Pimento Cheese
This pimento cheese is the best! It’s cheesy, tangy, peppery (spicy if you wish), and spreadable. Recipe yields 2 cups.
Prep: 10min
Total: 10min
Yield: 2
Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1/4 cup, calories 245 calories, Sugar 1.8 g, Sodium 355.9 mg, Fat 22.1 g, Saturated Fat 11.4 g, Trans Fat 0.3 g, Carbohydrate 3.5 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 8.4 g, Cholesterol 60.6 mg
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)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (decrease or omit if sensitive to spice)
- 1/2 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
Instruction:
- 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.
Homemade In Less Than 10 Minutes | The BEST Pimento Cheese Recipe!!!
FAQ
How does Paula Dean make pimento cheese?
Ingredients
- 3ounces cream cheese, at room temperature.
- 1cup packed, coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese.
- 1cup packed, coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese.
- ½cup mayonnaise, or more to taste.
- ⅛teaspoon garlic powder.
- 3tablespoons minced pimentos (sweet pickled red or cherry peppers)
- 1teaspoon grated onion.
What is pimento cheese made of?
What Is Pimento Cheese? Pimento cheese is a popular Southern spread that’s traditionally made with shredded Cheddar, mayonnaise, and pimentos. It’s commonly served with crackers and vegetables or as a sandwich filling. Pimento cheese is often called the “pâté of the south.”
How do Southerners eat pimento cheese?
Southerners love their pimento cheese. Often laid out as an appetizer at social gatherings, the tasty cheese mixture is easy to spread on crackers and in the curve of a celery stalk.
Why is pimento cheese so popular in the South?
It may have become popular in the South because it didn’t spoil easily at room temperature, making it easy to pack in lunchboxes, particularly for textile workers. But it was also fashionable as a sandwich in tea rooms.
