Brazilian recipe

Pão de Queijo

Name: Pão de Queijo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: Brazilian cuisine
Ingredients: 240 g tapioca starch; 120 ml whole milk; 80 ml water; 60 ml neutral oil; 6 g fine salt; 2 large eggs, beaten; 140 g aged Parmesan or Minas-style cheese, finely grated; 20 ml oil, for greasing

Chewy gluten-free cheese buns made from tapioca starch, warm milk, eggs and aged cheese, crisp at the edges and elastic in the centre.

Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 55 min
Servings: 18

Golden Brazilian cheese buns with a chewy tapioca centre — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Jonathan WilkinsSource page · Original file · CC BY-SA 3.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

240 g
tapioca starch
120 ml
whole milk
80 ml
water
60 ml
neutral oil
6 g
fine salt
2
large eggs, beaten
140 g
aged Parmesan or Minas-style cheese, finely grated
20 ml
oil, for greasing

Method

01
Heat the liquid
Combine the milk, water, oil and salt in a saucepan and bring to a full boil. Heat the oven to 200°C and grease a baking tray.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Scald the starch
Pour the boiling liquid over the tapioca starch in a mixing bowl and stir until no dry patches remain. Cool for 10 minutes until warm rather than hot.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Add eggs and cheese
Beat in the eggs gradually, then fold in the grated cheese until the dough is smooth, sticky and elastic. If it will not hold a scoop, add a little more tapioca starch.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Portion the buns
Scoop the dough into 18 portions and roll each into a smooth ball with lightly oiled hands. Place them with space between them on the tray.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Bake until freckled
Bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until the buns are puffed, lightly golden and freckled with browned cheese.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Rest briefly and serve
Rest the buns for 5 minutes so the centre finishes setting, then serve warm while the shell is crisp and the middle is chewy.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Measure starches and dairy by weight, and let the hot liquid fully hydrate the starch before shaping or baking.
Preheat the oven and use the texture cue in the method; a browned outside can hide a raw or unset centre.

Common mistakes

Adding eggs to a piping-hot starch mixture can scramble them and leave lumps.
Opening the oven early can collapse a delicate rise before the crust has set.

Substitutions

Tapioca starch is the defining ingredient in pão de queijo; do not replace it with wheat flour if you want its chewy structure.
A blend of dry, well-flavoured cheeses can replace Brazilian cheese; avoid very wet cheese that loosens the dough.

Storage

Cool completely before storing airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze well wrapped for longer storage.

Cultural context

Pão de queijo is closely associated with Minas Gerais, where tapioca starch and local cheeses create its signature springy bite. It is commonly enjoyed at breakfast or with coffee.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Pão de Queijo - cheese bread.jpg — Photograph by Jonathan Wilkins; CC BY-SA 3.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Brazilian recipes

Pão de Queijo

Ingredients

Method

Heat the liquid

Scald the starch

Add eggs and cheese

Portion the buns

Bake until freckled

Rest briefly and serve

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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