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Brazilian

Pão de queijo

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Brazilian cheese bread: crisp-shelled, chewy little rolls made from tapioca starch, milk, egg and grated cheese. Naturally free of wheat.

Pão de queijo is a Brazilian bread, ready in about 55 minutes and made with tapioca starch and parmesan. It serves 24 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Plate of traditional Brazilian cheese bread rolls on a red mat with a spoon.
Photo: Emanuel Pedro / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
10 min
Total
55 min
Serves
24
Level
Easy
Calories
86

Ingredients

24 rolls

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 200 °C. Bring the milk (opens in a new tab), water, oil and salt just to the boil in a saucepan (opens in a new tab).

  2. Step 2

    Pour the hot liquid over the tapioca starch (opens in a new tab) and mix until it forms a lumpy, sticky dough (this scalding is important). Leave to cool 10 minutes.

    • 3 min

  3. Step 3

    Beat in the eggs (opens in a new tab) a little at a time, then the cheese, until you have a smooth, very sticky, elastic dough.

  4. Step 4

    With oiled hands, roll into 24 walnut-sized balls and set them 3 cm apart on a lined tray.

  5. Step 5

    Bake until puffed and lightly golden, 20–25 minutes. Serve warm.

    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Minas Gerais, Brazil · Well documentedMore food from Brazil
Dish
Breakfast · Snack · Breads & flatbreads · Finger food
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
savoury, salty, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with
Tapioca starch · Parmesan · Milk · Egg
Techniques
Baking

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk, parmesan
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

86 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 30 g · recipe makes 24

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 45%
  • Fat 43%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy86 kcal289 kcal
Protein2.5 g8.3 g
Carbohydrate9.7 g32.4 g
Net carbohydrate9.6 g32 g
Sugars0.6 g2.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.1 g0.3 g
Fat4.1 g13.8 g
Saturated fat1.1 g3.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol19 mg65 mg
Sodium140 mg468 mg
Salt equivalent0.3 g1.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
19 mg
Calcium
70 mg
Iron
0.3 mg
Magnesium
3 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
19 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
3 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Tapioca starch: Dry pearl tapioca (FDC 169717) used as a stand-in; both are almost pure cassava starch.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Freeze the shaped raw balls on a tray, then bag them — bake straight from frozen, adding 5 minutes.

Common mistakes

  • Taking them out too early: they collapse as they cool if the shell has not set.

Serve with

  • Serve warm with coffee for breakfast or as a snack.

Storage

  • Best on the day; keep 1 day airtight.

Reheating

  • Re-crisp in a 180 °C oven for 5 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 20 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. Rest · about 10 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 25 min at 200 °C

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  4. Start to finish: about 55 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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