Jalapeño Pimento Cheese

This pimento cheese is creamy, spicy and has a kick from jalapeños! It's ready in just 10 minutes and perfect on sandwiches or with crackers and veggies.

Recipe features

• Made with 8 ingredients in just 10 minutes!
• Lightly spicy from diced jalapeño and hot sauce
• Made slightly healthier with Greek yogurt in addition to mayonnaise
• Perfect on sandwiches or as a dip with chips or veggies!

One of my favorite things about living in Georgia is pimento cheese. I lived in Oregon for a couple of years and missed it sorely because I couldn't find it anywhere. It's definitely a Southern thing.

There's a specific jalapeño pimento cheese that I always buy at the grocery store (if you know, you know) but when I was living in Oregon I learned to make it at home.

It's just so easy and it allows for a lot more customization! I still make homemade pimento cheese all the time now that I'm back in the South.

What you'll need

• Cheddar cheese: I love using thick cut "farm style" sharp cheddar. Regular shredded cheddar also works. I think sharp cheddar is just the right amount of sharpness, but mild or very sharp also work. I don't recommend shredding your own cheese because it has the tendency to clump up in spreads.
• Mayonnaise: Duke's is my go-to, but really any mayonnaise will work.
• Greek yogurt adds a bit of tang and lightens up the recipe. Choose plain, whole Greek yogurt. You can use an equal amount of sour cream if desired.
• Pimentos are just a certain variety of diced and canned red peppers. You can usually find jarred pimentos with the artichokes, olives and other jarred condiments.
• Jalapeno: I add just one finely diced medium jalapeno because we're also adding hot sauce. You can add more if you prefer, but be warned: this pimento cheese gets spicy quickly!
• Hot sauce like Tapatio, tabasco or Cholula work best here.

Step by step instructions

Pimento cheese is very easy to make. Here's what you need to do:

1. Stir together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, hot sauce, onion and garlic powder.
2. Fold in the shredded cheddar cheese, diced jalapeños and drained pimento peppers.

I like to chill pimento cheese for at least an hour before serving because it allows it to thicken up.

Recipe FAQ and expert tips

• How to lighten up: You can use olive oil mayonnaise in place of regular mayo and choose low-fat cheddar cheese. Try using 100% Greek yogurt in place of mayo for a tangy but lighter option.
• Spiciness: Because we're using jalapeno and hot sauce, this recipe leans on the spicy side. Omit hot sauce or decrease jalapeno for a less spicy result.
• Cream cheese vs sour cream vs Greek yogurt: Mayonnaise is always necessary in pimento cheese, but otherwise things get a little iffy. I use Greek yogurt because I like the tang and texture yogurt provides. More traditional recipes will use cream cheese and sometimes sour cream.
• Sauciness: This recipe errs on the saucier side. You can decrease Greek yogurt to 2 tablespoons for a thicker result.

Looking for more southern favorites?

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Note: This recipe was originally shared August 2018. It was updated April 2021 with new photos and a video. The recipe remains the same.