AngelyIf your heart has been won over by the movie Encanto as it sweeps across the nation look no further! Or if you are craving an easy, cheesy, air fryer appetizer keep on reading!
What is the difference between pan de bono and buñuelos?
They are both types of cheese bread typically eaten in Colombia. They typically consist of yuca (cassava) flour or starch, queso costeño, and other basic ingredients. Best part, they are gluten free!!!! So my aunt who has celiac disease does not have to hold back at all during the holidays when we bring them to dinner. Buñuelos are deep fried, while pan de bono is baked. Here in the United States it’s difficult to find queso costeño so my grandma has been making them using ingredients available to her in Ohio. My grandma used to sell all kinds of baked goods and pastries when she lived in Colombia.
My abuela Amparo was born in Colombia and she makes pan de bono or buñuelos for my family on special occasions. Everyone craves them and she spends literal hours in her kitchen making enough for everyone to have at least two or three of these glorious cheese balls. Out of these two options, she makes the deep fried buñuelos more often and they take longer to prepare. Those buñuelos are the cheese balls seen in the movie Encanto. You can especially see them in the song “The Family Madrigal“.
Personally out of the two cheese ball options (buñuelos vs pan de bono), I prefer the lighter, fluffier, baked option, the pan de bono. They have a similar taste but they last longer in the fridge and taste better reheated. Leftover pan de bono tastes way better than leftover buñuelos. Ah yes and you can make a BUNCH at once instead of having to baby sit each individual buñuelo while it deep fries. If you’re throwing an Encanto birthday party or movie night, baked is the way to go.
Last Christmas my grandma got sick and was recovering from surgery so nobody could make buñuelos for our family during the holidays. My grandma is the only one who knows how to make either and thus they are worth gold in my family. So I stepped up the plate with the task of taking over the holiday baking and to even improve grandma’s recipe (I know crazy right?).
I had one condition though. I refused to deep fry. Thankfully, my Abuela was completely fine with my decision and the holiday dinner was a resounding success.
So not only did I experiment with her baked recipe, I also popped them in the air fryer and huzzah! They were ready faster, and tasted better. Not to mention the air fryer made them look as dark as the deep fried ones, so a definite win-win in my opinion.
Ingredients
- pre-grated parmesan cheese (my grandma uses pre-grated, never fresh)
- block of queso fresco
- block of mozzarella cheese
- 1 package of pan de bono mix
- milk
- room temperature butter
- egg
Where can I find pan de bono mix?
The first place you should check is a Latin market or grocery store. They might also be called bodegas near you. We don’t tend to find them in Mexican supermarkets because this is a South American product. We find them in Puerto Rican, Dominican, or South American grocery stores. My grandma buys them at a Latin market, and I was able to find them at my local international grocery store. (I find stuff from all over the world there it’s a massive store) They will be labeled as “pan de bono” or “pan de queso“.
Tips for finding the mix
- If you’re not sure the store near you has it and you don’t want to take the trip, try giving them a call first and asking if they have Colombian pan de bono or pan de queso mix.
- I recommend going to a store first because they are ridiculously overpriced online. I get mine at the store for less than $2.00 for 1 box and online they can sell for $10 for 1 box. However if this is your only option, make sure to shop around online. Don’t only rely on one website if you’re looking to save money.
- Go to your local Latin market if you can, support these small businesses because they help families like ours keep our traditions alive.
Below are links to see the two pan de bono mixes my family uses as a reference.
- COLOMBIANA Flour Mixes (Pandebono, 12 oz.)
- MOUNTAIN DELIGHT Pandebono Pandequeso
What is in the box of pan de bono mix?
- Cassava Starch
- Cornmeal
- Tapioca
- Sugar
- Salt
How to reheat the pan de bono?
How does my family reheat them? We pop them in the microwave and they are hot in less than 20 seconds. Delicious.
PrintAir Fryer Pan De Bono
Enjoy this authentic Colombian recipe for pan de bono! Already gluten free, these balls stuffed with cheese are extremely addictive and ready in less than 25 minutes!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 14 min
- Total Time: 24 min
- Yield: 20+ pan de bono 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Latin
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 5 oz grated parmesan cheese
- 5 oz queso fresco
- 6 oz mozzarella cheese
- 1 package of pan de bono mix (12 oz)
- 10 oz milk
- 1 tbsp of room temperature salted butter
- 1 egg
Instructions
- First we are going to blend our cheese. I don’t use a shredder I use a food processor. I want to the cheese to be very fine and it’s much faster. Take 4 oz of queso fresco, cut them into smaller chunks and toss them in the food processor. Pulse until finely grated. Add to a large mixing bowl.
- Repeat process with mozzarella cheese. Lastly add the pre-grated parmesan cheese.
- Add the entire contents of one box of pan de bono mix.
- Add 10 oz of milk, 1 tbsp of room temperature butter, and 1 egg.
- Incorporate all the ingredients and knead together the dough with your hands. It will be a soft, moist dough, not very hard.
- Preheat your air fryer to 375°F for 3 minutes.
- Form the dough into small balls, roughly the size of a golf ball.
- After your air fryer is done preheating, add a piece of parchment paper with holes poked through it to the air fryer basket. (this will prevent the pan de bono from sticking when you flip them).
- Set your air fryer to 375°F and cook for 12 minutes. Flip the pan de bono over once at the halfway point (6 minutes).
Keywords: air fryer pan de bono, air fryer cheese balls, encanto recipes, encanto bunuelos
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