Pão de Queijo (Chewy Cheese Buns)

By Kristina Felix

Updated April 20, 2025

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour 50 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes plus 1 hour resting time
Rating
4(86)
Comments
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Brazil's pão de queijo stands out among Latin American cheese breads for its simplicity and irresistible chewiness. The secret lies in tapioca starch, extracted from cassava root (also known as manioc or yuca) native to Brazil, which gives these buns their distinctive texture. Pão de queijo is traditionally made with queijo minas, a cow’s milk cheese with a mild flavor, plus sweet or sour tapioca starch (or both), but this adapted version uses more readily available cheeses and omits the sour tapioca starch without compromising that addictive chewy texture. The straightforward nature of this recipe is a great way to highlight your favorite cheese's flavor. While pão de queijo is traditionally enjoyed on its own, the optional tangy, sweet-heat guava dipping sauce pairs perfectly with it, offering a Caribbean twist on that classic guava and cheese pairing. You can freeze the buns for future meals and bake them off as needed, as they are best eaten the same day they are baked.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 24

FOR THE PÃO DE QUEIJO

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • ½ cup vegetable oil

  • 2 cups/270 grams tapioca starch, see Tip

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

  • 1 large egg

  • ½ cup coarsely grated semi-firm cheese, such as Cheddar or Gruyère

  • ½ cup grated hard cheese, such as Parmesan or pecorino

FOR THE GUAVA DIPPING SAUCE (OPTIONAL)

  • 8 ounces guava paste, cubed

  • 1 or 2 habañero or Scotch bonnet chiles, roughly chopped

  • Kosher salt

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

12 grams carbs; 14 milligrams cholesterol; 117 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 111 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the buns: Add milk, oil and ¼ cup water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, add tapioca starch and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment and mix to combine. Carefully add hot milk mixture and mix on low until the tapioca mixture cools slightly and begins to form a ball, about 3 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the egg and mix, gradually increasing speed to medium-high, until fully incorporated, about 3 minutes. The dough will be very sticky and may break apart before coming back together. Add the cheese and mix just until evenly distributed. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or cover tightly and refrigerate dough overnight, until ready to bake.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. With slightly damp hands, portion dough into 24 balls that are about 1½ inches in diameter (about 35 grams each) and place on the pan at least ¾ inch apart.

  5. Step 5

    Bake until the tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. The buns are best served warm or at room temperature.

  6. Step 6

    While the cheese balls bake, make the guava dipping sauce, if you like. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, combine the guava paste, chiles, a pinch of salt and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally. As the mixture heats, use a fork to break up and mash the guava paste and chiles until the guava paste dissolves into a smooth purée, about 15 minutes.

  7. Step 7

    Allow the mixture to cool slightly before pressing it through a mesh sieve. Stir in vinegar and mix well. Taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar or salt if desired. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Serve as a dipping sauce for the warm cheese buns.

Tips

  • You can vary the types of cheese according to preference, as long as you use a mix of hard and semi-firm cheeses.

  • While tapioca flour and tapioca starch are often marketed as interchangeable, for this recipe you specifically need tapioca starch, which requires further processing. (The sweet variety is the type that’s more widely available; it’s labeled as “polvilho doce” in Brazilian Portuguese.) Latino and Asian supermarkets commonly stock tapioca starch, making them good places to start your search; the Erawan brand works especially well in this recipe.

  • Once portioned, pão de queijo can be frozen to bake as needed. To do this, place the dough balls on a sheet pan so they aren’t touching. Place in the freezer until their outsides are no longer sticky, about an hour, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months. No need to thaw the frozen cheese buns before baking.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
86 user ratings
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Comments

Priscilla W

Authentic pão de queijo is so much better than this version and is easily accomplished now that the proper tapioca product, polvilho azedo, is readily available online. My Brazilian nephews helped me identify manchego as the best U.S.-based substitute for minas cheese, hands down. Proportions: 350g polvilho, 240g manchego, 140ml warm milk, 70ml canola oil, one egg plus one egg white, 3/4 tsp salt, and up to 30-35ml cold milk if mixture is unworkably firm. Do not overmix, okay to mix cheese in by hand. Eat all of them as soon as they cool enough not to burn your mouth. They are not good re-warmed. Heavenly!

meh

I've been making pão de queijo since I'm five years old. I have never seen it made with a mixer. This is a daily-baked snack in several parts of southeast Brazil. Mix the oil, the eggs and the water. Add to the tapioca starch (I make half polvilho doce, half polvilho azedo). Then add the milk JUST UNTIL it comes together. You'll have a ball. Knead it. The more you knead, the chewier the pão de queijo will be. Let it rest 30 minutes. Form little balls and bake and/or freeze.

Dan W

Hmmm something with this recipe is off. They were totally liquid. Does it mistakenly say to use tapioca starch when really it should be tapioca flour? I tried adding some tapioca flour to salvage it and the went in the oven as balls but came out as cookies. Savory cheesy ones but now what I was going for

Kit Fisher

My Brazilian friend and I developed the following recipe because she was tired of buying the expensive premade mixes. Tried and true! 1 stick (or ½ cup) salted butter ¾ cup milk 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups tapioca/manioc starch (not farinha) 1 ½ cups cotija de polvo or cotija granulado 2 eggs 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 2. Place butter over low flame to melt. Do not burn! 3. Add milk and salt to butter. Turn up to high heat. 4. Remove from heat when it begins to scald. 5. Slowly add tapioca starch, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed. Must use a sturdy wooden spoon or the like because this mixture is VERY thick and a little dry. 6. Next add cheese and mix. 7. Add eggs and mix. 8. Here’s the tricky part. If the mixture appears too dry, then add a bit of milk to make it just slightly sticky to the touch. Not too sticky!!!! If it’s too wet, add a bit more tapioca starch. The balls will bake flat, not round, if the dough is too wet. Plus they will be too difficult to roll in your hands. You’ve got to get a good feel for the dough, and that can be tricky. 9. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes. 10. Form into balls 1 to 1 ½ inches in diameter and place on greased baking sheet. 11. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes about 40-50 balls

Anthony

A huge hit at my place! Something dangerous about a poppable, chewy cheese bread. I'm not too fluent in baking, so there were some steps where I though I had messed up. Trust the process

Audrey E

I made the recipe exactly as written, including bringing the liquids to a boil and refrigerating the dough (for two hours) and I had no trouble at all with the dough being too runny. It is sticky, though, so I used a cookie scoop as several other reviewers mentioned - and that worked great. We used half Parmesan and half cheddar, and they were delicious!

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