Grandma Ruby’s Pimento Cheese

This week’s #lolliandmetravels have taken us to Kiawah Island, South Carolina, for a family beach vacation, and you can’t turn around twice in this state without running into pimento cheese “something” on another menu! One of the resort restaurants even served it in lieu of butter with the bread basket!

Lolli grew up watching her Grandma Ruby mix up batches of this Southern staple, and we enjoy making it to share with friends as an hors d’oeuvres dip, or for a weekend at the lake to spread on crackers and sandwiches! Grandma made everything by hand (with heart!), and we promise that the effort that goes into hand-grating the sharp cheddar is worth it and will differentiate your result from the packaged options. Scroll down for Grandma Ruby’s recipe for homemade pimento cheese, as Lolli remembers it:

Photo by Hector Sanchez via Southern Living

Grandma Ruby’s Pimento Cheese

Ingredients:

4 cups hand-grated sharp cheddar cheese 
2 4oz jars of diced pimentos, drained
4 oz. Philadelphia® original (softened) or whipped cream cheese
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1/2 tsp fresh-grated garlic)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp classic yellow mustard (like French’s)
Diced pickled jalapeño peppers to taste (and a touch of brine!)
Hellmann’s® mayonnaise to mix (Approx. 1/2 – 1 cup)

Directions:

Stir all ingredients with a fork until combined. Grandma Ruby always mixed her pimento cheese by hand and would serve it on saltine or Club® crackers as a Southern snack. It also makes for a great grilled cheese sandwich or delicious burger topping! Lolli sometimes serves it as a party appetizer and often fills finger sandwiches with the spread for a brunch-time shower or afternoon event! Yields 1 Quart.

VOILA, Y’ALL™! Now that you’ve mastered the spread, there are so many ways to use it, from stirring some into macaroni and cheese or stuffing your deviled eggs! This article from Southern Living lists a number of delicious recipes that include pimento cheese, and we can’t wait to try more of them! What’s your favorite way to use pimento cheese? Please let us know over on Instagram @lolliandme!

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