Just four ingredients to make this easy pimento cheese recipe! All you need is cheese, pimentos, mayonnaise, and the SECRET ingredient…
Easy Pimento Cheese Recipe
I was too lazy to make my own pimento cheese. I know, I know: I should have my southerner card revoked immediately. Truth be told, it wasn’t so much laziness as it was busy-ness. I was so busy with my secret project that I resorted to store-bought pimento cheese at $7.99 a pop. Ouch. Once my secret project was done, I took the time to perfect my pimento cheese recipe.
What’s the secret project, you say? Well, I wrote a book—only this time, it wasn’t a cookbook. I wrote a novel called Roller Coaster Romance. It’s a sweet romance set in a theme park, and you can read some of it right here in this preview.
Anyway, I’ve been making this pimento cheese a lot lately. Having it on toast. Spreading it on tortilla chips. One morning, I made a pimento cheese and egg sandwich on a whole-grain English muffin. Now that’s good eating right there.
The secret to this pimento cheese is… a bit of sugar. That’s right. I couldn’t figure out why my pimento cheese didn’t taste as smooth and mellow as that store-bought brand until I took a close look at their ingredients. Sugar! And it only takes a teeny-tiny bit. Just a little pinch. Smooths out all the rough edges and makes it taste perfect.
Be sure to check out Roller Coaster Romance!
Easy Pimento Cheese Recipe
Just four ingredients to make this easy pimento cheese recipe! All you need is cheese, pimentos, mayonnaise, and the SECRET ingredient.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese see note
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons jarred pimento peppers
- 1 pinch granulated sugar
Instructions
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Cut the cheese into 8 pieces and pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. You can chop the cheese by hand if you don't have a food processor.
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Place chopped cheese in a mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, pimentos, and a pinch of granulated sugar. Mix well. Taste. The pimento cheese should taste mellow, not too sharp. If it tastes too sharp, sprinkle in another pinch of sugar, then mix and taste again.
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Transfer the pimento cheese to a container. Press it down very firmly to pack it into the container. Cover with an airtight lid or wrap tightly with plastic wrap, then refrigerate. The pimento cheese can be enjoyed immediately, or allowed to rest for 1 hour for optimal consistency.
Recipe Notes
For the cheddar cheese, avoid using pre-shredded cheese instead of block cheese. If you use pre-shredded cheese, the finished cheese spread will be looser and will not hold together as well.
Love pimento cheese? Try grilled pimento cheese, pimento cheeseburgers, and pimento cheese rice!
Cheryl Savage
Tuesday 1st of November 2022
I just made my first batch of homemade pimento cheese and I wasn’t pleased with the taste so I googled it to see if I could add sugar. To my delight you say it is the secret ingredient. It makes me think of the Mary Poppins song, “Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.” A little it of sugar makes lots of things taste better. I will add this to my receipe so my batch won’t be a complete flop. Thanks!
Katie Moseman
Tuesday 1st of November 2022
Hooray! This is exactly why I love sharing recipes! :)
Marla
Sunday 10th of April 2022
My friend’s mom used to make THE BEST pimento cheese when I was a little girl. This is the closest recipe I have found that compares to her’s (She can’t remember her recipe). Thank you so much! Some recipes I have found have cream cheese as an ingredient but I don’t think that’s the southern style that I have ever had. One thing I will say is I think the consistency is better if you grate the cheese as opposed to putting it in a food processor; I found that it was too glumpy (if that’s a word lol) thank you again, I will be making this a lot!
Laurel
Sunday 12th of January 2020
This sounds so yummy and I cannot wait to try it! I love pimento cheese and have never attempted to make it, but your recipe makes it sound so easy!
Terri Beavers
Saturday 21st of December 2019
I love homemade pimento cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches. And it's been way too long since I've had one. I'll try your recipe with sugar when I make some.
Lynndee
Saturday 21st of December 2019
I was actually thinking about buying pimiento cheese at the supermarket yesterday. I didn't get one because I always think homemade is better. Thanks for the recipe