Of all the foods I fell in love with while living in Brazil, Pao de Queijo (literally translated to ‘bread of cheese’) is right up there at the top of my favorites list. If you’ve never had this type of Brazilian cheese roll, it’s not the same type of bread or roll we’re used to here in the US. It’s made with tapioca flour, as opposed to all purpose flour, so it’s almost more like the texture of a cream puff shell or popover, but with more substance. The outside is slightly crisp and browned and the inside is soft and chewy. In the US, you can find them regularly served in Brazilian restaurants, and in Brazil, they’re in every corner store and bakery.
Below, I’ll show you 2 different methods of preparing the exact same recipe:
1. The traditional method (shown above, R) where the wet ingredients are first heated and then beat together with the dry ingredients and scooped into little dough balls before baking. This results in: A traditional roll with a slightly crisp outside and a soft chewy center.
2. The shortcut version (shown above, L) where you put all ingredients in a blender and pour the ultra thin liquid batter into a muffin tin. This results in: A flavorful roll with the same chewy texture, but not as much density. These often puff up with hollow centers, and shrink after baking. The outside is a little thinner, but still delicious.
Here in this photo you can see the blender method roll on the right and the traditional method on the left. Both super delicious!
Ingredients and Equipment List
- Tapioca Flour– look for tapioca flour in the specialty flour section of the grocery store, or online. I have also found it sometimes in the bulk foods area of stores like WINCO. It’s a naturally gluten free flour. If you happen to be serving these to a person who needs to avoid gluten for medical reasons, avoid purchasing from bulk bins where there can be risk of cross contamination.
- Egg – Egg acts as a binder and helps produce the chewy texture. I’ve never tried these with any egg substitute.
- Milk – You can use any milk in this recipe, though I prefer one with a higher fat content, like 2% of whole. If you don’t have those, use whatever is in your fridge, including a plant based option if you need to do that for dietary reasons.
- Salt – without salt, these will turn out quite bland! I use kosher salt. If subbing table salt, decrease the amount slightly.
- Cheese – feel free to vary the cheese and discover new combinations. I prefer to use medium or sharp cheddar and parmesan, but most cheeses work well. Stronger flavored cheeses will produce a more flavorful roll.
Instructions
BLENDER METHOD
- Put all ingredients except cheese in the blender and blitz it up!
- Add cheese and pulse just a couple times
- Quickly pour into prepared muffin tin (I say quickly, so cheese stays distributed.
- Optionally, you can sprinkle a little more cheese on top
- Bake until puffed and just barely golden.
- They’ll be a little crispy on the outside and soft, airy, and tender on the inside. Almost a little chewy. Some of them are even kind of hollow. This version is definitely less dense than the kneaded dough variety. The yield is anywhere from 16-24 rolls, depending on how full you fill your muffin pan. I fill mine pretty full (a good 3/4 full) and I generally get about 16-18.
TRADITIONAL METHOD
Pay attention to the photos and my explanation here, because while I have made these a ridiculous number of times over the years, the finished dough, with the exact same ingredients and measurements (even weighed to be sure) often turns out with completely different consistencies. And it’s okay!
- First you’ll heat your milk and oil on the stove until just simmering.
- Then you’ll add this to your tapioca flour. You’ll notice in the photos below, I’m adding the flour directly to the pot, but often I put the flour in my mixer, and pour the hot liquid over it and that’s fine too.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Sometimes this mixture comes out smooth and silky like playdough. Other times it’s crumbly like wet sand. You’ll notice the smooth version in the pan below left, and the crumbly batch (with the egg on top) on the right. The lack of consistency has driven me crazy for years, but after trying other people’s recipes and encountering the same thing, I think it’s just part of the fun haha. I know that different brands of tapioca flour have different levels of absorbency, but even with the same bag of flour, I find this still happens, so now I just go with it. Bottom line- either of these outcomes is okay!
3. The next step is beating in the egg, and then the cheese. Ideally, your mixture should look like a wet cookie dough:
4. You can then use a cookie scoop to drop it on a baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden.
SOS!
