Homemade Pimento Cheese

With so many ways to enjoy this classic Southern spread, you’ll want to whip up a batch of homemade pimento cheese on a regular basis! This quick and easy recipe takes only about 5 minutes to make using just 4 simple ingredients. Serve it as a dip, spread it on sandwiches, turn it into pinwheels, and more.

Pimento cheese is one of the most important foods in my family. In fact, it may as well be its own food group.

This homemade pimento cheese recipe, like my angel food cake and blueberry crumb cake recipe, was my great-grandmother’s. It was one of my grandmother’s and mother’s favorite foods. (Along with steamed crabs – we are an eclectic bunch, what can I say?)

While my family will each just about any pimento cheese, we all are of the opinion that this is the very best pimento cheese recipe. It’s super quick to make, uses just a few simple ingredients, and always disappears in record time.

What is pimento cheese?

Pimento cheese is extremely popular in the southern United States, although you will find it elsewhere around the country, especially in the Midwest.

Pimento cheese is a spread made primarily of shredded cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos. There are definitely some regional variations to recipes — and even some variations between families.

For example, in South Carolina, Palmetto cheese is a brand of pimento cheese that includes cream cheese in the base.

Pimento cheese is usually served as a dip with crackers or vegetables or on sandwiches. Skip down to “serving suggestions” for more on this.

Ingredient notes

My great-grandmother’s pimento cheese recipe uses just 4 ingredients. But as with all recipes that rely on just a small handful of ingredients, each one is important.

• Freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese: I prefer a sharp cheddar for my pimento cheese, although you can get away with using medium or mild cheddar. But, as I mentioned above, the most important thing is to shred the cheese yourself. No bagged shredded cheese here!
• Mayonnaise: I really like Duke’s or even using homemade mayonnaise. I don’t recommend using an off-brand mayo; they often don’t have much flavor to them, which will lead to a bland spread.
• Jarred diced pimentos: It depends on the grocery store, but you can usually find these by the jarred olives and jarred roasted red peppers.
• Worcestershire sauce: This is the key to making the best homemade pimento cheese. Don’t skip this! It rounds out the flavors and adds a savory, umami flavor. Keep in mind that if you are gluten-free or vegetarian, you will need to look for a brand that is gluten-free and/or vegan.

Make-ahead and storage tips

Store homemade pimento cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

If you need to make it ahead of time for a party, feel free! It will hold really well in the fridge and tastes better after it has chilled for a couple of hours anyway. Make it up to 2 days before you plan to serve it.

You should not freeze this pimento cheese. Because it is mayo-based, freezing will cause it to split. Fresh is always better with this one.

Serving suggestions

Ok here’s where it gets fun. Yes, you can simply eat your homemade pimento cheese as a dip with your favorite crackers (buttery Ritz crackers are always a great choice!) or veggies such as celery sticks, but there are so many other ways to enjoy it:

• Make a simple pimento cheese sandwich with white bread, pimento cheese, and big slices of summer-ripe tomatoes. This is my uncle’s favorite!
• Take the above a step further and make a grilled pimento cheese sandwich.
• Use it as a spread on smash burgers or fried chicken sandwiches. Around here, no fried chicken sandwich is complete without a generous smear of pimento cheese on top.
• Mix it into macaroni and cheese for the best macaroni and pimento cheese.
• Turn it into pimento cheese pinwheels for a make-ahead appetizer. 
• Add it to an easy charcuterie board.
• Use it in pimento cheese jalapeño poppers.
• Bake it into mini phyllo shells for a quick and easy appetizer.

And so much more! Although I’ll warn you, you’ll want to make a double batch so you have enough to snack on while you’re cooking.

Additions and variations

I’ll be honest: I rarely go off-script with this recipe because I’m not eager for my great-grandmother to haunt me. But if you’re feeling braver than I am, you can add some finely diced fresh jalapeño and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat.

A bit of smoked paprika would add a smoky flavor that would pair nicely with the umami from the Worcestershire sauce.

You could also add some finely sliced green onion—it’s not traditional, but would be a great pairing with the other flavors in the pimento cheese!

Some celebrity versions—such as ones from Paula Deen and Joanna Gaines—mix cheddar cheese with other shredded cheeses, such as Monterey Jack and even Velveeta. This is definitely an option if you want a different flavor profile in your pimento cheese.