Pimento Cheese Potato Salad
Potato salad gets a spicy makeover when it meets all the components for pimento or pimiento cheese. Pimento cheese potato salad makes the perfect picnic lunch or side dish for summer BBQ’s.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my grilled potato wedges and my oven roasted potatoes with pecan dressing. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my side dishes in one place.
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Pimento Cheese Potato Salad
Around here, we are big fans of pimento cheese, and also, potato salad. A mash-up of these two ingredients makes for a delicious side dish for all of your summer BBQ’s, holidays, and get togethers.
What you need to know
Potato salad gets better if you let it sit in the fridge all day, or overnight, before serving. If you can plan ahead, make this potato salad early in the morning on the day you are serving it, or the evening before.
Potatoes will absorb some of the flavors in the dressing and the other ingredients, letting all of the flavors “marry”, and the taste actually does improve.
It might be personal preference, but I like the onions grated, or diced very finely. They should blend in with everything. Pimento cheese doesn’t have big chunks of onion, so I don’t want it here either.
Ingredients
- Potatoes – The best potatoes for potato salad are waxy, like Yukon Golds. They have a thin skin, and will hold their shape after cooking. I have used Russets, and while they are fine, I prefer a Yukon gold for potato salad.
- Cheese – Pimento cheese is made from grated cheddar, however, I like to add in a cheese with some kick as well. You can use all cheddar if you prefer your pimento cheese potato salad to be “kickless”.
- Diced pimentos – You can buy them already diced, or they do sell them in specialty sections whole, and you can dice them yourself, if you prefer. They are also great for stuffing, if you buy them whole.
- Mustard powder – This gives the potato salad great flavor, and also provides just a touch of heat.
- Cream cheese and mayonnaise – These form the base of our creamy dressing. Duke’s mayo is more traditional in the South, but it isn’t available everywhere. Just make sure you are using real mayo, because it does make a difference.
- Salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and parsley – These all add great flavor to the potatoes.
How to make
Peel and dice the potatoes. Then, give them a soak in cold water so they can release some of their starch. As you can see in the photo on the left, the water is very cloudy. After soaking and changing the water, it remains crystal clear, as you can see on the right.
Then, mix the spices, cream cheese and mayo together in a large bowl. Next, add the pimento, cheeses, and parsley.
After the potatoes have cooked, drain them and place on a sheet pan to cool. This also allows any moisture to evaporate quickly. When the potatoes have cooled to room temperature, fold them into the mayonnaise mixture.
Potato Salad with Pimento Cheese FAQ’s
Leftover potato salad stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator will last 4 – 5 days.
Nope! If you prefer your pimento cheese not spicy, omit the pepper jack cheese and stick with sharp cheddar.
If you are using a thin-skinned potato like the Yukon golds I used here, no, you don’t. The skin is paper thin, and if you don’t mind it, there is no need to peel.
Chef’s Tip
Turn your grater on its side and grate the cheese this way instead of standing the grater upright. It is much easier on your wrist and shoulder.
Variations and substitutions
- I used pepper jack cheese in addition to cheddar because I find it has just the right amount of heat. I’ve also used a habanero cheddar in the past. Another option is adding a diced jalapeño pepper, or a squirt of hot sauce, if you want to make it spicier.
- Conversely, you can omit the pepper jack cheese and use only sharp cheddar to make a mild version of this potato salad.
- Yukon gold potatoes can be substituted with new potatoes, white potatoes, or Russets. Though Russets would be my last choice as the texture is different.
Serving suggestions with pimento cheese potato salad
Originally, this was a recipe that I created for Idaho Potatoes (the company). I paired it with hot honey chicken fingers and a cheddar dill biscuit for a picnic lunch. If you are planning an outing, or you are making box lunches for an event, this is a great combination.
This potato salad is also a great side dish for burgers and sandwiches. I like to serve it with BBQ chicken and corn on the cob during the summer.
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Pimento Cheese Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced into 1” pieces
- ¾ cup sharp Cheddar cheese grated
- ¾ cup pepper jack cheese grated
- 1 cup mayonnaise *see note
- 4 tbsp. diced jarred pimento peppers (by the pickles & olives in the grocery store)
- 4 tbsp. cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp. mustard powder I use Colman's
- 1 small yellow onion grated, or diced very finely
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tbsp. Italian (flat leaf) parsley chopped
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with cold water and add potatoes. Let the potatoes sit in cold water for a few minutes to release some of their starch. Pour the water off and repeat. Fill the pot again with cold water, then add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. (Potatoes need salt. If you are sensitive to salt, you can reduce by half.)
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for approximately 10 – 14 minutes, or until “fork tender”. *Do not cook until falling apart – just until the tip of a paring knife easily slides into the potato without much resistance.
- While potatoes are boiling, combine salt, pepper, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, cream cheese, and mayonnaise in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add grated onion, diced pimento peppers, grated cheeses and chopped parsley. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- When potatoes are cooked, remove from heat and drain. Spread out on a baking sheet for faster cooling and to allow them to dry a bit before adding to mayonnaise mixture.
- When potatoes have cooled to room temperature, fold them into the mayonnaise mixture and grate a little more cheese on top. Sprinkle fresh herbs and a dusting of paprika, if desired, before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally published 4/25/17, most recent update 6/13/24.