Pimento Cheese

Affectionately known as the “caviar of the South,” pimento cheese has been a Southern party staple since the early 1900s. This soft, creamy spread—loaded with shredded cheddar and spiked with diced pimento peppers and hot sauce—can be served hot or cold and is perfect for spreading on anything from crackers to celery to (shhhh!) white sandwich bread. It only takes a few minutes to whip up a batch of pimento cheese, and it’s super-easy to do—read on for all our tips on making this easy, cheesy dip:

What’s in pimento cheese?
In its most basic form, pimento cheese is a blend of cream cheese, mayo, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced pimento peppers. Beyond that, specific seasonings can vary widely and largely depend on personal preference. 

How to make the best pimento cheese:
Our top tip? Make sure your cream cheese is truly room temperature: If it’s too cold, it won’t incorporate smoothly with the mayo and seasonings, and you’ll end up with hard little lumps of cream cheese in your dip.

Do you serve it hot or cold?
Pimento cheese is traditionally served cold. That said, it’s absolutely delicious warm, and many modern Southern restaurants even serve it in little cast-iron skillets, à la queso. Our advice? Eat it the way you want to. 

What do you serve with pimento cheese?
Like most party dips, pimento cheese tastes great with just about anything you can spread it on. We love serving it with toasted baguette slices, tortilla chips, crackers, and raw veggies. Warm, it also makes for a fabulously decadent cheese sauce, perfect for topping a burger or pimento cheesesteak. Of course, it makes for a fantastic grilled cheese.

Storage:
Store pimento cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for around 1 week. 

Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!