• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

El Mundo Eats

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easter
  • Recipe Index
  • Newsletter
  • About Us
  • eBook
  • Español
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Easter
    • Recipe Index
    • Newsletter
    • About Us
    • eBook
    • Español
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×

    El Mundo Eats » Gluten-Free

    Published: Nov 8, 2017 · Updated: Jan 31, 2023 by Bea & Marco · This post may contain affiliate links · 22 Comments

    Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo)

    Jump to Recipe
    Brazilian cheese bread

    Cheesy parmesan bites made with tapioca starch! Well and some other ingredients too. So addictive! They're great to have for tea or snacks. Best eaten warm. Do try these super delish cheesy bites, or also known as Brazilian cheese bread (pao de queijo).

    If you like this Brazilian cheese bread, you may also like my spiral curry puffs and shrimp ball fritters.

    Recipe Video

    Brazilian cheese bread

    Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo)

    Cheesy parmesan bites made with tapioca starch! Well and some other ingredients too. So addictive! They're great to have for tea or snacks. Best eaten warm. Do try these super delish cheesy bites, or also known as Brazilian cheese bread (pao de queijo).
    Author: Bea & Marco
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Servings: 30 balls
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time25 mins

    Ingredients  

    • 1 cup milk (250 ml)
    • ½ cup olive oil (125 ml)
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 4 cups tapioca starch (500 gr)
    • 3 eggs
    • 9 oz grated parmesan cheese (250 gr)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a pot, add in milk, olive oil and salt. Stir everything and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat off and set aside.
    • In a bowl, add in tapioca starch. Slowly and carefully pour in the hot milk mixture while mixing everything together at the same time, using a wooden spoon. Mix everything as much as you can.
    • Once the mixture is not that hot to handle, mix everything with your hand. It will look crumbly.
    • Add in 3 eggs and immediately mix everything together. Then add in parmesan. Mix to incorporate everything and then knead until nothing sticks to your hand. It's going to take a few minutes but don't worry.
    • Take a piece of dough and form it into 1 inch balls. Place them on a baking tray with a baking sheet, 1 inch apart.
    • Bake in a preheated oven at 400ºF (200ºC) for 25 minutes or until the cheese turns golden brown and the balls are fully cooked. Best eaten warm, enjoy!

    What If My Dough Is Sticky (Updated)

    • Don't worry. Different flour brands have different results. I know because I tested some brands. Here's what you should do:
    • Leave the sticky dough covered for 10-15 minutes. It's going to be more manageable by then. Using a 1 ½ tablespoon (20 ml) ice cream scoop, scoop the dough onto a baking tray with baking sheet (leaving 1 inch apart).
    • Then roll the balls on your hand to get smooth balls. Finally bake as instructed.

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories: 137.2kcal, Carbohydrates: 16.2g, Protein: 3.4g, Fat: 6.9g, Saturated Fat: 2.1g, Cholesterol: 24.8mg, Sodium: 237.1mg, Potassium: 38mg, Sugar: 0.4g, Calcium: 88.3mg, Iron: 0.3mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @elmundoeats and tag #elmundoeats!

    More Gluten-Free Recipes

    • RC Healthy chocolate cupcakes.
      Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes
    • Spooning raspberry chia seed jam from a jar.
      Quick Raspberry Chia Seed Jam
    • Showing the inside texture of half-eaten air-fryer falafel.
      Crispy Air-Fryer Falafel (Gluten Free & Vegan)
    • Spooning healthy no-bake lemon cheesecake cup.
      Healthy No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Cups

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment and rate it, thanks!




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Magdalena says

      March 04, 2023 at 5:53 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you! Super delicious! Will be definitely making them again 😊
      Wondering how can I store and reheat them once baked? And can the dough be prepared in advance and baked the next day?

      Reply
      • Bea & Marco says

        March 06, 2023 at 5:19 pm

        Happy to hear you liked them 🙂 Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, and reheat at 350F (175C) in the oven for a few minutes. Regarding the dough being prepared in advance, I haven't tried it but I would say no because this type of dough hardens with time. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    2. Declan says

      February 15, 2023 at 10:03 pm

      5 stars
      This worked perfectly. Would not consider myself a baker but they turned out great! One question for all the experts out there. How might I make them a little lighter and fluffier?

      Reply
      • Bea & Marco says

        February 20, 2023 at 1:26 pm

        Happy to know you liked them 🙂 Thanks for letting us know.

        Reply
    3. karla says

      February 19, 2021 at 11:45 pm

      hello please advise which tapioca starch is best to buy for the bread. I'm in California and there are so many to choose from. what consistency or colors am i looking for? thank you for sharing your recipes

      Reply
      • Bea says

        February 23, 2021 at 5:38 pm

        Hi! I like to use the brand Yoki, I don't know if you can find it at your place. Perhaps in the Latin American aisles? It's very white in colour with very fine texture, similar to corn starch. hope it helps and let me know how it goes.

