After having consumed approximately half of Vermont’s supply of Cheddar cheese in the name of research, I’ve discovered that this pimento cheese recipe from Rebecca Lang is the best dang pimento cheese I’ve ever had. I also found that doing yourself a favor and making it a day ahead of time only improves the taste. The onion mellows, the pimento perks up, the color blends, and everything becomes, well, ambrosial. And it’s one less thing for you to do the day of when guests are on their way. And you can do waaaaay more than just slather the pimento cheese on crackers. You can also set it out as part of a crudités platter, stuff it in sandwiches (whether petite tea party bites or gooey grilled cheese sandwiches), or perhaps even scoop it straight from the container at 2:00 a.m. as you lean against the sink. Not that I know anything about that.–David Leite
Mellow Yellow Cheddar Cheese Note
When a Southerner makes pimento cheese, he or she is usually pretty particular about the type of cheese. David isn’t a Southerner but he is plenty particular about his recipes. He instructed us to share with you that he uses white Cheddar, not orange. He prefers the flavor of white. Besides, you still get a lovely orange tint from the pimentos. We haven’t run this by the author of the recipe, Rebecca Lang, although we’re curious to hear what she thinks. Let’s see if she notices…
Pimento Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound sharp white Cheddar cheese, (or if you’re a true Southerner, by all means, stick with orange Cheddar)
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- One (4-ounce) jar pimentos, drained well
- 2 tablespoons grated Vidalia or other sweet onion
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Crackers, toast points, crudités, or anything else you can think to serve with it
Instructions
- Grate the cheese in a food processor or on the large holes of a box grater. (Just between us, a food processor is the way to go. Five seconds max. Although you can do it by hand just for old-time's sake to get that Southern nostalgia mood going.)
- In a bowl or your food processor, mix the grated cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, grated onion, and a few good grinds pepper until blended. Resist the urge to dig in immediately. Instead, cover it and stash it in the fridge for at least a couple hours and, preferably, 24 hours. (Trust us, the pimento cheese is unspeakably better after it rests. You can refrigerate it for up to 4 days, provided you can resist it that long.)
- To serve, decant the pimento cheese into your loveliest serving dish. Serve with crackers, toast points, crudités, or anything you fancy.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This pimento cheese is very addictive! It’s easy to prepare but the 2-hour to overnight waiting period is definitely difficult to endure. Your reward, though, is a pleasingly rich cheese dip that really shows itself off, especially at room temperature.
Using a food processor will save some time but I do recommend grating the cheese first. After that, put everything into the processor and pulse a few times until you get texture and orange color you’re after. I found some of the pimento from the jar were rather large, so if doing this all by hand, be sure to finely chop the pimento so they mix adequately with the cheese, mayo, and onion.
Duke’s mayo is the ONLY mayo allowed in my house and perfect for pimento cheese. I didn’t notice that anyone used eggs in their recipe. There was never a real “recipe” but my grandmother always chopped up boiled eggs in hers and used a generous helping of mayo. It’s kind of like a pimento cheese/egg salad combo. I eat it on celery and on fresh white bread…at room temperature. Everyone thinks I’m nuts but if you let it sit out about 30 minutes before you are ready to eat it’s much better than eating it ice cold. Just one opinion of a true southern girl and you know what they say about opinions!
Penny, I’m not convinced yet about Duke’s Mayo. We did buy some but are on the fence. More taste tastes required. But…I do agree with the room-temp pimento cheese perspective. I think the flavors come out more when it’s warmer. (Colder foods require more salt and spices in order to be tasted.)
Yes, always at room temperature! In New Orleans one of the marks of a good hostess is pimena’ cheese nicely brought up to room temperature but not vile and obviously-left-out-for-hours at just the right time – it’s a challenge!
Thanks, AnnaZed.
I make pimento cheese at least once a month – love it! I add prepared horseradish for zing and some sweet pickle juice for sweetness. (Old recipe from my Grandmother) Never added onion…I’ll try that next time!
I need to try horseradish next time, Sara!
As a current Alabamian, this is a staple at any tailgate (*roll tide*). My mom bases her recipe off the Southern Living one, but uses half regular cheddar and half extra sharp to give it a more balanced taste. She also adds a dash of worcestershire.
Down here we always like keep a jar of pepper jelly next to it for a little extra thrill on gameday.
Dana, I love the idea of the pepper jelly. Got to rethink things when I serve it next.