You'll love these keto pão de queijo – otherwise known as Brazilian cheese puffs! They're super cheesy little rolls that are low carb, LCHF, and gluten free!
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Have you heard of Pão de Queijo? Here's what wiki tells us:
Pão de queijo (or Brazilian cheese bread or cheese puffs) is a small, baked cheese roll or cheese bun, a popular snack and breakfast food in Brazil.”
They're traditionally made from tapioca flour (also known as yuca starch), which makes them naturally gluten free, but sadly not low carb. So I decided to adapt my recipe for fathead bread rolls by making them smaller, adding grated Parmesan, and for some authentic flavor – some crumbled queso fresco. If you can't buy queso fresco locally then a very mild feta cheese would be a good alternative.
Got some cheese leftover? Try my new recipes for Queso Fresco Scrambled Eggs and Low Carb Chilaquiles!
How to Make Low Carb and Keto Pão de Queijo
Make the dough by melting shredded mozzarella and cream cheese together in the microwave – it takes about a minute. Add in some grated Parmesan, fine almond flour, and baking powder.
Next, add a beaten egg.
Knead the dough until as smooth as possible.
Add in the crumbled queso fresco. It won't blend in, so just try to make sure that it is evenly distributed. Divide the mixture into sixteen golf-ball sized balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat.
Bake in a preheated oven until they start to turn golden brown on top, about seven or eight minutes. Let cool for five minutes.
This keto Brazilian cheese bread is best enjoyed warm from the oven. But they also reheat really well in the microwave!
They should be lightly crunchy on the outside, and chewy on the inside – and there's no hiding the amount of cheese in them!
You might also like my recipe for fried queso fresco!
Low Carb and Keto Pão de Queijo
You'll love these keto pão de queijo - otherwise known as Brazilian cheese puffs! They're super cheesy little rolls that are low carb, LCHF, and gluten free!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
- 2 tbs cream cheese
- ¾ cup fine almond flour
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup crumbled queso fresco
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Make the dough by melting the shredded mozzarella and cream cheese together in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Stir in the almond flour, Parmesan, and baking powder.
- Next, add a beaten egg. Knead the dough until as smooth as possible.
- Add in the crumbled queso fresco. It won't blend in, so just try to make sure that it is evenly distributed. Divide the mixture into sixteen golf-ball sized balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat.
- Bake until they start to turn golden brown on top, about seven or eight minutes. Let cool for five minutes before serving.
Notes
7g net carbs per serving of four rolls
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 4 rollsAmount Per Serving Calories 360Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 95mgSodium 843mgCarbohydrates 10gNet Carbohydrates 7gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 20g
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. I cannot guarantee completely accurate data due to variations in ingredients and cooking methods. Carbohydrates from sugar alcohols are not included in net carb counts as it has been shown that they do not impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
AnnaLyonne
Sunday 28th of November 2021
Mine came out flat using shredded mozzarella :-(
Georgina
Monday 29th of November 2021
Oh how strange! Was your baking powder in date? Any ingredient changes? Just trying to work out why that would be flat...
Nancy
Wednesday 7th of July 2021
Another outstanding recipe! After I incorporate the queso fresco, I shape a 12" roll, cut it in half, then cut each half again, and so on. This way, I manage to make 16 almost identical puffs. I had to bake mine longer to achieve the little golden brown spots, but that's probably a function of my oven. My husband and I ate five apiece the first night, and I can confirm that they reheat nicely, about 6 seconds for one puff. The second batch is in the oven right now.
Georgina
Wednesday 7th of July 2021
I'm so glad that you both liked it!
Carolyn
Friday 26th of February 2021
Could you swap out lupin flour for almond flour?
Georgina
Saturday 27th of February 2021
Sorry, I've never worked with lupin flour. If you try it, let me know!
Salwa
Sunday 14th of February 2021
I liked very much the taste but I think I might have used fresh soft mozzarella cheese. Would that be the reason they were flat? Thank you so much for your advice
Adriana Gutierrez
Wednesday 28th of April 2021
Yes.
Georgina
Sunday 14th of February 2021
The pre-shredded mozzarella is best for this recipe!
Morin
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Mine turned out completely flat. They were still tasty though. How can I get 'buns' instead of 'pancakes'?
Georgina
Friday 22nd of January 2021
Hmmm. Can you tell me what type of what mozzarella you used?