Whether homemade or store-bought, the “best” pimento cheese recipe is a hotly debated topic around the South. We taste-tested the original recipe offerings from five popular Southern pimento cheese brands last spring, and now we’re back, breaking down our favorite spicy pimento cheese brands.
This time around, our team conducted a completely blind tasting. It went on for a while, we went through a LOT of crackers, and the general consensus was, “I don’t want to do this. They’re all good.” But with a bit of prodding, each team member assigned a ranking to each of the six pimento cheese blends we tried, and a few favorites emerged above the rest. These were the results!
A tasting party is always a hit! For ours, we lined up six numbered pimento cheese flavors and three types of crackers, plus paper and pencils for note-taking. No one had a clue which brand was which. Image: Liza Graves
THE WINNER
MyThreeSons Spicy White Cheddar
North Carolina-based pimento cheese brand MyThreeSons has become a favorite among StyleBlueprint team members. Their original recipe landed in second place in our last taste test, but they earned full bragging rights this time around with their Spicy White Cheddar blend. (Unsurprisingly, this blend is their best seller.) This one was a bit of a sleeper, as it had the least “traditional” appearance, but the distinct white cheddar flavor, elevated by cayenne pepper and garlic, made quite the impression. They actually have a second spicy flavor available — you’ll see it pop up later in this list!
Find it around the South at Publix, Ingles, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, and Lowes Foods. *Availability varies by location. More location details here.
Find MyThreeSons around the South at Publix, Ingles, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, and Lowes Foods. Image: MyThreeSons
SECOND PLACE
Queen Charlotte’s Jalapeño Pimento Cheese
Another North Carolina-based brand, Queen Charlotte’s original recipe, took first in our last taste test. They still made quite the impression this round with their jalapeño variation, coming in second place. This blend features extra sharp cheddar, sharp white cheddar, AND pepper jack cheese — plus pickled jalapeños. Its flavor is ultra cheesy, just spicy enough, and highly recommended by our team.
Find it around the South at Kroger, Harris Teeter, Publix, Food Lion, and Central Market. *Availability varies by location. More location details here.
Find Queen Charlotte’s around the South at Kroger, Harris Teeter, Publix, Food Lion, and Central Market. Image: Queen Charlotte’s
THIRD PLACE: A TIE!
Palmetto Cheese with Jalapeños
Palmetto Cheese out of Pawleys Island, SC, has ranked third in both of our tests — this time, tied for third. Though still well-loved and often purchased by our team, the cheesy flavor doesn’t stand out quite as powerfully compared to Queen Charlotte and MyThreeSons. If you prefer a milder, creamier flavor (but still enjoy the spicy kick of jalapeños), Palmetto Cheese remains a safe bet!
Find it around the South at Kroger, Publix, Walmart, Food City, Food Lion, and Sam’s Club. *Availability varies by location. More location details here.
Find Palmetto Cheese around the South at Kroger, Publix, Walmart, Food City, Food Lion, and Sam’s Club. Image: Facebook / Pawleys Island Specialty Foods
MyThreeSons Fiery Jalapeño
MyThreeSons makes its second appearance on this list! Their ‘Fiery Jalepeño’ recipe ranked well but was not quite as popular as their white cheddar blend. MyThreeSons actually recommends melting their pimento cheeses for an alternative serving method, and they swear this blend makes the best nachos. (That just might be our next experiment!)
Find it around the South at Publix, Ingles, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, and Lowes Foods. *Availability varies by location. More location details here.
Find MyThreeSons around the South at Publix, Ingles, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, and Lowes Foods. Image: MyThreeSons
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit Fiery Pimento Cheese
Charleston darling Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit naturally became famous for buttery, delicious biscuits but quickly expanded to offer baking mixes, preserves, crackers, and, yes, pimento cheese. They offer both an original recipe and a fiery blend. The fiery blend gets its heat from hot sauce and cayenne pepper, rather than jalapeños, plus an added layer of savory complexity thanks to the addition of Worcestershire sauce. You certainly can’t go wrong serving this pimento cheese up with your favorite crackers, but for us, it didn’t rank quite as high as the other spicy options we found. That said, four people on our team of 18 did rank it number one and were pretty adamant that this be said here as they are vocal that way!
Find it around the South at Publix, Whole Foods, and Costco. *Availability varies by location. You can also order straight from the website.
Find Callie’s around the South at Publix, Whole Foods, and Costco. Image: Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
Danny B’s Hot Pimento Cheese
Our final North Carolina-sourced pimento cheese is Danny B’s Hot Pimento Cheese. (The Carolinas really love their pimento cheese!) This was the spiciest among the bunch and landed at the bottom of the rankings only because many of our taste testers found the heat overwhelming. So, if you’re a serious fan of heat, this is definitely the pimento cheese for you. They also offer a mild, original recipe for the faint of heart!
Find it in Food Lion locations across Eastern North Carolina.
Find Danny B’s in Food Lion locations across Eastern North Carolina. Image: Facebook
Did we miss one of your favorites? Shoot us a direct message on Instagram so we can keep them in mind for our next experiment!
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Looking for more dip-spiration? Check out a few of our favorite dip recipes from the StyleBlueprint archives:
- 4 Easy Dip Recipes + Our NEW Favorite Way to Serve Them!
- The Best Guacamole
- Easy Whipped Feta 3 Ways
- 3 Tex-Mex Dip Recipes for a Crowd
