8 pimento cheese recipes you need to make for the holidays (2024)

FAQs

What to serve pimiento cheese on? ›

Achari Pimiento Cheese Spread

Serve it with some crackers, toasted naan, or between two slices of white bread.

This dip-able Southern delicacy is everything you dreamed or thought it to be! Use this versatile spread smeared on anything from crispy crackers or gingersnaps to stirring into your macaroni mixture or placing on top of a burger or breakfast sandwich. Heck, eating by the spoonful works too!

While pimentos' most popular use may be in pimento cheese, Reusing recommends buying as many of these as you can carry, trading them for bell peppers in almost any recipe. You can pickle the pimentos, or roast them and puree into a spread for sandwiches or to stir into grains or beans at the end of cooking.

If you have homemade pimiento cheese to use up, our test kitchen suggests storing it covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

What Is Pimento Cheese? Pimento cheese is a popular Southern spread that's traditionally made with shredded Cheddar, mayonnaise, and pimentos. It's commonly served with crackers and vegetables or as a sandwich filling. Pimento cheese is often called the "pâté of the south."

It can be served cold with a selection of crackers and vegetables, or hot as a dip with pico de gallo and tortilla chips. Pimento cheese is also great on sandwiches and burgers.

Whereas pre-packaged pimento cheese can last up to four weeks in the fridge, the homemade version will not last quite as long due to the lack of stabilizers and preservatives — it will only last for about one week.

To keep yourself safe from bacterial growth or spoilage, you should only keep cheese out for four hours, according to Adam Brock, director of food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

Most Southerners have fond memories of a loving aunt mixing up a batch for a church gathering, while Northerners haven't the foggiest idea what pimento cheese even is. Affectionately referred to as “Carolina caviar” or “Southern pate,” it has been a Southern staple for well over 50 years.

Fresh pimentos, should you be lucky enough to encounter them at the grocery store or farmers market, will do well in your fridge in the crisper for up to a week, at least, depending on where you bought them, as farmers market produce will usually last longer than what you buy in the grocery store.

Can you eat pimentos raw? ›

They're enjoyed raw, pickled, roasted, and stuffed.

Keep an eye out for the same evidence of expiration as you would with any other cheese, such as visible mold, dramatic changes in texture or color, or an unpleasant smell. If you detect any of these traits, you should dispose of your pimento cheese rather than consume it.

Tailgating. Our freezable pimento cheese is great for tailgating as it can be made ahead, frozen, and pulled out and thawed when needed. I will actually mix up, divide, and freeze what I will need for several tailgating events.

Pimento Cheese: This southern classic is a fine snack to feed your dog. Pimentos are non-toxic and loaded with vitamin A and C, while cheese has healthy sources of protein and calcium.

WAYS TO SERVE PIMENTO CHEESE. If you put a bowl of pimento cheese and a spoon in front of us, we'd probably eat it all by itself. It's just that good!

Pimento cheese is a tangy and creamy cheese spread that's often referred to as the pâté of the South. It's wonderful on crackers, crudités, sandwiches, or even burgers.

It may have become popular in the South because it didn't spoil easily at room temperature, making it easy to pack in lunchboxes, particularly for textile workers. But it was also fashionable as a sandwich in tea rooms.