Pimiento Cheese Spread Should Only Be Served With These Crackers

If you're not from the Southern United States, you might not be very familiar with pimiento cheese. Sometimes referred to as the pâte of the South, this creamy cheese dip is renowned for its rich texture combined with bright red pimiento peppers, which give the cheese its name. It's a flavorful and indulgent cheese that adds extra Southern flair to mac and cheese, fried green tomatoes, and many other dishes.

However, when serving pimiento cheese by itself, many people struggle to decide what they should enjoy it with. Crackers may seem like an obvious choice, but not just any cracker will do. Saltines are the ideal crackers for serving up pimiento cheese. Their neutral flavor, with just a touch of salt, complements the pimiento cheese without overpowering it. Meanwhile, their texture is perfectly crunchy without being hard to bite into.

There's a reason saltines are considered a classic. They consistently make a great pairing for several types of cheeses, and pimiento cheese is no exception. If just using plain saltines is a little too basic for you, don't worry — there are tons of fun ways to upgrade saltines and pimiento cheese.

You can easily change up pimiento cheese by adding extra ingredients to the cheese dip. Give pimiento cheese a spicy upgrade by adding sriracha sauce, hot sauce, or sliced jalapenos. Alternatively, you can bulk up the pimiento cheese by adding protein, such as ham mousse, bacon, or sliced sausages. For a touch of texture, you can try adding sliced scallions, chopped chives, or almonds. If you want to keep things fairly simple and just top up the flavor a bit, a touch of garlic, cayenne pepper, or smoked paprika will do just fine. 

Last but not least, don't forget to provide some variation to the saltine crackers as well. You can follow Ree Drummond's tip to upgrade saltines by baking the crackers with butter and various seasonings. Try topping them with seeds, such as sesame or poppy, for a little more crunch. If you want a fast and easy way to crisp up your crackers, try frying them in a skillet instead of baking them, and it will achieve the same effect in a significantly shorter amount of time. Whether you dip it or spread it, pimiento cheese makes saltine crackers a more exciting snack.