These Pimento Cheese Crostini appetizers pair a delicious bread slice with creamy and cheesy topping that has the perfect amount of spicy kick!
This recipe combines a delicious homemade pimento cheese spread with baguette slices. Topped with bacon bits, this is a perfect no bake appetizer for summer gatherings. You’ll love the combination of creamy cheese with flavorful pimentos and an extra spicy kick.
Pair this crostini appetizer with a Strawberry Vodka Seltzer for a fantastic happy hour or just something sweet to sip alongside your crostini!
You’ll love the combination of soft and fluffy bread with a creamy topping bursting with savory flavors!
Best of all, you don’t need to turn on the oven for this recipe! Great for warm weather, these crostinis are so easy to put together. You can even make the topping ahead of time, then quickly assemble in a snap.
Savory, creamy, and bursting with flavor, this appetizer recipe is ideal for anybody who wants something satisfying and crowd-pleasing with low effort prep!
Check out our other delicious appetizer recipes here!
Pimento Cheese and Bacon Crostini recipe – easy 5 minute prep!
Why You’ll Love this Pimento Cheese and Bacon Crostini
When culinary artistry meets comfort food, magic happens, and these pimento cheese crostinis are pure culinary magic!
You’ll love the homemade topping made with creamy pimento cheese, the smoky allure of crispy bacon pieces, and the satisfying bite of a baguette slice or bread slice of your choice.
Each bite is a melody that dances on your palate, creating a taste sensation that’s both elegant and inviting.
Whether you’re planning a fancy gathering or simply looking for a moment of culinary delight, this dish is a star when it comes to crostini recipes for appetizers.
Pimento FAQ’s
Pimento peppers are essentially a smaller and milder form of red bell peppers, often combined with cheese and mayo or stuffed into olives.
What is a pimento?
A pimento is a specific variety of chili peppers. They’re typically shaped like hearts and have a similar flavor to bell peppers. The difference is pimentos are more fragrant and their flavor is milder.
They’re commonly used in appetizers, and you’ll often see things like pimento olives which combine green olives with a chunk of pimento pepper.
Do I need to remove the pimento seeds?
This isn’t 100% necessary, but some people find pepper seeds to have a bit of a bitter flavor. If you don’t mind the extra prep, they’re fairly easy to remove before chopping up your peppers.
What is pimento cheese?
Pimento cheese is a spread and dip that originated in the South of the US. It typically combines chopped pimento peppers with cheese and mayonnaise.
Pimento cheese is used as a sandwich spread, or paired with crackers or chips for a flavorful appetizer dip.
What if I don’t have pimentos? What can I use as a pimento substitute?
A classic red bell pepper is a great substitution for a pimento, but any milder red pepper will do the trick. Other varieties include the corno di toro pepper, piquillo pepper, or any type of sweet Italian pepper.
Bacon Cheese Crostini Ingredients
Gather these simple ingredients to make a gourmet-level appetizer that will please any crowd!
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – I recommend using orange cheddar cheese for a pop of color, but sharp white cheddar works as well.
- Whipped Cream Cheese – the whipped kind of cream cheese creates a creamier and lighter base for your pimento cheese topping.
- Mayonnaise – this is a classic ingredient found in pimento cheese, but can be substituted for something lighter like Greek yogurt or fat free sour cream.
- Pimentos – if you can’t find pimentos, chop up some red bell pepper nice and small.
- Hot Sauce – this is an optional ingredient and can be omitted if you don’t love spicy food.
- Minced Garlic
- Cayenne Pepper – for a kick of extra heat. This ingredient can also be left out.
- Bacon Pieces – feel free to cook and chop your own bacon, or buy pre-cooked bacon bits. Whatever’s easiest!
- Baguette Bread – a baguette is the perfect option for crostini slices, but anything with an elongated shape and a good crust will do.
How to Make Pimento Cheese and Bacon Crostini
- Grate the cheddar cheese, and chop the pimentos.
If you don’t want to grate your cheese, you can also buy pre-shredded.
