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These Brazilian cheese bread bites are everything pão de queijo should be: crisp on the outside, stretchy and chewy on the inside, naturally gluten-free, and dangerously addictive. Instead of shaping balls by hand, this version is baked in a mini muffin pan, which gives you extra crispy edges and perfectly puffed centers with almost no effort.
This is an easy, pantry-friendly recipe made with tapioca flour, milk, oil, egg, and cheese. No yeast, no blender required, and no resting for hours. Just mix, scoop, and bake.
These would be perfect served with some Rotel Cheese Dip, or even my Cottage Cheese Queso!
Why This Recipe Works
- Tapioca flour gelatinizes, creating that chewy interior almost like mochi
- Steam provides lift, so no yeast is needed
- The mini muffin pan encourages crisp edges and even baking
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Authentic pão de queijo texture: crisp outside, hollow and stretchy inside
- Naturally gluten-free (made with tapioca starch)
- No blender needed (one bowl + saucepan)
- Mini muffin pan which means better structure and more crispy edges
- Ready in under 30 minutes
Let’s Chit Chat!
I’ve made these five times in the last week, and that should tell you everything you need to know. Once you nail the texture, it becomes one of those recipes you make on autopilot, for snacks, parties, kids, or honestly just to stand in the kitchen eating them straight from the pan.
What I love most is how forgiving this dough is. It looks weird at first (separated, glossy, stretchy), then suddenly comes together into this elastic, scoopable batter that bakes up into the most satisfying little cheese popovers. They puff dramatically in the oven, deflate just slightly as they cool, and leave behind that signature hollow center that makes pão de queijo so iconic.
If you’ve ever had Brazilian cheese bread at a steakhouse or from a Brazilian friend and wondered if you could recreate that at home, you can and they’re easier than you think!
Ingredients for this Pão de Queijo
Table of Contents
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients for this Pão de Queijo
- How to Make Brazilian Cheese Bread Bites
- Texture & Troubleshooting (Mini Muffin–Specific)
- Flavor Variations You can try
- Freezer-Friendly Option
- FAQs: Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)
- Brazilian Cheese Bread Bites (Mini Muffin Pan) Recipe
- Tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
- Whole milk
- Vegetable oil (or olive oil)
- Salt
- Egg
- Grated cheese
Best Cheese Blend To Use
- Parmesan and mozzarella
How to Make Brazilian Cheese Bread Bites
- Preheat your oven then grease all 24 cavities of a mini muffin pan very well.
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk, oil, and salt until it just begins to simmer (do not boil).
- Place the tapioca flour in a heat-safe bowl. Pour the hot liquid over it and stir immediately until a thick, glossy dough forms.
- Let the dough rest for 2–3 minutes until warm but not hot. Add the egg and whisk vigorously until smooth and elastic.
- Fold in the cheese until evenly distributed. The final batter should be thick, stretchy, and scoopable.
- Fill each mini muffin cup about halfway.
- Bake for 16–18 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Add 1–2 extra minutes for deeper color if needed.
- Let rest for 3–5 minutes before removing, they firm up as steam escapes.
Texture & Troubleshooting (Mini Muffin–Specific)
- Extra crispy bottoms: Preheat the empty pan for 3 minutes before filling
- Flat or dense: Dough cooled too much before baking or cheese was too heavy
- Hollow inside: Completely normal and authentic for this bread recipe
- Sticky bottoms: Pan wasn’t greased enough or breads were removed too early
Flavor Variations You can try
- Garlic cheese: Add ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Herby: Fold in finely chopped rosemary or chives
- Spicy: Add a pinch of cayenne or smoked paprika
Freezer-Friendly Option
- Scoop batter into the pan and freeze until solid
- Transfer frozen portions to a freezer bag
- Bake from frozen at 375°F for 20-22 minutes
FAQs: Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)
Pão de queijo is a traditional Brazilian cheese bread from Minas Gerais, made with tapioca flour instead of wheat flour. It’s naturally gluten-free and known for its crisp outside and stretchy interior.
Yes. Authentic Brazilian cheese bread is made with tapioca starch, not wheat flour, making it naturally gluten-free.
Yes, many pão de queijo recipes use a blender. This version skips the blender for better texture control, but you can blend the liquid without warming it up, egg, tapioca flour, and cheese if preferred for a quick shortcut of a recipe.
That’s normal. Keep mixing, the starch hydrates and emulsifies, turning the batter smooth and elastic after a minute or two.
Parmesan adds flavor and structure, while mozzarella adds stretch. You can also experiment with Minas cheese if available.
Yes. Store baked cheese breads in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or airfryer for best texture.
That hollow center is caused by steam during baking and is a signature feature of authentic pão de queijo.
Brazilian Cheese Bread Bites (Mini Muffin Pan)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ¾ cup finely grated cheese
Best cheese blend: 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan & 1/4 cup low-moisture mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease all 24 mini muffin cups very well (these puff, but they stick if under-greased)
- In a small saucepan, combine milk, butter, and salt. Heat until the mixture just begins to simmer (do not boil).½ cup whole milk, ¼ cup oil, ½ tsp salt
- Place tapioca starch in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot milk mixture over it and stir immediately until a thick, glossy dough forms. Let dough rest 2–3 minutes until warm (not hot) then add the egg and whisk to combine.1 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour), 1 large egg
- The dough will look separated at first, keep mixing until smooth and stretchy.
- Fold in cheese until evenly distributed. Final texture should be thick, elastic, and scoopable (like very sticky choux).¾ cup finely grated cheese
- Scoop or pipe dough into each muffin cup, filling 1/2 full.
- Bake 16-18 minutes, until puffed, lightly golden, and set. For deeper color, bake an extra 1–2 minutes (check and see based on your oven's temperature, some run a little hotter than others)
- Let rest 3–5 minutes before removing, they firm up as steam escapes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
