This is one of the easiest ways to make homemade, super delicious Brazilian cheese bread. It needs few ingredients and even fewer kitchen appliances, and since there’s no yeast, there’s no kneading or waiting for dough to rise.

All you need is some pantry staples plus one key, easy to find addition, tapioca flour. In less than 30 minutes you could be enjoying these cheese and carb bits of heaven. As an added bonus? They’re gluten free!

Brazilian Cheese Bread Pao de Queijo Recipe - No Diets Allowed #Food #Foodie #Rolls

The Best Pão de Queijo Recipe (Gluten Free Brazilian Cheese Bread)

Pão de queijo is pretty versatile in Brazil. It’s eaten for breakfast, as a snack, with coffee and even with dinner. Once you’ve eaten one, you’ll understand why!

This recipe uses tapioca flour, something easily found in the baking aisle or even on Amazon. Tapioca flour gives pão de queijo a slight crunch on the outside but helps it stay chewy on the inside. Add in the mix of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and you have a great combo of crunchy and chewy, salty and savory. No wonder these are the first things gone at our table when we go to a Brazilian steakhouse!

As the good Brazilian that I am, I like to eat pão de queijo while sipping hot coffee. It’s just perfect on an afternoon off, when I’m in my pjs at home. The smell of the baked cheesy bread and brewed coffee is enough to make my heart skip a beat.

They are gooey, cheesy and will win you over. Make them at home and find out why they are one of the most popular foods in Brazil. If you make this, they will win your heart as well. I’m sure of it.

Brazilian Gluten Free Cheese Bread or Pão de Queijo

Why You’ll Love This Brazilian Cheese Bread

Naturally gluten free. Tapioca flour stands in for wheat flour, so there is no gluten at all.
No yeast, no kneading. The dough is ready to scoop as soon as the cheese is mixed in.
Crisp outside, chewy inside. Golden, cheesy rolls with that signature stretchy center.
Freezer friendly. Freeze the scooped dough and bake a batch whenever the craving hits.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

Water, milk and oil: These are brought to a boil together. Pouring the hot liquid over the tapioca flour partially cooks the starch, which is what gives pão de queijo its stretchy, chewy texture. Use whole milk for the richest flavor, and any neutral oil such as vegetable or canola. Watch the pan closely, because milk can boil over quickly once it starts to bubble.
Salt: Two teaspoons go into the boiling liquid so the seasoning spreads evenly through the dough. The cheeses are salty too, so there’s no need for more.
Tapioca flour: The key ingredient, and something you can easily find in the baking aisle or online. It is also sold as tapioca starch, and the two are the same thing. Don’t try to substitute regular flour in this recipe! It won’t turn out the chewiness you need for this particular type of bread. Authentic pão de queijo is made with manioc flour, but that is way harder to find in an American grocery store.
Eggs: Two eggs, added one at a time. They make the dough richer, help it puff in the oven and give the rolls their golden color. Room temperature eggs blend into the warm dough more easily than cold ones.
Parmesan: Shred it from a block. Please don’t use the shaker cup, a la for the top of your spaghetti noodles. Freshly grated parmesan melts into the dough and gives the bread its salty, nutty flavor.
Mozzarella: Shredded mozzarella brings the gooey, stretchy pull in the middle. Low moisture mozzarella works best because it won’t make the dough wet. Shredding your own from a block also skips the anti caking powder on bagged cheese, which can keep it from melting smoothly.

How to Make Pão de Queijo

Heat the oven and boil the liquid. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, bring the water, oil, milk and salt to a boil.
Add the tapioca flour. As soon as it boils, take the pan off the heat and add the tapioca flour. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon to bring it together. The mixture will be white and sticky, and it may be a bit lumpy. That’s normal.
Beat until cool. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer. With the paddle, beat on medium for a few minutes until it has cooled to the touch. If it’s too hot, it will cook the eggs.
Add the eggs. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, letting the first one fully mix in before adding the second. The dough will look slippery at first, then turn smooth and glossy.
Add the cheese. Mix in the parmesan and mozzarella until they’re evenly spread through the dough.
Shape. Use a #50 cookie scoop, or about a tablespoon of dough, and roll it into a ball. If the dough is too sticky, dip your hands in cold water. Place the balls two inches apart on a baking sheet, since they puff up as they bake.
Bake. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Serve them warm while the centers are still soft and cheesy.

Tip: If the dough sticks to your hands while you shape it, dip your hands in cold water. The dough rolls into smooth balls much more easily.

Pão de Queijo Recipe FAQs

What is pão de queijo? It means cheese bread in Portuguese. These small, chewy cheese rolls are one of the most popular foods in Brazil and are eaten at breakfast, as a snack and with dinner.
Can you make pão de queijo with regular flour? No. Regular wheat flour won’t give you the chewy texture this bread needs. Use tapioca flour, or manioc flour if you can find it.
Is pão de queijo gluten free? Yes. It is made with tapioca flour instead of wheat flour. If you’re cooking for someone with celiac disease, check that your tapioca flour is labeled gluten free.
What is the difference between tapioca flour and manioc flour? Both come from the cassava root. Authentic pão de queijo uses manioc flour, but tapioca flour is much easier to find in American grocery stores.
Does this recipe need yeast? No. There’s no yeast, so there’s no kneading or waiting for the dough to rise.
Can these be frozen? Absolutely! Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet and freeze for a couple of hours. Once frozen, move them to a freezer safe bag or container. Bake from frozen at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
Can I use different cheeses? Parmesan and mozzarella give the best mix of salty flavor and gooey stretch. If you swap, pair a firm, salty grating cheese with a good melting cheese so you keep both.
Why is my dough so sticky? It’s supposed to be soft and sticky. Dip your hands in cold water before rolling each ball.
What should I serve with pão de queijo? A cup of hot coffee is the classic pairing.

Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread Recipe

This easy Brazilian cheese bread recipe makes pão de queijo with tapioca flour, whole milk, eggs, parmesan and mozzarella, with no yeast and no kneading. The rolls bake up golden and crunchy outside and gooey, cheesy and chewy inside.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer

Ingredients

1 cup water
¾ cup oil
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups tapioca flour
2 eggs
1 ½ cups parmesan grated
1 ½ cup mozzarella shredded

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF. Bring water, oil, milk and salt to a boil over medium high heat in a large saucepan. Once it boils, remove from heat and add the tapioca flour. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon to incorporate. The mixture will be white and sticky, and may be a bit lumpy.
Once all the flour is incorporated, transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. With the paddle, beat on medium for a few minutes until the mixture has cooled to the touch. With the mixer on, add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating the first egg before adding the second. Add the cheeses and mix until they’re incorporated.
To shape the balls, use a cookie scoop #50, or about a tablespoon of dough, and roll into a ball shape. If the dough is too sticky, dip your hands in cold water to help handle it. Place them two inches apart on a 9×13 baking sheet, remembering that they’ll puff up a bit as they bake. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Keyword pao de queijo

Made this Brazilian cheese bread? Leave a star rating in the recipe card and tell us how it turned out in the comments below. Your feedback helps other bakers, and we love hearing how you served it.