Pimento Cheese

My homemade pimento cheese dip is a classic southern recipe with a twist (melting butter with fresh garlic) for truly the best pimento cheese. 
(Originally published 7/11/19 and updated for content 5/25/24)

If you enjoy this recipe, check out my Jarlsberg Cheese Dip next!

Some of my dear friends who are self proclaimed pimento cheese snobs say my recipe is a winner. I’ll tell you right up front that the secret is fresh garlic, butter, honey and apple cider vinegar. Microwaving the butter and garlic together mellows and sweetens the garlic. Just a tablespoon of butter adds a richness to this classic recipe. The result is such a delicious dip with creamy texture and complex, fresh flavor. So much better than any premium brand you can buy in the store. Homemade pimento cheese dip is a favorite easy recipe for any occasion.

More cheese recipes

• Pub Cheese Recipe
• Greek Feta Dip
• Guinness Cheddar Dip

Ingredients for homemade pimento cheese recipe

• Pimento Peppers – The key ingredient, also known as pimiento peppers. You need one 4-ounce jar for this recipe.
• Cheddar Cheese – I like a sharp orange cheddar cheese for this recipe. To amp up the flavor even more you could use an extra-sharp cheddar cheese. Or use white cheddar if that is what you prefer. Although this southern favorite usually is made with an orange cheddar. Just be sure to grate your own cheese. Don’t use packaged pre-shredded cheese in this recipe!
• Pepper Jack Cheese – A lot of pimento cheese recipes have a little heat to them. I accomplished this by using a good quality pepper jack cheese. You could choose to use Monterey Jack cheese and add a dash of hot sauce to your own version of this recipe.
• Cream Cheese – A softened block of cream cheese holds all these simple ingredients together.
• Mayonnaise – Just a little mayonnaise provides flavor and gives the pimento cheese its classic creamy texture.
• Butter – One of my secrets for making the best pimiento cheese. Just a tablespoon adds flavor and helps provide the best texture.
• Garlic – One clove of fresh garlic heated together with the butter is so much better than garlic powder. Trust me.
• Honey – The southern cook in me adds a little sweetness to most of my recipes. Honey seemed like a natural addition and sets my pimento cheese apart from the rest.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Any rich recipe will benefit from the addition of a little acidic flavor.
• Salt and Pepper – I like freshly cracked black pepper the best.

Instructions for making creamy pimento cheese

This is such an easy appetizer recipe to prepare! I prefer to mix mine in my stand mixer. I think it’s much easier to clean than the bowl of my food processor. You could use an electric hand mixer. Or if you want to burn a few extra calories, you can mix it up by hand. For full instructions and ingredient amounts, keep scrolling for the printable recipe card.

FAQ’s

What is pimento cheese?

At its most basic, pimento cheese is a simple mix of mayonnaise, shredded cheddar cheese and diced pimentos. Pimentos are sweet peppers imported from Spain. They used to be canned and the name from Spain included an “i” – pimiento. Eventually the extra i was dropped and now today we call these peppers pimentos.

Where did pimento cheese originate?

I’ve always thought pimento cheese to be a Southern thing. Although sometimes called the caviar of the South, surprisingly it originated in New York. The original version started out as a mix of cream cheese and and canned sweet pimento peppers. These were two popular ingredients at the start of the industrial food trade back in the 1800’s.

Serving suggestions

I love dipping fresh cut vegetables like celery sticks or sliced red bell peppers into this pimento cheese! Spread it on Ritz crackers or pita chips. Use it as a sandwich spread on slices of white bread. Cut off the crusts and cut the sandwiches into four triangles to make tea sandwiches. Or spread it thick between whole grain or sourdough bakery bread and make a fabulous grilled cheese sandwich. You could also stuff it into large green olives for a classy cocktail party.

Storage directions

Store the pimento cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. I don’t recommend freezing it.

Kitchen tools

• I use my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer for testing recipes like this one
• I love this mixing bowl set for grating cheese and storing the prepared dip – one of the bowls has an insert like a box grater, so you can grate the cheese right into the bowl
• Pyrex measuring cups for microwaving
• Spatula set for scraping and transferring dips to their storage containers

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