Pimiento Cheese is a true Southern classic with its sharp cheddar cheese, pimiento peppers, and mayonnaise. Use it as a sandwich filling or a spread.
Classic Pimiento cheese. Everybody knows pimiento cheese. Right? Wrong.
Not long after BeeBop and I got married and were immediately exiled to the cold, cold northeastern United States by the U. S. Navy, I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find out that there were actually people in the world who had never even heard of pimiento cheese. I found this unbelievable since pimiento cheese was a staple in every southern household that I knew anything about.
Pimiento cheese sandwiches were as common to our childhood as peanut butter is to most. It was something that our moms could make up quickly, spread between two pieces of soft white bread, feed us lunch, and be back to the hundreds of tasks they still had to complete that day. It also made appearances as hors d'oeuvres when stuffed in a stalk of celery or spread on a cracker.
Pimiento cheese is a remarkably simple recipe that uses very common ingredients that are nearly always on hand. My basic recipe follows.
Once you've mastered the basic you can do a little embellishing (a tiny dash of garlic powder, a dash of cayenne, or maybe a few chopped green olives) but don't stray too far. Otherwise it's not pimiento cheese any more, but just some fancy cheese spread. Pimiento cheese is not meant for fanciness.
How to Make Classic Pimiento Cheese
Grate 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese. I'm making a half recipe in the photos here, so yours will look like more if you're following the full recipe.
Add the pimientos.
Add the mayonnaise. I always use Duke's. It's made by people who really know what mayonnaise is supposed to taste like.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Using a fork, mix all ingredients together.
Enjoy as a spread on crackers, in a sandwich or stuffed in celery. I like it best on marbled rye with a few potato chips and some pickled okra on the side.
Enjoy!
More Vintage Southern Recipes on Lana’s Cooking:
pimiento cheese recipes from Other Bloggers:
- Pimiento Cheese from Southern Living Magazine
- Mother's Everyday Pimento Cheese from Epicurious
- The Lee Brothers' Pimento Cheese from The New York Times
- Pimento Cheese: It's a Southern Thing from NPR
- Pimento Cheese from She Wears Many Hats
- Southern Pimento Cheese from Add A Pinch
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Pimiento Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 4 oz. jar chopped pimiento well drained
- 6 tblsp. mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grate the cheddar cheese.
- Add the pimientos, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
- Using a fork, mix all ingredients together.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Mike Carrington says
Like the others, My Mother made this for us all the time and you can usually find a mixing bowl of it in my refrigerator. But Mom also modified it a little just by adding a little finely chopped onion. There is a hint of a crunch plus an added flavor.
Kim says
Thanks for the stuffed celery reminder—my mother used do that! That’s how my family always made pimento cheese and I do, too, but I discovered a little cream cheese tricks my son into thinking there’s no mayo in it. Sometimes I add a little garlic powder, onion powder, and maybe a dash of Coleman’s mustard powder for a bit of tang (that doesn’t taste like prepared mustard). Even a little diced jalapeño or chipotle have made their way into it. I think the trick to add-ins is to not overpower the cheese and pimento flavor. Oh, and I have also used half sharp cheddar and half smoked Gouda for a smokey flavor. So much you can do with pimento cheese! I love your heritage recipes! (You caused me to destroy my kitchen making fried chicken last week, but it was worth every bit of the clean up!)
Lana Stuart says
I'm so glad you enjoy the recipes, Kim! Some of those old recipes are the very best, I think. Sorry about the kitchen -- but I know just what you mean. It can be a little bit messy, can't it?
Angelina says
Your recipe sounds good, and easy to make. Mine is a little more involved, using a pkg. of orange Sharp Cheddar & an 8 oz. block of Extra Sharp White Vermont Cheddar (grated) & Cream Cheese. Some "Duke's" Mayo is also added, Pimento (drained well), salt (optional) and pepper, This recipe was 'apparently' served in the old Tea Houses in Savannah, GA. Pimento Cheese is delicious any way you serve it, but we especially like it spread on the bun of a Hamburger, or to make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich out of it. Would you believe that I read a recipe (from a Blogger) where she adds Mustard into it?! Then again, she adds Mustard into almost everything you'd mix up with a spoon :-(
Lana Stuart says
That sounds delicious, too, Angelina. But not the mustard. No mustard in the pimiento cheese, please :-)
Elizabeth Conboy says
Yes indeed, I believe in adding mustard to pimento cheese! Also, I shake in a few drops of Tabasco Pepper Sauce, just to perk it up. If you try this and don’t like it, please send it to me! Liz