Brazilian Cheese Bread

Homemade Brazilian Cheese Bread that’s so easy to make! Made with starchy tapioca flour for the perfect chewy texture, rich avocado oil for hydration, and two types of cheese for a bold pop of flavor. It’s a unique and completely crave worthy side that you’ll have on repeat!

Brazilian Cheese Bread AKA Pão de Queijo

Pão de Queijo is a portugues name, pronounced pown-jee-kay-zho. It is a popular bread served in Brazil and it’s believed to have originated around 1750 in a territory that had little access to white flour but had a large supply of cassava flour.

It is a largely cassava root (tapioca) and cheese based bread. It is commonly made from cheeses such as Minas Frescal, Canastra, mozzarella or parmesan cheese. Here we use cheddar since it has bolder flavor and a more firm texture than mozzarella, and the other two more authentic cheeses are harder to find in the U.S.

These individual mini breads, reminiscent to the appearance of little rolls, are super easy to make and people of all ages enjoy them. Plus, it’s an excellent pairing to nearly any meal any time of day and they make a great snack. With all that cheese you know they are going to be good!

Eat them with your morning eggs and coffee or serve them with a variety of grilled Brazilian meats, or a black bean stew (Feijoada) for an authentic South American inspired meal.

Brazilian Cheese Bread Recipe Ingredients

• Tapioca flour: You can often find this near in the baking isle of large grocery stores in the alternative flour selection. You can also purchase online (which is where I usually buy it, it tends to be cheaper buying in bulk).
• Whole milk: If you don’t have this on hand you can substitute with canned coconut milk (regular or light).
• Avocado oil: You can also use avocado oil or vegetable oil here.
• Egg: This helps bind the ingredients of the dough and also helps the mini cheese breads rise.
• Cheddar cheese: You can use white or yellow cheddar here. I recommend medium or sharp for more flavor.
• Grana padano: This is a cheese similar to parmesan, which also works well here. It is found in the specialty cheese section of the grocery store. Just don’t use the powdered shelf stable parmesan here.

How to Make Brazilian Cheese Bread

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large heatproof mixing bowl whisk together tapioca starch and salt, set aside.

In a saucepan bring milk and oil to a simmer. Pour hot mixture into tapioca flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined (it will be a bit lumpy). Let cool 5 minutes.

Mix in egg (using the wooden spoon or an electric mixer), then fold in cheddar and Grana Padano.

Note that dough will be tacky but it should hold a form (see note for a runny dough).

Scoop dough out using a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop (or two spoons and nearly a golf ball size, and drop on baking sheet spacing 1 1/2-inches apart.

Bake in preheated oven until exterior is golden brown and crisp (centers will be stretchy chewy cheesy still), about 15 to 18 minutes.

Storing and Reheating Brazilian Cheese Bread

• Keep in a container once cool: With each storage method keep in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.
• Room temp: At room temperature they will keep for about 2 days.
• Fridge: Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• Freezer: You can freeze the baked Brazilian cheese bread, or the raw dough for up to 3 months (thaw before baking).
• Reheating oven: Reheat baked Brazilian cheese bread on a baking sheet, at 325°F for 5 to 8 minutes. If needed loosely tent with foil so they don’t over-brown when reheating. They also reheat well in a countertop toaster oven.
• Reheating microwave: For a single serving you can reheat for about 10 seconds in the microwave on a microwave safe dish (just note that the exterior softens with this method).

Helpful Tips:

No pre-grated cheese: I recommend skipping the pre-shredded powdered coated cheeses. Instead use freshly grated cheeses for the best flavor.

Just combined the dough: Once you mix in the egg and cheese be careful not to over-mix the dough, otherwise it can create a tough dense texture rather than achieving that light airy, chewy texture we are looking for.

Fix for runny cheese bread dough: Tapioca starch can vary a bit in absorption by brand and batch and therefor may leave you with a runny dough. For a quick fix of a runny dough, you can add a little more tapioca starch, or refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes, or bake the runny dough in a greased muffin pan among 12-wells rather than baking free-form on a baking sheet.

Thick dough: On the other hand I have also run into having a thick dough when I’ve prepared these, the simple fix was to add in an additional 1 Tbsp milk to thin it out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brazilian cheese bread gluten free? 

Yes, traditional Brazilian cheese bread made with tapioca flour (and some others with whole cassava flour) is naturally gluten-free. But as always check to ensure all ingredients are packaged in gluten free facilities without cross contamination and that they contain no wheat additives for safety.

Can you make Brazilian cheese bread with regular flour or cornstarch?

Unfortunately regular white flour or cornstarch will not work for Brazilian cheese bread as it absorbs differently and has a different texture than that of tapioca flour. Tapioca flour offers these a chewy, moist and elastic interior and crisp exterior that you won’t achieve with another type of flour.

Does it need to be refrigerated?

Brazilian cheese bread does not need to be refrigerated, it can be stored at room temperature once baked.

Are tapioca starch and tapioca flour the same?

Yes these two labels are referring to the same ingredient, the labeling can just varying by brand. They can be used interchangeably.

More Roll and Bread Recipes to Try

• Amazing Dinner Rolls (My Favorite!)
• Breadsticks
• Cheesy Garlic Bread
• Cheddar Chive Drop Biscuits
• One Hour Dinner Rolls
• Whole Wheat Rolls