Made with 4 ingredients, Queijadinha combines condensed milk, coconut flakes, egg yolks, and vanilla into a Brazilian coconut sweet with a creamy, custardy texture and golden tops.
My Brazilian coconut dessert has Portuguese roots and remains popular in Brazil. Traditional queijadinhas often contain Parmesan cheese. I prefer mine without cheese or butter, and I don't add granulated sugar. These small sweets make a great choice for potlucks, parties, and afternoon snacks. For more Brazilian treats, try my Queijadinha de Laranja, Beijinhos de Coco, or Quindim.
Quick Look: Queijadinha
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 7 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes (standard) or 13 minutes (mini)
- ⏲️ Total Time: 27 minutes (standard-size)
- 🍽️ Servings: 8 (about 8–10 standard or 24 mini)
- 🥥 Flavor Profile: Sweet coconut with a hint of vanilla
- 🍮 Texture: Moist and custardy with lightly golden tops
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy
- 🎉 Best For: Desserts, afternoon snacks, potlucks, and get-togethers
- 🍳 Cooking Method: Oven-baked in a muffin pan
- 🥥 Key Ingredients: Sweetened condensed milk, sweetened coconut flakes, egg yolks, and vanilla
- Why This Recipe Works: Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and moisture, egg yolks create a custardy texture, and coconut flakes add a delicate chew. Hand mixing and direct baking keep preparation simple without a water bath.
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Jump to:
- Quick Look: Queijadinha
- Queijadinha: A Brazilian Coconut Sweet
- Chef's Notes from Valentina
- Ingredients
- Substitutions And Additions
- How to Make Queijadinha
- Expert Tips for Queijadinha
- FAQ About Queijadinha
- What to Serve with Queijadinha
- More Coconut Desserts to Try
- Queijadinha (Easy Brazilian Coconut Sweet)
- Storage and Freezing
Queijadinha: A Brazilian Coconut Sweet
Queijadinha is a small Brazilian coconut sweet with roots in Portuguese queijadas, pastries traditionally made with cheese. In Brazil, recipes often combine grated coconut, Parmesan cheese, condensed milk, and egg yolks.
The Brazilian queijadinha de coco comes in several variations. Some include sugar and butter, and others skip the cheese altogether.
These little sweets may look like coconut muffins or crustless coconut tarts, but their centers have a soft, custardy consistency rather than a fluffy cake texture.
Ingredients
- Sweetened condensed milk – 1 can (14 oz). Provides rich, milky sweetness and contributes to the creamy, custardy texture of queijadinha. Its thick consistency helps retain moisture during baking.
- Sweetened coconut flakes – 1 cup. Bring sweet coconut flavor and a slightly chewy texture to this Brazilian coconut sweet. The shredded flakes contrast with the smooth custard.
- Egg yolks – 2, at room temperature. Give the mixture richness and a soft, custard-like consistency as it bakes. Strain the yolks to remove their membranes and reduce any eggy taste.
- Pure vanilla extract – 2 teaspoons. Rounds out the sweetness of the condensed milk and complements the coconut, giving the finished dessert a more balanced flavor.
How to Make Queijadinha
- Preheat the oven: Preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line a mini or standard-size muffin pan with paper baking cups.
- Combine the ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix the sweetened condensed milk, coconut flakes, strained egg yolks, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Fill the baking cups: Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, fill each paper cup ¾ full with the batter. Wipe any drips from the muffin pan with a damp paper towel.
- Bake the queijadinhas: Bake for approximately 13 minutes for mini queijadinhas or 20 minutes for standard-size portions.
- Cool and serve: Remove the pan from the oven and let the queijadinhas cool before serving. Enjoy them warm or at room temperature.
FAQ About Queijadinha
Yes! Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (180°C) and divide the queijadinha mixture among individual oven-safe muffin molds, filling each about ¾ full. Arrange them in the basket with space between them and start checking after 12 minutes. Bake until the tops turn lightly golden and the edges set, about 15–20 minutes, depending on the mold size and air fryer
Try finely chopped Brazil nuts, toasted coconut, white chocolate chips, or small pieces of guava paste (goiabada). Nuts give the sweets some crunch, and guava paste brings a fruity contrast to the coconut. Start with 1–2 tablespoons per batch to avoid changing the custardy texture too much.
Look for lightly golden tops and set edges. The centers should remain soft and custardy rather than dry like regular muffins. Let the queijadinhas cool before removing the paper liners.
What to Serve with Queijadinha
- Coffee or Tea: Enjoy queijadinhas with freshly brewed coffee or unsweetened tea. The slight bitterness balances the sweetness of the coconut and condensed milk.
- Milk: A glass of cold milk goes well with these coconut sweets, especially as an afternoon snack.
- Fresh Fruit: Strawberries, raspberries, or fresh pineapple bring a tart, refreshing contrast to the rich, custardy texture.
