I’ve been obsessed by Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) since I first arrived in Brazil in 2009… and on the hunt for the ultimate Pão de Queijo recipe since then. I’m so obsessed that Pão de Queijo is the first thing I ever buy when I land in Brazil (it’s sold on almost every street corner and in the airport), and it’s an essential item I carry on the road for wine trips (Pão de Queijo is perfect with a thermos of coffee at any time of day!) And my love for these gooey Brazilian cheese puffs goes so far that I named my cat, Pão, after them.
In Brazil it’s rather easy to make Pão de Queijo at home. You can buy a packet of ready-made mix, add some eggs and bake. In Argentina, you can also just about get away with pre-mixed packets of chipa (the Argentine equivalent) and add a healthy handful of cheese to it. But if you are far from the land of Pão de Queijo, you’ll need to hunt down tapioca flour and a few other essentials to make this delightfully fluffy, gooey cheese bread. After months of practising during the pandemic lockdown in England, I’m now ready to share my ultimate recipe for Pão de Queijo. And – good news for coeliacs – Pão de Queijo is gluten free! (But wonderfully indulgent all the same.)
The ultimate Pão de Queijo recipe
Ingredients for Pão de Queijo
- 500 grams of tapioca flour (17.5 ounces, 4 cups)
- 250 ml milk (8.5 fluid ounces, 1 cup)
- 100 ml water (3 fluid ounces, 1/2 cup)
- a good glug of oil (about 5 tablespoons)
- a small knob of butter
- 250 grams of mixed grated cheese (9 ounces, 2 cups). See notes below!
- a sprinkle of garlic powder
- 2 eggs
- a large pinch of salt
- a small grind of black pepper
How to make Pão de Queijo
- One of the key aspects of making Pão de Queijo is mixing the milk, water, butter and oil and heating it gently in a saucepan until it is starting to foam slightly.
- Get your tapioca flour in a large mixing bowl and pour the liquid mixture in while it is hot and stir the flour until it becomes a slightly sticky mess.
- Let it cool for about five minutes.
- Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 200˚C (400˚F).
- Now add your garlic powder, salt, eggs and grated cheese and combine them gently until well incorporated. The dough should be a bit sticky still, but firm enough to touch by hand and roll into balls.
- You can wet your hands if it is too sticky, and if it is really too sticky add another sprinkle of tapioca flour until it becomes manageable. Gently make small balls (about the size of a conker or golf ball) and put them on a greaseproof-paper lined baking tray.
- Once your balls are all made, bake the Pão de Queijo balls for about 15-18 minutes until they have risen and are slightly golden on the top. (If you want to freeze some for later, freeze them before baking – you can cook them from frozen very easily.)
- Pour yourself a glass of Brazilian bubbly, and indulge in your triumphant Pão de Queijo – deliciously gooey and chewy in the middle and crisp on top.
The details… Pão de Queijo inside out
The cheese for Pão de Queijo
Brazilians will argue you have to use queijo de Minas for your Pão de Queijo, but you are unlikely to find that outside of Minas Gerais! It’s not far off from a queso fresco that you might know from Mexican cuisine, but a bit saltier. Try it if you can find it, but I personally like to play around with my cheeses in Pão de Queijo (I told you I was obsessed…).
I’d recommend developing your own special blend. For mine, it usually involves some mozzarella (for the gooeyness), some parmesan (for the cheesiness and saltiness) and a bit of aged cheddar (for the richness). You can go fancier – I’ve thrown comté in there before – but to be honest, when it’s all cooked and mixed together, you are looking for an overall flavour and texture rather than specifics. Red Leicester can be fun, but soft cheeses (brie etc) are far too soft…
And don’t skimp on the cheese. That’s what makes it Pão de Queijo and not just Pão (bread)…
The oil for Pão de Queijo
Tradition would dictate a rather neutral oil like canola oil. I like olive oil. But each to their own. It’s ultimately just a fat holding it together and keeping it moist. I’ve tried coconut (too coconutty) and avocado (too avocado-y), but I’m keen for anyone to share their favourite oils in the comments below! My Pão is almost always a light olive oil.
Garlic in Pão de Queijo?
I think this makes it all the more tempting… and garlic powder works better than fresh in my opinion, slightly nutty, garlicky and gives you a golden sprinkle in the dough. You can skip it by all means. Or try a touch of paprika, or even truffle salt 🙂
I also add a touch of black pepper, which is not traditional. But I like it that way. Again, totally up to you!
Dairy-free Pão de Queijo?
I’ve tried no milk Pão de Queijo, no butter Pão de Queijo, and – with a vegan friend – vegan cheese Pão de Queijo. You need to up the oil and water, but I’m sorry to say, they are all a massive compromise in texture and flavour. The milk aids that chewy, gooey texture and the butter gives it a richness which is hard to beat. And you’ve probably seen how obsessed I am with cheese by my note above. But if anyone has some dairy-free recommendations, please do share!
Freezing Pão de Queijo
I actually often prefer my Pão de Queijo cooked from frozen. It can puff quite nicely and it’s an instant pick-me-up and cheesy hug on a miserable morning. Cook it straight from frozen, on a lined tray, and just keep an eye on it as it takes a couple of minutes more but will brown very quickly. You want to catch it when it is just starting to turn golden…
Are you a Pão de Queijo obsessive?
Hello, my name is Amanda. And I’m a Pão de Queijo addict. I’d love to meet you. I have a couple of other friends who are just as obsessed as me (Pablo and Rhia, I’m looking at both of you!) so please join us in our quest for Pão perfection! Specifically, you can confess your addiction over our Instagram and share with us the recipe modifications that keep you up at night …
Check out some of our other recipes featured in The South America Wine Guide
Want to read more on Brazilian food and wine? Check out our Brazil Wine Guide book.