- Into a small bowl, add the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, hot sauce, minced garlic and the cayenne pepper.
This pimento cheese mixture can be used all on its own as a delectable spread or appetizer dip.
- Mix together to blend well. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours so that the flavors will blend together.
- Once ready to serve, start by slicing the bread on and angle into 24 pieces, roughly â…“ inch slices.
Cut the bread at a nice angle to give it a gorgeous presentation.
- Arrange slices of bread on a platter, and spread about a teaspoon or so of pimento cheese mixture onto each one.
Apply the pimento cheese mixture to the bread just before serving to make sure it doesn’t get soggy.
- Top with bacon pieces before serving.
Crostini FAQs
What is the difference between bruschetta and crostini?
The difference largely comes down to the type of bread. Crostini is made from a thinner slice of a white bread baguette or similar bread.
Bruschetta on the other hand is typically made from sourdough. Crostini are also typically toasted.
What bread is crostini made from?
Crostini is made from baguette bread most of the time, but any white bread with a good crust will do.
How do you keep crostini from getting hard?
Most of the time, bread that’s overly hard is a result of cooking too much. Because this recipe doesn’t call for toasting the bread, it should be nice and soft.
To make sure your baguette (or whatever bread you’re using) doesn’t get stale, keep it at room temperature in a bread box or paper bag.
Bacon and Cheese Crostini – heaven in every bite with this easy appetizer recipe!
Popular Variations and Substitutions
- You can choose to bake the bread, but I like it fresh. If you’d like to bake, bake at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes, then top with the cheese mixture.
- Another way to switch up this crostini recipe is to pop them underneath your broiler once the topping is on the bread slices. Only broil for a minute or so, until slightly browned and the cheese is melted.
- To eliminate a step of preparation, either use garlic powder instead of the minced garlic, or buy a jar of pre-minced garlic.
- Add a bit of extra flavor with some simple salt and black pepper.
- The pimento cheese spread can also be used as a dip with crackers or chips, or a spread for sandwiches.
- Other varieties of cheese that work great in pimento spreads are colby jack and pepper jack.
- For even more heat, diced up some jalapenos in addition to the pimento peppers.
Toasted or untoasted, these delicious pimento cheese crostini are a satisfying and filling appetizer your guests will devour!
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy Southwest Corn Dip – With options to serve either hot or cold, this bold and delicious corn dip is the perfect appetizer for any time of year!
- Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread – Fans of cheesy, bread-based appetizers will also love this tear-able and sharable garlic bread covered in gooey cheese.
- Crab Rangoon Dip – Pair this flavorful dip with crackers, chips, or even crispy wontons to channel the classic crab rangoon appetizer.
- Oven Roasted Pimento Chicken – If you have leftover peppers and want to cook with them even more, try this hearty chicken dish from Sweet C’s Designs!
Pimento Cheese Crostini Recipe
Pimento Cheese Crostini Appetizers
This Pimento Cheese Crostini with bacon pieces is the perfect combination of creamy, savory, and spicy, all on top of soft bread slices!
Ingredients
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded by hand
- 4 oz whipped cream cheese
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp pimiento, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp bacon pieces
- 1 loaf baguette bread, sliced
Instructions
- Grate the cheddar cheese
- Chop the pimientos.
- Add the first 7 ingredients to a small bowl, and mix together.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours so that the flavors will blend together.
- Once ready to serve, start by slicing the bread on and angle into 24 pieces, roughly ⅓ inch slices.
- Arrange slices of bread on a platter, and spread about a teaspoon or so of cheese mixture onto each one.
- Top with bacon pieces.
Notes
- Toasting the bread is optional. If you'd like to toast it, heat your oven to 350 degrees F and toast for 3-5 minutes.
- You can also broil the crostinis with the topping to brown and melt the pimento cheese.
- Add extra heat by dicing up jalapenos and adding them to the topping.
- Be sure to allow the pimento cheese mixture to sit in the fridge for several hours to ensure the flavors blend together.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 107Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 185mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g