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Brazilian

Farofa

Non-vegetarian

Cassava flour toasted in butter with onion and garlic until sandy and golden — the crunchy, savoury side scattered over beans, rice and grilled meat at every Brazilian table.

Farofa is a Brazilian side dish, ready in about 20 minutes and made with cassava flour, butter and onion. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Total
20 min
Serves
6
Level
Beginner
Calories
231

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    If using bacon (opens in a new tab), fry it in the pan until crisp first. Add the butter (opens in a new tab) and melt over medium heat.

  2. Step 2

    Cook the onion (opens in a new tab) until soft and golden, then add the garlic (opens in a new tab) for a minute. Scramble in the eggs (opens in a new tab) now, if using.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the cassava flour (opens in a new tab) and salt and stir constantly until evenly coated and lightly toasted, smelling nutty, about 5 minutes.

    • 5 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Take the pan off the heat while the farofa is still light golden (it keeps colouring) and stir in the parsley (opens in a new tab).

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Brazil · Well documentedMore food from Brazil
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted, Sautéed
Taste
buttery, savoury, nutty
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free
Without the optional extras: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Egg-free, Pork-freeWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pan · Everyday · Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Cassava flour · Butter · Onion · Garlic · Parsley
Techniques
Toasting · Sautéing · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom egg

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

231 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 73 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 1%
  • Carbohydrate 67%
  • Fat 32%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy231 kcal315 kcal
Protein0.5 g0.7 g
Carbohydrate39.2 g53.5 g
Net carbohydrate38.4 g52.4 g
Sugars2.2 g3 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.8 g1 g
Fat8.2 g11.1 g
Saturated fat5.1 g7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol22 mg29 mg
Sodium358 mg488 mg
Salt equivalent0.9 g1.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
46 mg
Calcium
19 mg
Iron
0.8 mg
Magnesium
3 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
74 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
7 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: bacon, egg.
  • Cassava flour: Dry pearl tapioca (FDC 169717) used as a stand-in; cassava flour is the whole dried root so it has a little more fibre, but energy and carbohydrate are very close.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep stirring — cassava flour goes from golden to burnt quickly.

Serve with

  • Essential with feijoada, churrasco and rice and beans.

Food safety

  • Fry bacon until crisp and scramble eggs until fully set.
  • Farofa made with bacon or egg must be refrigerated and eaten within 3 days.

Storage

  • Keeps 1 week in an airtight jar at room temperature (without egg or bacon); refrigerate otherwise.

Variations

  • Farofa de banana (Brazil): Sliced ripe banana caramelised in the butter before the flour goes in.
  • Farofa de ovo (Brazil): With plenty of scrambled egg.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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