Pandebono is a traditional Colombian cheese bread that is soft, chewy, and slightly crispy on the outside. This easy pandebono recipe is naturally gluten-free and perfect for breakfast or a snack.
Pandebono (Colombian Cheese Bread)
Updated in 2026: This recipe now includes clearer tips, better texture guidance, and FAQs to help you make perfect pandebono every time.
Pandebono is a traditional Colombian cheese bread that is soft, chewy, and slightly crispy on the outside. This easy pandebono recipe uses simple ingredients and comes together quickly.
Pandebono is a popular Colombian bread typically enjoyed warm with coffee or hot chocolate. It is naturally gluten-free and made with ingredients like tapioca starch, cheese, and eggs instead of wheat flour.
Learn more about pandebono and its origins in Colombian cuisine.
After testing different versions, this recipe gives the best balance of a soft interior and slightly crisp exterior.
Oh my, if you’re craving a warm, flavorful bread that is just the right amount of puffy and cheesy, then you have to try pandebono.
It’s incredibly easy to make. Simply add everything to a food processor, shape into balls, and bake. No yeast, no proofing, no waiting.
Pandebono can be enjoyed anytime. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even in the afternoon with coffee.
Don’t confuse pandebono with Brazilian pão de queijo. They share similar ingredients, but pandebono includes corn flour, which gives it more structure.
Pão de queijo tends to be lighter and airier, while pandebono is more bread-like and satisfying.
If you enjoyed this recipe, try my Almojabanas — another delicious Colombian cheese bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pandebono?
Pandebono is a traditional Colombian cheese bread made with cassava starch, cheese, and eggs. It has a chewy texture and a slightly crispy exterior.
Is pandebono gluten-free?
Yes, pandebono is typically gluten-free because it is made without wheat flour.
Why did my pandebono turn hard?
This usually happens if they are overbaked. Pandebono should be soft and slightly chewy when removed from the oven.
Can I reheat pandebono?
Yes, reheat them in the oven for a few minutes to restore their soft texture.
I hope you can try this delicious pandebono at home. If you do, tag me @Livingsweetmoments or use #LivingSweet so I can see it.
Pandebono (Colombian Cheese Bread)
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup cassava starch or tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup precooked cornmeal you may substitute for polenta flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups white latin cheese or queso para freir (you may substitute for feta)
- 1 teaspoon salt or more
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper
- Cut cheese in large chunks
- Place the cheese in the food processor and pulse until grated
- Add the flours, salt and sugar. Pulse until mixed
- Finally, add the eggs and process until it forms a dough
- With your hands, shape into balls. I used 2 tablespoons of dough for each ball
- Place balls into the sheet pan
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned
- Serve them wam*
Notes
- Use cassava starch (also called tapioca starch), not cassava flour. They are not interchangeable and will produce very different results
- You can make the dough in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Bake off when needed
- They are best when served warm
Nutrition
Other Gluten-Free Breads
Almojabanas (Colombian Cheese Bread)
Arepas with Avocado Chicken Salad
The Brazilian bread name is pão de queijo. I love pandebono!
Exactly Val! I wish I could pronounce it properly but unfortunately my Portuguese needs a little work 😉
Pan de Bono…as in bonus. It was the 13th in a baker’s dozen. The bonus bread.
I had no idea Kory, interesting. There are many stories on where the name came from but this one makes more sense. Thanks for sharing!
I tried making these but they didn’t turn out right. They were very dense and I’m just not sure why! Is it 1 1/2 cups after it’s grated while it’s fluffy? Or 1 1/2 cups before it goes in the food processor?
Any tips would be great!
Oh no Hannah! I’m sorry that happened! it’s 1 1/2 cups of cheese BEFORE grating.
1.5 cups before us grated?…..how is that possible?
You can do it in metric weights
Do you have the metric weights?
Yes! in the recipe card, underneath the ingredient list click on “metric” and it will give you the unit conversion.
These sound yummy! I don’t have a food processor, though. Could I use a hand-held pastry cutter? Am new to gluten-free baking and need all the help I can get. Thanks!
Hi Dana! do you have a blender? It’ll work in there as well
Tried this recipe today I use to make the box mix buf where I live they don’t have it,these are soooo much better than box thank you
You’re welcome Melissa!
I have three questions. Firstly can i make this without egg? Or will it not lift enough, Has anybody tried? Our entire family can’t have egg.
Secondly I find feta cheeses extremely salty. How about mozzarella or cottage cheese? Has anybody experimented?
Thirdly is there a difference in the banking qualities of cassava/tapioca starch and corn starch?
