST Pimento Cheese recipe ever, in my opinion.
What is Pimento Cheese?
A staple at Southern gatherings, Pimento Cheese Dip is more like a spread or relish made of cheese, mayonnaise and pimentos. Commonly served with bread, crackers or vegetables, it also is fabulous in sandwiches!
Funny enough, it wasn’t even really invented in the south but in the 1870s at the New York State. Using two new products, creamed cheese and canned pimentos, farmers started making a soft, unripened cheese modeled after the French Neufchâtel.
Pimento Cheese Sandwiches are a signature item at the professional gold Masters Tournament and the Kentucky Derby.
It would be fabulous served alongside my Sweet and Spicy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms. Or it’s also perfect for your Kentucky Derby party along with this lighted up Kentucky Hot Brown or this Kentucky Bourbon Butter Cake.
What To Serve With Pimento Cheese
You can serve this delicious dip with just about anything but here are a few of our favorite things to pair it with.
- Easy Butter Swim Biscuits
- Everything Sourdough Crackers
- Celery Sticks and Carrot Sticks
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Pretzel Chips
What to Make with Leftovers
And if you have leftover Pimento Cheese spread, it goes so amazingly well in this killer pimento cheese mashed potato recipe OR you can dress up some pimento cheese deviled eggs for a fun and tasty twist on the classic. OR make this CRAZY GOOD Pimento Cheese Sandwich!
Looking for even more easy dip recipes?
- My favorite Hot Crab Dip
- Super simple Spinach Artichoke Dip
- This Buffalo Chicken Dip is the BEST EVER.
- Easy White Queso Dip
- Hot Asiago Artichoke Dip
- Quick Crab Rangoon Dip
- Pepperoni Pizza Dip ready in minutes!
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Pimento Cheese Spread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 bowl
Ingredients
- 6 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped pimentos
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whip the cream cheese using a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the cheddar, colby jack, mayonnaise, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper and continue mixing on medium speed until well blended. Add the pimentos and mix to combine.
- Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. The spread will last up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a great recipe one of the best my family loves it, and I make it all the time. Thanks for this great recipe.!!!
Thank you so much! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Made this spread for our superbowl party and it is great.
Thanks for the recipe.
You’re very welcome!
I never liked pimento cheese growing up. However, as I have mellowed with age & my taste buds have matured/changed I have learned to appreciate GOOD pimento cheese & this is it! VERY easy to put together. VERY tasty! This is a keeper recipe!
I guess you could use mild cheddar cheese if you wanted a milder version of this, & leave the colby jack out. I made it as it was written & I highly recommend it.
I’m so happy you loved it! It’s definitely addicting!
Excellent dip. I was fortunate to have fresh market pimentos. Frank’s red hot powder seasoning was excellent. We will definitely make again.
Love the tip of the hot powder seasoning.
My husband loves this recipe. I follow it exactly and keep all the ingredients on hand at all times. The cream cheese makes it yummy while the cayenne adds a little bite. Everyone who eats it at my house raves over it. I love all your recipes that I’ve tried. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m so glad you love it!!
Absolutely love this recipe! I’ve brought it to two parties now and it was a hit! Shared along your recipe to 3 people who just had to have it! And my husband just insisted I make a batch for just us this time! I serve them with pretzel crisps! Yummy!!!
Love the idea of serving with pretzel crisps! Thanks for the comment and so glad you loved it!
Yuck dude, all the ads with pictures of raw chicken scattered through the ingredients list made me want to hurl… talk about ‘cross contamination’… I mean sheeew! gross!
Anyway, the right pimento cheese can be one of the best things in the world, but when done wrong it is often extremely off-putting. This recipe, like most, shoots itself in the foot by over-complexifying a recipe that is best when kept simple. Pick a good cheddar cheese (I like Cracker Barrel white cheddar), diced pimentos, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and some pickled hot peppers if you’re feeling frisky. Smash is all together until it’s spreadable and you’re good to go (or if you’re a pathetic weakling you can cheat and use the food processor).
PS – anybody who puts velveta or miracle whip in pimento cheese deserves to be slapped silly
The ads pop up based on things you’ve been looking at on the internet, I tried to turn of the in recipe ads for you. 🙂 Anyway, thanks for the tips on the correct pimento cheese, I’m not from the south but this is the recipe my MIL (who lived in South Carolina) and I created together so it’s special to me. And I’m not a pathetic weakling when I use a food processor….just really lazy. 🙂 I love you….and hope you keep reading my blog/making the recipes/coming back with your witty comments. LOL!
You’re way nicer than I would have been to a rude comment like that..
🙂
Hopefully the 999 calories attributed to the fat in the recipe is an error.LOL Funny, in the north pimento cheese is a sandwich spread to be accompanied by some sort of deli meat but in the south it is the purists who win out and it is “The Sandwich.”
Ha ha ha!!! Yes, it’s based off a calculation per serving. I’ll adjust the serving size. 🙂 I’m all about just eating Pimento Cheese all by itself. So, sooooo good!
I love pimentos! Probably my favorite pepper!
Mine too!
Can not wait to give this recipe a try. Nothing better than really good Pimento Cheese with good crisp crackers. Don’t believe one can go wrong with this smashing recipe. Thank you
It’s great as a grilled cheese, too!
Pimento cheese dip always takes me back to my Granny’s house in Arkansas. She made the best pimento cheese sammiches! This recipe looks pretty close to hers, I think.
Isn’t it the best! Whoever invented pimento cheese is a genius. I like the bit of spice in this version.