Pimento Cheese
Updated April 11, 2024
- Total Time
- 5 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 8ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated with a food processor or hand grater (not pre-grated)
- ¼cup softened cream cheese (2 ounces), pulled into several pieces
- Scant ½ cup jarred pimento or other roasted red peppers (from a 7-ounce jar), finely diced
- 3tablespoons Duke’s, Hellmann’s or other high-quality store-bought mayonnaise
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
239 calories; 21 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 9 grams protein; 318 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large mixing bowl, place the Cheddar in an even layer. Scatter the cream cheese, pimentos, mayonnaise, red-pepper flakes and salt and pepper over the Cheddar. Using a spatula, mix the pimento cheese until it is smooth and spreadable.
- Step 2
Transfer the pimento cheese to a bowl or container, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Private Notes
Comments
I'm no purist where recipes are concerned, but when I was growing up in North Carolina, making pimento cheese was a simple process: 8 ounces of sharp cheddar coarsely grated, one 4-oz. jar of diced pimentos with the liquid, 1/3 to 1/2 cups of mayonnaise, preferably Duke's but definitely unsweetened (forget Hellman's and other northern grocery store brands). One teaspoon of white vinegar. Salt, if desired. Cream cheese? No way. Onion? Garlic? Why not chocolate chips?
Replace the cream cheese with good mayo as mayo adds flavor and the cream cheese just dilutes it. Grated onion adds a nice bite, but if serving onion averse crown, add a dash of onion powder and garlic powder. Then add Sriracha sauce and/or Worcester Sauce. Make a day ahead for flavors to meld.
Why not throw it all in the food processor and pulse it a few times. The food processor bowl is already greasy from grating the cheese (at least at my house).
Tastes like my childhood in NC
I have been eating pimento cheese all my life, and make it as my mother did. I believe cream cheese adds a richness that it doesn't need and would highly recommend trying it without any.
I made this when I was missing my mom and the small Virginia town that I grew up in. I made it mostly as written, including tracking down Duke’s mayo. I drained the pimentos and included a splash of their juice at the end. I also left out the red pepper flakes and added a splash of Tabasco and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. It took me right back.
Advertisement