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Feijoada CaloriesPlus Pão de Queijo, Coxinha, Açaí and Other Brazilian Favourites
· 3 min read
Feijoada is Brazil's big Saturday lunch: black beans slow-cooked with pork and sausage, served with rice, farofa, sautéed greens and orange slices. It's hearty, and it's also one of the easier feasts to adjust once you know where the calories sit.
Feijoada
| Plate | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Feijoada stew only, 1 cup (~250 g) | 350-500 |
| Restaurant plate (feijoada, rice, farofa, couve, orange) | 900-1,300 |
| Lighter plate (1 cup stew, half rice, extra couve, no farofa) | 600-750 |
| Component | Portion | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Feijoada (beans with pork, linguiça, bacon) | 1 cup | 350-500 |
| White rice | 1 cup cooked | 200-240 |
| Farofa (toasted cassava flour with butter/bacon) | 3 tbsp (~30 g) | 120-180 |
| Couve refogada (sautéed collard greens) | ½ cup | 50-90 |
| Torresmo (pork crackling) | 30 g | 150-180 |
| Orange slices | 1 orange | 60-70 |
The beans themselves are excellent: protein and lots of fibre. The fattier cuts of pork and the farofa are what push the plate up.
Prato feito and everyday meals
| Dish | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Prato feito / PF (rice, feijão, meat, salad, fries) | 800-1,100 |
| Arroz e feijão (1 cup each) | 400-480 |
| Bife acebolado (steak with onions, 150 g) | 300-400 |
| Frango grelhado (grilled chicken, 150 g) | 220-280 |
| Strogonoff de frango with rice and batata palha | 700-900 |
| Moqueca (fish, 1 serving) | 350-500 |
Churrasco
| Item (rodízio-style portion) | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Picanha, 100 g | 250-320 |
| Linguiça (1 sausage) | 200-280 |
| Coração de frango (chicken hearts, 5) | 120-150 |
| Fraldinha (flank), 100 g | 200-250 |
| Pão de alho (garlic bread, 1) | 150-200 |
| Queijo coalho on a skewer (1) | 150-200 |
A rodízio night can quietly reach 1,500-2,500 calories. Keep a mental count of skewers.
Salgados and snacks
| Item | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Pão de queijo (1 medium, ~25 g) | 70-100 |
| Coxinha (1 standard, ~100 g) | 250-320 |
| Pastel de feira (1 large, carne or queijo) | 300-450 |
| Esfiha (1) | 150-250 |
| Brigadeiro (1) | 80-110 |
| Pão francês with butter | 180-220 |
Açaí and drinks
| Item | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Açaí na tigela, 300 ml with granola and banana | 400-550 |
| Açaí 500 ml with condensed milk, granola, toppings | 700-1,000 |
| Caipirinha | 200-300 |
| Guaraná (350 ml can) | 130-150 |
| Caldo de cana (300 ml) | 200-250 |
| Cafezinho with sugar | 20-40 |
Easy swaps
- Half the rice, extra couve. Greens add volume for very few calories.
- A spoon of farofa, not a mound.
- Leaner cuts in the stew if you make it at home, and skim the fat after cooling.
- Smaller açaí and skip the condensed milk.
- Grilled chicken PF without fries for an easy weekday lunch.
Logging Brazilian food
In DietTracker you say "feijoada with rice, farofa and couve" or "dois pães de queijo e um café", in Portuguese or English, and it estimates the meal with macros. No hunting for a database entry that matches your plate.
Working out a daily target? Read how many calories you should eat to lose weight, or try DietTracker free.