This 15 Minute Pimento Beer Cheese is dangerous.
You might want to close out of this blog post right now. Navigate away, look elsewhere, forget you ever saw this glorious cheese masterpiece and go on with your life. Seriously, I'm only trying to help you out here, because once you try 15 Minute Pimento Beer Cheese, there is no turning back.
It will become your go-to party contribution, sandwich spread, and guilty snack. You'll eat it after telling yourself that it's time to try healthier foods. You'll get up in the middle of the night for a taste. You'll chow down on it as you write a blog post detailing just how addictive it is.
Yeah, I can't stop. Send help.
Why exactly is it so addictive? Well, here are the major players:
- Nutty sharp cheddar cheese
- Buttery smoked gouda cheese
- Sweet pimento peppers
- Malty ale
- Tangy mayonnaise
And when you have all of those flavors mingling together, you are in for a good time, my friends.
Speaking of good times, I'll be serving some of this Pimento Beer Cheese at my dear friend Allie's going away party this weekend. I'm banking on the cheese dip to distract me from the fact that Allie is relocating south of the Mason-Dixon line, but if you find me silently sobbing over the buffet table, it's because I'm really gonna miss that punk. Dammit, I'm really going to miss her.
If the state of North Carolina would kindly stop luring in all of my favorite people, I'd be much obliged.
The party is southern themed, which is exactly what inspired me to come up with this recipe in the first place. Pimento cheese has earned the nickname "the caviar of the South" from decades-worth of grandmas serving up sandwiches slathered with the stuff (and with the crusts cut off, of course), or at least that's what I imagine from reading 'round the interwebs. I also do know for a fact that some of even the fanciest schmanciest restaurants out there are filling their menus with their own creative twists on pimento cheese. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here or anything, but I think mixing pimento cheese with smoked gouda beer cheese is probably waaaaay high up there on the "best variations" list.
Feel free to correct me if you disagree, but you have to promise to try 15 Minute Pimento Beer Cheese first. I'm pretty dang confident that you won't have any complaints.
You can eat it cold, which makes it great for making ahead of time if you are going to be throwing a party; or at room temperature, which is super convenient for potlucks and picnics. You can even top a burger with Pimento Beer Cheese and eat it warm. The possibilities are endless.
Well, what are you waiting for? Take the ten minutes to make some and let me know what you think! While you're at it, don't forget to take a picture and post it to Instagram or Twitter with #hostthetoast, and show off how you serve yours.
Enjoy!
Print
15 Minute Pimento Beer Cheese
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces smoked gouda, shredded
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 (8 ounce) jar pimento peppers, drained and chopped
- ½ cup beer of choice (I used Yard's Brawler)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 dash hot sauce, or to taste
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- Chives, chopped, to top
Instructions
- Toss together the shredded cheeses in a large bowl. Transfer half of the cheese mixture to the bowl of a food processor, along with the mayonnaise and half of the the pimento peppers. Process until well-combined and set aside.
- Heat the beer in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add the cornstarch to the bowl with the remaining shredded cheeses and toss to coat. Stir the cheese into the warmed beer until smooth and melted.
- Transfer the pimento mixture to the large bowl and pour over the warmed beer cheese. Stir well. Add in the remaining pimento peppers and season with hot sauce, salt, and pepper, to taste.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with chopped chives and serve with pretzels or crackers, for dipping.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
Amy says
Yum! Being from the South and living in Charleston, SC, I'm a huge fan of pimento cheese. Like every good Southerner, I have my own version, which includes replacing some of the mayo with a little softened cream cheese. I find mayo often overpowers the delicate pimento cheese flavors. Can't wait to make your version! Thanks for the recipe, Morgan!
Chris says
I have a weird aversion to smoked gouda. Do you have a suggestion for another cheese to swap in? Or would you just double the cheddar? Sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Morgan says
Doubling the cheddar will work fine-- just make sure you use a good, aged sharp cheddar so that you get plenty of flavor!
Kelly says
Made this over the weekend for a party and it was a hit! Very easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Rose R. says
Hi Morgan, Is it possible to make this without a heating element? Aka throw it all in a blender like with traditional pimento cheese recipes?
Morgan says
Hi Rose! It's possible but definitely will give you a different texture-- in order to get the "beer cheese" part of this version, the cornstarch needs to be heated. Doing so thickens and smooths the beer cheese before it is added in the traditional pimento cheese base.
Delaina Downes says
I really want to try this recipe and am looking at it on my phone and it is awesome you have a print button but stinks that the ads don’t go away...