- Passion Fruit Mousse: Add my Passion Fruit Mousse to your dessert spread. Its tangy fruit flavor pairs well with the sweet coconut
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Queijadinha (Easy Brazilian Coconut Sweet)
Equipment
- muffin tin
- oven
Ingredients
- 1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 2 egg yolks – at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line a mini or standard-size muffin pan with paper baking cups.
- Combine the ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix the sweetened condensed milk, coconut flakes, strained egg yolks, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Fill the baking cups: Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, fill each paper cup ¾ full with the batter. Wipe any drips from the muffin pan with a damp paper towel.
- Bake the queijadinhas: Bake for approximately 13 minutes for mini queijadinhas or 20 minutes for standard-size portions.
- Cool and serve: Remove the pan from the oven and let the queijadinhas cool before serving. Enjoy them warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Storage and Freezing
Refrigerate: Store cooled queijadinhas in an airtight container in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below for up to 3–4 days. Refrigerate within 2 hours of baking because they contain eggs and dairy. Freeze: Freezing isn't recommended because the custardy texture may become watery or grainy after thawing. Serve: Enjoy chilled or let the refrigerated sweets sit briefly at room temperature before serving. Keep them unrefrigerated for no longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour if the temperature exceeds 90°F (32°C).Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
This is yummy. However, as a Brazilian it is not "Queijadinha" without the "queijo" = cheese. I added 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan 🙂 The cheese also helps to hold the dessert together as you eat them slightly warm to cool! Thank you for the recipe!.
Thank you, Debra! I enjoy mine with Parm cheese too and I can barely notice its taste in this recipe, but somehow my family and my non-Brazilian audience find it odd. I think it also helps to balance the sweetness of the condensed milk. But I will let them decide whether they want to add the cheese or not. 🙂 I am glad you did it!
Exactly, Denise! The cheese (and using fresh, grated Parmesan, not the ground kind) keeps this recipe from being too sweet! They probably cheesecake...just saying. Sometimes, I just don't tell people what is in it and th just say, "yum"! Ha ha Thanks, again!
Debra, we always cool ours in the fridge before eating.
Hi Emilia! You can eat these queijadinhas slightly warm, chilled, or at room temp. It depends on each person's preference!
My grandmother's Queijadinha also had grated Parmesan. It might sound strange, but it imparted a very special flavor to the Queijadinha. I believe I still have a recipe from a sweetened condensed milk can that also has Parmesan among its ingredients.
This look delicous. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Hi Dee! Yes, queijadinha is a delicious yet quick Brazilian dessert made with very few ingredients and ideal for those on a gluten-free diet.
My husband decided to make these, and added Chocolat chips! They tasted absolutely amazing, but we couldn't get them out of the muffin wrappers! They were stuck to them! Any idea what's the reason? We had to scrape them out of the wrappers 🙁
Wafa:
Thank you for trying this recipe. I am glad you guys enjoyed it. They are suppose to be sticky because the texture is more similar to a custardy pie filling. In order to take them out of the paper baking cups, I let them cool down completely before eating. I have found this to be the only way I am able to peel away the paper without the queijadinhas sticking to the sides. Even still, it is almost unavoidable that some will stick to the bottom. You may try folding stiff beaten egg whites into the batter before baking (this will provide more structure to the batter) OR grease well with butter a muffin tin and bake the queijadinhas without the paper cups, letting them cool to a warm temperature before running a knife around the sides to loosen them. I hope this helps next time you make them! Have a wonderful weekend!
We will definitely experiment with these options! Thank you so much 🙂
I leave my queijadinhas in the oven until they are golden on top.
Hi, Magda! Welcome to FBTY and thanks for stopping by!
Although mine are also golden on top, I prefer to time them in the oven because if they are left for a longer time they can become dry once cooling down. I prefer mine moist and creamy yet firm. If desired, you can add 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese to the recipe but I prefer mine like these ones that are sweet. 🙂
I hope you can try this recipe and enjoy! Wishing you an awesome day!
ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO BE MOIST? DO THEY FALL APART BECAUSE OF NO FLOUR???
THANK YOU
Hi, Margarita!
They are moist and gooey (not fluffy). The texture is similar to a FIRM coconut custard pie filling. They will not fall apart at all -- not even when they are still hot! The coconut flakes provide enough structure to this baked goodie. I hope you try and enjoy. It is a family favorite!
Com essas duas graciosas assistentes, deu vontade de provar agora mesmo!
Vou fazer em casa a versão básica e a de maracujá.
Obrigada pelas receitas. Beijos nas fofas
Obrigada, Rachel! Espero que voce goste. A de maracuja e a minha favorita.
What cute assistants you have! 🙂
Thanks, Jaime! They are the best ones. Love to cook with them. I already promised them that we'll cook again on spring break. We will be making their favs: Brazilian cheese rolls and brigadeiros (chocolate truffles). The excitement is high here... 🙂