Brazilian Cheese Bread
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Pão de queijo, Brazilian cheese bread, is crisp on the outside, cheesy and chewy inside, and impossible to resist warm from the oven. Bonus: they’re naturally gluten-free.
If you’ve been to a Brazilian steakhouse (churrascaria) or visited Brazil, chances are you’ve tried pão de queijo—irresistible little cheese breads with a golden crust and a melty, chewy center. Their uniquely light, stretchy texture comes from tapioca flour, which is made from cassava root and naturally gluten-free.
This Brazilian cheese bread recipe couldn’t be easier. The batter comes together in minutes in a blender and bakes quickly in a mini muffin pan. At steakhouses, the rolls are served alongside the meat-heavy meal, but in everyday Brazilian life they’re more often enjoyed as a snack or for breakfast. Similar to popovers, they’re also perfect with soups and salads. And fair warning: fresh from the oven and still warm, it’s nearly impossible to stop at just one.
“Easy, quick and versatile! Making them again tonight. . .they seem to go with everything.”
What You’ll Need To Make Brazilian Cheese Bread
- Eggs, vegetable oil & milk: These wet ingredients work together to form a rich, cohesive batter.
- Tapioca flour: Also referred to as tapioca starch, this ingredient is what gives Brazilian cheese bread its signature chewy, stretchy texture. You can typically find it in the baking, gluten-free, or natural foods section of your supermarket. I use the Bob’s Red Mill brand.
- Baking powder: Gives the rolls a little lift.
- Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano & mozzarella or cheddar: The cheese duo adds salty, nutty depth and just the right amount of melty richness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Note on the ingredients and method
Traditional Brazilian cheese bread is made with two types of tapioca flour—sweet and sour—which give it that perfect chewy-puffy balance. In the U.S., we typically only have access to one kind (closer to the sweet version). Instead of a dough you roll by hand, this version uses a thinner batter and bakes up beautifully in a mini muffin tin. After lots of testing, I found this method gives the best results using ingredients you can easily find here.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. Blend the wet ingredients. In a blender, add the eggs, oil, and milk. Blend for about 5 seconds to combine.
Pro Tip: Add the wet ingredients in the order listed to help the blender catch everything quickly. Starting with eggs helps break things up so the milk and oil blend more easily.
Step 2. Add the dry ingredients and cheese. Add the tapioca flour, Parmesan, mozzarella (or Cheddar), salt, and baking powder. Blend for another 5 seconds, scrape down the sides (don’t skip this step; tapioca flour loves to cling to the sides and corners), then blend briefly again. Don’t over-blend—the batter should stay pourable.
Step 3. Fill the muffin tin. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray, then pour in the batter, filling each well about three-quarters full.
Step 4. Bake. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Some sinking in the center, either in the oven or as they cool, is normal.
Pro Tip: If you’re unsure about whether the breads are done, tap one gently—it should feel set and sound hollow inside.
Step 5. Serve warm. Let the cheese breads cool slightly, then remove from the pan and serve warm.
Jenn’s pro tips
- Mini vs. regular muffin tins. A mini muffin pan gives the best texture—crispy on the outside, soft and chewy inside. But if it’s all you’ve got, a regular muffin pan works too. Just grease it well, fill the cups ¾ of the way, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- No blender? No problem. A food processor or immersion blender also works—just make sure you blend until the batter is smooth and cohesive.
More Bread Recipes You May Like
Brazilian Cheese Bread
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch; see note)
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- ½ cup shredded Mozzarella (or Cheddar) cheese
- Heaping ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a blender, combine the eggs, oil, and milk. Blend for about 5 seconds to combine. Add the tapioca flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella (or Cheddar) cheese, salt, and baking powder. Blend for another 5 seconds to combine, then scrape down the sides of the jar and blend very briefly again. Avoid over-blending to prevent incorporating too much air, which can make the batter difficult to pour.
- Pour the batter into the muffin wells, filling them about three-quarters full.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. The cheese breads may fall slightly in the center, either in the oven or as they cool; that’s normal.
- Remove the cheese breads from the muffin pan and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
Comments
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Good Evening, Jenn!
I am hoping to make this recipe in the next few days but I don’t have a mini-muffin tin, so can I use my regular muffin tin? I’m presuming that the recipe will make a dozen! Also, can I use parchment paper liners in the muffin tin, instead of spraying the muffin cups with oil?
Thanks in advance,
Cheers,
Mary in BC Canada 🍁
Hi Mary, yes, you can use a regular muffin tin. Keep in mind the bake time will be a bit longer, so keep a close eye on them. And while you could try it with parchment paper liners, I’m not sure if it will impact the rise of the bread. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them!
Good morning from BC, Canada 🇨🇦!
The Brazilian cheese bread turned out very nicely indeed 😋! I did bake them for closer to 25 mins, as one of your other readers
suggested!
I did use paper liners & once the buns were cooled a little, the yummy, gooey, cheesey, morsels popped out, no problem! (I took a photo to show my friend, who first introduced me to your website several years ago)!! I can’t figure out how to attach it here though 😏!
Thanks again, “my friend Jenn” 😃😃
So glad they came out well – thanks for taking the time to report back! 😊
I have tried other authentic recipes from Brazil for pao de queijo that use a thicker dough that can be rolled. Due to the different type of tapioca flour available here in the US, Jenn’s recipe is much better! It’s not too heavy, but give the traditional Brazilian cheese bread flavor. Thanks for another great recipe!
Another winner! These are now our preferred bread with stews and chili! Delectable! I do have a question. When using the metric measurements for freshly grated cheese like the parm-regg, the weights are always very different than the US volume. Here, 50 gm of parm-regg cheese was 1 1/2 cups. I’ve had the same observation with the Gruyere in the egg bites. The flours and other ingredients convert without discrepancies. Do you have any suggestions on how to best determine the amount to use?
Hi Brenda, so glad you like these and they’ve become a go-to for you! I’m not sure I fully understand your question, but if this helps, not all grated cheese weighs the same amount, so that’s why you’ll see some variation. I do have a metric conversion chart with a variety of ingredients (including both of these cheeses) if you’d find that useful. Please let me know if I can help in any other way. 😊
I made them in large muffin shapes since I did not have mini. Delicious
Awhile ago I asked if I could make the Brazilian cheese bread as standard sized muffins. Well, I did and they turned out great! The recipe made 10 and I baked them for 20 min. I think 2 more minutes in the oven would have worked too. Thanks again!
I have been wanting to try this recipe since I first saw it on the website. I used cheddar because it is what I had on hand. Very simple to put together (I used my immersion blender) and they are my version of comfort food!
Never had Brazilian Cheese Bread before. Googled it and found that your recipe was the simplest with the highest ratings. Made it and OMG. Only thing I changed was I didn’t have Parmesan so I just used all shredded cheddar. Was awesome. Kudos and keep up the wonderful work you do.
Easy, quick and versatile! Making them again tonight. . .they seem to go with everything. Thank you for your wonderful recipes, Jenn!