Ever since my trip to Oxford, MS, I’ve been dying to recreate the delicious pimento cheese I had!
I grabbed a recipe from Paula Deen and her son Bobby off of Food Network. My thinking was hey, it’s Paula Deen, this must be the real southern recipe I’ve been looking for! Well, wrong. It wasnt what I was looking for. It was still good, just a little too creamy and lacked depth. Basically what I’m saying is… Please send me your amazing homemade pimento cheese recipes! I’m dying for some good ones. I’ll walk you through what I did, and please give me your tips and hints about where I went wrong!
Cooking and blogging inevitably yields some disappointing results. And I like to share those with all you food lovers, because believe it or not, y’all are a wealth of knowledge! Please impart that upon me. Please and thank you.
The recipe called for 3oz of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. I thought this was too much for me, so I reduced the mayonnaise to 2 tablespoons. It was still too creamy for my liking though.
I got my supplies ready:
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 oz of cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon of each: salt, pepper and garlic powder
3 tablespoons of pimento peppers
iPhone to guide you, mixing bowl, hand mixer…
Wedged off 3oz of cream cheese that I let come to room temperature.
I beat until fluffy.
Added all my other ingredients. I just spooned the pimento peppers out I the jar, should I have patted them dry?
As I began to mix, I realized this was way creamier and turning into an orange paste… Not the pimento cheese of my hopes and dreams.
Again, it wasnt bad… Just not at all was I was hoping for. Suggestions? Anyone?? I’m listening!
Anyone have recipes without cream cheese and/or mayonnaise? Any tips for how to use or save these leftovers I’ve already made?
Thanks friends!
I had this EXACT same problem. Here’s what we do now – we use about two/three tables spoons of cream cheese, one table spoon of mayo and one of sour cream. We also add sriracha. It gives it a bit more depth and spice. I would caution against mixing the ingredients with an electric mixer, the result is often glopping and runny. Instead we mix all the ingredients together with a spoon. You get a chunkier, sturdier pimento cheese but we like it that way. Also, make sure the pimentos are really well drained or it can separate on you. Oh and try peppadews instead of/with the pimentos to mix it up.
I can’t help with the recipe, but that does look creamier than I’d like. Central Market makes ah-MAY-zing pimento cheese, and I think the difference is less goop (cream cheese, mayo, what-have-you) and a light hand with the mixing, but that’s just an educated guess.
True southern pimento cheese spread…no cream cheese…just cheddar cheese, pimentos, and mayo..my momma never measured ingredients andit was always divine. I’d start with 2 c cheese, 1/2 cup mayo, and a small jar of pimentos…and she never used a mixer always folded ingredients by hand.
Aha! That must be it- no cream cheese or mixer. I will try that! Thanks for the tip!
Here’s my Pimiento Cheese recipe:
In a large bowl, combine:
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1 medium jar pimientos, chopped (with liquid)
1/2 cup minced onions
Mix ingredients with wooden spoon, then add “a ton” of pepper–until top looks almost completely black. Mix very, very well–until liquid is absorbed fully.
Add Hellman’s mayonnaise until you have your preferred spreadability. Mix well.
Place in container and decorate with mammoth stuffed olives.
Chill for at least two hours, but soften to room temperature before serving with assorted crackers and breads or short celery stalks.
If you need more pimiento cheese, simply multiply these ingredients. I’ve doubled, tripled, and quadrupled the recipe with great success.
Hi Senator, thanks for the recipe! This sounds like a great one!
I use real red bell peppers! not the store bought!!!! that’s how they make pimentos from the jar with real red peppers !!!!! you will never buy jar again!!!!!
I use sharp shredded cheese, mayo, pimento and a little buttermilk then season to taste.
I never had my mama write down her recipe because she didn’t have one. But I just remember growing up in the south and we used 2 different cheeses or whatever we had on hand. Sometimes just 1 cheese. But I know Velveeta was always in it, which helps with the creaminess. And I like Colby more than I do cheddar. But we always just put mayo in it, as far as I can remember.
Another thing no one has mentioned is that putting a little sugar in it makes it better. Since my recipe has ingredients I’m intolerant of (dairy) I only fix this about twice a year. But everyone loves it. These are the ingredients I came up with by just trial and error and tasting it.
Colby Cheese (block)
Velveeta Cheese
Pimentos (do not drain)
Hellmans mayo
Cream Cheese
Sugar
Even when I add the liquid, the spread ends up a little too hard after its been in the fridge. So don’t worry about it being runny. It’s not, but the liquid makes it taste better, in my opinion. I don’t even add salt, pepper, or garlic powder. I think those things change the taste from what I was used to growing up. My mama never even put cream cheese or sugar in it but I do because I love it.
You can do your own measurements or see my whole recipe on my blog. Just look up Positively Crochet in a Google search & type in pimento cheese once you’re there.
Thank you Mary Jane! I love that your mom never had to write a recipe down, I appreciate you sharing these tips with me!
We live in an area where homemade pimento cheese is a big deal with lots of good places to get or buy it, but we went to Waverly Inn about an hour from our home for our anniversary a couple of years ago and had the best we had ever had. One of the owners had tweaked until he came up with this just the right recipe. We agree! I certainly don’t understand why you’d want to leave out ingredients that make it pimento cheese, wouldn’t want creamy, or to use a mixer, but this is the best we’ve ever had: 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/2 c Dukes Mayo (I use light as well as 2% cheese), 1 tblsp softened butter, 8 oz cream cheese (I use low-fat), 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 4 oz jar diced undrained pimentos. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl mixing at high speed until thoroughly blended.
I rinse my shredded cheese in a colander to remove any anti caking additives. I use sharp cheddar and mozzarella. A bit of mayo, half jar of pickled roasted red bell peppers and a half jar of capers. Salt, pepper and a bit of sugar and that’s it. I find if it sits in the fridge overnight it gets even tastier. I had a bit of shredded Parmesan sitting in the fridge and threw that in the last time I made it. My sister ate most of the batch! Whatever you have will work. I must say that cheese shredded from the block by hand makes the best but I don’t have the patience for that. Thanks for posting your recipes.