Vegan feijoada, a vegetarian recipe from Brazil

Name: Vegan feijoada
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Brazil
Ingredients: 500 g dried black beans, soaked overnight; 200 g smoked tofu, diced; 250 g button mushrooms, quartered; 2 onions, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 3 bay leaves; 1 unwaxed orange; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 3 tbsp oil; 1 bunch collard greens or kale, sliced into thin ribbons; 150 g cassava flour, for the farofa; Salt and pepper; White rice, to serve

Vegan feijoada

Local name: Feijoada

Slow-simmered black beans with smoked tofu, bay and orange, served with rice, garlicky greens and crunchy toasted farofa.

Published on 31 December 2025·Updated on 10 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#black beans#stew#smoked tofu#orange#brazil

Method

Drain the beans and put them in a large pot with the bay leaves and 1.5 l of water. Bring to the boil, skim, and simmer covered for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, brown the tofu and mushrooms in 2 tbsp of oil until well coloured. Add half the onion and garlic and the smoked paprika, and fry for 5 minutes.
Tip this into the beans. Add half the orange, cut in two, with salt and pepper, and cook uncovered for 30 more minutes until the liquid thickens.
Mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce. Remove the orange and bay leaves and check the seasoning.
For the farofa, toast the cassava flour in a pan with 1 tbsp of oil, the remaining onion and a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, stirring, until golden.
Stir-fry the greens for 3 minutes over high heat with the remaining garlic and a pinch of salt. Serve the feijoada with rice, greens, farofa and wedges of the remaining orange.

In Brazil, feijoada is a long, shared Saturday lunch. The orange on the side is not decoration; its acidity cuts through the richness of the beans.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.
Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Frequently asked questions

What replaces the smokiness of the cured meats in this version?

Smoked tofu, browned before it joins the beans, together with smoked paprika. Colouring the tofu and mushrooms in the pan matters as much as their flavour: it brings the roasted notes a plain simmered stew would lack.

Why does half an orange cook in the stew?

Its acidity and slight bitterness lighten very dense black beans, and the zest perfumes the broth. It is lifted out before serving, and the fresh wedges offered alongside do the same job at the table.

What is farofa, and can I skip it?

It is cassava flour toasted in a pan, sandy and crisp, scattered over the stew to soak up the juices and add crunch. Without it the dish is still good but entirely soft, with no contrast of texture.

Vegan feijoada

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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