Pimiento Cheese

Prep 25 min
Total 25 min
Servings 16

This is the ultimate pimiento cheese recipe. What makes this pimiento cheese better than average? Besides not using cream cheese, which is something the southern-raised experts in our test kitchens felt strongly about, this recipe calls for beating the cheese mixture to make it smoother and more spreadable. According to them, it’s hard to beat too long. Combine that technique with a little extra prep—grating your own cheese makes all the difference here—and a few non-traditional ingredients—soy sauce, pickled jalapeño peppers and Dijon really amp up the flavor. This pimiento cheese isn’t just cheesy and creamy, it’s also slightly spicy, deeply savory and a tiny bit tangy. With so much going on, this totally nontraditional, but absolutely irresistible take on pimiento cheese is a must try!

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated October 27, 2019

Ingredients

1

cup mayonnaise
2

tablespoons pickled jalapeño juice (from jar of Old El Paso™ pickled jalapeño slices)
1

tablespoon Dijon mustard
2

teaspoons soy sauce
2

teaspoons lemon juice
16

oz freshly grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 cups)
4

oz freshly grated Colby cheese (1 cup)
1

jar (4 oz) diced pimientos, drained
3

green onions, thinly sliced
2

tablespoons chopped Old El Paso™ pickled jalapeño slices (from 12-oz jar)
Crackers, as desired

Steps

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1

In large bowl, place mayonnaise, pickled jalapeño juice, mustard, soy sauce and lemon juice. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 5 to 10 seconds to combine.
2

Add cheeses; beat on medium speed 15 to 30 seconds to combine. Scrape bowl, then beat on medium speed 2 to 4 minutes longer or until cheese mixture is creamy and spreadable.
3

Stir pimientos, onions and jalapeños into cheese mixture, until just combined. Serve with crackers.

Beating the cheese mixture is the key technique in this recipe, and as we noted above, it’s hard to beat it for too long. To make this less labor intensive, use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer. Just remember when it’s time to stir in the solid ingredients added at the end of the recipe, it’s best to do this by hand.
Grating your own cheese ensures a creamier finished result. While we love preshredded cheese for convenience, this is simply not the place for it. The drier texture and additional ingredients that are added to keep preshredded cheese from clumping isn’t the best for pimiento cheese.
Let spread come to room temperature before serving. If the party starts at 6 p.m., pull your spread out at 5 and leave it covered, so it’ll be soft and spreadable by the time your guests arrive.
For a classic pairing, serve your pimiento cheese with Ritz crackers. It’s also great spread on a cold sandwich. Just remember to let it stand at room temperature for about an hour or use hearty bread, because it’s a thick spread.
Jarred pimientos come in diced and sliced forms. Our kitchen experts prefer the texture of diced, but either type will work in this recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: About 1/4 Cup

Calories: 240
Calories from Fat: 200

% Daily Value

Total Fat: 22g; 34%
Saturated Fat 8g 42% Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol: 40mg; 14%
Sodium: 500mg; 21%
Potassium: 60mg; 2%
Total Carbohydrate: 2g; 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 0g
Protein: 8g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 20%; 20%
Vitamin C: 4%; 4%
Calcium: 25%; 25%
Iron: 0%; 0%

Exchanges:

0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 1 High-Fat Meat; 3 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choice

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Pimiento cheese is a creamy, spreadable cheese, sometimes referred to as pâté du Sud, as it’s a classic in the southern food canon. Not that it’s a constant. In its simplest form, pimiento cheese is mayo, shredded cheese and jarred pimiento peppers. But this is not that recipe.