The Best Vegan Baked Beans
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Introducing the most delicious vegan baked beans in the world! The secret to quick and easy baked beans? Canned beans, of course! Sure to be a hit at any barbecue.
You will never want to eat canned baked beans again once you try this mouthwatering, delicious and easy recipe for vegan baked beans! Baked beans are a classic summer barbecue dish, but I like to enjoy them year round.
All you need is a few cans of beans, and a handful of pantry staples you probably already have on hand. Prep time is only about 10 minutes, then they cook in the oven for an hour. These beans are the perfect blend of sweet, savory and smoky! Another bonus – my kids love ’em!
How do you make vegan baked beans?
It’s easy! First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Saute a chopped onion in a tablespoon or two of olive oil for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Now add the sauce ingredients (molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, salt, apple cider vinegar, vegan Worcestershire sauce, Sriracha hot sauce) and stir.
Next add the beans and stir, then transfer to a large baking dish. I used a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Cover and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
The sauce will thicken up a bit in the oven, and they will come out looking something like this:
That’s it! Keep them warm until ready to serve.
What to serve with baked beans:
- The Best Vegan Cornbread
- Vegan Mac and Cheese
- 3 Minute Instant Pot Kale
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Vegan Macaroni Salad
- Roasted Potato Wedges
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes
Can I make baked beans without sugar?
You can, but of course they won’t be as sweet! To make them without refined sugar, simply omit the brown sugar or replace it with pure maple syrup. Instead of ketchup, use canned tomato sauce.
Can I used dried beans instead of canned?
You can, but the recipe will obviously take much longer to make. To use dried beans, you will need to soak them and cook them first. Soak 1 lb of dried navy beans overnight. Rinse well, then add the a large pot with water and cook for about 1 hour until done. Then continue with the recipe.
Can I freeze baked beans?
Yes, baked beans can be frozen. Freeze in individual containers, or 1 large container. Make sure to let the beans come to room temperature before freezing, and freeze the same day you cook them. To re-warm, let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then warm on the stovetop or in the microwave.
The Best Vegan Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 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
- (4) 15-ounce cans small navy beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and stir for about 5 minutes, until soft. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- To the pot, add the molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, salt, apple cider vinegar, vegan Worcestershire sauce and Sriracha hot sauce. Stir well, then add the drained and rinsed beans.
- Transfer to a large casserole dish (I used a 9 x 13 inch dish) and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour. The sauce should thicken a bit.
- Keep warm until ready to serve.
Notes
- If you like your baked beans less sweet, omit or reduce the brown sugar, and use canned tomato sauce in place of the ketchup.
- Baked beans will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, and can also be frozen.
- Instant Pot- You can use an Instant Pot for this recipe, and it was originally posted as an Instant Pot recipe. However, some people have trouble with the last part, adding the sauce the the Instant Pot and getting a burn message. Here is how to make them in the Instant Pot: Add 1 lb of dried navy beans and 6 cups of water to Instant Pot. Put the lid on, close the steam valve and set to the bean setting for 25 minutes. Do a natural release, then drain the beans. Whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl (not the onions/garlic). Using the saute setting, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Turn off the saute, add the sauce and beans. Stir, then cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Do a natural release.
Nutrition
*Recipe was originally posted in February 2018 as an Instant Pot recipe. I have since changed it slightly for the oven/stovetop because some readers were getting a burn message on the Instant Pot when they tried to cook the beans in the sauce. I never got this message, but I decided to adapt it for the oven using canned beans instead of dry. I did leave the instructions for Instant Pot. Thank you!
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81 Comments on “The Best Vegan Baked Beans”
Hello Nora:
Is it possible to can this excellent recipe once it has been prepared? I made this recipe last year, and shared with a vegan granddaughter. Just wondered if I made more than a “batch” if I could put the beans in jars and do a water bath? Your thoughts please.
I’m a frequent flyer to your website. I love all the variety!
Val Cameron
I’m sorry, I have zero experience with canning so I wouldn’t know how to guide you here. 🙂 But it sounds like a great idea! Thank you so much.
These were a big hit, thanks! I reduced the molasses to 1/2 cup since I didn’t have as much as I thought, they were still plenty sweet.
I’m glad the baked beans were a hit! Thanks so much for sharing your great review and comments!
This is still super runny for me??
It should thicken up in the oven. Did you make any substitutions?
These beans are great. I accidentally added too much Sriracha for my family’s taste, but I just put in more of all the other ingredients and it turned out well. Next time I may try sautéing some carrots and celery with the onions. Delicious!
I’m glad the beans were a hit! Thank you for sharing your review and comments!
The flavor was delicious and I omitted Worcestershire as well to keep it vegetarian. I skipped brown sugar and added maple syrup.