But let’s say your batter is super runny! There’s no way it will hold its shape. Guess what? Happens to me too! Sometimes it just does that. No problem! If it’s just slightly too wet, you can simply add a bit more tapioca flour and even a bit more cheese. If it’s really loose, simply spoon your batter into a muffin tin (mini OR full size) as opposed to the baking sheet, and they will bake right up and be absolutely delicious. They’ll be a little crispy on the outside and soft, tender, and chewy on the inside.
The yield is anywhere from 16-24 rolls, depending on how full you fill your muffin pan. I fill mine pretty full (a good 3/4 full) and I generally get about 16-18.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can these be made ahead? These are best eaten fresh, but you can absolutely make the dough/batter ahead of time. With the traditional method, refrigerate dough in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Chilling also helps it set up if it’s a little runny.
- Can you freeze Pao de Queijo? The baked breads aren’t as good after freezing, but if you use the traditional method of preparation, you can scoop the dough onto parchment and then freeze. Place frozen dough balls in an airtight container or zip top back for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes onto baking time.
Brazilian Cheese Rolls | Pao de Queijo
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 16
Description
Traditional Brazilian cheese bread. These little rolls have a unique texture as they are made with tapioca flour. They’re chewy and flavorful and a perfect snack or side! This recipe includes 2 different methods to make them.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup tapioca flour (sometimes labeled tapioca starch) no substitutions
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (preferably medium or sharp)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional: extra cheese to sprinkle on top and any herbs/flavorings you’d like to add. Try rosemary and or garlic powder, my favorites!
Instructions
Quick Blender Version:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray or rub with butter.
- Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Add cheeses and pulse just a couple times.
- Immediately pour batter into a mini muffin tin , filling each well about 3/4 full. If desired, sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing rolls from pan. Serve warm.
Traditional Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or* spray a muffin tin with non stick spray or rub wells with butter (*see note).
- Place milk and oil in a small pot and heat until just simmering and remove from heat.
- Place tapioca flour and salt in a mixing bowl and pour hot milk and oil over top. Beat to combine.
- NOTE: At this point, your mixture might look crumbly and grainy, this is okay.
- Beat in egg.
- Add cheese and beat to combine.
- Scoop dough into balls (I use a cookie scoop, you can do any size you like, I aim for golf ball size) onto parchment-lined baking sheet* and bake until puffed and set on the outside, just slightly golden. Time will vary depending on size, but usually around 15 minutes.
- *NOTE: I’ve made this recipe a million times and have found at this point, sometimes the finished dough is scoop-able like cookie dough, and other times it’s kind of runny like thick pancake batter. Tapioca flour differs in absorption levels and this isn’t unusual. If your dough is not scoopable, you can always add a little bit more flour. But what I usually do is just bake the mixture in a muffin tin as opposed to a baking sheet. They still turn out great!
Notes
- *Tip: You can play around with the cheese. I’ve used Monterey Jack, low-moisture mozarella, swiss, and even gruyere in place of the cheddar. All great- sharper, stronger cheeses will make for a more flavorful roll.
- Keep in mind, these actually don’t re-heat well, so I recommend making and eating fresh.
- Prep Time: 5-15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Questions & Reviews
CHEESY POOFS! Oh my goats!!! Weren't you people supposed to be posting healthy stuff? *faints*
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe. These are one of my absolute favorite Brazilian foods but after looking at other recipes I never dared to attempt them. I cannot wait to pop one (or all) of these babies into my mouth!
I love to check out this blog but, after my daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease(eats gluten free)I almost get a little sad when I check out my favorite foodie blogs. It was so fun to see a gluten free post. Breads are super hard gluten free, I'm excited to try out a recipe that's good.
Yum!Can't wait to try these!
valorie- a food processor is just fine, or you can even mix it by hand. The blender is just quick and easy!
These look amazing!
My blender just died…do you think they would blend up ok in a Cuisinart food processor?
Valerie
I just made your black bean soup for my family for lunch (which, by the way, even my picky toddler loves)! I'm definitely going to whip some of these babies up to eat with the leftovers! Thanks!
My husband will be SO happy! Thank you, thank you for posting this recipe!
my husband served a mission in brazil and LOVES these! i think i might just have to surprise him with a batch when he gets home from work! i'd love to get more Brazilian recipes-like main dishes! so delicious!
holy goodness! they look delicious and is it weird when I say I can almost smell them through my monitor?! 😉 LOL!
can't wait to try them!
