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    Salted Plains » Recipes » Breads & Muffins

    Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread (Gluten-Free)

    Published: Jan 17, 2019 · Modified: Sep 27, 2021 by Tessa · This post may contain affiliate links · 85 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This easy Vegan Brazilian Cheese Bread uses tapioca starch, potato, olive oil, and spices to make a dairy-free pão de queijo. Gluten-free.

    vegan cheese bread on clothIt 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?

    kneading dough with handsTraditional 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.

    cheese bread balls on baking sheetAnd 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.

    baked vegan Brazilian cheese bread

    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

    round dairy-free cheese bread

    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.

    vegan Brazilian cheese bread on clothSo, 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!

    yellow bread balls on cloth

    Want more inspiration? Check out these gluten-free sourdough crescent rolls!

    More Gluten-Free Bread Recipes

    Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Cornbread

    Tahini Banana Bread

    Healthy Sweet Potato Bread

    Gluten-Free Banana Bread

    Sweet Potato Flatbread

    Gluten-Free Cinnamon 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.
    4.77 from 21 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
    Cuisine: Brazilian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    0 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 12 cheese balls
    Calories: 200kcal
    Author: Tessa

    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.

    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. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SaltedPlains or tag #saltedplains!
    « Healthy Chocolate Granola Bars (Gluten-Free)
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cait Murphy

      April 24, 2020 at 4:26 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this, and it was amazing! We made a vegan mayonnaise sauce to go with it, with Tajin spice and lime mixed in. It was so good - like a pub food made at home! :)

      Reply
      • Tessa

        April 25, 2020 at 9:54 am

        Hi Cait! Thank you! That sounds amazing. I love it!

        Reply
    2. Juliet

      April 17, 2020 at 11:16 pm

      These are delicious! I messed up and put one whole potato instead of a cup. It still worked out.

      Reply
      • Tessa

        April 20, 2020 at 8:32 am

        Thank you, Juliet! I'm so glad!

        Reply
      • Brit

        September 16, 2020 at 10:21 pm

        3 stars
        Mine turned put much too watery, even after I added more tapioca flour. I'm not sure where I went wrong.

        Reply
    3. joselle

      April 16, 2020 at 5:13 pm

      5 stars
      These are FANTASTIC . I'm Brazilian and these were like little vegan bites of home. I have terrible GERD so no pepper, onion or garlic... added a smidge more salt and used the nutritional yeast. They came out SO cheesy. Thank you

      Reply
      • Tessa

        April 17, 2020 at 8:56 am

        That's awesome! I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you. :)

        Reply
    4. janice Hoffmann

      February 19, 2020 at 5:13 pm

      I'm Brazilian and this was my first attempt to make vegan cheese bread! I was amazed at the texture! Really similar. I am not a big fan of nutritional yeast, so I will skip it next time and add also more salt. Amazing recipe!

      Reply
      • Tessa

        February 22, 2020 at 6:12 pm

        That is awesome - thanks so much!

        Reply
    5. Elisabeth

      February 14, 2020 at 12:14 pm

      Hi!
      The corn starch you used, is it grainy or finely ground in texture?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Tessa

        February 22, 2020 at 6:15 pm

        Hi Elisabeth! There isn't any corn starch in this recipe, but the tapioca starch is very finely ground in texture. I hope that helps!

        Reply
        • Lisa

          April 07, 2020 at 10:55 am

          Hi I have made these and they go very hard - is there a reason for this? Am I leaving them in the oven for too long?

          Thanks

        • Tessa

          April 07, 2020 at 4:25 pm

          You may be leaving them in too long - it is possible your oven runs a little hotter so you don't need as much time. It is natural for them to harden at room temperature after awhile, but they shouldn't be so hard right out of the oven. I hope that helps!

    6. Esther

      February 06, 2020 at 2:13 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made them twice now, and they’re delicious! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Tessa

        February 06, 2020 at 5:28 pm

        That is great to hear!! Thanks so much, Esther!

        Reply
    7. Samantha

      December 28, 2019 at 9:23 am

      I tried to make these. But mine turned out dry on the inside. Any tips?

      Reply
    8. Alina

      November 05, 2019 at 8:39 pm

      Hi, can the dough be frozen and then baked later? Or should they be baked right after the dough is made?

      Reply
    9. Danielle

      October 06, 2019 at 5:40 am

      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.

