Pimento cheese has been a secret southern weapon for adding a little more fun, and fried rice might be its best unexpected match. This recipe leans into comfort food without asking you to dirty a pile of dishes or fuss with shaping patties. You cook the beef, fold in your aromatics, add the rice, and finish with a glossy cheese sauce that brings the whole thing together. It tastes like a cheeseburger, but it eats like the easiest one-pan meal you’ll make all month.
How to Handle the Cheese
A classic pimento cheese spread is made with shredded cheddar, mayonnaise, pimiento peppers and seasonings like smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cheddar cheese is typically not a go-to in my recipes, as it has a higher chance of stringiness from high calcium, but it is so central to the identity of this dish. The reason for the stretchiness in some cheeses vs others often comes down to two pieces: calcium content and moisture levels. Young cheddars have the perfect storm of the two; the calcium helps glue together the protein molecules to create long chains that can become a choking risk for anyone, let alone folks with different chewing and swallowing.
To keep the classic sharpness of pimento cheese, my recipe recommends aged cheddar, as the low moisture means it’s harder to create strings. Blend that with the mayo and a little cream cheese and you get a creamy sauce that is inclusive and delicious. Mixed with the sweetness of the jarred pimento pepper pieces, this fried rice boasts the same richness you’d normally chase with a drizzle of burger sauce. If you want to play with the balance, you can adjust the heat level by swapping in cayenne for the paprika, or tone the tang down while boosting protein by swapping in some Greek yogurt for the some of the mayo.
Cooking Science Spotlight: Fried Rice
Traditional fried rice achieves those individual grains vs sticky clumps of rice, by using cold, dry day-old rice. This way, they will sear quickly and allow the oils and seasonings to touch the full surface of each grain. When cooking for softer textures, we can take advantage of this technique as well, to help keep particle sizes more consistent and ensure even moisture throughout (If you are making day of, you can spread out on sheet pan to allow it to cool and dry out briefly).
Bringing the Burger Element
By going with a ground beef, this recipe naturally brings cookout flavor; we can choose our veggies to support this fusion. The beef doesn’t need deep browning. Just cook it through and keep it juicy by lightly braising, because the real flavor comes from what you add right after. Your favorite pickles, when skinned/seeded, can be minced or pureed to minimize the dual consistency effect of having a solid texture that needs chewing that is especially watery (watermelon would be another example). Caramelized onion purees or minces can add depth to the sweetness of the peppers. Jarred pimento peppers are already processed for easy integration into softer menus. Once the rice goes in the pan, you’re basically done.
How to Keep Ground Beef Tender
Start with beef that isn’t too lean. An 80/20 or 85/15 grind tends to stay tender without getting greasy. Heat your pan, add the beef, and let it sit for a minute or two before breaking it up. This helps it cook evenly without squeezing the moisture out right away. When you do break it up, use a spatula to start breaking down toward your particle size. Season lightly at this stage; salt draws moisture out, so you don’t want to overdo it early. Once the beef is just cooked through, (for ground meats, cook to a temperature of 160℉, careful to not touch the pan for an accurate reading) remove from the heat. If you have more steps to complete in that pan (like in this recipe), be sure to cover the dish that you transfer to, ideally with a tablespoon or 2 of liquid in the same container to keep the meat hydrated. For this recipe, I would use some beef broth, milk, or possibly even some pickle brine if you love the tang.
Why a Bowl Works for Everyone
Skipping the buns isn’t about restriction. It’s about making the meal something everyone at the table can eat without feeling like they’ve been singled out by being handed a different version. This pimento cheeseburger fried rice can act as a bridge to familiar while staying bread free, and effortlessly gluten free. No separate prep, no swapping out ingredients. And honestly? Nobody has missed the buns. The flavor’s all in the beef, the cheese, and the veggies anyway.
Pimento Cheeseburger Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- If you did not premake your rice, you should start the rice before beginning the your prep for the rest of the skillet ingredients.
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until cooked through. Do not drain unless excessively greasy. Add diced onion directly to the pan with the beef. Cook 4–5 minutes until very soft and translucent. Add diced pickles and cook 1–2 minutes more until warmed and fragrant. Splash in the pickle brine and stir to deglaze the pan. Remove from the heat and store in covered container, with 1-2 tbsp broth, milk or even pickle brine to help maintain moisture. Return pan to stove.
- Over medium heat, (adding a drizzle of oil as needed if not much beef tallow left) crack the eggs and scramble gently until just set. Add the cooked rice to the pan. Stir everything together and cook 3–4 minutes until the rice is hot and evenly mixed. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle the shredded aged cheddar over the top. Stir gently until melted and evenly distributed.
- Turn off heat. Stir in mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, pimentos, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper until fully combined and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm.
SLP Notes
Testing Method: Food should pass the fork pressure test (mashes easily with light pressure) and the spoon tilt test (holds together but slides off easily when tilted). Particle Size: Pieces must be ≤ 4 mm for adults (2 mm for children). All food should appear cohesive, not crumbly or sticky. Moisture Level: Add small amounts of sauce until the mix lightly clings together without pooling liquid. Serving Tip: Keep the dish visually appealing by shaping or layering components while maintaining moisture. Retest texture if reheated or refrigerated.How do I…
Adjust the macros?
Protein: Add egg whites while scrambling, stir in 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with cheddar
Fat: To play with the fat dial on this one, you can start with a leaner cut (you may want to consider a wet heating method like braising) or simply drain off excess tallow. Play with the ratio of mayo to Greek yogurt too.
Carbs: Replace a cup or two with riced cauliflower or zucchini, go for dill vs sweeter pickle varieties, reduce ratio of rice to meat.
Make it fit my eating style?
Gluten-Free: The only places I could see gluten trying to sneak in are the pickles or a spice blend. I’d generally say this is already a gluten-free recipe.
Dairy-Free/Vegan: Replace beef with lentils + finely ground mushrooms; replace egg with a vegan replacement or silken tofu, use a vegan mayo or cashew yogurt. Use vegan cream cheese and nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor.
Make it fit my spoons?
Use par cooked rice, jarred pickles and pimentos to reduce prep.
This recipe freezes extremely well, its a good candidate for batch cooking, just rehear with a splash of water or broth.
Pimento cheeseburger fried rice proves that two classic comfort foods can become something greater than the sum of their parts. By taking the rich, tangy depth of pimento cheese and integrating it with seasoned ground beef and tender rice, you create a one-pan dish that tastes familiar but feels fresh. This isn’t just a novelty mash-up, it’s a weeknight meal that holds together, reheats well, and invites everyone to enjoy the same serving at a meal.
Still Hungry?
Looking for a protein packed snack that you can make from your kitchen scraps? Its super easy to make your fortified bone broth.
Enjoy the Asian fusion flavors? Check out my Minced and Moist Asian Chicken Broccoli Slaw recipe for another night’s dinner.
Need a finisher for your meal? Channel the flavors of baklava in my Honey Walnut Cream dip, which can be paired or enjoyed alone.
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