Healthy “Pão de Queijo” Made with Cauliflower (Gluten-Free Recipe)

Chewy, soft and cheesy, these Pão de Queijo rolls are simple to prepare and packed with an unbelievable ingredient, cauliflower!

There are so many great Pão de Queijo recipes out there, but I’ve always been looking for the recipe that I could make any day and feel good about eating. That’s when I started thinking about the veggie that could be best friends with the chewy, cheesy texture and flavor of Pão de Queijo.

My answer? Cauliflower 🙂

Though this Cauliflower Pão de Queijo deviates from your traditional recipe where only cheese, egg and tapioca are used to provide the bulk of the dough, there are still many things I love about this version.

• They’re low in calories
• Still have that chewy, tapioca texture
• Cheesy and savory
• Prepared all in a food processor
• Have much more fiber thanks to the addition of coconut flour
• Has a big helping of cauliflower rice, which is nutritious and low carb

Ingredients used to make this

_{**I’ve linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂}

• Cauliflower – part of the Cruciferous vegetable family, cauliflower is an essential ingredient to a healthy diet. I used frozen cauliflower rice for this recipe, but you can also use fresh or frozen florets.
• Coconut flour – Coconut flour does not substitute well, and I can’t recommend swapping coconut flour with other ingredients unless you absolutely had to (2 Tbsp coconut flour = ½ cup almond flour). Unfortunately, you probably won’t get the same texture or mouthfeel as the original recipe.
• Tapioca flour (flour but also called tapioca starch) – Arrowroot starch and Potato starch can also be used instead. Cornstarch does not work.
• Mozarella Cheese, part skim – you can also use vegan cheese
• Parmesan Cheese, grated – regular or vegan parmesan cheese. Nutritional Yeast should also work!
• Eggs – I used regular large eggs. I haven’t tried using egg replacements like flax or chia yet, so you might not get the same results if you decide to substitute.
• Salt – Pink Himalayan salt is what I have at home, so it’s what I use, but you can use any kind for this recipe.
• Honey – I used honey for this recipe but you can use other liquid sweeteners of choice like maple syrup, agave syrup, or liquid stevia. You can use any granulated sugar of your choice, but coconut, date and maple sugars are less processed sugars I would recommend. For keto options, you could also use stevia (but be sure to convert according to package instructions).
• Olive Oil – Instead of olive oil, you can use coconut oil, or avocado oil here if you’d like.

More Cauliflower Recipes

How to Make Cauliflower Pão de Queijo

Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins for Cauliflower Pão de Queijo:

• You don’t have to keep this Pão de Queijo as is. Instead of parmesan or mozzarella cheese, try crumbled feta cheese, or white cheddar cheese.
• Try it with mixed cauliflower rice (such as cauliflower rice mixed with chopped carrots and onions), or with broccoli rice
• If you’re a cheese lover, you can definitely add another 1/2 cup of mozzarella. I usually use part-skim, but full fat cheese could also work (and will be even more delicious!)

How to Store

• It’s best to eat these cauliflower Pão de Queijo immediately and within 2-3 hours, but you can also store them covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, and frozen up to 4 months. To revive the chewy texture, be sure to reheat them in the microwave or in the oven.

Final Tips

• Baking time (as well as serving size) will vary based on the size of your Pão de Queijo rolls, the material (silicone vs metal) of the pan. Bake the cauliflower Pão de Queijo until the color is slightly golden on the top, or until a toothpick comes out clean/dry when poked into the middle.

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