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.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I served in Belo Horizonte and these yummy treats, and coxinhas, are the foods I miss the most. Do you have a recipe for coxinhas? ’cause I would LOVE to find one!
I never knew what these were called, i love them thank you so much. I remember having them about 20 years ago and been trying to make them. I need to find the flour. thank you again.
These look so good! Great idea to bake them in a mini muffin tin. My husband served a mission in Brazil and I’ve been trying to re-create his memory of Brazilian Stroganoff…with chicken, a red tomato-based sauce, and shoestring fried potatoes on top. Served over rice. Please tell me you have the perfect recipe in your little pink notebook…and perhaps you can share it on your blog? 🙂
I’ve had so many requests for Brazilian Stroganoff Leigh. My problem is getting a really good result without the signature ingredient (cream!) for caloric reasons. I’m working on it!
Those look so light and fluffy and good!
Great recipe! I’m allergic to gluten and I’ve had a bag of tapioca flour in my cabinet for awhile, so this was perfect! Thanks again!
Thank you so much for this recipe! We made them on Sunday – they came out PERFECT and we all ate way too many!! Can’t wait to make them again!
My husband served his mission in Manaus, Brazil, and he LOVES these! We’ve bought a couple of mixes from ethnic food companies before but he was never really satisfied with them. So I was sooo excited when you posted this recipe! I was fairly jumping up and down I was so thrilled! And my husband loves them. He was a very grateful hubby that night and I was a very happy wifey! 😉 We love to make Brazilian foods around here and this is so perfect. Thank you, thank you!
{if you ever have any other Brazilian recipes to share, I’m sure my hubby would ever grateful! 😉 }
These look so delish! Should I really use a mini muffin tin? They look like regular size muffins??? Or do they just come out bigger looking in the pictures?
Yes Kimberly- use a mini muffin tin!
I saved this recipe when you posted it and moved this past week. One of the first things I did after moving was go to the grocery store to purchase Tapioca flour. These are being served at dinner tonight along with split pea soup. I’m very excited to make/serve these. They look fabulous!
I don’t have a blender, so I’m going to try just mixing them by hand, but I want to make these soon!
Just made these – DIVINE!! I went to 4 stores looking for the tapioca flour. I found it at a health food store. I will be dreaming about these tonight!
A good place to get cheap tapioca flour is Asian markets.
We made this today.. LOVE them! I absolutely love the crispness of the bread, and how light and fluffy it is. I've been trying for years to make my own bread, but every time I make it- it turns out WAY to dense. So can I omit the cheese from this recipe and use this to make an entire loaf of bread?
Hey Sara! Your "pães de queijo" seems to be really good!
Congrats for them! 😉
I'm a brazilian guy who was born in the land of pao de queijos, Minas Gerais state – btw, you need to taste the true "pão de queijo mineiro";) I have some friends who always ask me for a recipe of it, but for they living in Europe, they have some difficults to find the "polvilho", or tapioca flour. I would like to know what kind of tapioca starch you used so that I can tell them. Ah! I can share with another recipe if you want – the original one 😉 I love cooking as well! lol
Take care!
Lucas i would love your recipe! ive made these before with a diff recipe and i love them because tehy are dense but more work. I made ones like these that were more of a puff but they had very little taste and i added a TON of cheese too. I would love a true brazilian recipe 🙂
I would like to try you recipe too Lucas! I would like to have more than one option on this delicious Brasilian food
These were absolutely delicious!! There was tons of cheesy taste for relatively little cheese. And so quick to throw together. We had them with soup from the crockpot and it was a perfect dinner. For those who are wondering about the texture, they are almost identical to Yorkshire puddings – but a lot less work and without all that grease!
Made these for dinner today. They were divine! and a hit with the family….and a hit with me (SO easy) Thank You!!
not necessarily Katey. They're so airy that sometimes they'll do that!
thanks sara! i finally made these tonight but mine all had holes in the bottom. :/ did i do something wrong?
Delicious…top notch.. and so very easy to prepare.
Delicious….top notch
I served my mission in brazil and love pao de queijo. Where did you girls find this recipe?!? THanks so much!!!! Did one of your hubbies serve there?! or one of you yourselves?! yay for brazilian food! LOVE IT!
I served in Curitiba Brianne- love the food!
I have a great recipe for Quejidinas (sp) another Brazilian treat–delish!!
lemme know if you want
[email protected]
My brother served his mission in Brazil, so I made these for him while he was here this weekend. He said they tasted just like the ones he had there! Everyone else loved them too.
Well, i'm just gonna have to try another sub b/c honestly, where in the netherlands would one buy tapiocameel? i know that's what's called here… ok… i'll try the health food store, but if they don't have it… i'm subbing!
Hi!
I am Brazilian and I love p~ao de queijo! My husband and I served our lds missions in Brazil.Thanks for sharing this recipe. I have other one, but I will try yours!
Ana Paula http://passionfruitprincess.blogspot.com/
kateykix- These actually don't re-heat well so I recommend making and eating fresh.
What is the best way to reheat these if I make them ahead of time?
Hi,
They can hold a little longer like 3 days if you keep it in a closed container or a plastic bag – take most of the air and close well.
they tend to became hard because of the cheese, but if it is a little hard you can try to use just a bit of the microwave on defrost, but the ideal is fresh.
the other alternative is you to do the traditional
cheese bread that can be frozen and be cooked whenever you want between 3 months straight from frozen.
I can see I'm not at all alone in loving pao de queijo. I served part of my time in Minas and became quite the 'pae de queijo snob'. I'm eager to try this recipe out as it is so different from how I made it while there. I would love to have a little pao de queijo along with our regular beans and rice! Thanks for sharing!
Neat, I fell in love with pao de queijo when I served my mission in Brazil too. They're so addicting. I've been wondering forever what cheese to substitute for the queijo de minas and I'll have to give your combo a try.
Marcelo thanks you for these! Thanks to Diego, I already had tapioca flour in the house, so I made them the same day you posted the recipe. They were so easy and so good! They're very similar to a Colombian bread called Pandebono. Thanks!!
Yes! I New we had something like this in colombia! I’ve been gone so long I couldn’t remember what the we’re called.
And the limeade brings me images of my beautiful arenosa.