Brazilian

Serving

Farofa (Toasted Cassava Flour with Bacon)

Name: Farofa (Toasted Cassava Flour with Bacon)
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 4 slices bacon, diced; 2 tbsp butter; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1.5 cups farinha de mandioca (cassava flour); 1/4 cup chopped green onion; Salt, to taste

Crunchy toasted cassava flour cooked with crisped bacon and onion, the essential crumbly topping for feijoada and churrasco.

20 minutes

Serves 6

Side

9 min prep

15 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy Wheat

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Good to know

Ready in under 30 minutes

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: 30-minute meals

Instructions

6 steps

1
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp and the fat has rendered, about 6 minutes.
2
Add the butter, onion, and garlic, and sauté until the onion is soft and golden, about 4 minutes.
3
Reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the cassava flour, mixing constantly to coat every grain in the fat.
4
Continue toasting the flour for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until it turns light golden and fragrant.
5
Season with salt to taste and stir in the green onion.
6
Serve warm, sprinkled over feijoada, grilled meats, or rice and beans.

Farofa (Toasted Cassava Flour with Bacon) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Farofa (Toasted Cassava Flour with Bacon) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

71/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 80

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 86

Budget-friendly 72

Great leftovers 50

Pantry-friendly 71

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

Calories

3 g

Protein

2 g

Carbs

7 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Farofa's name comes from farinha, the cassava flour Indigenous Tupi-Guarani communities in Brazil ground from manioc root long before European contact, using it as a shelf-stable staple. Over centuries it became the default finishing touch on the Brazilian table, toasted in whatever fat was on hand to add crunch and richness to rice-and-bean meals.

Listahan note

This version renders real bacon fat first and layers butter on top of it, so the cassava flour toasts in two fats instead of one, giving it a deeper savory edge than a plain butter farofa.

Technique cues

Cassava flour doesn't behave like wheat flour when heated - it never thickens into a paste, it just toasts, so the goal is color and aroma, not consistency.
Adding the flour gradually while stirring constantly coats each granule evenly in fat, which is what gives good farofa its glossy, separate grains instead of a dry, dusty texture.
The bacon fat rendered first, followed by butter, gives two distinct flavor layers a single fat can't replicate.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Dice the bacon and onion while the pan heats so you move straight from rendering fat into sautéing without a pause
Make-ahead: Farofa keeps well made a few hours ahead and left uncovered at room temperature; a quick re-toast in a dry skillet revives the crunch
Leftover move: Sprinkle leftover farofa over eggs or leftover rice the next morning instead of trying to reheat it as a standalone side
Cleanup rhythm: Wipe the skillet out with a paper towel while still warm, since cooled cassava flour residue hardens and takes real scrubbing

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

bacon

Savory fat and crunch

Purpose: Its rendered fat is the primary cooking medium, and its crisped bits add texture throughout

Handling: Dice small and cook until the fat fully renders and the pieces crisp

Adaptation: Diced smoked linguiça or pancetta both work and shift the flavor slightly smokier or milder

butter

Secondary fat added after the bacon

Purpose: Layers a rounder, slightly nutty richness on top of the bacon fat

Handling: Add once the bacon is crisp so it doesn't burn in the hot pan

Adaptation: A dairy-free butter alternative keeps the method the same with a milder finish

onion

Aromatic sweetness

Purpose: Softened in the fat before the flour goes in, it perfumes the whole batch

Handling: Chop finely so it cooks through in the few minutes before the flour is added

Adaptation: Shallot gives a subtler, sweeter version

farinha de mandioca (cassava flour)

The dish's defining ingredient

Purpose: This coarse, toasted cassava flour is what makes farofa farofa - there's no real substitute for its texture

Handling: Add gradually while stirring constantly so every bit toasts evenly instead of clumping

Adaptation: Toasted panko can mimic the crunch in a pinch, though the flavor and texture will be noticeably different

green onion

Fresh, sharp finish

Purpose: Stirred in off the heat, it adds a raw bite that balances the rich, toasted flour

Handling: Slice thin and fold in right before serving so it stays bright and crisp

Adaptation: Fresh parsley or chives work as a milder substitute

Technique notes

Keep the heat at medium-low once the flour goes in - cassava flour scorches fast and unevenly on high heat, going from golden to burnt in seconds.
Stir in a steady folding motion rather than fast circles; folding coats the granules without compacting them into clumps.
Taste for salt only after toasting, since the bacon and butter both contribute salt that's easy to underestimate before the flour absorbs it.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free option: Use a neutral oil or dairy-free butter in place of the butter; the bacon fat alone still carries plenty of flavor
Vegetarian direction: Swap the bacon for a couple extra tablespoons of butter plus a pinch of smoked paprika to echo the smoky note without meat
Lower-sodium direction: Cut the bacon quantity by half and season the flour lightly, since bacon and any added salt compound quickly

Serve alongside

Feijoada (Brazilian black bean and pork stew)
Feijão Tropeiro (Brazilian Beans with Bacon and Eggs)
grilled picanha or other churrasco cuts
white rice and black beans
Cold Brazilian lager
caipirinha alongside a full churrasco spread
iced hibiscus tea for a non-alcoholic option

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Store at room temperature in a sealed container up to 2 days
Refrigerate up to a week if it contains bacon, then re-toast briefly in a dry pan to restore crunch
Not recommended for freezing since the texture turns pasty once thawed

Equipment

Large heavy skillet
Wooden spoon for constant stirring
Fine sieve if you need to sift out clumps
Sharp knife for dicing bacon and onion

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