Pimento Cheese Dip
This quick and easy pimento cheese dip is ready in less than 10 minutes for a simple party dip for game day, tailgates, movie nights, parties and more! Serve up this classic Southern party favorite on crackers, toast points and veggie slices.
Growing up in the South, pimiento cheese is a party staple at almost any occasion (especially the Masters golf tournament) and this creamy dip version of pimento cheese is one of my favorite ways to serve this “caviar of the south” to a crowd. It’s a Southern classic!
Loaded with extra sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayo, pimento peppers and seasonings, this easy pimento cheese dip is a blast of delicious flavor! No bland dips allowed around here! This one is a winner!
What is Pimento Cheese?
Let’s start with the basics. What exactly is pimento cheese? It’s a cheese spread made of cheese, mayonnaise, and pimientos used as a spread on sandwiches or served on crackers or vegetables. It’s a Southern favorite (often referred to as “pâté of the south”, “Carolina caviar” or “the caviar of the South.”).
Pimento cheese often has varying additional ingredients like jalapeno peppers, seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, etc. But the basic staples of cheese (usually a sharp cheddar), mayo, and pimento peppers are the main components of this tasty spread.
Ingredients
CREAM CHEESE: Cut your cream cheese into cubes and allow to soften a bit to room temperature so your dip will combine together easier.
MAYONNAISE: Use high-quality mayo like Hellman’s or if you live in the South, Duke’s mayonnaise.
CHEDDAR CHEESE: Don’t use pre-shredded cheese, it has a coating to prevent it from sticking together. You really want to go high quality so skip the bagged cheese this time and shred your own sharp cheddar (or extra sharp cheddar). Your dip will thank you! Feel free to experiment with different types of cheese like a sharp white cheddar or even a pepper jack!
PIMENTOS: Find the jars of pimentos near olives in your grocery store. If you have trouble finding pimentos, you can swap in roasted red peppers.
SEASONINGS: I suggest a combo of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and a dash of salt (to taste) for the perfect seasoning combo but swap things up if you like or add in some heat with cayenne pepper.
JALAPENO: I find that 1 jalapeno doesn’t make this dip spicy, it just gives it a boost of flavor, but you can leave the jalapeno out or even add more if you like spicy!
WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE: The secret sauce! This gives the dip a depth of flavor so don’t skip this one!
How to Make Pimento Cheese Dip
- Place cream cheese and mayo in a food processor or bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Blend or pulse together until smooth.
- Add in the additional ingredients and pulse (or blend for a short time) until combined. You don’t want to fully puree the dip, so it’s okay if you see shredded cheese and pimentos, you want that for the best texture!
- Transfer pimento cheese dip to a serving bowl. Garnish with extra cheese, pimentos, or herbs like diced green onions.
- Serve with crackers, toast points, pretzels, crostini or vegetable slices (I love carrot sticks, celery sticks, red bell pepper slices, etc).
How to Store Pimento Cheese Dip
Leftovers? No problem! This dip intensifies in flavor with time so I often find it’s even more delicious the next day! Just store extra pimento cheese dip (cover with plastic wrap) or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Tips & Recipe Notes
Get Grating: Don’t forget to shred your own cheese for this dip! I know it’s tempting to buy a bag of pre-shedded cheese at the grocery store, but trust me, the flavor is so much better when you grate your own! P.S. Here’s my favorite cheese box grater!
Make it Spicy: Love some heat? If you want to add a little kick, add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, extra diced jalapeno (leave the seeds in), or a dash or two of hot sauce for spicy pimento cheese dip!
Healthy Swaps: Lighten it up by swapping in plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for the mayo. You can also use a light cream cheese instead of full fat.
I hope you love this homemade pimento cheese dip as much as my family! This delicious dip is always a staple at our Masters and Kentucky Derby watch parties yet delicious enough to make for a quick weekday snack!
Note for golf parties, you must try my GOLF BALL CHEESE BALL!
Good old fashioned pimento cheese is a favorite in so many appetizer recipes that I make..here are a few more pimento cheese appetizers to try…
More Dip Recipes to Try
- Fiesta Corn Dip
- Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip
- The Best Smoked Tuna Dip
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Arkansas Cheese Dip
Pimento Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese (cut into cubes, softened to room temperature)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeno (deseeded and minced)
- 4 ounce jar chopped pimentos (drained)
- salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a food processor or bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add cream cheese and mayonnaise. Blend or pulse until smooth.
- Add in garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cheddar cheese, jalapeno, jarred pimentos, a dash of salt (add more to taste), and Worcestershire sauce.
- Blend or pulse just until combined, don't puree your dip. You still want texture. Just blend enough to combine the ingredients.
- Transfer pimento cheese dip to a serving bowl and enjoy with crackers, veggie slices, etc.
Thanks for the recipe, Courtney. I was looking for dip recipes and am glad that I found one! Gonna try it soon.