This recipe for Brazilian Cheese Bread, also known as Pão de Queijo, is so unbelievably easy to make. It makes a delicious grain-free and gluten-free bread that is perfect for snacking. Learn how to make homemade cheese puffs with this quick and simple recipe.
What is Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)?
If you have never tried Brazilian cheese bread before, you are in for a treat. They are like little cheese puffs that are crispy outside but amazingly soft and chewy inside. I would say that they are similar in texture to Japanese mochi.
This Brazilian cheese bread recipe is made with only a handful of ingredients: milk, egg, olive oil, tapioca flour, salt and shredded cheese. I like to use a combination of cheddar and mozzarella, but any grated cheese will work in this recipe.
To make the cheese bread, simply add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Then pour the batter into a mini-muffin pan and bake. That’s it!
What is Tapioca Flour?
Tapioca flour is a starch that is extracted from the cassava plant, which is native to the central-west region of Brazil. Similar to other starches, tapioca flour is a very fine, white powder. It works very well in gluten-free baking, because it helps create a crisp crust and chewy texture in baked goods. Due to its neutral flavor, it can also be used to thicken soups, sauces, and pie fillings without altering the taste.
You can find tapioca flour/starch in the international foods section of the grocery store, at natural food stores, or you can order it online. I love and use this one from Thrive Market because it is completely organic, preservative-free, and non-GMO.
Thrive Market is an online retailer that sells healthy, organic food at wholesale prices. I like to think of it like Amazon (online store) meets Costco (low, wholesale prices) meets Whole Foods (all nutritious, junk-free foods). If you’re interested in purchasing anything from them, you’ll need to get a Thrive Market membership. However, if you’re a reader of my website, you will get an exclusive bonus when you sign up:
Is Brazilian Cheese Bread Keto?
Simply put, this Brazilian cheese bread recipe is not keto. This is due to the fact that its main component, which is tapioca flour, is not keto-friendly. Tapioca flour is made from the pulp of the cassava root, which pretty much entirely composed of starch.
In fact, tapioca flour contains more carbohydrates than an equivalent amount of bleached wheat flour. So if you are following the high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet, a high-carb bread like this is not something you would want to consume.
The Best Healthy Gluten-Free Snacks
Although I love to make my own snacks, I, just like you, don’t always have the time to do so. It’s perfectly fine to purchase pre-packaged snacks, as long as you buy the right ones. Unfortunately, many store-bought snacks are not only made with gluten, but with all kinds of harmful additives, such as inflammatory oils, artificial flavors and colors, excess sodium and sugar, and non-food ingredients.
Here are some of my favorite healthy gluten-free snacks (all product links go straight to Thrive Market if you want to learn more or order them online):
- Cheddar Cheesy Puffs: These cheese puffs are gluten-free, organic, and are made with 8 grams of whole grains that have been baked rather than fried. The best part is that they’re covered in real cheddar cheese with no artificial flavors.
- Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers: These flavor-packed, crunchy crackers are made using a delicious blend of almond flour, sunflower seeds and flax seeds. They are not only certified gluten-free, but are also grain-free, soy-free, corn-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly, vegan, and non-GMO!
- Lesser Evil Popcorn: Made with clean, organic ingredients, Lesser Evil popcorn is impressively delicious. They use cold-pressed avocado oil, coconut oil or grass-fed ghee, are non-GMO and have considerably less fat and calories than other popcorn brands.
Don’t miss out! Click here to get exclusive discounts on my favorite healthy brands!
More Homemade Bread Recipes to Try
Looking for more stellar homemade bread recipes? Here are a few of my favorites!
- Buttermilk Cornbread
- The Best Banana Bread
- No-Yeast Flatbread
- Crusty Artisan Bread
- Chocolate Banana Bread
For this Brazilian Cheese Bread Recipe, I recommend:
Here are a few kitchen tools I recommend using when preparing this recipe:
- Box grater – You can save a ton of money by grating a brick of cheese yourself, rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese also contains additives that prevent the cheese from sticking together in the bag. So if you grate the cheese yourself, it will melt better too!
