Pimento Cheese

I have learned to love pimento cheese since moving to Memphis ten years ago. I have even developed my own recipe, which is similar. No mustard, celery, or the spices you have, but I do add Black & Red (black and red pepper blend) from Penzy’s. Give it a bit of a kick. I think your additions may add some depth, so I’m gonna give it a try — but keep my Black & Red.

And truth be told, Dukes is the only way to go!

Well you finally got me – had to post: All of these suggestion are wonderful. I think the key is the cream cheese for smoothness. Instead of onions, maybe a little green onion and finely minced jalapeños? Cheese choices can be just about anything as long as they are layered (or not) flavors. A little Pecorino, possibly some Fontina and a dash of Parmesan with the sharp cheddar. Bacon could overpower so if you need that then do as the previous poster suggested, eat bacon with this dish. My personal thought is that with the herbs or other additions you must be careful not to obliterate the cheese(s) flavors so go slow on amounts with the add-ons if you head that direction – again, all are wonderful ideas and now i plan to put on several pounds to test them all

Sounds great. A pimiento cheese sandwich, like most things in life, is better with a couple of strips of bacon.

My husband never heard of pimento cheese growing up! That was a sandwich we always looked forward to in our bagged lunch. My mom mixed cheddar and processed swiss, a little mustard, mayo and a tiny bit of grated onion with a jar of pimento. Great memory!

I like to add a few finely chopped olives. I also stir a little pimento cheese into my deviled egg mixture. Everybody loves it but nobody can figure out what’s different about it. A few years ago I was at a food and wine tasting in Tuscany and they had something called a vegetable spread which to my surprise tasted just like pimento cheese, an excellent one!

my neighbor makes amazing pimiento cheese. i didn’t even know i liked it until i had hers! i don’t think she uses cream cheese. i know it’s extra sharp cabot (has to be cabot, she says), cabot habanero cheddar, a little duke’s, and roasted red peppers. garlic powder? despite the habanero, it’s not overwhelmingly spicy. hers is miles away from the weird pasty stuff so many stores sell. i’ve probably eaten my weight in her pimiento cheese this summer. now i need to beg her for another batch.

Love it! Growing up in Alabama, we always seem to have Pa-men-uh Cheese.
I’ve seen lots of recipes trying to make it fancy by adding things like bacon, onion, pecans, blue cheese, chipotles, etc., etc., etc…
I make mine just like your recipe. Thanks for sharing! I will look for smoked paprika:)
Sometimes I use roasted red peppers instead of pimentos. This is fabulous with crackers. My son and I absolutely love Pimento Cheese on BLTs and made as grilled cheese sandwiches!

Love pimento cheese! This recipe is really similar to mine, but I usually use pepper jack cheese with super sharp cheddar. The smoked paprika and Worcestershire are such yummy additions. I had one at a local restaurant recently that had Benton’s bacon and chopped pepperoncinis. It was SO delicious.

I use an old Raleigh recipe that has (Duke’s) mayo, 1/2 sharp and 1/2 mild grated cheddar, cream cheese, pimientos, a bit of finely diced white onion, Worcestershire sauce, Texas Pete, salt and pepper, blended with mixer. Some folks add in a little sugar, I prefer without.

This is pretty much how I make mine except instead of the dry seasonings listed, I use salt and pepper and a generous amount of garlic chile paste for heat!

Thank you to the last commenter. I was wondering if I could use the jar of red peppers in the cupboard as it’s snowing and I don’t want to drive out for a jar of pimentos

I must try this! I love good pimiento cheese, but so many store brands just don’t taste all that good. I think I’ll use the fire-roasted peppers from the Italian section, since they seem to have so much more flavor than the jarred ones. There never seems to be enough actual pimiento flavor. Love the idea of the smoked paprika. Thanks for the recipe!

Is it time for The Masters already? I always make a batch of this and a pitcher of Arnie Palmer for watching that tournament!

This must be made with Duke’s mayo.

We never use cream cheese in ours. Just shredded sharp cheddar cheese, pimentos, mayo, onion and oregano. We actually make what we call ‘party pizzas’ with it which is just the pimento cheese spread on deli rye bread (good ol’ mix of southern and northern roots) and baked at 325 for about 20 minutes. If we’re feeling fancy we’ll chop up some summer sausage or pepperoni to put on top. It’s actually our traditional Christmas lunch.