How to Make Thai Spicy Pimento Cheese

We were visiting our hip friends who live in Charleston, S.C., and walking around the local farmer’s market, hungry for Saturday brunch.

The smells of the fried food sizzling at the cluster of friendly food trailers were pulling us like a magnet to their windows. We ambled around looking at the chalkboard menus posted on the side of the trucks, and then I saw a menu item on a truck called Roti Rolls that made my eyes light up, and I started to drool immediately.

“Wakey Bakey: sunny egg, candied bacon, Thai pimento cheese, and roasted potato”. Thai pimento cheese”? What in the world was that and can I try it now please?!

I asked the server what made the pimento cheese Thai, and he said Thai chili peppers. It did have a spicy punch, and already there were visions in my head of making my own version of Thai pimento cheese, combining both my worlds of the South and Thailand into one dish!

I wasn’t super familiar with pimento cheese, and if you aren’t either it’s a beloved Southern spread typically made with sharp cheddar, mayo, cream cheese, and pimentos. It was all over Charleston and on almost every menu in some form, whether it was a pimento cheese sandwich of sorts or a dip.

I asked a good friend who is a Thai food and Southern food aficionado her thoughts on how to make it. We decided that having just Thai chilies didn’t make it taste Thai enough, so we thought about adding Thai red curry paste plus the Thai chilies to the pimento cheese.

And to lighten up the pimento cheese, I replaced the mayo and cream cheese with Greek yogurt, but of course, feel free to sub it back in if you prefer your pimento cheese base to be the traditional Southern way.

The results? I had my Thai pimento cheese on a charcuterie I made for a family birthday party, and was told I must share the Thai pimento cheese recipe on my blog! So here ya go!

How to Make Thai Spicy Pimento Cheese

Before I tell you how to make it, I’ll answer the question you might be asking, but are afraid to really ask, “What are pimentos???”

I wasn’t sure what they were before I started researching how to make this recipe! Lol!

If you are the same, pimentos are an adorable round, 3 inch or so wide and 4 inch or so long, red pepper, aka cherry pepper, with a sweet and mild taste.

They are not the same as a fresh red pepper you’d find at your produce section. They are hard to find fresh, but you can buy pimentos in a jar at any grocery store.

Fun Pimento Fact! They are the red part you see in stuffed olives!

I never knew how easy it was to make pimento cheese! All you do chop up the pimentos, and Thai chilies (if using), mix up all the ingredients, and add extra seasonings to taste!

I’m often a bit nervous with how much spiciness to add to my Thai food since I love spicy, and most Americans aren’t huge fans. I just did 2 teaspoons of Thai red curry paste for my first trial run, and everyone could eat it fine, even those who can’t handle much spiciness.

But if you and your loved ones love some spice, up the Thai red curry paste to another teaspoon or more. Thai food is all about making it taste the way you prefer to your palate and what your family loves.

Let me know how you made your Thai pimento cheese! I’d love to see! My favorite place to hang out is in Instagram stories, so tag me @thaifoodie so I can see your creation!

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