These thick, sweet & smoky slow cooked vegan baked beans need a little initial prep then you can leave them to do their thing while you do yours. You will be rewarded with a comforting & delicious pot of the most amazing baked beans with rich, deep & complex flavours.
Step away from that can of baked beans and make these Vegan Baked Beans instead. Just do it…..you will not be disappointed. They are totally awesome and I should know as I have eaten rather a lot of them in the past few months while trying to get this recipe just right. By making them you will not only be treating yourself to a delicious, nutritious meal, you will also be helping to support International Year Of Pulses.
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE PULSE
2016 is International Year Of The Pulse as declared by the United Nations in 2013. The idea is to put pulses on the map as a primary source of protein and essential nutrients. Awareness of pulses will be increased globally and hopefully it will help to show that there is life after animal protein and decrease people’s reliance on the cruel and barbaric meat and dairy trades. Pulses too can help improve the sustainability of agriculture. Read more about this and get more information on pulses in general by visiting Pulse Canada.
So in honour of Year Of The Pulse I bring you my Vegan Baked Beans. These beans can be cooked in a slow cooker, on the stove top or in the oven so you can choose the method that suits you best. Any way you do it they take a while to develop their rich, complex, smoky flavour but this is all hands off time.
After a bit of initial prep , these Vegan Baked Beans simmer slowly for hours and hours until they are rich, thick, sweet and smoky. They have the most amazing complex flavour and the smell in the house while they are cooking is so good!
PERFECT FOR BATCH COOKING
This recipe makes a lot but reheats perfectly and will keep for up to five days in the fridge. The flavours continue to develop over this time and just get better and better. They also freeze very well for a convenient no effort dinner at a later date.
HOW TO SERVE MY VEGAN BAKED BEANS
I love to bake a potato in the oven until it is crispy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside, cut it in half, dollop on a bit of my Easy Vegan Butter, sprinkle with nutritional yeast (I love the Bob’s Red Mill brand) and mash it into the flesh a bit with a fork, then top with my thick, delicious Vegan Baked Beans. So, so good!
You can also serve them with some fresh bread or in the traditional English way, on toast. They also make a great side dish especially when they accompany my Bubble & Squeak Patties. A great dinner for getting lots of nutrition into unsuspecting children!
However you are going to serve them do it soon as I am sure you will love them! Let me know what you think by leaving feedback in the comments below. You can also share your pictures to my Facebook page or on Instagram or Twitter. Just be sure to tag me @avirtualvegan so I don’t miss them.
Vegan Barbecue Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 300g | 1.5 cups cups of small dried white beans , soaked overnight (measured before soaking - see recipe note if you forget to soak them) navy or great northern beans work best. If you don't have dried you may use 4.5 cups of drained canned beans
- 1 large onion , chopped finely
- 3 large cloves of garlic , chopped finely
- 28oz | 793g | 3 cups canned crushed tomatoes (see recipe note)
- 60mls | ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 80mls | 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- 1 heaping tablespoon mustard (any wet variety)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes or powder (to give flavour not heat)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 heaping tablespoon smoked paprika , OR liquid smoke, (see recipe notes for advice on amounts) DO NOT use both. They both give good results.
- 240mls | 1 cup of water
Instructions
First you need to cook your soaked beans (see recipe notes if you forgot to soak them) Drain off the soaking water, cover with fresh water and bring to a boil then simmer for 40 minutes. They don't have to be completely cooked through as they will continue to cook once you get everything together in the pan. If you are using canned beans skip this step. Once the beans have cooked for 40 minutes drain them then continue onto the steps below depending on your cooking method.
Slow Cooker Method
- Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours (I have left them for up to 10 hours in my crock-pot , or on high for 5 hours. Remember that all slow cookers are slightly different so I would suggest that you make sure you are semi around for the last couple of hours of cooking just in case your slow cooker runs hotter)
Stove Top or Oven Method
- Saute onions and garlic until transparent.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over a medium heat until just starting to bubble.
- Turn down to low, cover and cook for around 3 hours or until the beans are very soft and the sauce is thick and rich. Check them often and stir to make sure they aren't sticking to the bottom or drying out. If they are just add a few drops of water to bring them back to the consistency you want.
- If baking in the oven once a simmer has been reached transfer to a covered oven proof dish and bake in a preheated oven on 300 ° F for 3 - 4 hours or until the beans are soft and the sauce is thick and rich. Again check every hour or so to make sure they are ok and not drying out.
Recipe Notes
If you forget to soak your beans you can use the quick soak method. Put the beans in a pan of water, boil for 1 minute then turn off and leave in the hot water for 1 hour. You can then cook them as usual.
If you do not have crushed tomatoes you can use chopped or whole canned tomatoes and just blend them up before using. If you are in the UK passata would be a good substitute.
Different brands of liquid smoke vary in strength a lot. I used 2.5 teaspoons in my beans but I suggest starting with only 1 teaspoon and tasting when the beans are nearly cooked. If it is smoky enough leave it, if not add another teaspoon or 1.5 teaspoons. You won't need any more than that.
I suggest pre-cooking the beans at least partially to get a much softer result, although it is possible to just throw in the soaked but uncooked beans as they are. I am lazy and often do this! You will not get such good results because the acid in the tomatoes prevents the beans from softening completely, but if you don't mind beans with a little bit of bite then it is perfectly acceptable and will still taste good.
If you have lots of leftovers they freeze very well. Keep them in an airtight container and defrost overnight. Warm them through in a pan on the stove, or microwave on medium. Make sure they are piping hot before serving.
