Introducing the most delicious Vegan Baked Beans you will ever eat! Perfectly cooked from scratch in the Instant Pot, you will never want to buy canned baked beans again. No pre-soaking required! They are sweet and savory, with just a touch of heat, and make the perfect addition to any barbecue.
I’m having so much fun with my Instant Pot lately. Do you have one yet? I honestly don’t like having many extra kitchen appliances and tools (for example, my Kitchen Aid mixer is somewhere in the garage right now), but I’ve had my Instant Pot for about a year and a half now, and it’s become one of my favorite things! I use it all the time, so it was definitely worth the purchase.
I know, I know, these beans are not actually baked so maybe they should have a different name. But you guys, they taste like they were baked in the oven for hours!
You start with a pound of dried small navy beans. Rinse and drain them. No need to soak!
Next, your going to cook the beans in 6 cups of water for an hour. Let them naturally release their pressure, and drain them.
In the Instant Pot, saute your onion and garlic for a few minutes, then add the sauce + beans. Cook for 15 minutes and voila! You’ve got the best baked beans you’ve ever tasted in your life!
Luckily, this recipe makes quite a bit! So freeze some for future meals, or store in the refrigerator and eat them all week long.
But what should I eat with my Vegan Baked Beans? I’m glad you asked!
With roasted sweet potato wedges and steamed broccoli
With brown rice
On top of a baked potato
With roasted cauliflower
Alongside Mac and Cheese
With some cornbread and steamed kale
The possibilities are endless!
I think you are going to LOVE these Vegan Baked Beans. They’re:
Fiber rich
Easy to make
Made with everyday, inexpensive ingredients
The perfect combination of savory, sweet and smoky!
Kid-friendly
If you liked this recipe, you may enjoy one of these as well!
Instant Pot Vegan Refried Beans
Vegan Meatloaf (with Chickpeas)
If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes! Rate it, leave a comment and tag a photo @noracooksvegan on Instagram or find me on Facebook. Enjoy!
- 1 pound (16 oz) dried small navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 6 cups water
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
Put the rinsed beans and 6 cups of water into your Instant Pot. Put the lid on, close steam valve and set to the "bean" setting for 60 minutes. Do a natural release when done and carefully drain the beans. Set aside.
Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
Pour a few tablespoons of water (or olive oil) into the Instant Pot. Turn the saute setting, and add the onion and garlic. Stir frequently for 2-3 minutes, until the onions have softened.
Turn off the saute, and add the sauce and drained beans to the Instant Pot. Give everything a quick stir.
Put on the lid, close the steam valve and set to "bean" setting for 15 minutes. Once done, do a natural release and lift the lid carefully. Let sit for 15-30 minutes if possible before serving, as they will thicken up as they sit. Enjoy!
- If you like your baked beans less sweet, omit or reduce the brown sugar, and use canned tomato sauce in place of the ketchup.
- For a BIG shortcut, use canned navy beans that have been drained and rinsed. Pick up the recipe in step two and cut down on cooking time by an hour +!
- The only ingredient that may be difficult to find is the Vegan Worcestershire Sauce. I use Annie's brand, but if you can't find this you can leave it out.
Perfect as written. Great recipe!
I made this in a new Instant Pot 8qt, and got a “Burn” message when I put everything back in for the 15 minutes. ?? What do you think went wrong?
I turned it off, opened and stirred, then set it again for 10 minutes on Beans, and it continued fine, without the message.
Oh how strange, I’ve never gotten that message on the Instant Pot! Maybe try adding a little more liquid? I found this article about it: https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-burn/
Hey Nancy! When sautéing in the instant pot, things like chopped onions and garlic can stick to the bottom of the pot and cause the burn alert to show up. Just give the chopped onions and garlic a good stir so they are not sticking to the bottom before closing instant pot top to cook! 🙂
I tried it three times in a new 6 quart Instant Pot and got the same burn message every time. The beans cooked fine, but with the other ingredients it just wouldn’t work. I added a little more liquid each time (after doing some research online, this seemed like it would be the fix), but that didn’t change anything. Now I’m just finishing them off on the stovetop, without a lid to cook off some of the extra water.
I’m so sorry that happened to you Bill! I know someone else was having the same problem. I will play with it and see what I can figure out. I don’t know why, I have made these several times and have never gotten the burn message. I wonder if a little less time (maybe 5 minutes even) would do the trick.
Best baked beans I’ve ever had !! For years , before the instant pot, I tried making beans only to end up with bullets. Thank you for easy baked beans.
Thank you for easy baked beans. I have made baked beans many times before the instant pot, only to end up with bullets. These were perfect !!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the baked beans! Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it so much. These are easy and so delicious!
Can I substitute the molasses for another ingredient?
If you don’t have molasses, you could probably sub maple syrup, or brown sugar. Though it adds a flavor and richness that can’t easily be replaced!
I can’t wait to make these beans. Yum! If anyone in Australia is looking for a vegan Worcestershire Sauce the Spring Gully brand is vegan and is the nicest one I have found for taste (I hope that is alright to mention) plus available in the major grocery stores.
Thanks Angella! And thanks for the tips. 🙂
These are, hands down, the best baked beans I’ve ever made — or ever eaten, for that matter! I made the recipe ore or less as written, the only changes being adding a bit of liquid smoke (which didn’t seem to have mattered) and adjusting the cooking time. I have the latest Instant Pot version and my beans come out just right with 35 minutes cooking time, so an hour would have been WAY too long.
Also, as others have mentioned, I kept getting a Burn warning so I never got to do the second cooking. Instead, I just set it to slow cooker mode and let them simmer gently for about an hour.
Thank you for your comment! So glad you enjoyed the baked beans! Thank you for the tips.
Veganism warning on Worcestershire sauce!
There are some vegan Worcestershire sauce out there but most are not. If you just grab some at the local supermarket most likely it will contain anchovies and other fish products.
Looks like a great recipe, cant wait to try it.
I just made this recipe and I inadvertently soaked the beans out of habit. They are probably too soft after cooking them an hour, so I am hesitant to put them back in for another 15 minutes. I am going to just add the sauce to them and then reheat on the low setting prior to serving tomorrow for a lunch party at work. Will let you know how they go over- this is my first attempt at making baked beans from scratch! I substituted a Louisiana hot sauce for the Sriracha (which I didn’t have).
Yes, if soaked they need to cook for much less time, but hopefully they will still taste good! Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
Such a tasty recipe! BUT! Identical story to Bill Talley’s, above. I got 3 burn notices in a row, so I had to finish the cooking on the stovetop. I think it needs more thin liquid? But I don’t know what or how much I’d add. (Fairly newbie with my Instant Pot, not ready to adjust recipes yet.) Do you have advice or suggestions?
Hi Kate! Thank you! From what I understand, the newer Instant Pots are giving a lot of burn messages, and are quite picky. I’ve never had the message, but I got mine several years ago now. I have read up on it quite a bit, and here is a really good resource for trouble shooting: Instant Pot Burn Message. I would suggest de-glazing the pot, perhaps adding 1 cup of water to the bottom, before adding the sauce, but I haven’t tried it myself yet. Sorry about that!