I decided to try this with dried beans for the first time. I soaked them overnight then boiled for 2 hours. I then proceeded with the recipe and had it in the oven for several hours before serving and the beans were still so firm- too firm. Any thoughts on what I did wrong?
I use vegan friendly Worcestershire sauce – there are several brands available now at most stores. There are a couple of things that could have happened. I think the beans got too firm because you had them in the oven for several hours. If you over bake the beans in the sauce, they will become hard. As long as you tested the beans after the first cook and they were soft then, I think you simply left them in the oven for far too long.
Great recipe! I love to use a big can of vegetarian baked beans (Bush’s) and add black beans, chickpeas and red kidney beans to the mix.
I’m glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your review!
Can I use BBQ sauce instead of ketchup? I actually despise ketchup and can’t/won’t cook with it…lol.
Sure! I think that would be good.
LOL literally every time I’m looking for a recipe, yours are the ones I end up clicking on – they always look the best every time! I’ll be making these this weekend!
Thanks so much! 🙂
Thanks Nora! This was a super easy and VERY tasty addition to my birthday dinner of pulled pork and pulled jackfruit.
Glad you loved them! Happy birthday! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
easy to make with always in my pantry items, except for the molasses! i substituted that item with real maple syrup, also used tomato paste instead of ketchup. being a New Mexican i added a generous sprinkling of Chimayo red chile powder that added a wonderful smokiness …super easy, super tasty!
Thanks for sharing your great review, Marie! Your additions sound delicous!
Original worcestershire sauce has anchovies in it. The local grocery store chain has a steak sauce without the anchovies but it’s not worcestershire . I can’t imagine it will make a great deal of difference, but is there a vegan worcestershire?
6 months vegan and your website has been a great find.
Thanks, Craig
Yes, Annie’s brand has a vegan Worcestershire sauce, and there are a few other brands as well. One is a generic store brand, Kroger I think, that I happened to find recently. You just need to check the ingredients list. If you can’t find it in your store, you can always order it online. I love keeping it around. Glad my website has been a help!
Does this recipe use fancy molasses or blackstrap?
I have always used blackstrap molasses here.
These beans are amazing and yummy. Per my nieces suggestion, I added some crushed pineapple. Wow!!! Best baked beans ever!!
These beans are amazing and yummy. Per my nieces suggestion, I added some crushed pineapple. Wow!!! Best baked bean ever!!
Thanks Jill! I’m glad you love the baked beans!
HOLY. CRAP. Okay, I normally don’t write reviews (though I probably should), but I felt compelled to review this one. A-MA-ZING. I chose to go the Instant pot route with soaked dried beans.
How I made mine:
1. Soaked beans overnight (2cups/1lb)
2. Cooked in instant pot with apx 6-8 cups water, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp oil, and a bay leaf. – HIGH for 15 min, natural release.
Then I followed the Instant Pot recipe to a T, aside from cooking on low pressure for 10 min after adding the beans and sauce, as my beans were a bit more done after their pressure cook than I intended and I wanted to avoid a burn signal.
I didn’t include the sriracha because…I forgot. But it was still SO. GOOD. Will be my go to for years to come! Thank you!
Hi Mariah! I’m thrilled you LOVE the baked beans! Thank you a lot for taking time to share your wonderful review! It means a lot to me. Happy cooking!
In order to avoid all salt I always cook my own beans. It’s not that hard! This time I just popped them into the crock pot over night (after soaking) and I save the liquid for soup stock. I don’t like any heat so I left out the Worcester, sriracha (and salt) and I didn’t have enough catsup so I added some chili sauce and. orange marinade/ cooking sauce. I’m pretty spontaneous when I cook and improvise using whatever is at hand. Then I decided it wasn’t tomatoey enough so I added 8 oz of tomato sauce and a 4 oz shot of maple syrup. I also had some jackfruit I’ve been wanting to use up so I threw that in at the beginning and let it cook for a while with the onions and garlic before I added everything else. I used a combination of peruana and pinto beans and baked it for an hour. It came out great ! Thanks!
I am concerned about the sodium content. Is the nutrition info using canned beans or cooked dried beans?
Canned beans, but if you are concerned use either salt free canned beans or homemade dried beans. Also, you can leave out the 3/4 teaspoon added salt if you need to.
Thanks Nora,
Looking forward to trying the baked beans with dried instead of canned beans.
Your Best Vegan Meatloaf is a family favorite and I also share your link frequently because it is the best! I do add 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper to the recipe.
Your recipes have been my go-to since I became a vegan last year. My family and I love them all. Tonight’s meal of baked beans and your cornbread recipe are some of our favorites.
In the oven right now! I haven’t had good baked beans since i was a meat eater but i can tell this recipe will be a keeper! I made butternut squash mac n cheese and ckn tempeh for an all day meal!
I used sweet onions, 1 tsp sriracha, added 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke and 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire, and great northern beans all i had on hand. Happy Fall everyone!