Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread (Gluten-Free)

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

Print

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.

Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Keyword vegan brazillian cheezy bread

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Author Tessa Fisher

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

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Pierce the potato with a fork and cook on appropriate setting in microwave until cooked and mashes well with a fork.

3. In a large bowl, combine tapioca starch, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, turmeric, and nutritional yeast. Whisk to combine.

4. 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. 

5. 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. 

6. 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. 

7. 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. 

8. Allow vegan brazilian cheese bread to cool for a few minutes on baking sheet. Serve warm. Best eaten the day they are made.

9. 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.