Pimento Cheese with Celery
Sharp cheddar grated by hand and stirred with pimientos, avocado-oil mayonnaise, cream cheese, and cayenne, served with cold, crisp celery sticks.
Why you'll love Pimento Cheese with Celery
Pimento cheese is the spread of the American South: sharp cheddar, sweet red pimientos, and mayonnaise, with a little heat, mixed into something creamy, tangy, and spoonable. Served with cold celery sticks, it is a snack that tastes like a party and comes together in 15 minutes.
The cheese is grated by hand from a block, and that matters more than any other step. Bagged shredded cheese is coated with starch or cellulose to keep the shreds apart, which keeps it from blending into a creamy spread and leaves it dry and gritty. Freshly grated cheddar softens into the mayonnaise and cream cheese and binds into a spread that still has texture. A small spoon of cream cheese gives body, and a splash of the pimiento liquid and a pinch of cayenne bring tang and warmth.
Celery is the ideal scoop: cold, crunchy, and watery, a clean contrast to the rich cheese. As school lunches and afternoon pickups start up in September, a jar of this in the refrigerator makes the after-school or late-afternoon snack easy.
Quick overview: This Pimento Cheese with Celery takes 15 min of hands-on time and about 1 hr 15 min in all and makes 6 servings, each 1/4 cup with 4 to 5 celery sticks.
Ingredients
- 8 oz sharp cheddar, from a block
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened Label: milk, cream, cultures, and salt, with no gums
- 1/4 cup avocado-oil mayonnaise Label: avocado oil, eggs, vinegar, and salt, with no sugar or seed oils
- 1 jar (4 oz) diced pimientos, drained, 1 tsp of the liquid saved Label: pimientos, water, salt, and citric acid or vinegar, with no sugar
- 1 tbsp finely grated onion
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder Label: garlic, and nothing else
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 bunch celery (about 8 ribs), cut into 4-inch sticks
Instructions
- Grate the cheese: Grate the cheddar on the large holes of a box grater, then grate about a third of it again on the small holes. The mix of coarse and fine shreds is what gives pimento cheese its texture: the fine shreds melt into the spread and bind it, and the coarse ones stay as distinct, chewy bits of cheese.
- Drain the pimientos: Spoon out a teaspoon of the pimiento liquid and set it aside, then tip the pimientos onto a double layer of paper towels and press them gently. Excess liquid thins the spread and makes it weep in the refrigerator.
- Make the base: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with a fork until smooth, then stir in the mayonnaise, grated onion, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, pepper, vinegar, and the saved pimiento liquid. Smoothing the cream cheese first keeps lumps out of the finished spread.
- Fold it together: Add the cheddar and pimientos and fold with a spatula until every shred is coated and the mixture holds together in a soft mound. Stir firmly but stop once it comes together, so the coarse shreds stay intact. Taste and add more cayenne if you like it hotter.
- Chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The cheese softens and the flavors meld as it rests, and the spread firms to the right scooping texture.
- Prepare the celery: Cut the celery into sticks and keep them in a bowl of ice water in the refrigerator while the spread chills. Cold water makes them extra crisp. Drain and pat them dry, and serve them with the pimento cheese.
Storage and leftovers
Refrigerate the pimento cheese in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Stir it before serving and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so it softens.
Keep the celery sticks in a container of water in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, changing the water every other day. Pimento cheese does not freeze well; the mayonnaise separates as it thaws.
Variations
- With jalapeño: Stir in 1 finely chopped seeded jalapeño for fresh heat.
- Roasted red pepper: Use finely chopped jarred roasted red peppers in place of the pimientos. They are a little sweeter and softer.
- Other dippers: Serve with endive leaves, cucumber rounds, radishes, or sweet pepper strips.
- Stuffed celery: Pipe or spoon the pimento cheese into the hollow of each celery rib and cut into 2-inch pieces for a party.
Notes and tips
- Use a sharp cheddar: An aged sharp or extra-sharp cheddar gives the spread its tang. A mild cheddar tastes flat once mixed with mayonnaise.
- Grate it cold: Cheese grates most cleanly straight from the refrigerator. Let the mixed spread come to room temperature instead.
- Read the mayonnaise label: Most mayonnaise is made with soybean or canola oil and sugar. Look for one made with avocado oil, eggs, vinegar, and salt.
- Grate the onion: Grated onion melts into the spread and seasons it evenly, with none of the crunch of chopped onion.
Nutrition and mindful eating
- Sharp cheddar brings protein, calcium, and fat, and that combination is what makes a small snack carry you to dinner.
- Avocado-oil mayonnaise and cream cheese add more real fat and make the spread creamy and satisfying.
- Pimientos are sweet, ripe red peppers, and they bring color, a mild sweetness, and vitamin C.
- Celery is mostly water and fiber, so it brings crunch, freshness, and volume that balance the richness of the cheese.
- As you eat, notice how a quarter cup of rich cheese with crisp celery satisfies, and whether it carries you comfortably for 2 to 3 hours to dinner, hungry but steady.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this Pimento Cheese with Celery? Start here, with the questions people ask most.
What are pimientos?
Pimientos are a sweet, heart-shaped red pepper, roasted, peeled, and packed in jars. They are milder and softer than red bell peppers.
Is it pimento or pimiento?
Both. The pepper is a pimiento, from the Spanish word for pepper, and the Southern spread is usually spelled pimento cheese.
Can I use pre-shredded cheese?
Hand-grated cheese gives a much creamier spread. Bagged shreds are coated to keep them from clumping, and the coating keeps them from binding.
How spicy is it?
Gently warm with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. Start with a pinch if you prefer it mild, and add more after it has chilled, since the heat builds as it rests.
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