Ana

Ana is a Southern stay-at-home mom of three who bakes the way most people breathe — constantly, naturally, without making a fuss about it. She shows up at new neighbors’ doors with a tin of cookies before the boxes are even unpacked, and she has never once come home from a potluck with anything left in her dish. She Brings Food is where she puts the recipes her family counts on and her neighbors keep asking for.

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Southern Pimento Cheese

by Ana | Appetizers, Sides & Salads, Southern Sides

My husband discovered pimento cheese on celery and now willingly eats a vegetable. I am calling that a win and not asking questions about how it happened or whether it will last. The pimento cheese gets the credit. The celery is just the vehicle.

The Southern Spread That Goes on Everything — that’s what homemade pimento cheese is, and this recipe is the version my family returns to constantly. Sharp cheddar hand-grated and roughly mixed with roasted pimentos, just enough heat from cayenne or hot sauce, a creamy binder, and seasoning that’s assertive enough to stand up to whatever you’re putting it on. On crackers. On celery. On a sandwich. Straight from the bowl with a spoon if you’re not careful. I have been not careful on multiple occasions.

Easy pimento cheese like this is one of those recipes that sounds deceptively simple until you make it and realize it’s better than anything you’ve bought in a tub. The texture is different when you hand-grate the cheese — the rough, irregular pieces don’t compress the way pre-shredded does, and the spread has real texture instead of being uniformly smooth. That texture is the whole point.

This pimento cheese spread has been showing up at this house for potlucks, parties, appetizer spreads, and lazy Sunday afternoons for years. It’s the Southern staple that belongs in every refrigerator at all times. Once you start making it from scratch, the tub from the store stays there.

Why This Recipe Works

The key to homemade pimento cheese is texture. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with cellulose that prevents clumping but also prevents the cheese from binding the way it should. Hand-grating on a box grater produces rough, irregular pieces that hold onto the dressing and create the characteristic chunky, creamy spread that’s distinctly different from smooth store-bought versions. Don’t skip grating your own — the result is noticeably better.

Roasted pimentos over raw red peppers is the other distinction. Canned roasted pimentos have a deeper, slightly caramelized sweetness that raw or jarred sweet peppers don’t replicate. The combination of that sweetness with sharp cheddar and just enough heat creates a spread with real complexity for something that takes ten minutes to make. Southern pimento cheese spread is humble and it’s brilliant at the same time.

Ingredients

For the Pimento Cheese

2 cups sharp cheddar, hand-grated (about 8 oz block)
1 cup extra sharp cheddar, hand-grated (about 4 oz block)
1 jar (4 oz) roasted pimentos, drained and roughly chopped
½ cup mayonnaise (Duke’s preferred)
2 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
Dash of hot sauce (optional)

How to Make It

1 Grate the cheese

Grate both cheddars on the large holes of a box grater. Don’t use pre-shredded — the texture will be completely different and not in a good way. Fresh-grated cheese is the starting point that makes everything else possible here.

2 Drain and chop the pimentos

Drain the pimentos well — press them gently in a paper towel to remove excess liquid. Roughly chop if the pieces are large. You want visible chunks of pimento throughout, not puree.

3 Combine and season

In a large bowl, combine grated cheese, drained pimentos, mayonnaise, softened cream cheese, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix with a fork until just combined — you want it chunky, not whipped smooth. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of hot sauce if using. Taste and adjust the heat level.

4 Chill before serving

Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Overnight is better — the flavors develop and the spread firms up to the right consistency. Serve cold with crackers, celery, or bread.

Things I’ve Learned From Making This Too Many Times to Count

Grate your own cheese. I have made this with pre-shredded and with hand-grated and the results are not comparable. Hand-grated cheese creates a spread with real texture. Pre-shredded creates something smooth and uniform that doesn’t taste the same. Twenty minutes of cheese-grating is worth it every time.

Drain the pimentos thoroughly. Excess liquid from the jar makes the spread loose and can make it separate over time. Drain, then press gently in a paper towel. A dry pimento is a better pimento in this recipe.

Keep it chunky. The hallmark of proper Southern pimento cheese is texture — visible pieces of cheese and pimento throughout. Mix with a fork, not a mixer, and stop before it gets smooth. The chunkiness is correct and intentional.

Don’t skip the cream cheese. It acts as a binder and gives the spread a slightly richer, creamier texture than mayonnaise alone. Even a small amount changes the consistency in a way that matters. My neighbors have started requesting this by name, and I credit the cream cheese as part of why.

Taste before serving. Seasoning needs vary based on the sharpness of your cheddar and the saltiness of your mayonnaise. Taste and adjust the salt, cayenne, and hot sauce before it goes on the table. It should have a little heat — not overwhelming, but present.

Make it at least a day ahead. Day-old pimento cheese is categorically better than same-day. Overnight gives the cheese time to absorb the dressing and the flavors to deepen. If I’m bringing it somewhere, I always make it the day before.

What to Serve With Southern Pimento Cheese

Serve alongside deviled eggs, cornbread, and Southern coleslaw as part of any appetizer or party spread. On crackers, celery sticks, or cucumber rounds as an appetizer. On white sandwich bread for pimento cheese sandwiches, which are a legitimate Southern institution and should be treated as such.

As a spread on burgers, it replaces cheese and sauce simultaneously and produces one of the better burger situations I’ve encountered. Stuffed into jalapeños and grilled for a cookout appetizer. Melted on top of a piece of grilled chicken breast. The applications are nearly endless and every one of them works.

Variations Worth Trying

With jalapeños: Add 2–3 tablespoons pickled jalapeño, drained and finely diced. The heat level goes up significantly and the brine adds a tangy note. Excellent as a spread on burgers or in grilled cheese sandwiches.

With bacon: Fold in 4 strips of crumbled cooked bacon. The smokiness plays off the sharp cheddar and rounds out the heat. A particularly good version for serving alongside a barbecue spread.

With Gruyère: Replace the extra sharp cheddar with Gruyère for a more complex, nuttier flavor profile. More sophisticated than the classic version but still unmistakably in the same family.

Lighter version: Substitute half the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt. The spread is tangier and lighter with a slightly different texture. Still very good — make it your own, sugar. It’ll still be good.

Storage and Reheating

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Pimento cheese is served cold — it doesn’t reheat. Stir before each use as the mayonnaise can separate slightly. Bring to room temperature for 15 minutes before serving for the best spreadable texture.

Pimento cheese freezes acceptably but the texture changes — the mayonnaise can separate and the cheese becomes slightly crumbly. For best results, make it fresh and use within the week. At less than fifteen minutes of prep, that’s not a hardship.

FAQ

What are pimentos and where do I find them?

Pimentos are a mild, sweet red pepper — roasted and packed in jars, they’re found in the canned goods aisle near the olives. They’re what you see in stuffed green olives. For pimento cheese, use the jars of whole or sliced roasted pimentos, not sweet red bell peppers, which have a different flavor and texture.

Can I use pre-shredded cheese?

You can, but the texture won’t be right. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents that prevent it from binding into the spread the way freshly grated cheese does. If texture matters to you — and in pimento cheese, it does — grate your own.

What type of cheddar should I use?

Sharp to extra sharp cheddar is the standard choice. The sharpness is what gives the spread its distinctive flavor — mild cheddar produces a bland result that doesn’t taste like proper pimento cheese. Using a combination of sharp and extra sharp gives you both creaminess and depth.