I grew up eating pimento cheese. My mom–all the moms in the neighborhood went through a phase–even used to make it in their shiny new food processor. I’ve jazzed up this particular pimento cheese recipe to make it a little bit spicy and a little bit smoky. And a whole lot of delicious!
For us, it’s a must make whenever we go on vacation or are at home and need a little smackerel. For more things to do with pimento cheese, consider making these pimento cheese-stuffed grits balls or this pimento cheese pasta recipe.
For ease of browsing, you can find all my appetizer recipes in one place. Thanks so much for visiting!
Watch my pimento cheese recipe web story here.
Pimento Cheese at The Beach
This Pimento cheese recipe has become a preferred snack whenever we visit The Outer Banks in NC.
It’s easy to make, and it’s easy to make a ton of it.
Plus it doesn’t require any special equipment except for maybe a cheese grater.
Since it requires so little equipment, it’s easy to make almost anywhere you go on vacation, especially if you’re renting a cabin or house that has a reasonably well-stocked kitchen.
Is There One Right Way to Make Pimento Cheese?
There really isn’t. At its most basic, you can make pimento cheese with shredded cheese, mayo, and diced pimentos, but from there, the sky is the limit.
Even though there really is no one way to make pimento cheese spread, I think this version is pretty excellent.
Regardless, here are some ideas for additions you might enjoy:
What Else Can I Put in My Pimento Cheese?
- Crumbled bacon (or try swirling in some spicy bacon jam)
- Prepared horseradish
- Celery seed (one of my favorite additions)
- Cream cheese (mixed with some mayonnaise for a super creamy version)
- Mustard powder (just a touch for me, but you do you)
- Spice blends such as Old Bay or Tony Chachere’s
- Hot sauce (Tabasco, sriracha, etc)
- Garlic powder, onion powder, etc.
- Sweet pickle juice or a little bit of sugar
- Liquid Smoke
Add everything to taste.
The beauty of this traditional Southern specialty is that you can add everything to taste.
Don’t like an ingredient? Leave it out.
Really like an ingredient? Add extra.
To Mold Your Pimento Cheese
If you want to present your pimento cheese in a shaped mold, substitute 1/2 the amount of mayonnaise for softened cream cheese.
Once refrigerated, the cream cheese will help the spread hold its shape.
See my pimento cheese spread brain recipe for a creepy rendition of the variation.
What is the Best Mayonnaise for Making Pimento Cheese?
This might be a controversial response to this question, but use your favorite mayonnaise.
If you grew up on Duke’s, use it. Ditto for Hellman’s. Use your favorite.
Personally, I’m on Team Duke’s but I won’t fight you over the type of mayo you use.
This time, I decided to spice and smoke things up a bit, so this recipe for pimento cheese is actually a smoky, spicy pimento cheese.
So far, we’ve enjoyed it alone on crackers and then as a topping for a fried egg on one of my whole wheat English Muffins. Both ways? Excellent!
You can even use it as the base for one of the easiest Southern mac and cheese recipes ever, pimento cheese pasta.
Do give this spicy, smoky twist on pimento cheese a try. I think you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!
Can You Make Vegan Pimento Cheese?
Let me preface this by saying that I never have, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t.
If you’re vegan, use shredded vegan cheese and Just Mayo, which is made without eggs.
How To Serve Pimento Cheese
Let me count the ways!
- Spread on a sandwich
- Scooped up with Ritz crackers (or spread on Ritz if you’re fancy)
- As a burger topping
- Heated up under the broiler as a hot dip
- Scooped up with tortilla chips
- Stuffed inside arancini like these Pimento Cheese Stuffed Grits Arancini
- Mix some with hard boiled egg yolks to make pimento cheese deviled eggs
If you have questions about this post or recipe, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.
If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless I’m asleep.
If you make this recipe and/or have enjoyed or learned from reading this post, I’d appreciate it if you could share this!
I have Convenient share buttons that float to the left on desk top and on mobile which invite you to share on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter or Yummly.
If you make the recipe, please consider rating it a rating and a review. You can do this via the recipe card in the post.
Reviews really help sell the recipe, and negative reviews help me tune into what people really want to have explained better, so any ratings and reviews are helpful!
Also feel free to tag me on Instagram at @onlinepastrychef with #pcorecipe so I can find your creation. Thank you!
Southern Pimento Cheese Recipe (with a Spicy Kick)
This pimento cheese recipe puts a zingy twist on a southern classic. If you're looking for a pimento cheese recipe with a bit of a kick, you've found it here!
Ingredients
- 1 pound sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 pound pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2-2 cups Mayonnaise, (preferably Duke's)
- 1/2 cup diced red pimento, (jarred is fine)
- 1/2 cup spicy pepper relish, (such as Get Me a Switch, optional)
- 1/4 cup diced pickled jalapeno peppers, (or to taste)
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar or liquid from the jalapeno pepper jar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and stir well until completely combined.
- You can eat it immediately, but it is better if you let it sit in the fridge for at least a few hours to let the flavors blend.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Variations--Add any to taste
- Crumbled bacon
- Prepared horseradish
- Celery seed (one of my favorite additions)
- Cream cheese (mixed with some mayonnaise for a super creamy version)
- Mustard powder (just a touch for me, but you do you)
- Spice blends such as Old Bay or Tony Chachere's
- Hot sauce (Tabasco, sriracha, etc)
- Garlic powder, onion powder, etc.
- Sweet pickle juice or a little bit of sugar
- Liquid Smoke
There's really no wrong way to make pimento cheese, so make it with the ingredients you enjoy!
Nutritional information is based on 16 servings of about 2 ounces. Know that I can easily eat four times that much without blinking. Use your power wisely!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 243Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 35mgSodium 403mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 7g
The stated nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It is calculated through third party software and is intended as a guideline only.
Want me to shoot new recipes and an occasional email into your inbox?
You can do that by signing up here for my newsletter, The Inbox Pastry Chef.
I’ll be seeing you!
Really easy and straightforward. I think you’ll like it!
Enjoy this spicy smoked pimento cheese recipe, friends.
Thanks for spending some time with me today.
Have a lovely day.
Karly says
Delish! Definitely a crowd pleaser! Thanks
Jennifer Field says
You are more than welcome! 🙂 I cannot get enough!
Robotance says
Cheese dips are my favorite. I always enjoy them with my chips and tacos. Pinning this one for cooking later. Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer Field says
Thanks for commenting–enjoy!