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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Hiya Jenn!
Ok, I gotta try these!! I am going so far as to invest in a mini muffin pan. You have recommended USA bakeware along the way. Is this still a ‘best bet’? My question — we are a family of 2 so I’m wondering if this recipe can be halved without losing any of its magic? In which case, a 12 muffin pan will work fine. If not, I’ll go 24 and assume you’ll tell me I’ll be glad I did :). I don’t do a lot of baking so not sure how often I’d use either but particularly a 24 size. Thanks for whatever you suggest.
You likely hear this VERY often but thanks to you, it is such a treat to try a new recipe with full confidence it’ll be not only fabulous, but will taste exactly how I expect. THANK YOU so much. Living in rural Vermont, without many (any) wonderful restaurants or diverse cuisines to enjoy, I really appreciate YOU! All best, LL
Hi Laurie, thanks for your kind words — so glad you like the recipes! Yes, my go-to bakeware remains USA Bakeware and it’s perfectly fine for you to cut the recipe in half. Enjoy!😊
These look wonderful. Can they be frozen?
Hi Kristy, I really think they’re best fresh from the oven, but leftovers could be frozen.
Can these be frozen? I hate making things at the last minute.
Thanks!
Hi Joan, I haven’t frozen them myself, but I think you can get away with it. Hope you enjoy!
Would it be okay to freeze these?
Hi Ruby, I think they are best fresh, but you can freeze leftovers. Please LMK how they turn out!
As soon as I saw this recipe in the newsletter I ran to the store to get tapioca flour. It was so easy to make. Made exactly as written. Used mozzarella. I just pulled it out of the oven and sampled one – sooo good! Thank you for the recipe, Jenn!
Jenn, I am just another Once Upon a Chef fan…. You are an honorary member of our family, i.e., “Is this Jenn’s recipe?”
Regarding the mini muffin pan, since I don’t have one, can I get away with a standard 12 muffin pan and adjust the bake time? A million thanks for your blog and cookbooks! 💕
Aww, I am honored! 💕 I do think it would work. Hard to say exactly how much to increase baking time, but I’d start checking for doneness around 20 min. I’d love to know how they turn out if you try them!
I’ve made a similar (though not identical) recipe many times before: for a full-sized muffin pan, fill the wells about half full and bake 30-35 minutes.
You’re amazing, Jenn!
Yeah, we usually use “polvilho azedo” and “polvilho doce” here in Brazil.
I’ve just made your version and the taste is really similar to our pão de queijo. ^____^ Loved it! S2
As an exchange student in Brazil in 1986 I was introduced to these delicious morsels. I remember my host mom bringing them home from the local bakery before their afternoon nap. The bag was warm and greasy. I ate one. Then another. And another. I will NEVER forget it. It was one of the best things I’ve ever had in my life.
OMG.. as a Brazilian fan of your recipes I have to say that this must be a good one and they look delicious, but gotta tell you that the original recipe doesn’t really take milk and you don’t even need the muffin pan to bake them cause we can naturally roll them (they are so NOT liquid! lol).
But well, adaptations must be done from country to country, right?! 😉 The taste in the end is what counts so I’ll try yours and compare to what we eat here in Brazil and let you know!
Hi Luana, Thank you for your sweet note! I have tried many versions similar to what you describe, but for me they always turned out too heavy and dense. I believe it is due to differences in the tapioca flour available in the States (I have seen many authentic Brazilian recipes that use two different types of tapioca flour; we only have one here). I have added a paragraph above to explain further. Hope that clarifies!
Luana, I have seen and tried a variety of recipes for authentic Brazilian pao de queijo, I like to freeze them and cook from frozen. Please may I ask your favourite list of ingredients and method? I am in London England, I don’t find a problem with our flour.
Jenn, I will try your version when I buy the mini tray – your recipes are always infallible x
Interesting. I have never used a muffin pan to make these. I form them in my hands.
I don’t have a mini muffin pan, can these be baked in a traditional muffin pan?
They look so interesting, looking forward to trying them.
Hi Jeannie, A standard muffin tin should work. You’ll need increase the baking time but I’m not sure by how much; I’d start checking for doneness around 20 min. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them!
A standard muffin pan will work – fill the wells about half full and bake for 30-35 minutes. Also, the buns are best fresh – on the second day, you can “revive” them by warming them up in the microwave, but they don’t keep well after a day or two (they get kind of rubbery). So enjoy them on the same day you make them! 😉