        Reply
    4. angela says

      February 03, 2021 at 3:14 am

      HI,
      can I turn the mixture due to not having enough tapioca four into bread not small rolls

      cheers

      Reply
      • Bea says

        February 03, 2021 at 2:26 pm

        Hi Angela! Honestly I haven't tried it so I can't really say. Sorry though!

        Reply
    5. Naomi says

      October 14, 2020 at 2:09 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect on my first try, I am really impressed and so were my Brazillian friends. Obregada!!!

      Reply
      • Bea says

        October 14, 2020 at 6:56 pm

        I'm so happy to know you and your friends liked it! Thanks for the feedback Naomi!

        Reply
    6. Silvia says

      September 27, 2020 at 6:46 pm

      Hi, Bea!
      I made Pao de Queijo for the first time and I am super happy with the results. I got 43 balls out of the recipe! The dough was a little sticky at first, but I let it rest per your instructions and used a cookie scoop and then rolled them with my hands. Thank you for this awesome recipe!

      Reply
      • Bea says

        September 28, 2020 at 3:02 pm

        Awesome, I'm glad to hear that Silvia! Thank you so much for your feedback 😍!

        Reply
    7. Ana says

      June 21, 2020 at 7:19 pm

      Finally, I found out an amzing Brazilian cheese bun recipe! Thank you for sharing,

      Reply
    8. Bev says

      June 03, 2020 at 6:23 am

      Hi, Bea! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us! I’ve tried making this a few times but I would end up with a super watery and runny dough (unlike video) every time after adding the eggs and after adding the cheese and kneading for a long time, it’s still runny and making it impossible to shape into balls. So I always end up with cheese biscuits instead of the cute little balls shown in your video. 🙁
      Is there a reason why this keeps happening to me? I don’t see anyone else having the same problem. Would love to hear from you! 🙂

      Reply
      • Bea says

        June 04, 2020 at 7:57 am

        Hi Bev! Did you use the same exact measurements as mentioned in the recipe? Was there something that you changed/sub for the ingredients? The dough is the opposite of runny, it takes a few minutes to bring it together.

        Reply
        • Bev says

          June 15, 2020 at 3:10 pm

          Hey, Bea! Thanks for getting back to me. Everything was the same! Measurements and ingredients. Which was why I found it strange that it turned runny! ☹️

          Reply
          • Bea says

            June 17, 2020 at 10:06 am

            Hi Bev! Yes it's very strange because for me, it's the opposite of runny. It takes quite an effort bring the dough together. Could it be the type of flour 🤔

            Reply
    9. June says

      June 01, 2020 at 3:24 pm

      5 stars
      I use cheddar as substitute as I have a lot leftover. I was skeptical when the dough was so fragile to mold at first. But voila! The inner and outer textures turned out so fine aft baking. Awesome recipe! 😋🙌🏽

      Reply
      • Bea says

        June 02, 2020 at 8:22 am

        That's great June, thank you for your feedback!

        Reply
    10. Jen says

      May 07, 2020 at 3:52 pm

      Hi! I have a question. Can I use regular flour or corn starch instead? Because I don’t have tapioca starch or tapioca flour.

      Reply
    11. Juliana says

      April 06, 2020 at 12:34 am

      5 stars
      I just tried this recipe and it's amazing! I'm Brazilian so I can attest this is the real deal. I used half of parmesan and half of Monterey Jack (because I didn't have enough parmesan). I also put a piece of the parmesan rind in the milk and oil to boil for some added flavor.
      It turned out perfect! My mother asked for the recipe (she's been making these her whole life, but she likes this recipe better.

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Bea says

        April 07, 2020 at 4:20 pm

        Oh coming from a Brazilian and even her mother approves, well that makes me beyond happy 😆! We simply LOVE these, they’re so addictive you can’t stop munching on them 🤣. Thank you for your feedback, warm regards to you and your mother 😍!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Bea and Marco from El Mundo Eats

    Hi! We're Bea & Marco, the married couple behind this food space. I cook, he takes photos & videos. Malaysian & Argentine living in Spain. All eaters welcome!

    More about us →

    Easter Recipes

    • A slice of cake on a plate.
      Carrot Cake With Pineapple
    • Spinach and Ricotta Pie
      Easy Spinach and Ricotta Pie
    • Lemon Meringue Pie
      Lemon Meringue Pie
    • Coconut macaroons on a cooling rack
      Coconut Macaroons
    • Lemon Loaf
      Lemon Loaf Cake
    • Healthy Carrot Cake Cookies

    Popular Recipes

    • Mini cheesecakes on a table
      Easy Mini Cheesecakes
    • Malaysian Flatbread Roti Canai
      Malaysian Flatbread (Roti Canai)
    • Whole Orange Blender Cake
    • tart shells on a cooling rack
      How To Make Tart Shells (Sweet And Savoury)
    • Nasi lemak with all its trimmings
      Rice With Coconut Milk (Malaysian Nasi Lemak)
    • Hokkaido cheese tarts
      Hokkaido Cheese Tart

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Featured in banner.

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Shop

    • Ebook
    • Amazon Storefront

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

    Copyright © 2023 El Mundo Eats