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If you’ve ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse, or churrascaria, you’ve probably tried pão de queijo—those irresistible little cheese breads with a crispy exterior and gooey, chewy center. Their unique texture comes from tapioca flour, which is made from the cassava root and is naturally gluten-free.
This Brazilian cheese bread recipe is easy to make—the batter comes together in a blender in minutes and bakes up quickly in a mini muffin pan. While at steakhouses the rolls are served as a side dish to complement the meat-heavy meal, in everyday Brazilian life they’re more often enjoyed as a snack or breakfast item. They’re also delicious paired with soups and salads. Once you try the rolls warm from the oven, you won’t be able to stop at just one!
What You’ll Need To Make Brazilian Cheese Bread
- Eggs: Provide structure and richness to the dough, helping it puff up during baking and contributing to the bread’s fluffy interior.
- Vegetable Oil: Adds moisture and tenderness to the bread while creating a light, crisp exterior.
- Milk: Creates a smooth, cohesive batter, adding creaminess, and subtle flavor to the bread.
- Tapioca Flour: Essential for the bread’s unique chewy texture and elasticity, allowing it to rise and maintain its shape. You can typically find tapioca starch in the baking aisle, gluten-free, or natural foods section of your supermarket. I use the Bob’s Red Mill brand.
- Pecorino Romano/Parmigiano Reggiano And Mozzarella/Cheddar Cheese: These cheeses bring a combination of salty, nutty flavors with a melty, gooey texture that makes the bread rich and savory.
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent, giving the bread a light, airy texture, and helping it rise in the oven.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. To a blender, add 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.
Adapting Traditional Brazilian Cheese Bread for U.S. Ingredients
Traditional Brazilian cheese bread often uses a combination of two types of tapioca flour—polvilho doce (sweet tapioca flour) and polvilho azedo (sour tapioca flour)—to achieve the ideal balance of chewiness and puffiness. In the United States, we typically only have access to one type of tapioca flour, which is closer to polvilho doce. Unlike the traditional dough, which is thicker, rolled by hand, and baked free-form on a baking sheet, this recipe results in a liquid batter and is baked in a mini muffin tin. After experimenting with many iterations and methods, I found that this version delivers the best results with the ingredients available here.
Brazilian Cheese Bread
Makes 24 rolls
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch; see note)
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella (or Cheddar) cheese
- Heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees 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
You can typically find tapioca starch in the baking aisle, gluten-free, or natural foods section of your supermarket.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 2 rolls, Calories: 125kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 117mg, Sugar: 1g
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.
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