Homemade Pimento Cheese

Pimento Cheese is a Southern institution! This classic creamy cheese spread is perfect on crackers and in classic pimento cheese sandwiches. And with this simple recipe, it's super easy to make your own tasty pimento cheese at home.

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Ahhh, pimento cheese -- one of those quintessential Southern treats, where you take grated cheese and mix it with mayonnaise, diced pimento, and some seasonings to create one very tasty cheese spread.

Seriously, if you're not from or familiar with The South, let me just tell you -- pimento cheese (usually pronounced pi-men-uh) is a Southern institution. Like pulled pork barbecue, sweet tea, Cheerwine (which is a soda, by the way ... not a wine), hushpuppies, peach cobbler, fluffy buttermilk biscuits, and oh so many other wonderful Southern specialties.

It's tough to go to pretty much any type of Southern gathering, be it pot-lucks, church gatherings, bridal showers, or picnics, without finding pimento cheese served up in some way, shape, or form.

This classic creamy cheese spread is perfect on crackers and in classic pimento cheese sandwiches.

Most typically, we find the classic pimento cheese sandwich. -- Which is simply pimento cheese slathered thick between two slices of bread. It's certainly nothing fancy, but it's just sooooooo good. But take the crusts off the bread and cut the sandwich into shapes? And now you've got fancy! Which makes pimento cheese just perfect and classic for enjoying as tea sandwiches.

Or, serve pimento cheese just straight-up with crackers. Or how about in a grilled cheese sandwich that's oh-so-yum? Put it with bacon ... even better. Or, slather some on top of a burger. For a party, how about delicious pork tenderloin pimento cheese crostini melts? Yes, these are just some of the many many ways we Southerners enjoy our pimento cheese.

But no matter how you choose to enjoy it, pimento cheese -- especially when it's homemade, -- is just plain delicious. 

Homemade Pimento Cheese Ingredients:

Pimento cheese is a simple mixture of shredded cheese, finely chopped pimentos, mayonnaise, and seasonings. To whip up a batch, you'll need:

• Shredded orange sharp cheddar cheese + shredded Monterey Jack cheese - The foundation of pimento cheese. Most recipes are based on cheddar cheese alone, but a combination of both sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack brings nice flavor to the finished cheese spread. You can go all-orange cheddar, though, for truly classic pimento cheese if you prefer. It's important to grate your own cheese from blocks for this. -- We do not recommend using store-bought pre-shredded cheese as it won't produce the "proper" pimento cheese texture.

• Pimentos - Pimento cheese's namesake ingredient. If you're not familiar with pimentos (also spelled pimientos), they're a type of cherry pepper with a sweet flavor, much like that of a red bell pepper. They typically come in small jars, usually found in the pickle/olives aisle of the grocery store. Though in our local grocery store, they're found with the canned vegetables -- so be sure to look in both areas of the store if you're ever having trouble finding them.

• Mayonnaise - The traditional binder used to bring pimento cheese together into a spread and to create its creamy texture. You can use a bit more or less than is called for, if you'd like, to suit your personal texture preference.

• Cream cheese - The "secret" ingredient that sets this homemade pimento cheese recipe apart from others. A small bit of cream cheese creates a wonderfully extra-creamy result.

• Salt + cayenne pepper - A small dash of each are the classic pimento cheese seasonings, and enhance its flavors. The cayenne brings pimento cheese's traditional slight background heat, but be careful to not go overboard. The spicy heat should be very subtle.

• Worcestershire sauce - Adds tang and savory background flavor to the finished pimento cheese. We recommend Lee & Perrins brand Worcestershire sauce, as we like its flavor best.

• Hot sauce - Partners with the recipe's cayenne pepper to bring pimento cheese's traditional slight, subtle background heat. We use Frank's Red Hot.

How to Make Homemade Pimento Cheese:

To make a batch of homemade pimento cheese, start by shredding some cheese.

One key point to making this classic treat -- please, oh please, us Southerners beg you -- is to grate your own cheese. The store-bought pre-shredded stuff has a coating on it that will all-kinds-of-mess-up the texture of the finished pimento cheese. This Southern institution turns out much creamier and more flavorful with self-shredded cheese, and substituting store-bought pre-shredded cheese is truly doing it a dishonor.

This particular homemade pimento cheese recipe includes a combination of orange sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, and a little cream cheese. It's a combination that creates a very nice flavor and texture.

Traditional pimento cheese relies solely on orange cheddar, but I do break with tradition here and use the combination of orange cheddar and white Monterey Jack. -- Go all-orange cheddar though, if you prefer, for a truly classic pimento cheese.

Once the cheese is shredded, combine it with mayonnaise, chopped pimentos, a little Worcestershire and hot sauce, a touch of salt, and a little pinch of cayenne pepper.

Mix everything together until it's well combined. Then cover and chill the mixture overnight to allow the flavors to meld.

Then you're ready to enjoy the creamy deliciousness!

If pimento cheese is new to you, are you curious? If it's an old-standby for you, what's your favorite way to enjoy it? -- I'd love to hear.  

My favorite way to enjoy pimento cheese is straight up on a cracker!

So grab that cheese grater and a jar of pimentos, and get ready to whip up a batch of this Southern institution. With this recipe, it's super easy to make your own tasty Homemade Pimento Cheese to enjoy in any of its many delicious ways.

Check out these other tasty dips & spreads:

• Homemade Boursin Cheese Spread
• Simple Olive Oil Bread Dip
• Carolina Caviar
• Mixed Olive Tapenade
• Pineapple Cheese Ball
• Easy Shrimp & Cream Cheese Appetizer
• Rosemary Cheese Spread
• How to Make Hummus
• Sweet Potato Hummus
• More appetizers & snacks

Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

pimento cheese recipe, homemade pimento cheese, Southern pimento cheese, cheese spread recipe

Appetizers & Snacks

Southern

Yield: About 3 cups

Author: Tracey | The Kitchen is My Playground

Homemade Pimento Cheesehttps://youtu.be/iewaHORnyXwDemonstration of how to make homemade Pimento Cheese.

Homemade Pimento Cheese Recipe

Pimento Cheese is a Southern institution! This classic creamy cheese spread is perfect on crackers and in classic pimento cheese sandwiches. And with this simple recipe, it's super easy to make your own tasty pimento cheese at home.

Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min

Ingredients

• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. shredded orange sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3 T. finely chopped pimento
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• Dash of salt
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of hot sauce

Instructions

1. Mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, salt, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
2. Add cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and pimentos. Stir until well combined. Add a touch more mayonnaise if the mixture seems too stiff.
3. Refrigerate over night to let the flavors meld together.

TRACEY'S NOTES:

1. It's important to grate your own cheese from blocks for this. We do not recommend using store-bought pre-shredded cheese as it won't produce the "proper" pimento cheese texture.
2. For hot sauce, we use Frank's Red Hot.

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This post is linked with Weekend Potluck.