20 Pimiento Cheese Recipes That Every Southerner Will Love

Pimiento cheese is undeniably one of the South's favorite spreads. The combination of hand-grated Cheddar, plenty of diced pimientos, and a little cayenne all bundled up in some creamy mayonnaise is too good to resist. It may be a preferred accompaniment to crackers, but we're not judging if you've been known, on occasion, to it straight from the bowl or container. After all, the rich, slightly spicy, sometimes crunchy spread is one of life's small pleasures. And, thanks to this trove of pimiento cheese recipes, the dip has gotten even better, if it's possible to improve on such a good thing.

There's Ann Taylor Pittman's Smoky Kimchi Pimiento Cheese, which nods to her Korean roots, along with Prosciutto-Asiago Pimiento Cheese, which is delightfully crunchy thanks to delicately crisp shards of prosciutto. We've got quite a few creative recipes that incorporate pimiento cheese, from appetizers like our Pimiento Pickle Poppers to the main event, Sausage-Pimiento Cheese Pasta Rollups. Heck, we've even got pimiento cheese cookies (yes, really). But for all the bells and whistles, sometimes a good old-fashioned pimiento cheese is all we really want and need, so we've included a couple basic recipes, too. Any way you spread it, one thing's for sure: pimiento cheese never disappoints (not even store-bought).