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Every Brazilian living abroad knows the feeling: a sudden craving for a cafezinho that tastes like home, a plate of rice and beans that needs farofa, or a bonbon that instantly brings back childhood. The good news is that many of Brazil’s most beloved pantry staples are now easy to find in the U.S. — no suitcase smuggling required.
This is the Brazilcore Brazilian Pantry: the coffee, groceries, sweets and cookbooks we keep on hand, all from Brazilian brands and all available on Amazon. Whether you are Brazilian, married to one, or simply fell in love with the food on a trip, this is where to start.
Coffee, Mate & Drinks
Coffee is a daily ritual in Brazil, usually strong and served in small cups. Café Pilão is one of the country’s best-known supermarket brands — the classic for a cafezinho made in a cloth filter — while ORFEU represents the new wave of Brazilian specialty coffee. Mate Leão is the toasted yerba mate Brazilians drink iced with lemon on Rio’s beaches, no Brazilian party is complete without Guaraná Antarctica, the soda made with guaraná from the Amazon, and Toddy is the chocolate drink mix behind generations of Brazilian breakfasts.
Also worth adding to your cart: Toddy, the original Brazilian chocolate drink mix.
Pantry Staples
These are the building blocks of everyday Brazilian cooking. A bag of black beans for feijão or feijoada, ready-made farofa to sprinkle over rice and beans or barbecue, tapioca starch for the crêpe-like snacks sold on every corner of the Northeast, Yoki’s pão de queijo mix for warm cheese bread in 20 minutes — or polvilho azedo, the sour cassava starch, if you prefer your family recipe from scratch — crunchy biscoito de polvilho, extra-thin batata palha (the potato sticks Brazilians put on stroganoff and hot dogs), a complete seasoning for churrasco and Brazil nuts harvested in the Amazon rainforest.
Also worth adding to your cart: Yoki pão de queijo mix (pack of 4) and Yoki polvilho azedo (sour cassava starch) for homemade cheese bread.
New to Brazilian food? Start with our guide to 10 must-try Brazilian foods, learn how to make a Brazilian barbecue at home or read more about Brazil nuts and how to cook with them.
Brazilian Sweets & Chocolates
Brazilian candy aisles are a world of their own. Sonho de Valsa and Ouro Branco are the bonbons Brazilians grew up sharing with friends and sweethearts, Bis is the chocolate wafer everyone eats by the handful, Passatempo is the cookie of every Brazilian childhood and Paçoquita is the crumbly peanut candy that is a staple of the June festivals. Goiabada (guava paste) is served with cheese as “Romeu e Julieta,” doce de leite is eaten by the spoonful, and at Christmas, Bauducco’s chocottone is on every table.
Also worth adding to your cart: Lacta Ouro Branco bonbons (1 kg) and Predilecta goiabada (guava paste, 1 kg).
Craving more? Read about Brazilian chocolate and the rise of Brazilian panettone in the U.S..
Brazilian Cookbooks
To go beyond the pantry, these three books cover it all: Alex Atala’s landmark D.O.M., a celebration of native Brazilian ingredients from the chef behind one of São Paulo’s most famous restaurants; a classic introduction to the traditions and techniques of Brazilian cooking; and a simple guide to home-style recipes.
Want the whole pantry in one place? We gathered every product from this guide into a single Amazon list, ready to add to your cart.
Brazilian Pantry FAQ
Where can I buy Brazilian food in the U.S.?
Many Brazilian brands, including Pilão, Yoki, Camil, Lacta, Garoto and Bauducco, are sold on Amazon, which is where the picks on this page link to. Cities with large Brazilian communities, like Boston, Newark, Miami and Orlando, also have Brazilian grocery stores and bakeries.
What Brazilian snacks should I try first?
Start with pão de queijo, biscoito de polvilho, Paçoquita, Bis and a box of Sonho de Valsa or Ouro Branco. For something savory, pair rice and black beans with a sprinkle of farofa.
What is farofa?
Farofa is toasted cassava flour, often seasoned with butter, onion or bacon. Brazilians sprinkle it over rice and beans, feijoada and barbecued meats for crunch and flavor.
Shopping for someone who loves Brazil? See our holiday gift ideas.
