This vegan Feijão Tropeiro recipe (Brazilian beans with collard greens and sausage) is a meat-free, traditional Brazilian dish. This savory dish has beans, “sausage”, tofu, collard greens, and cassava flour for a creamy texture. A one-pan, 30-minute meal that’s delicious, authentic, and super easy to make!

What is Feijão Tropeiro?

Feijão Tropeiro is a Brazilian dish of pink beans, bacon, sausage, collard greens, and eggs. “Tropeiros” would transport goods across Brazil in the 17th century by horse, and this dish was a common meal for them as it traveled well without refrigeration, and was a hearty, nourishing meal.

It’s high in protein and a popular, beloved dish in Brazil. Although Feijoada is sort of the go-to dish to make when celebrating Carnaval, I personally like this bean dish just a little more 😉  

It’s packed with flavor, easy to make, and feels like comfort food to me. It comes together in one pan, and doesn’t take much time at all! You can prepare this dish in about 30 minutes or less, and you can simultaneously cook a pot of rice to eat it with.

What Makes This Recipe Great

Making a Vegan Feijão Tropeiro is actually fairly simple to put together! To make feijão tropeiro vegetarian or vegan, we’ll be swapping those ingredients out for delicious vegan alternatives. 

In place of sausage, we’ll use vegan, soy-based chorizo, and instead of eggs, we’ll use extra firm tofu. You can choose to also add vegan bacon too, but I found that it was really flavourful with the sausage alone. You can also use a vegan egg substitute like JUST Egg if you prefer something a little more realistic.

This feijão tropeiro recipe is best enjoyed with rice, and it stores well so you can easily reheat leftovers!

Ingredient Notes

• Collard leaves: You will need 5 small collard leaves for the collard greens in this recipe. 
• Yellow onion: Use one small, yellow onion, finely diced.
• Garlic cloves: You’ll need 3 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and smashed.
• Pink beans: For this recipe, you’ll need roughly 16oz. You can use homemade beans or pinto beans too. 
• Extra firm tofu: You’ll need about 4oz, crumbled.
• Vegan sausage: I used soyrizo from Trader Joe’s. It’s super flavorful and the texture is perfect. 
• Cooked chickpeas: This is optional, but adds even more heartiness. 
• Cassava Flour: I used this brand on Amazon. 
• Cooking oil: Use your preferred neutral oil. 
• Salt and Pepper: Use to taste
• Garnish: This is optional. You can garnish with fresh parsley, scallions, fresh lime, and Brazilian pickled chilies.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare your collard greens. Wash leaves well, pat dry, remove the tough spine, and lay them on top of each other in a pile. 
2. Roll the stack of leaves and using a very sharp knife, finely slice them into strips.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add a touch of oil if using, and crumble your vegan sausage. 
4. Add the sausage to the pan in a small pile, then add diced onion in another small pile, beans in another, garlic in another, and chickpeas. Let cook for a few minutes until aromatic, without moving the piles.
5. Using a spatula, sauté and toss all of your ingredients, cooking for a few more minutes. 
6. Add tofu, then add collard greens and using a fork, toss to distribute collards. Let cook for a few minutes, but avoid overcooking. Remove the pan from the heat.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste if needed (the dish should be salty enough with the vegan sausage), then sprinkle yuca flour over the dish, cover the pan, and let sit for a few minutes.
8. When ready to serve, garnish with fresh parsley and scallions in the center of the dish and slices of fresh lime.

Serving Tips

Serve warm over a bed of rice and garnish with fresh parsley and scallions in the center of the dish and slices of fresh lime.

Storage Tips

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat and serve over fresh rice.

Swaps & Substitutions

• If you prefer a different vegan sausage, feel free to use it.

• You can also use JUST egg instead of the tofu, and add in vegan bacon if desired.  

Recipe FAQs

More Vegan Dishes Worth Celebrating

• Vegan Pão de Queijo
• Holiday Harvest Rice
• Vegan Japanese Hotpot (Nabemono)
• Watermelon Açai Bowl
• Brazilian Potato Salad (via HealthySlowCooking)
• Lentil and Walnut “Taco Meat” via Sweet Simple Vegan

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