This easy Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread uses tapioca starch, potato, olive oil, and spices to make a dairy-free pão de queijo. Gluten-free.
It was only a few years ago now that I was first introduced to Brazilian cheese bread. A coworker had brought it in for a celebratory birthday lunch.
The moment I found out that it was made of naturally gluten-free tapioca starch, I almost jumped up and down with excitement.
It’s the little things, right?
Traditional Brazilian cheese bread, or pão de queijo, while made up mostly of tapioca starch, is also, as the name suggests, heavy on the cheese.
I wanted a dairy-free Brazilian cheese bread that didn’t rely on vegan cheese but still had that crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside texture and addictive flavor.
And while already going the dairy-free route, I wanted to go ahead and make it completely vegan, omitting the egg.
Due to the starch content of both tapioca starch and the cooked potato, this was possible.
Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread Ingredients
Besides those two main components, the ingredients list is really quite short. Here’s what you’ll need:
- tapioca starch
- nutritional yeast
- cooked potatao
- olive oil
- unsweetened almond milk
- garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, black pepper
Can you reheat Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread?
I recommend that this vegan brazilian cheese recipe is best eaten the day it is made. It is especially good while still warm right out of the oven.
But, if you do have leftovers, refrigerate the brazilian cheese bread in an airtight container. You can reheat the cheese bread in the oven or the microwave.
I prefer to heat them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8-10 minutes. The oven method keeps the outside crisp, while the microwave method will not.
If using the microwave, heat for 15-20 seconds.
So, eat these for breakfast, serve as a snack or appetizer, or pair with a meal.
I love having them with soup as they make delicious dunking vessels!
More Bread Recipes
Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Cornbread
Gluten-Free Tahini Banana Bread
Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Bread
Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread (Gluten-Free)
This easy Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread recipe uses tapioca starch, potato, olive oil, and spices to make a dairy-free pão de queijo. Gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked Russet potato
- 2 cups (236g) tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pinches ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast*
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pierce the potato with a fork and cook on appropriate setting in microwave until cooked and mashes well with a fork.
- In a large bowl, combine tapioca starch, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, turmeric, and nutritional yeast. Whisk to combine.
In a small bowl, combine boiling water, olive oil, and almond milk. Whisk to combine. Add the liquid mixture to the tapioca mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula, stirring until most of the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
Add the cooked potato and stir and mash with the back of the spoon until mostly incorporated. Then, using your hands, squeeze and knead the dough together until it becomes smoother.
There will be some dry bits of dough, just press and knead them into the dough.
Scoop the dough by tablespoon, and roll into balls. It is helpful to squeeze the dough together a few times as you roll to make a cohesive ball. Space about an inch and a half apart on baking sheet.
Bake for 32 to 35 minutes. The outsides should be dry and the bottoms should start turning a golden brown (lift one to check). The tops of the cheese bread will not really brown at all.
Allow vegan brazilian cheese bread to cool for a few minutes on baking sheet. Serve warm. Best eaten the day they are made.
For leftovers: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, warm in oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. You can also reheat in microwave for 15-20 seconds. The microwave will not make them crisp.
Recipe Notes
*You can omit the nutritional yeast if needed. The nutritional yeast helps add a cheesy tang to the recipe, but it will bake up just fine without it.
Thanks for posting this recipe, I’m going to make these today. Do I use the skin of the potato or do I peel the potato? Thanks in advance for your reply!
Hi Christina! Good question. No skin, just the inside. I usually slit the potato and scoop it out after cooking!
How many balls does this make?
Hi Marina! It makes about 12-14 balls.
Could you sub russet potatoes with yams?
I think that would probably work just fine. I’d love to hear how it worked out for you.
I’ve made your recipe with sweet potato a couple times and it’s just as good! I continue to make both kinds.
Love that! Thank you, Monika!
If just using garlic powder and not turmeric/onion powder is that still ok?
Yes, that is just fine. The flavor will change slightly but should still taste great.
Hello, I am following the FODMAP regime and cannot eat garlic or oignon, can we make the recipe without it ?
Thank you so much !
Hi Charlotte! Yes, it will work just fine, it just changes the flavor a bit. Even without those two, I think it will still taste great.
Hi,
Can I ask you Do you know how many grams are in a cup of mashed potatoes?
Thank you so much!
btw. The recipe looks sooo good! I have to cook it this weekend.
Have a nice day,
Veronika
Hi Veronika! It should be about 325g for 1 cup of cooked mashed potatoes. I hope that helps!
Hi Veronika! It should be about 325g for 1 cup of cooked potatoes. I hope that helps!
Could I sub oat milk for almond?
What’s the calorie and nutritional counts (macros?) of this recipe?
Did you repost this? I’m looking for a recipe from several years ago that used to be one of my favourites– and this looks exactly like it. Do you think it was yours?
Unfortunately, I now live in Asia and don’t have an oven! I just have a microwave, rice cooker/steam cooker and a stovetop… curious whether these can be pan fried…? What do you think? I’d love to taste this deliciousness again…
Thanks for the recipe! I made this with yuca/manioc instead of potatoes and for seasoning only added salt and nutritional yeast. They turned out delicious!
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe. I found it via Instagram.
I am currently doing it but the tapioca balls are not melted.
Is that normal or did I choose the wrong type of tapioca ?…
Thanks in advance for your help.
Best regards,
Danielle.
Hey there, you actually need to use tapioca flour, not tapioca pudding with the little balls in. Good luck!
Hi, can the dough be frozen and then baked later? Or should they be baked right after the dough is made?
I tried to make these. But mine turned out dry on the inside. Any tips?