Thanks, Sara- I needed to know how many mini muffin tins I'll have to borrow to make a batch 🙂 (My husband ate the little french breads all the time, too, like Kim's husband…they were about a dollar, and made a super easy breakfast 🙂
Thank you for this great recipe! We have a "Cheese Roll Store" that sells just these rolls and flan – that is it. They charge 50 cents a roll and that is well worth it! Just to let you know, though, they have different flavors – chopped black olives or finely chopped hot peppers or onions/garlic. They are ALL good!
Oh my goodness! My husband served in Brazil and we went back a few years later and I absolutely fell in love with these rolls. We ate them everyday. I thought there was no way I could ever make them but now thanks to OBB I can! I am so excited, I think I will go to the store right now. 🙂
These look amazing!
Thank you so much for a new gluten free bread recipe…I have been in such a rut, and getting really tired of tortilla chips! This looks amazing, I will be baking it tonight!
@Sara. Thanks 🙂 Maybe I can find some when we go to San Jose next week. They have some big stores there. That's what I miss most about the states.. the availability of different ingredients!
I am really excited about this recipe. My brother is serving an lds missionin brazil right now so we always love trying Brazilian recipes (more please:). I have used a similar recipe before http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread/
But I'm looking forward to using you recipe and tips. I have been getting tapioca flour in the bulk section at winco.
I live in Bolivia and love the cheesy bread they call cuñapes. They are very similar. Just mix tapioca flour with butter, a little sugar, and the cheese. Add milk until it forms a stiff batter that you can knead, or just take chunks of it, roll them into a ball and bake for a few minutes. They´re yummy!
this recipe looks phenomenal! yum to the maximus! thanks so much for sharing!!!
-meg
@ http://www.clutzycooking.blogspot.com
@ http://www.myscribblednotebook.blogspot.com
Oh, man you are probably sick of me! My husband is wondering if you have a good churrasco recipe. You may just need to dedicate an entire section to the food of Curitiba! Thanks again!
-Kim
[email protected]
Oh my! I am so excited. I love Pao de Queijo, my favorite thing from Brazil. I remember buying huge ones from the bakeries in Brazil. mmmmm.
Sara, you totally rock! My husband says the rolls were called pao frances. But he wants me to ask for a recipe for coxinhas too. That would be amazing! Seriously, between these bread recipes and your creamy cheesecake recipe, my husband loves you guys as much as I do! Thanks!
-Kim
[email protected]
You are the BEST! I love these at the Brazilian restaurants, and I cannot wait to try them. And I am temporarily on a gluten-free diet, which takes out so many good things, so it will be so wonderful to have something so fun to eat! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
First of all, I need a mini muffin tin. Second these look great. I know a lot of people who would appreciate this recipe and third, I'm still waiting for a recipe for feijoada.
*writes tapioca flour on grocery list
This is definitely going to the top of my 'things to bake when my new oven gets here' list! (that list is getting mighty long!)
hooray!! I also served a mission in Brazil and have been unable to duplicate pao de queijo since returning to the states. THANK YOU!
A Brazilian neighbor makes these for us, but hers are round. Also, she says that it's tradition to smash them with your fist before eating. Don't know why… 🙂
Hi The Double Dipped Life,
My name is Jussara and I am Brazilian. Just to explain that we have two types of this cheese bread: This recipe that is the easier version to make, using the blender and the dough is more liquid;
and the original one that is not so liquid and you need to use your hand to make and looks more like/and a similar process of the bread dough. This is the one that your neighbour does.
We have actually made these from a mix that we find at Many Lands foods. But I would like to try them on my own and not from the mix. they are SO yummy!
Diamond- this is a liquid batter, so breadsticks won't work!
Charles- you could use a regular muffin pan, they'll just be bigger. Keep the oven temp the same and keep an eye on them. They might just take a few extra minutes to bake.
I have had these before and they are the most amazing treats ever! I am seriously going to be making these this weekend! Thanks SO much for the recipe and tips!
XOs!