Pimento Cheese

Ingredients

• 8 oz Sharp cheddar, grated by hand, extra-sharp
• 4 oz Cream cheese, softened
• 4 tbsp Olive oil mayonnaise
• ¾ cup Roasted red peppers (jarred), drained and chopped
• 2 tbsp Yellow onion, grated
• 1 tsp Louisiana-style hot sauce
• ½ tsp Smoked paprika
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 4 stalks Celery, cut into sticks, for serving

Method

1. Grate the cheddar on the large holes of a box grater. Pre-shredded cheese is dusted with cellulose to stop it clumping, and that coating keeps it from binding here.
2. Beat the cream cheese and mayonnaise together until completely smooth before anything else goes in — lumps of cream cheese never disappear later.
3. Fold in the cheddar, peppers, grated onion, hot sauce, paprika and black pepper. Mix firmly; it should look shaggy, not creamy.
4. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. It tightens and the flavors settle.
5. Serve with celery, crackers, or on white bread with the crusts cut off, which is the proper way in Georgia.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

Grated onion, not chopped. The juice goes through the whole bowl and there are no raw chunks.

🧒 For the kids

Leave out the hot sauce and use it as a grilled cheese filling. It melts beautifully.

🥡 Leftovers

Keeps a week and gets better for three days.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.