Brazilian · lunch, dinner, side

Feijão: Brazilian Everyday Black Beans

Feijão: Brazilian Everyday Black Beans — from nando cuca's cooking video Watch how it’s made · 4:11

Video by nando cuca on YouTube · Open on YouTube

70 minServes 8210 kcal a serve
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free ingredients
  • Nut-free

Contains: none of the common allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Brazil's daily beans are vegan and very low in fat: each serve gives about 13 g plant protein and 12 g fibre, with no added sugar.

Printable PDFA4

The printable card is ink-friendly, fits on one page and has a QR code back to this recipe.

Ingredients 7

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Rinse the beans and put them in a pressure cooker with the 2 litres of water and the bay leaves (fill it no more than halfway for beans). Lock the lid, bring up to pressure on high, then cook on medium for about 40 minutes. 0:51
  2. Release the pressure safely, for example by running cold water over the lid in the sink. The beans should be soft and the liquid dark and slightly thickened. 1:29
  3. Fry the onion and garlic in the oil in a frying pan until they start to colour. Add 2–3 ladles of beans and stir so they soak up the flavour. 1:52
  4. Tip everything back into the pot, season with salt and simmer for 10 minutes more so the flavours blend. 2:10
  5. No pressure cooker? Soak the beans overnight, drain, then simmer in 2 litres of fresh water with the bay leaves for about 2 hours until soft, and season the same way. 2:24

Tip. Serves about 8 (our estimate from 500 g dried beans). Serve over rice for the classic Brazilian plate. Freezes well with some of the broth. Without a pressure cooker, soak the beans overnight first.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One serve gives you 1 of 8

Energy210 kcal880 kJ
Protein13 g26% of a day
Fibre13 g45% of a day
Carbohydrate35 g23 g net · 0.8 g sugars13% of a day
Fat2.4 g0.3 g saturated3% of a day
Sodium390 mg17% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

  • Net carbs 56%
  • Protein 31%
  • Fat 13%

For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

Folate High54%

216 µg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (99%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Magnesium High24%

102 mg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (99%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Omega-3 Source19%

0.3 g a serve, mostly from vegetable oil (51%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Iron Source17%

3.1 mg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (98%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Zinc Source15%

1.6 mg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (98%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Potassium Source11%

530 mg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (96%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Vitamin E Source11%

1.6 mg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (81%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Show the other 8
Vitamin B67%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (80%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Vitamin K5%

6.3 µg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (75%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Selenium4%

1.9 µg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (89%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Calcium3%

44 mg a serve, mostly from dried black beans (88%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Vitamin C1%

1 mg a serve, mostly from onion (66%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Vitamin A0%

0 µg a serve, mostly from bay leaves (100%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Vitamin D0%

0 µg a serve. Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Vitamin B120%

0 µg a serve. Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

You might also like

Browse all 953 recipes

Recipe and video by nando cuca; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.