- Mini-Muffin Pan – This one is non-stick, durable and the perfect size for this recipe!
- Vitamix Blender – This one is hands-down the BEST blender money can buy. I love it because it is super powerful and also very versatile, so you can use it to make soups, sauces and homemade nut butters.
If you make this Brazilian Cheese Bread recipe, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating ★ below, because I love hearing from you! ♡
Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup low-fat milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups tapioca flour/starch
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar and/or mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease two 12-cup mini-muffin pans.
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender, to ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared mini-muffin pans, filling up each cup until about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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I made these today and everyone loved them. I followed the recipe to the letter and they were perfect. Next time I want to experiment with other cheeses. Thank you for your wonderful recipe!
Hi Celeste! Yay! ♡ I am so glad you enjoyed them. Yes definitely try experimenting with different types of cheeses. You’re very welcome! 🙂
Do you know if you can use cup4cup flour instead of tapioca flour, it is a gluten free flour?
Hey Lynn, I have only ever used tapioca flour for this recipe, so I can’t say for sure if it will turn out. If you do try using another GF flour instead, please let me know how it goes!
I just made some with Pillsbury gluten feee flour. I couldn’t find tapioca flour without it mixed in. The texture is not the same as the Brazilian cheese bites from Costco. They are more of a bread. I had to add another 2/3 milk but mix was not pourable. So I scooped 1Tbsp amounts in each. Not bad though honestly. Just not the same.
Hi Denise, thanks for sharing your experience. You should really only use tapioca flour for this recipe, since I have never made it using another type of flour. I am sure that’s why your bread turned out different. If you try this recipe again using tapioca flour/starch, please let me know how it goes! 🙂
Can you make in a regular sized cupcake pan? How long should you bake?
Hi Jill, I’ve never made these in a regular-sized muffin/cupcake pan, but I think it should work. I don’t know the exact baking time, since I have never tested it myself. However, they will need to be baked for a bit longer than the original recipe calls for. I would try baking at 400°F for about 25 minutes, or until they are puffed up and golden brown.
i’ve only had these once before at a brazillian steakhouse. it was free (yay for work trips!), but everything was so salty. these were the only things that didn’t taste like salt bombs, so i enjoyed more than my fair share of them (;
Hey Heather! I know they are so addictive! I can never eat just one, they are like potato chips! You should try making them at home sometime! They are super easy to make, and probably taste just as good as the ones you had the Brazilian restaurant. 😉
If you guys are ever near a brazilian grocery store, try buying ” farinha de polvilho” and use instead of starch/tapioca.
Hi Sally! Thanks for letting me know! I will definitely keep my eye out for that! 🙂
I found this recipe when searching for keto/gluten free microwave “mug” bread. It is pretty nifty, however, I wonder if this bread would work in a similar fashion. What do you think?
Hi Rachel! I’ve only ever made this bread by baking it in a mini muffin tin in the oven, so I don’t know if cooking the batter in the microwave in a mug will work. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out for you!
Can they be made ahead of time and freeze them.?
Hi Deb! I have never frozen them before, but that should be fine! 🙂
thank you!
You’re welcome! 🙂
I have made the cheese bread puffs several times and instead of having a domed, round top, mine all have float tops with holes in the middle. While they still taste amazing, they are not as visually appealing as your recipe photos. Any ideas of how to remedy this?
Hi Sue! That can happen sometimes. The way I found to remedy this is to always make sure I am not filling any of the muffin tin wells all the way to the top with batter. I only fill them 3/4 full. If you’re already doing that, then maybe try filling up the wells only halfway full. I hope that helps!
I’m curious, do you think chickpea flour would work instead of tapioca flour? I’ve got some I want to use up and these look delicious. Gluten free is not a cooking method I’m very familiar with, so I don’t know how chickpea flour would work.
Hi Colleen! I’ve never made this recipe with chickpea flour before, so I am not sure if it will work. If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out for you!
