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 potato
- 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!
Want more inspiration? Check out these gluten-free sourdough crescent rolls!
More Gluten-Free Bread Recipes
Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Cornbread
Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked Russet potato
- 2 cups (236g) tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pinches ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast*
- ½ cup boiling water
- ⅓ 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.
Gabby
I don't want to be dramatic but this recipe changed my life. Having grown up in Brazil eating pao de queijo, I missed it so much once my dairy allergy worsened as I got older. Now I can finally enjoy pao de queijo again and these are so good I could cry. My dad (who is Brazilian) had them and said he couldn't even tell the difference, and I didn't even use nutritional yeast! On my second time making them I realized I actually (accidentally) have been using cassava flour/starch instead of tapioca starch/flour but they turned out perfectly still. I can't thank you enough for this wonderful recipe Tessa!
Tessa
I love it! Thank you, Gabby, for such a kind note!
Christina M
I’ve made these several times and they are so unbelievably good! I now try to eat as oil free as possible so I am wondering if there is anything that can replace the oil in the recipe? Or can the amount of oil be cut down at all?
Tessa
Hi Christina! Thanks so much. I haven't played with an oil alternative, but I would worry that decreasing the amount would affect the overall texture. It's possible that something like applesauce could potentially work in its place, but I would need to test that out. :)
Ellie
Fabulous recipe! I made the cheese balls a lot smaller so got about 30-35 and they were very cute looking and very delicious! Felt very close to cheese bread with real cheese. Thank you so much for this ray of sunshine in an otherwise very challenging elimination diet I'm following :)
Tessa
You are so welcome! Thank you for your kind note!
Sabine
Hello.
I used this recipe to make cheese sauce today (the one with carrot and potato). I did not use potato, but used tapioca starch (per your recipe) instead. It came out perfect.
I'm definitely going to try the full recipe, as I loved ordering the buttery version of these Brazilian bread balls when I visit The Coffee Shop, in Union Square, NY. Now all I have to do is come up with a vegan version of their seasoned cheese fries, and learn how to make Caipirinhas, and I won't miss The Coffee Shop at all.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Tessa
That's awesome! I love The Coffee Shop too. A vegan version of those seasoned cheese fries would be amazing.
Peta
These were delicious, I used sweet potato and added some rosemary.
Tessa
That is awesome! Thank you!
Maya Yuristha
Hi! I’ve tried making this and it blow my mind!!! Super deliciouuuus! Thank u for sharing this. anyway, may i know how do you count the calorie? It it 200Kcal for all this recipe? Or how many serving? Thank you
Tessa
Thank you!! This recipe makes about 12 cheese bread balls, so the nutrition information is for one cheese bread ball.
Roxanne
Absolutely delicious and dangerously moreish! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Tessa
So happy you enjoyed it! Thank you!
MJ
Hi, thank you, your a life saver. However i need your help because mine did not turn out like yours. The inside was gummy, outside normal. The inside looked like mozerella cheese all rubbery gooey and gummy. I followed instructions exactly. I ate them, probably should've have.
Tessa
Hi! Thank you! The insides will be a bit gummy due to the tapioca starch, but shouldn't be overwhelmingly so. You can always try a little less tapioca starch or a little more cooked potato.