These easy Bacon Pimento Cheese Bites are the perfect Southern-inspired appetizer—crispy, creamy, and packed with bold, cheesy flavor in every bite.
A while back, I had the pleasure of judging 30 pork bacon recipes for the Alabama Farmers Federation Heritage Cooking Contest. I mean, who can resist judging a bacon cooking contest, right? There were so many great dishes, but these Bacon Pimento Cheese Bites from Anne Lanier were the winning recipe.
They’re the perfect bite of sweet and salty and are amazingly easy to prepare. Even though her original recipe was a cinch, I’ve updated a little here to make it even simpler.
Why do you use packaged bacon pieces?
Anne’s original recipe called for cooking the bacon and crumbling it. In an effort to simplify the recipe, I’ve substituted that bacon for a package of chopped bacon pieces from the grocery store. They have dramatically improved the flavor and texture of the precooked stuff over the past few years, and it’s a perfect substitution when you don’t want to have to cook (and clean up after) bacon.
Do I have to use the pepper jelly?
I highly recommend using the mild green pepper jelly in this recipe. The sweet flavor it adds is truly worth the extra step!
Anne’s original recipe called for Captain Rodney’s Boucan Glaze as the topping with the bacon. That particular ingredient is sometimes difficult to locate. So, I’ve switched that out for some melted mild green pepper jelly. I find the flavor to be similar, and the jelly is much easier to find. But if you can find the glaze, I certainly recommend it!
Ingredients
- 2 (1.9-ounce) (15-count) mini fillo shells
- 1 (3.5-ounce) package chopped real bacon pieces
- ¾ cup prepared pimento cheese I like Palmetto Cheese brand
- ½ cup mild green pepper jelly melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Fill each mini fillo shell with 1 teaspoon pimento cheese. Drizzle with about ½ teaspoon of the melted pepper jelly. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the bacon crumbles over the top each.
- Transfer to baking sheet and bake 5-8 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 30 appetizers.
Video
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
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can you make ahead of time?
Yep. These reheat just fine.
I made these and everyone was asking for the recipe. I take that as a win. The most comments were they loved the crispness and a little sweet hint of heat. Did I mention how easy and quick these are to make? It’s a winner!
Love hearing that, Woneda!
Would this work with red pepper jelly instead of green?
Of course! I like the green for the color difference, but red will work perfectly.
I am planning to make these. Should you thaw the shells before adding the cheese?
They thaw so quickly, there’s really no need to allot time just for them to thaw. By the time you get them filled, they’ll likely be thawed.
I served these at my Halloween party. They were a big hit. I finished up the leftovers yesterday. All I have t say is yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Glad to hear everyone enjoyed them!
Can these be frozen?
I’m not sure how the mayo in the pimento cheese would freeze, so I can’t say for sure.
THESE SOUND SO YUMMY. I HOPE YOU WILL SHARE MORE OF THE RECIPES FROM THAT COMPETITION.
Thanks, VA! I’ll see if they’ll let me share some more one day.
I took these to a party and they were eaten in minutes!! I used the Captain Rodney’s Boucan Glaze and it was amazing!! This will be my “go to” appetizer when I need one.. You can get the sauce on Amazon and it has a few other recipes using it as well..
Great tip! Thanks, Connie! So glad to hear everyone enjoyed them!
These sound amazing but I can’t do spicy. Any suggestion on what I might put on top that is low heat but still real flavorful?
You can get a mild pepper jelly, but I suppose another jelly or jam would work just fine. I’ve served pimento cheese with strawberry preserves before, so I think that could work.
These were sooo good! And super easy – I quickly prepped them ahead of time and just popped them in the oven for a few minutes when I was ready. I used Palmetto brand jalapeno pimento cheese and everyone loved them! Signing up for your emails now!
Thanks so much, Karen! I’m so glad you enjoyed them and found them easy!
Absolutely delicious and so easy!
Thanks, Sharon! Glad they turned out great for you!
Looking forward to trying these little beauties! Thank you, Stacey. Would you happen to have a mild green pepper jelly recipe that you would be willing to share? If so, it would be greatly appreciated!
Unfortunately I do not have a green pepper jelly recipe, but it is on my list to make!
We made these and they were AWESOME!!! We couldn’t find the Captain Rodney’s but we will order some soon. We ended up using the Tabasco brand jalapeño pepper jelly and they tasted sooo yummy! We love the Palmetto brand pimento cheese and definitely recommend using it.
Sounds perfect! So glad to hear y’all enjoyed them!
I made these with homemade pimento cheese! Amazing!!! So, so yummy!
So glad to hear you enjoyed them!!
I love your recipe ideas. They all seem to fit my tastebuds. Time to get a cookbook. And, I appreciate that you reply/comment on feedback to you.
Thank you, Sherman!!
A neighbor brought these over this evening & they were so delish! A real keeper,
Lucky you!! So glad you enjoyed them!
I’m excited to try these because I already have a jar of Uncle Rodney’s! I’m wondering if you can use real bacon?
I prefer to use real bacon. I just use the real bacon that’s already cooked and crumbled – not the fake kind. With that being said, you can absolutely cook bacon, drain, and crumble it for use in this recipe.
I found my uncle Rodney’s boucan glaze at Adams Drugs in Wetumpka. The Alabama governors mansion gift shop and Priesters pecans have been known to carry it, as well
Thanks for the info!
I’m defiantly making these in the very near future, they look so good! I wonder, do you have to eat them while their warm only? Are will they taste good at room temp on a appetizer table??
They’re best warm, but are still super delicious at room temp.
Yes please send some over!
🙂
I am totally blaming you for me ordering 3 bottles of Captain Rodney’s Boucan Glaze (less expensive then ordering 1 bottle with shipping)!! And I don’t even know if I like pimento cheese!!! These look so fabulous that I just HAVE to make them. So, do I warm up the Boucan Glaze like the jelly or not???
Ha! The glaze is pourable, so you shouldn’t need to warm it. Sure hope you’ll enjoy it!! 🙂
Finally got everything ordered for these…Thanksgiving feast, here we come!!!
I sure hope everyone will enjoy!!!
Couldn’t find the filo cups so I kinda made my own…in big cupcake cups…made 6…no one else has seen them…two are gone!! Captain Rodney’s Boucan Glaze is AMAZING and totally worth ordering 3 bottles (I rather wish I had ordered more)!!! Mercy, Stacey, they are AWESOME!! I’ll be looking for the filo cups and definitely making this in the future. Thank you so much and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!
Awesome! Love hearing that!! Hope y’all had an amazing Thanksgiving!!
Susan if you have a Fresh Market, I know they have the phyllo shells both prebaked and frozen unbaked. They have them where they have things like the small loaves of cocktail breads, crackers, etc. As for the Captain Rodney’s, if you have a Publix, every one I have ever seen had Captain Rodney’s on an end cap where they have “local” products and I think I have seen it at Kroger. If your Publix doesn’t have it, ask them to order it, they are really good about getting things for me.