Can you substitute arrowroot starch for the tapioca? Recipe looks amazing but I only have arrowroot starch on hand and don’t want to buy a 2.5 lb of tapioca starch just for this…
Hi Niv! I have never tried using arrowroot starch in this recipe before, so I can’t say for sure that it will work. I was actually able to find a really small bag of tapioca starch in the international foods section of the grocery store the other day. That would be a better option if you don’t want to splurge on a big bag of tapioca flour from Amazon.
If you use more than 1 cheese, is it 1/2 cup of each cheese or does it have to equal 1/2 cup total or does it matter?
Hi Julie! So the total amount of shredded cheese needed for this recipe is 1/2 cup. That means that if you use more than one type of cheese, the total amount of all the cheeses should be equal to 1/2 cup total. 🙂
This was so easy and they’d turned out amazing!
Hi Mariah! Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
Absolutely the best GF treat ever! These are great out of the oven or cold sliced as a sandwich!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed them recipe! 🙂
I love Brazilian Cheese Bread. This recipe is easy to prepare and very delicious.
Hi Maria! Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂
Can I use unsweet almond milk? I am lactose intolerant. Thank you.
I forgot to say that hard cheese like cheddar is lactose free. So that I know is ok.
Hi Lola! I have only made this recipe with diary milk, so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out with almond milk. If you do try using it, please let me know how it goes for you! 🙂
Great recipe! I followed the recipe except I used oat milk instead of regular dairy milk. I think the turned out the same, the outside was perfect but I haven’t made them before so I can’t say it’s exactly the same. Very happy with the outcome.
Hi Henley! Thank you so much! I am glad the oat milk worked out and I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
I made these today and they were absolutely fantastic! Thank you for this easy recipe, I’ll be making these all the time!
Hi Carlene! Yay!! I am so glad you liked the recipe. You’re very welcome! 🙂
Hi Alia,
Can i use corn starch or anything else rather than tapioca starch thanks 😊
Hi Zaina! No, I only recommend using tapioca starch for this recipe. I have never used anything else apart from it, so I can’t say for sure if another type of starch or flour would work in this recipe.
I just saw your recipe and it most be the one I saw many years ago. I use different sizes of muffin trays to have a few big ones or many small ones. I was married to a Brazilian for many years and traveled a lot to Brazil. Best Pão de Queijo was from Minas Gerais.
These I make here in Thailand where I can get all ingredients easily. It brings back a piece of Brazil in my home. Even my Thai wife likes them!
Hi Sjaak! Thank you so much for your comment and you kind words! I’m very happy you and your wife enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Thanks for sharing the recipe! I see you haven’t used other flours. Is cassava flour different than tapioca flour? I have more of that and not a use for it.
Hi Jessica, great question! Both of those flours are made from cassava root. The main difference is that cassava flour incorporates the whole root, whereas tapioca flour is made up of only the starchy part of the plant. In most recipes, cassava flour can be substituted evenly for tapioca. I haven’t tried doing that myself for this recipe, but it should work out. If you do try that, let me know how it goes for you!
Made this tonight with tomato soup in my Vitamix. I had great results. I used mozzarella cheese and sprinkled Parmesan on top prior to baking. These little pillows of goodness were a big hit!
Hi Kimberly! I’m so glad you liked the recipe. This reminds me that I need to make it again soon, haha. 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know, I appreciate it!
Have you ever flavored these?
I was wondering if it would be added to the batter, or topped with something, or tossed with something.
Let me know your thoughts
Hi there! No, I have never flavored the cheese puffs before. However, if you are looking to experiment with some add-ins, I think mixing a few pinches of garlic or onion powder or some dried herbs (like rosemary or thyme) into the batter prior to baking would work great! Let me know how it turns out for you if you do decide to try that!
I’ve made these for a few years now & LOVE them. They take no time to make and are a perfect snack for us GF people.
Hi Dianne! Aww, I’m very happy to hear that. You just reminded me that I need to bake these again soon! 🙂