Of all the foods I fell in love with in Brazil, Pao de Queijo (literally
translated to ‘bread of cheese’, how can that not be delicious?) is right up there at the top. And it’s been tormenting my soul for the past 10 years as I’ve tried recipe after recipe trying to duplicate the taste and texture I love. You can buy pre-packaged mixes, but they’re not quite the same as homemade. The problem is that there are several different methods to making these little balls of heaven. A lot of them involve lots of hard to find ingredients, and methods like heating a mixture on the stove, kneading a big messy dough, etc. When I was in Brazil, I learned how to make the most quick and easy version- an ultra fast liquid batter that you just poured into a muffin tin. It’s been driving me crazy that I couldn’t find my recipe or one that was like it. And then a few weeks ago something magical happened. My husband walked in after organizing some junk in the garage and asked me if I wanted a little pink notebook. I knew immediately what it was. It was bursting with little scraps of papers. Scraps of papers with recipe notes on them. I heard the hallelujah chorus. We ate Pao de Queijo about 25 minutes later. And it was heavenly.
If you’ve never had this type of Brazilian cheese bread, it’s tricky to explain. It’s actually not “bread” at all- at least not like we’re used to here in the US. It’s almost more like the texture of a cream puff shell or popover, but with more substance on the inside. The outside is slightly crisp and browned and the inside is airy and chewy. If you’re not familiar with them at all then I want you to be fully informed so you don’t expect an actual yeast bread “roll”. If you do, then you’ll probably think these are super weird and gooey. They’re served at popular Brazilian restaurants, but honestly, while I adore those restaurants, I’ve yet to have a really good Pao de Queijo at any of them. So trust me when I tell you that if you like those (or any of the pre-packaged mixes), you will probably love these homemade ones. And if you know anyone who has ties to Brazil like I do, you are sure to melt their heart with these. Once you see how quick and easy they are you’ll be making them all the time!
The best part is that I have 99% of the ingredients in my house pretty much at all times.
The only semi-strange ingredient in there is Tapioca Flour, and it’s actually easier to find than you might think. It’s a really smooth, soft flour that feels much like cornstarch. It’s made from the ground roots of the cassava plant and it’s gluten free for those of you that care about that 🙂
You can grab it off Amazon and have it delivered to you, but a lot of normal grocery stores carry a good selection of Bobs Red Mill products which is the brand I use. Here in Idaho I can always find them at Fred Meyer, near the health food/specialty foods isle. You can also find tapioca flour at Asian markets as it’s used in a lot of Asian cooking, and also at health food stores and places like Whole Foods where you can find a good selection of wheat flour alternatives. Definitely check the gluten free isle of well stocked store. If you live in an area with WINCO grocery stores, people are telling me you can find it in the bulk section (how did not know this?? Thank you readers!) You can’t substitute any other type of flour– the tapioca flour is key, so when you find a good place to buy it, stock up!
Okay, ready for easy? You can prep these in about 60 seconds. Seriously. Put everything but the cheese in the blender (I adore my Blendtec) and blend until smooth.
Then add in your cheese and pulse the blender one or two times. I like to break it up a bit and mix it in, but not pulverize it. And you can be creative here. I like a mixture of Parmesan and sharp cheddar. It’s important to use cheese that has a stronger flavor because it’s really the only flavor you’re putting in there and if it’s too mild I’ve found the rolls turn out pretty bland. But play around with it and find your perfect mix. You can also add more or less cheese, it’s pretty flexible.
Now just take your blender and pour the batter into little mini-muffin tins. It’s a very thin batter so pour slowly!
I like to sprinkle a little more parmesan on top. Because I like to sprinkle a little parmesan on top of just about everything. I inherited that from my father, who puts parmesan on just about everything he makes. A little sprinkle of kosher salt is also yummy.
Recently I was browsing food blogs and was excited to see a nearly identical recipe on Bewitching Kitchen. She mentioned putting rosemary in there, which at first I thought sounded a little strange. Not because I don’t think it would taste good, but because I’d never had pao de queijo with any type of herb before. I tried it just for kicks and man was it good! You can either sprinkle a little dried or fresh rosemary on top, or blend it right in the batter. Loved that addition.
Then you pop these babies in a hot oven and watch them do their magic. They puff up into perfectly little bubbly golden balls of cheesy goodness. How’s that for a descriptive sentence?
You want to cook them just until they’re set on top and barely golden. If you over cook them, the tops actually look pretty similar, but you can tell by the bottoms. Case in point:
And don’t be concerned if the rolls sink in the middle. These photos are actually a bit misleading because I photographed them literally seconds after coming out of the oven. It’s perfectly normal for them to sink down in the centers and they taste exactly the same!
Eating Pao De Queijo warm is a definite must. I’ll just say that right now. As soon as they’re cool enough to handle, bust one open and eat it.
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.
I dare you to just eat one. This recipe is a little dangerous.
Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls {Pao de Queijo}
- Yield: 16
Description
Literally translates to “bread of cheese”…how can that not be delicious? Quick, easy, and fantastic every time.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup tapioca flour (sometimes labeled tapioca starch) no substitutions
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 C grated cheddar cheese* (preferably medium or sharp)
- 1/4 C 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
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Add cheeses and pulse 2 times. Immediately pour batter into a mini muffin tin (if your muffin tin isn’t non-stick, spray lightly with non-stick spray first), filling each well about 3/4 full, or just slightly less. If desired (and I recommend), sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top and/or a tiny sprinkle of kosher salt.
- 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. {Que Gostoso!}
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!
- Keep in mind, these actually don’t re-heat well, so I recommend making and eating fresh.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! My husband served in Brazil and has been dying for me to learn how to make the beloved pao de queijo. I think this recipe will make an already great marriage even better!
