Best Pimento Cheese Recipe

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Dips & Spreads

Never underestimate the power of a good pimento cheese recipe. Bold and creamy pimento cheese spread is a right-of-passage here in the south.

Southern cooks are serious cooks.

Don’t be misled by the warm hospitable smile or charming southern draw. Cooking is a serious business down here.

If someone states they’ve got a great recipe for strawberry pie, you can bet it’s been passed down in the family for generations… And has possibly won a blue ribbon at the county fair. I’ve never lived in a place where so many people are avid cooks with years of home training from mama, granny, and great-gran-nanny as well.

Certain dishes must be conquered with skill and finesse in order to call yourself a southern cook.

What Ingredients You Will Need

Ingredients

8 ouncecream cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic (very small), minced
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
8 ounces shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese (2 cups)
1/3 cup chopped pimentos, drained
Pepper

How to Make this Classic Pimento Cheese Recipe

Instructions

Place the cream cheese, garlic and onion in the food processor. Puree until smooth. Then add the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and puree again.

Scrape the bowl and add half the shredded cheese. Pulse until well combined.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining cheese, pimentos, and pepper to taste. Stir to mix, cover, and place in the fridge. Allow the pimento cheese spread to chill and thicken for 30 minutes before serving.

You can store this cheese blend in an mason jar.

add the pureed cheese to more shredded cheese

Other Classic Southern Dish to Pair With This Appetizer

Hidden under a frilly toile apron, the southern cook has an arsenal of dishes that will make your head spin. Shrimp and grits, squash casserole, spiced ham, tomato pie, corn pudding, collard greens, cornbread and red velvet cake are considered the big guns.

But DO NOT, under any circumstances, forget to pack a good pimento cheese recipe in your holster.

Consider yourself warned.

The Best Pimento Cheese Dip

Pimento cheese spread is the quintessential Southern Staple snack. A killer pimento cheese recipe must have a thick and creamy texture, not runny and overly mayonnaisey. It also needs to have a good amount of diced pimentos and a little extra something that no one can quite put their finger on.

Pimento cheese spread is fantastic on crackers, chips, veggies, apples, as a topper for baked potatoes, carrots, or broccoli… And of course, as the filling in a Pimento Cheese Sandwich on some white bread.

The best pimento cheese recipe on crackers

Homemade Pimento Cheese

My perky pimento cheese recipe is a little spicy. The extra something I add is a nip of Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. I also use a combination of Extra Sharp Cheddar and Pepper Jack Cheese, instead of traditional Cheddar and Monterrey Jack.

It is important to let the pimento cheese spread sit for a while after it’s prepared to thicken and absorb all the flavors. Then set it in the middle of a crowd, put on your Southern badge of honor, and watch it disappear at bullet-speed!

best spread for a pimento cheese sandwich

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does this recipe last?

You can store this cheese spread in the fridge for about 10 days. Keeping it in an airtight container will help keep it fresh longer.

What can I substitute in this recipe for the mayonnaise?

You can use cottage cheese, sour cream, or Greek yogurt instead of mayo for this recipe.

What vegetables would be good to dip in this appetizer?

You can dip nearly any vegetable that you love. Cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, red bell peppers, sweet cherry peppers, or celery sticks are all good options.

More Easy Dips and Spread Recipes

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5 from 6 votes

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