      Reply
      • An

        November 29, 2019 at 8:51 am

        Hey there, you actually need to use tapioca flour, not tapioca pudding with the little balls in. Good luck!

        Reply
    10. Kelly

      October 01, 2019 at 9:48 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    11. Michelle

      September 15, 2019 at 7:57 am

      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...

      Reply
    12. June

      August 18, 2019 at 9:17 pm

      5 stars
      What’s the calorie and nutritional counts (macros?) of this recipe?

      Reply
    13. Frances

      August 16, 2019 at 10:47 pm

      Could I sub oat milk for almond?

      Reply
    14. Veronika Neužilová

      August 09, 2019 at 4:48 am

      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

      Reply
      • Tessa

        August 09, 2019 at 10:17 am

        Hi Veronika! It should be about 325g for 1 cup of cooked mashed potatoes. I hope that helps!

        Reply
      • Tessa

        August 09, 2019 at 10:19 am

        Hi Veronika! It should be about 325g for 1 cup of cooked potatoes. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    15. Charlotte

      July 18, 2019 at 7:30 pm

      Hello, I am following the FODMAP regime and cannot eat garlic or oignon, can we make the recipe without it ?

      Thank you so much !

      Reply
      • Tessa

        July 24, 2019 at 3:07 pm

        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.

        Reply
    16. Ivana

      July 15, 2019 at 3:13 pm

      If just using garlic powder and not turmeric/onion powder is that still ok?

      Reply
      • Tessa

        July 24, 2019 at 3:08 pm

        Yes, that is just fine. The flavor will change slightly but should still taste great.

        Reply
    17. Mimi

      June 19, 2019 at 8:37 pm

      Could you sub russet potatoes with yams?

      Reply
      • Tessa

        July 01, 2019 at 10:51 am

        I think that would probably work just fine. I'd love to hear how it worked out for you.

        Reply
        • Monika

          December 21, 2019 at 9:58 pm

          I've made your recipe with sweet potato a couple times and it's just as good! I continue to make both kinds.

        • Tessa

          December 23, 2019 at 6:21 pm

          Love that! Thank you, Monika!

        • Dee

          November 18, 2021 at 3:58 pm

          Can you use melted refined coconut oil instead of olive oil?

        • Tessa

          November 20, 2021 at 7:57 am

          Hi Dee! I haven't tried using melted coconut oil, but I would guess that should work fine. The flavor will be slightly different but overall I think should work similarly.

        • Yaffa

          March 30, 2022 at 10:45 am

          5 stars
          Absolutely love this recipe! I’ve used it many times with much success! Would you say it’s ok to prep dough and refrigerate until ready to bake it and serve?

        • Tessa

          March 31, 2022 at 10:24 am

          Thank you, Yaffa!! I have not tested it by chilling first, but am going to try it out as another reader mentioned the same thing!

    18. Lauren Pitre

      April 25, 2019 at 10:39 pm

      4 stars
      These are supper good. However mine kinda exploded out their insides around the 20 minute mark in cooking. However they where still perfect in flavor and texture they just looked weird lol

      Reply
      • Tessa

        April 27, 2019 at 4:40 pm

        Thanks, Lauren! So glad you like them. Yes, they are a kind of funny and do tend to pop a little!

        Reply
    19. Marina

      February 07, 2019 at 9:59 pm

      How many balls does this make?

      Reply
      • Tessa

        February 08, 2019 at 8:46 am

        Hi Marina! It makes about 12-14 balls.

        Reply
    20. Christina Bianco

      January 31, 2019 at 1:33 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Tessa

        January 31, 2019 at 2:10 pm

        Hi Christina! Good question. No skin, just the inside. I usually slit the potato and scoop it out after cooking!

        Reply
        • Montserrat Murillo

          April 24, 2020 at 2:31 pm

          Hi Tessa! I have made mine but they were super hard on the outside, literally impossible to bite. I substituted tapioca starch with cassava flour. Do you think that’s the reason of my failure?

        • Tessa

          April 25, 2020 at 9:57 am

          Hi Montserrat! Yes, I do think that is what caused them to be super hard on the outside. Cassava flour is more fibrous than tapioca starch and doesn't always work well as a substitute.

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    Hi, I'm Tessa! I create gluten-free, real food recipes that are approachable and delicious.

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