Delicious Pimento Cheese

By Bree Hester Jump to Recipe

I take the plunge and finally feature a recipe that includes homemade mayonnaise! Creamy pimento cheese — perfect on burgers, crackers, or as the key ingredient in a oh-so-gooey grilled cheese sandwich!

If you know me in real life, you would know that I do not like mayonnaise. So I am pretty sure that my friends and family will be scratching their heads when they read today’s post. I made mayonnaise. And I am making a recipe that calls for mayo. This is even the first Baked Bree recipe to include it as an ingredient.

So why did I make this you ask? Because I wanted to see if I could do it. And you know what, it was really easy to make. And I was so glad that it worked out because I was able to pair it with this delicious pimento cheese recipe, which will really knock your socks off.

Ingredients

The Mayonnaise:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups Canola oil

The Pimento Cheese:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon sage, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups Colby cheese, shredded
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 (4 ounces) jar chopped pimentos, drained
• salt and pepper
• hot sauce

How To Make Pimento Cheese – The Steps

Step 1: Start by making the mayonnaise. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, vinegar, dry mustard, salt, sugar, and cayenne to the food processor.

Step 2: Pulse a few times until combined.

Step 3: Slowly, and I mean super slowly, drizzle the olive oil through the funnel with the food processor running.

Once all of the oil has been incorporated, you have mayo! Totally easy.

Quick tip – to make your cheese grate easier, put it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes beforehand.

Step 4: To make the pimento cheese, add one cup of mayo to a large bowl. Add sage, lemon juice, dry mustard, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce and mix to combine.

Step 5: Add drained pimento and shredded cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce, to taste.

Step 6: Mix to combine. Serve with crackers.

What Makes This Pimento Cheese Recipe So Good?

• Patience. This recipe will teach you patience. You have to dribble the oil into the food processor (you could also use a blender or an immersion blender) very, very, slowly for the mayonnaise to emulsify.
• It features homemade mayo, and any time you can make something at home instead of going with the store-bought stuff, you can rest knowing you’re making a product that is better for you. It also gives you the freedom to increase/decrease the ingredients as you prefer. Bespoke mayo!
• The cheese can be used in so many ways (see the ‘Serving Suggestions’ section below): it’s a dip, it’s a topping, it’s a sauce — you’ll have fun experimenting with it and your favorite dishes.

Serving Suggestions

My husband has many memories of pimento cheese, and it was always slathered between two pieces of white bread. It is a requirement that it has to be white. I think that it would make an incredibly gooey and delicious grilled cheese, and have seen it served on hamburgers a lot lately. But it would also be great with some crackers, pretzels, or sliced baguette and glass of wine. You could avoid the bread and go with raw vegetables like celery sticks, carrot sticks, and cucumber slices, or mix it into Chili Mac and Cheese, or stuffed in jalapeno poppers. This Easy Tomato Ravioli Soup is another option.

FAQs

My mayo is starting to break. What happened? How do I fix it?

My mayo also started to break a little, so I whisked it and it came right back together. It happened because I got lazy at the end and added too much oil at once. If I was using the mayo for a sandwich or as a sauce, I would have remade it. But since I was mixing it with cheese, I was okay with the breakage.

Can I use store-bought mayonnaise instead of homemade?

Sure, you can use store-bought mayonnaise in this recipe, although the homemade mayonnaise comes with it a freshness and flavor you won’t get with the store-bought stuff. If using store-bought mayo, opt for a good quality, full-fat version for the best taste and consistency.

Which cheese can I substitute for the Colby and sharp cheddar cheese in the recipe?

Colby or sharp cheddar cheese gives it that classic pimento cheese taste. If these aren’t options, you can substitute with Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, or any other semi-hard cheese that melts well.

How To Store Pimento Cheese

Transfer your cheese to an airtight container. Because of the dairy and homemade mayo, this needs to be stored in the fridge, where it can keep for up to one week. You can keep it for longer, if you like, by storing it in the freezer. Be warned, though, that this may affect the texture of the mayo and cheese slightly. To freeze it, wrap it in aluminum or plastic then place it in a resealable freezer-safe bag. When you’d like to eat the cheese, let it thaw for a few hours to overnight in the fridge first. Once thawed, stir it up really well to redistribute the moisture and restore the creamy consistency.

Delicious Pimento Cheese

Bree Hester

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizers & Snacks

Cuisine American

Servings 32

Calories 209 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Homemade Mayonnaise:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil

Pimento Cheese:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp sage finely chopped
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups Colby cheese shredded
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 4 oz jar chopped pimentos, drained
• salt and pepper
• hot sauce

Instructions

 

• Start by making the mayonnaise. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, vinegar, dry mustard, salt, sugar, and cayenne to the food processor.
  
• Pulse a few times until combined.
  
• Slowly, and I mean super slowly, drizzle the olive oil through the funnel with the food processor running.
  
• Once all of the oil has been incorporated, you have mayo! Totally easy.
  
• Quick tip – to make your cheese grate easier, put it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes beforehand.
  
• To make the pimento cheese, add one cup of mayo to a large bowl. Add sage, lemon juice, dry mustard, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce and mix to combine.
  
• Add drained pimento and shredded cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce, to taste.
  
• Mix to combine. Serve with crackers.
  

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 209kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 4gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 215mgFiber: 0.02g

Keyword apple almond bavarian cheesecake, Delicious Pimento Cheese, pimento cheese

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