Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe – The Southern Lunch That Beats Every Deli Counter
The pimento cheese sandwich is the lunch I keep coming back to when I want something that tastes like the South but takes about twelve minutes to put together. Sharp cheddar, cream cheese, pimentos, and a little mayo. Slather it thick on soft white bread, and you have the sandwich that’s been quietly holding down church luncheons, garden parties, and Master’s Sunday for a hundred years.
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I make my Pimento Cheese Sandwiches a little firmer than most, with more cream cheese and less mayo, because a pimento cheese sandwich falls apart the second you pick it up if the spread is too loose. The texture should hold its shape when you bite it, not squeeze out the sides.
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You can eat these cold, the classic way, or griddle them in butter for a version that melts the cheese and crisps the bread. Both are right. Pick your favorite.
Chef Jenn’s Take on the Pimento Cheese Sandwich
The mistake most people make is treating pimento cheese like a dip and then wondering why their sandwich turns into a soggy mess ten minutes in. A sandwich spread needs to be tighter than a cracker dip. Less mayo, more cream cheese, and the cheese shredded by hand so it binds instead of slumping.
I also skip the hot sauce and smoked paprika you’d find in my dip version. Between two slices of soft bread, those flavors go muddy and distract from the cheese. A straight cheddar-and-pimento version is sharper and cleaner, which is what you want in a sandwich.
The bread matters more than anyone admits. Soft white sandwich bread is classic for a reason: the pillowy texture frames the sharp filling without fighting it. Rye works if you want a deli-counter lean, and a sturdy sourdough is right for the griddled version. For other Southern lunches in this lane, try my Southern Ham Salad and Old Fashioned Ham Salad.
What You’ll Love About This Pimento Cheese Sandwich
- Tighter spread than a standard pimento cheese dip, so it actually holds together between two slices of bread instead of squirting out the back of the sandwich on the first bite.
- Works cold or griddled, and both versions are the real thing. Cold for a picnic or a lunch box, griddled in butter for a cooler-weather dinner you can make in ten minutes.
- No smoked paprika, no hot sauce, no fussy add-ins. I stripped the filling back to what the sandwich actually needs, so the cheese leads instead of getting buried under spice.
Ingredients for the Pimento Cheese Sandwich
- Sharp cheddar cheese – Shred it yourself from a block with a rotary grater. Pre-shredded is coated in starch and gives you a grainy, stiff filling. Extra-sharp works if you like more bite.
- Monterey Jack cheese – Also shredded by hand. Keeps the filling from going one-note and dry. Pepper Jack works if you want mild heat built in.
- Cream cheese – Full-fat, softened to room temp. Cold cream cheese won’t smooth out, and you’ll end up with white lumps in your spread.
- Mayonnaise – Duke’s is the Southern standard. Hellmann’s is fine. Skip Miracle Whip, it’s too sweet for this.
- Diced pimentos – Drain them well. I press them in a strainer with the back of a spoon. Wet pimentos will soak into the bread and wreck the sandwich.
- Garlic powder – Not fresh garlic. Fresh goes sharp and bitter in a cold spread.
- Onion powder – Just a quarter teaspoon. Rounds out the flavor without tasting like onion.
For the sandwich:
- Bread – Soft white sandwich bread is the classic. Rye is great. Sourdough is the move if you’re griddling. Skip anything with a thick crust or a lot of seeds, it fights the filling.
- Butter – Only if you’re griddling. Room-temperature butter spreads more easily on soft bread than cold butter.
How to Make a Pimento Cheese Sandwich
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Start by beating the softened cream cheese and mayonnaise together in a bowl until the mixture is completely smooth. No lumps, no streaks. Any lumps of cream cheese here will still be lumps in the finished sandwich.
Fold in the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack. Go gently. You want the cheese to stay in recognizable shreds, not get mashed into paste. Paste-texture pimento cheese is what gives homemade versions a bad name.
Drain the pimentos thoroughly, then fold them in with the garlic powder and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper. Taste. The filling should be sharp, creamy, and scoopable, not runny. If it’s too loose for a sandwich, add a little more shredded cheese to tighten it up.
Let the filling sit at least 20 minutes before you build the sandwiches, either on the counter or in the fridge. The cream cheese needs a beat to firm up and pull everything together. Spreading it right away will give you a looser sandwich that slides apart when you cut it.
Spread a generous layer on four slices of bread, all the way to the edges. Don’t skimp, and don’t leave a margin. A thin layer of pimento cheese in the middle of a slice of bread is a sad sandwich. Top with the remaining slices.
For the cold version, cut on the diagonal and serve. For the griddled version, butter the outside of each sandwich and cook in a skillet over medium-low heat, about 3 minutes per side, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted through.
Make It A Meal
A pimento cheese sandwich wants a tangy, crunchy sidekick, not another creamy one. I serve them with my Dill Pickle Dip and a bowl of chips, or with a side of Crunchy & Spicy Fried Okra for a proper Southern plate lunch. In summer, a bowl of Oven Roasted Tomato Soup next to a griddled pimento cheese is the Southern answer to grilled cheese and tomato soup.
For a finger-food spread, cut the sandwiches into quarters, trim the crusts, and serve them on a platter alongside my Fried Green Tomatoes. That’s tea-sandwich territory and they disappear fast.
Storage
The pimento cheese filling keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days and gets better after 24 hours. Assembled sandwiches are a different story. Build them no more than 4 hours ahead, or the bread turns soggy. For make-ahead, keep the filling and bread separate and build right before serving. Griddled sandwiches should be eaten hot; they don’t reheat well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soft white sandwich bread is the classic choice and the one I reach for. Rye is a great variation for a deli-style sandwich, and a sturdy sourdough is best if you’re griddling. Avoid crusty artisan loaves; the crust fights the soft filling.
Either works. Cold is the traditional Southern way and the right move for lunch boxes, picnics, or warm weather. Griddled in butter is the right move in cooler weather or when you want something closer to a grilled cheese.
Make the filling up to 5 days ahead. Assembled sandwiches are best eaten within a couple of hours or the bread goes soggy. For a party, build them an hour or two before serving and keep covered in the fridge.
No. The cream cheese and mayo separate when thawed, and the texture breaks down. Make it fresh and use it within a week.
Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
For the pimento cheese filling:
- 1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese finely shredded (by hand)
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese finely shredded (by hand)
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 jar pimentos (4 ounces) diced, drained well
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
For the sandwiches:
- 8 slices soft white sandwich bread or rye, wheat, or sourdough
- butter softened, for toasting (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and mayonnaise together until completely smooth, with no lumps.
- Fold in the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack gently, keeping the cheese in recognizable shreds.
- Drain the pimentos thoroughly. Fold in with the garlic powder and onion powder.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Let the filling rest at least 20 minutes to firm up before assembling.
- Spread a generous layer of filling on 4 slices of bread, all the way to the edges. Top with the remaining 4 slices.
- For cold sandwiches: slice on the diagonal and serve.
- For griddled sandwiches: butter the outside of each sandwich. Cook in a skillet over medium-low heat about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and the cheese has melted through.
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Use less mayo and more cream cheese than a standard pimento cheese dip. A sandwich filling needs to be tighter and firmer so it holds its shape rather than squeezing out the sides.
- Let the filling rest for 20 minutes before building.
- Spread the filling edge-to-edge, not just the middle. A pimento cheese sandwich with a bare half-inch of crust on every side tastes dry and disappointing.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.