Keep spirits fueled between the placing of bets and horses racing with this Derby Day-ready pimento cheese recipe from Jonathan Searle. This recipe is all about the cheese. Make sure to pick a high-quality, sharp cheddar. Also, roast your own fresh peppers. The canned peppers just don’t taste the same.
This recipe is all about the cheese. Make sure to pick a high-quality, sharp cheddar. Also, roast your own fresh peppers. The canned peppers just don’t taste the same. Feel free to adjust the lemon juice, salt, and hot sauce to your liking.
recipe 
yields
Makes 1 jar
2 pounds cream cheese
1½ pounds shredded sharp cheddar cheese (Searle uses 2 year Tillamook sharp cheddar), divided
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
½ cup pimento peppers, roasted and diced
⅓ sweet yellow onion, grated
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
⅓ tablespoon sweet paprika
⅓ tablespoon hot paprika
⅓ tablespoon Crystal’s hot sauce
½ garlic clove, finely grated
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
Ingredients
steps
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, place all ingredients except for half of the cheddar. Use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest setting.
- Once the ingredients start to combine, increase to 3 or 4 and mix for 20 seconds longer or until all ingredients are well blended. Transfer the mixture into a large mixing bowl.
- With gloved hands, fold in the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
Date Published: 04.29.21
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Recipe by
Jonathan Searle of Proof on Main in Louisville, Kentucky
Comments 2
How much roasted pepper/pimento for this recipe? How do you roast the peppers?
I just had some pimento cheese I. Louisville and I’m trying to find the recipe! This seems really close and I look forward to trying.
Hi Susan!
We’d recommend half a cup (updated in recipe). To roast the pimentos, use the broiler setting on your oven and blacken each side of peppers then allow them to rest. From there, remove the skins and dice to get that smoky flavor!