Labneh Pimento Cheese
Y’all know how I feel about cheese balls, dips, and spreads: HELL YEAH.
Y’all know how I feel about mayo: HARD PASS.
So when I finally tried pimento cheese as an adult, I of course died a little bit when I realized I had dipped my chip with gusto into mayo cheese. Then my ghost thought, “There is definitely a way to un-mayo this.”
And thus my quest to sully the legacy of “Southern pate” as it’s known. How could I make this work without mayo? Believe it or not, mayo is NOT the way pimento cheese was originally made, as I learned in this surprisingly in-depth history by Serious Eats. Cream cheese was!
For years, I used a mix of softened cream cheese cut with a little sour cream, which was tasty, but always just a little thick for my liking. It got the job done and seemed to be a hit on my cheeseboards, so I stuck with it, but never really LOVED it.
You see, my favorite way to eat pimento cheese is atop a pork rind, so I needed some serious scoopability from this stuff.
As you have noticed if you follow me on the ‘Gram, labneh has been my summer obsession. Super easy to make and delicious on damn near anything, labneh is a tangy, creamy, super spreadable Middle Eastern yogurt cheese. I make a batch a week to smear on toast, dress a summery green bean and tomato salad, or to swoop tender lemony poached shrimp through as a light meal with the aforementioned salad.
When a pimento cheese craving recently hit, I realized labneh may have been the answer to my (extremely first world, especially these days) problem. Sure enough, it had a smooth, scoopable texture that didn’t destroy my chicharrones, but it wasn’t loose or goopy whatsoever.
And duh, it tasted fucking incredible.
So take what’s left of the summer and pretend we aren’t trapped in a never-ending fever dream for a few minutes while you savor some pimento cheese with pork rinds… or whatever it is that pimentos your cheese.
Labneh Pimento Cheese
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 10 minutes, plus overnight if making your own labneh (DO IT!)
Labneh:
2 cups full fat Greek yogurt (see note)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pimento cheese:
8 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
4 ounces jarred pimento or roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup labneh
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Louisiana hot sauce, to taste
To make labneh: Mix Greek yogurt with salt and scoop into a colander lined with two layers of cheesecloth with enough overhang to cover the yogurt completely while it drains. Set colander over a bowl and let drain in the fridge overnight, and up to a full day. (The longer it sits, the thicker it gets, so I like to mix up a batch at night and then check in the morning to see if I want to pull it then or let it drain longer.)
You won’t use all of the labneh for the pimento cheese, so you can store the extra in the fridge for about a week.
To make pimento cheese: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir with a spatula until fully combined. Feel free to add a bit more labneh and adjust seasonings to suit your tastes.
Cover and let sit in the fridge for an hour or so before serving to let the flavors meld.
Store covered in the fridge for up to a week.
NOTES:
My favorite yogurt to use for labneh is the Friendly Farms whole milk Greek yogurt from Aldi.
DO NOT USE PRE-SHREDDED CHEESE! It’s almost worse than mayo. It has a coating to prevent sticking, which leads to a deeply unsavory texture and flavor (in my always emphatic opinion). Love yourself and get a grater!
Can’t find jarred pimentos? Spicy cherry peppers are a delicious substitute if you’re in a pinch.