– Hi Regina – egg is definitely a must for the texture and structure of bread, you may replace with a flax egg (although I’ve never tried it with this recipe)
– You may use cottage cheese or ricotta
– There is a baking difference between these flours in the way they absorb liquid and texture or crumb – I don’t recommend using cornstarch. It will yield tough hockey pucks
OMG- theae are amazing!!! While there are plenty of Gf breads out there, I have missed warm, straight-from-the-oven delicousness. I will be making these regularly. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome Teresa. My mom is GF too and she loved these and the Almojabanas!
Hi! I have a question. I have a convection oven. I’ve attempted to bake them a couple of times and they always deflated why? How can I prevent that from happening?
Maybe you take them out a few minutes before they are done? Leave them in the oven for a couple of minutes longer
Do these bake at 400 the entire 20 mins? Watch oven rack? They don’t burn this high?
They don’t but each over is different. Watch them after 15 minutes
Hi I’m from the Colombian region where Pandebono originated. There are two stories of where the name came from. One is that there was an Italian baker that offered that bread as Pan del bono. Bono as in good in Italian. But the true story is that there was a Hacienda called El Bono in Buga , Valle del cauca Colombia. Back in the 1800’s they would make a bread to feed the workers. It was so good that people started asking to buy it. People started calling it pandebono. Bread from Bono….. the Hacienda
Thanks for the information Alvaro! it’s always great to learn the history behind our recipes. Cheers!
It was the the Italian baker not the hacienda the truth ….the bakers name was Bono en Cali
Would the dough freeze well?
I haven’t tried that since my family eats them really fast. I’ve refrigerated in advance and it works just fine.
If you freeze, let me know how they came out
Thank you very much for this, It is so easy to make, the only thing I’ll do next time is less salt, latin white cheese is a little be salty, and more sugar, I like it a little be on the sweet side. The texture is incredible, I’ll be making this for all my dinner parties, as soon as we can have them. Ingredients are easy to find, so that is another plus, thank you again ☺️
You’re welcome Diane! so glad you enjoyed them!
Mine came out extremely salty. Everything else was great, but my family rejected them due to saltiness. 😬
It may have been the cheese?
Hi! Maybe a silly question but I’ll ask anyway… when you say pre cooked cornmeal, what does it mean pre ok? Or how do I
Pre cook the corn meal? Also can I use tapioca starch? Thanks
Hi Gle! it’s not a silly question at all! Pre-cooked cornmeal is “masa harina” flour. There are a few brands that carry it: Bob’s red mill, p.a.n, goya, etc
Tapioca starch will give you a different texture, more like pan de queijo (the brazilian cheese bread)
I followed the recipe (I used less salt though) once I hot all the ingredients listed but they came out very salty and flat 🥴😩
Oh no! flat is definitely not what it’s supposed to be like. Hmmm.. what brand of arepa flour did you use?
Hiiii I love this recipe week. I want to try it but quick question…..how do I pre cook the cornmeal. Like line an oven sheet and pre cook it? Or boil it and pre cook it like i would with porridge?
Hi Rosie! No, the precooked cornmeal is an already made product found in the latin section of your grocery store, it’s also called “masa arepa” “arepa flour” – Here’s the one I use –> https://amzn.to/3jkTbru
thanks for your feedback Megan!
How long will the dough keep refrigerated?
Thanks
3-4 days
Hi there! I’m not exactly expecting a response from you as this post was made in 2016, but I’m going to try. I have a couple of questions. Since its hard to get cassava flour and tapioca flour where I live, I am forced to use a substitute. I read that you could use cornstarch, but its not recommended, I was wondering if I could add milk or water to the cornstarch to lower the chances the pandebono come out like tough hockey pucks. If I can, how much? Also another question, I know you can use a blender as a substitute for a food processer, but for how long and which setting? I don’t want to accidentally put the pandebono ingredients in the blender for too long and it comes out like a smoothie. Also the settings. Like which setting to blend the ingredients together? My blender’s settings are stir, puree, chop, cream, whip, extract, and ice crusher.
Hi Jal! Unfortunately I do not recommend using cornstarch as a substitute it won’t come out right. I can recommend potato starch, it’ll aborb the liquid better.
As for your blender settings use cream setting
I made these and they were a total flop. The texture was off and they were way salty. I used Quesito Colombiano and it did not need the additional tsp of salt..
oh I am sorry you didn’t enjoy them! so cheeses are saltier than others.
Hello,
I am travelling and wanted to carry either the ingredients (most cumbersome!!) or the dough with me to surprise my sister.
I was wondering
1. If I can freeze dough balls and bake them from frozen? If so, what will be the baking time?
2. How long in advance can I make the dough and keep in the fridge?
Thank you!
Hi Aparna.
I’ve never frozen the raw dough balls before so I don’t know if it will work. For your second question, I’d say about 5 days.
Good luck!