I have been searching for a good recipe for these – I loved them at the Brazilian BBQ restaurant my hubby and I went to in Houston. These tasted great – but mine stuck to the pan. We had to pry them out. They weren't burnt -just stuck. Any idea what the problem might be? I sprayed my pan with Pam…. Maybe my Tapioca Starch was a bit old?? I have been trying different recipes for a while…so the flour was a couple years old. I'll definitely make them again though!
OMG! I've been looking for a recipe like this for forever! The Brazilian Steakhouse that we love (and can't afford to go to enough) serves something like this and OMG….YAY! Can't wait to make them. 🙂
We are so excited to try to try this recipe! My hubs served in Belo Horizonte. He's stoked about eating these. He's loves them, and I can't wait to try them. Just wondering, did you ever eat Reiqeijao with the Pao de Queijo? Do you know of a recipe for it? Love your blog!
Toni, that's why I warned you they weren't actually "bread". I'm assuming you've never had these before! If you haven't, then it's quite surprising- and for some, an acquired taste.
am i the only person who made these and hated them? Maybe i'm just being picky but they tasted gross to me. And i mean that in no offense whatsoever because i loved every other recipe you guys share! I know it's not supposed to taste like bread that i'm used to, but these were just plain old yuck and too gooey yet spongey at the same time. What could i have done wrong?
The gluten-free me makes me SO HAPPY that you guys posted this 🙂 THANK YOU!
my BIL and SIL just moved to brazil, i am sure they will enjoy all sorts of brazilian food. i want to try these,i do eat gluten free and love anything new to try! thanks and can't wait to get your cookbook!
cutekittypunk- the rule is you can't 🙂 I mentioned in the post a few times that the tapioca flour is key- sorry but no subs!
gosh, 81 comments so far… i didn't read through all the comments, so I don't know if it's been asked, but if I don't use tapioca flour – if i wan to use regular all-purpose flour – can I use the same amount? what is the rule there?
thanks for the recipe – they look so yummy!
These look delicious and they are gluten free without adapting it! That made my morning!! Now to find time to make them…
Sarah! Guess where I found povillho doce? Winco! Don't know if you have one in Idaho, but they just got one by my house and they have it in the bulk section for cheap! I have the recipe that doesn't require the muffin tin, if you are ever looking 🙂 [email protected]
My husband also lived in Brazil and loves these! I can't wait to make them for him! Thank you for the recipe.
I picked up my copy of your cookbook at Costco yesterday and once I put the kids to bed, I snuggled on my bed and flipped page by page. It was truly, the best part of my day! I sure hope you're working on the second edition.
I have made these before..and they are awesome! I love how you baked them in a muffin tin! I do not know why i never thought of it :/. mine always look like blobs and are not very pretty! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wow! I've had the ones at the Brazilian restaurants here and love those. If you're saying these are even better, I can't wait to make them! Thank you!
These look so easy and yummy–I'm excited to try them. They sound like they are good enough that you might be tempted to just snarf them down and call it good for the meal, but I was wondering if you could recommend what you like to serve them with. Thanks!
Fallen tops may be from over-blending or the oven being a bit too hot. 🙂
Yah, gluten free. I can hardly wait to try these.
YEAH!! Thank you for a gluten free recipe. I have missed cheese breads so much. Can't wait to whip up a batch of these this weekend.
Toni-Sometimes the tops do fall in and I have no idea why. For me they taste the same either way so I don't worry about it! If they are under-cooked they're just a little gooey inside. I hope you enjoyed them anyway!
One of the reasons that the top falls is:
1- if you open the oven before the time that is ready, making the oven loss the right temperature. so do not open before 15 minutes:
2- we usually use oven on 180ºC, But if you set higher than 200ºC the bread is going to quickly looks like ready on the outside but is not ready inside, so when you take it out the top is going to fall.
– to avoid that you can turn off the oven but leave them inside for a little longer to be able to cook inside.
OHHHHH, I can't wait to try these! Definitely one of my favorite Brazilian food and I never knew they could be so easy to make. Yea! 🙂 Also, thank you for unintentionally explaining to me why Kathryn always has to have Parmesan cheese on top of her cottage cheese. I never knew that about your dad, but it must be in her blood 🙂
I made these tonight (my family is 1/2 gluten free and I'm always looking for recipes). My problem? The tops fell in. Does this mean I didn't cook them enough? Or too much???
One of the reasons that the top falls is:
1- if you open the oven before the time that is ready, making the oven loss the right temperature. so do not open before 15 minutes:
2- we usually use oven on 180ºC, But if you set higher than 200ºC the bread is going to quickly looks like ready on the outside but is not ready inside, so when you take it out the top is going to fall.
– to avoid that you can turn off the oven but leave them inside for a little longer to be able to cook inside.
Those look amazing and I think I'll have to look for the Tapioca Flour next time I'm at Freddy's 🙂
Bles you! Bless you! Bless you!!! I cannot wait to make these for our family!!!!
I've been wanting this recipe! Thank you
I love Brazilian food, love! And its a recipe in a muffin pan. I SWOON!
Yay! I always eat way too many of these at Tucanos. I'm excited to try this at home!
I am new to this website and think it is awesome!!! I was introduced to it by a friend who always has awesome ideas and snacks for the gatherings we have. I would LOVE to have a cookbook by you gals! I suffer from lack of creativity all the time atleast this way i would have a resouce to jumpstart my creativity! Thanks for your sight its awesome! I am a google follower
Okay, it is official, you are the best! I LOVE Pao de queijo! I served in Minais where it was born in Brazil and miss it terribly. Thanks so much for posting this recipe. It has been a while since I have tried to make it and I am delighted to have your recipe since they are ALWAYS bom de mais! Obrigada!