Brazilian recipes
Easy Brazilian Recipes to Cook at Home
Brazilian cooking blends Indigenous, Portuguese and African traditions, and every region has its own specialities. A few dishes are loved all over the country, though: cheese bread with morning coffee, picanha at a weekend churrasco and brigadeiros at every birthday party. Those are the three we start with.
Each recipe is written for a regular supermarket kitchen, with metric and imperial measurements and doneness checks. Tapioca starch for pão de queijo is sold as tapioca flour, picanha can be ordered from a butcher as top sirloin cap, and brigadeiros need only condensed milk, cocoa, butter and sprinkles. Where we adapt, we say so, such as Parmesan in place of Brazilian queijo minas.
3 recipes · Updated
Quick answer
Savour has three Brazilian recipes. The quickest is pão de queijo, chewy tapioca cheese bread, ready in 50 minutes including 10 minutes of cooling. Grilled picanha with tomato and onion vinagrete takes 65 minutes and serves 6. Brigadeiros, chocolate fudge balls made with condensed milk, need 25 minutes of hands-on time plus 1 hour to cool.
- Recipes
- 3
- Average total time
- 1 hr 7 mins
- Quickest
- Pão de Queijo (50 mins)
- Rated Easy
- 2 of 3
- Average calories
- 258 per serving
- Newest
- Grilled Picanha with Vinagrete
All Brazilian Recipes (3)
Frequently Asked Questions
What pantry staples do I need for Brazilian cooking?
For these recipes, keep tapioca starch (also sold as tapioca flour), sweetened condensed milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, coarse salt, olive oil and white wine vinegar. Everyday Brazilian meals also rely on white rice, black beans, garlic and onions, which go well with picanha.
What can I use instead of Brazilian ingredients?
Parmesan stands in for queijo minas in pão de queijo, and regular supermarket tapioca starch replaces Brazilian polvilho. If your butcher doesn't know picanha, ask for top sirloin cap, rump cap or coulotte with the fat left on. No grill? Sear picanha in a cast-iron skillet and finish it in the oven.
Which Brazilian recipe should I start with?
Start with brigadeiros: five ingredients, one saucepan and a fun job for kids when it comes to rolling them. Pão de queijo is next, and the unbaked balls freeze well for later. Save picanha for a barbecue, when you can use an instant-read thermometer to get it just right.
Are these Brazilian recipes gluten-free?
Yes, all three are naturally gluten-free. Pão de queijo uses tapioca starch instead of wheat flour, and picanha is seasoned only with salt. For brigadeiros, check the label on your chocolate sprinkles, since a few brands contain wheat.