This recipe has been linked to #recipeoftheweek at www.amummytoo.co.uk and Healthy Vegan Fridays at rockmyvegnsocksoff.com
Hannah says
This is one of the best things I have EVER tasted! I have only been vegan a week but recipes like this make me feel like this is achievable and that this is going to be a delicious and abundant rather than a restrictive life! Thank you times a million. Going to make this for family and friends to convince them too!! X
A Virtual Vegan says
That makes me so happy Hannah. If I can’t make it taste as good as it’s non-vegan version then it doesn’t show up here so you should be pretty safe with my recipes. I am all about the FLAVOR! There is no going without here. Good luck to you on your vegan journey and I’m so pleased I can help make it easier!
Rhonda R Dore says
These are just about the most delicious baked beans I’ve ever had, vegan or not. Because… Texas… I added a tad more chile powder, and not only are they smoky and sweet, they have a just-right little afterburn. Thank you so much for this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
That makes me so happy Rhonda. Thank you!
Angela W Broyles says
This is really good! Perfect as written!
A Virtual Vegan says
Good to hear. Thank you Angela!
Me says
How about you provide a printable of this recipe so I dont have to run back and forth from kitchen to computer?
A Virtual Vegan says
All of my recipes are printer friendly. There is a print button right in the recipe card.
Jodi says
Do you drain and rinse the canned beans first?
A Virtual Vegan says
They need to be drained. You can rinse them if you like but I don’t tend to. Hope that helps!
Nikki says
Are your beans completely cooked when you put them in with the other ingredients? It doesn’t say in your recipe. Mine had swelled but were not completely cooked (a little crunchy) when I added them to the pot with everything else, and they never got any more tender. I read that tomatoes can keep them from becoming tender and am wondering if I should’ve cooked them longer before mixing them with the other ingredients. What do you think?
A Virtual Vegan says
It does say. In the list of ingredients it states that the beans should be soaked overnight first then the first step of the recipe says “Drain off the soaking water, cover with fresh water and bring to a boil then simmer for 40 minutes. They don’t have to be completely cooked through as they will continue to cook once you get everything together in the pan. If you are using canned beans skip this step. Once the beans have cooked for 40 minutes drain them then continue onto the steps below depending on your cooking method.”
After being soaked and with 40 mins of cooking they should be not too far off being cooked through. I realize the acid in tomatoes can interfere with how beans tenderize and that is why I suggest preparing them like this before you add them to the other ingredients.
If you followed the instructions completely and soaked, then boiled them, and the beans were still hard after being cooked with the other ingredients for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low in the slow cooker, then I would imagine the most likely culprit is the beans were old. Have you tried cooking the same beans in another recipe? Old beans never become completely tender. Maybe next time buy your beans from another store, or try a different brand. You never know how long they have been sitting around in the grocery store stock room, especially with the ones in the bulk bins.
I hope that helps!
Kim says
Do you crush the garlic or use whole cloves? Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
You can chop or crush the garlic.
Cecelia says
When you say “1 teaspoon of dried rosemary,” is that calling for ground rosemary, or is it a teaspooon of the whole little leaves? Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
It’s a teaspoon of the whole little leaves. I’ve never seen it ground at the store. You could use fresh instead if you have some!
Cecelia Amundson says
Thank you for the quick reply! I’m making a triple recipe of these today for a large group. I think they’ll be yummy!
Jennifer Brasch says
Hi, I am looking for a vegetarian baked bean recipe and this looks great! I’m wondering if you have any suggestions on adapting the recipe for preparation in an Instant Pot. I’m wondering about putting the soaked beans in the Instant Pot with all the other ingredients and some extra water, then cooking under pressure for 45 minutes. I could then use the saute function if I needed to thicken them up. I’m open to other suggestions. Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
It’s funny you ask as I was thinking a few days that it would be good to make an IP version for the blog. I bet they would be great cooked in there. I never soak beans before I put them in my Instant Pot so I would probably put them in dried. I have an IP Black beans recipe and with that I use 1 cup of water for every 150g dried beans. They cook for 25 mins on high with NPR, 30 if you want them really soft. That recipe isn’t very saucy though. I’d be tempted to maybe try that with this recipe and with the addition of the tomatoes I think it would end up saucy enough. That would mean using 2 cups of water. However, my IP sometimes struggles with tomatoey recipes as the sauce ends up thick and it doesn’t like it, so maybe a bit more water might have to be added. it will be trial and error the first few times. All edible though I’m sure!
I’ll try to make them in mine for dinner this week. I think IP baked beans would be popular on the blog! Watch this space….
Jennifer Brasch says
Hi! I made 1.5 batches of your recipe in my IP last night. On the stove I boiled the beans for 1 min and soaked overnight. I sauteed the onion and garlic in the IP (used medium, should have done on low as they got too brown). I added all the ingredients (then drove with the pot to my in-laws for dinner) and cooked under pressure for 30 min. Beans had excellent texture but sauce was very watery. I used saute function on medium for close to 1/2 hour to thicken sauce. Also was quite vinegar-y (don’t know if mixture sitting before cooking was a factor). As I was at my in-laws with limited supplies, I added brown sugar to adjust the flavours. Probably added about a cup in total. I was very pleased with the final result–certainly by far the best vegetarian baked beans I’ve made. I would cut the liquid down next time, You don’t need to post this comment or you can edit it–I offer my feedback before you make yours. Thanks.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks for letting me know Jennifer. I guess in the IP less liquid is needed overall, so I suppose in hindsight it makes sense to reduce the amount of vinegar. I’m glad you made them work with the extra sugar. You’ll probably get them spot on before I do!
Sam says
Dangerously addictive. We ate the whole batch in one evening!
Brittany says
Currently in my crockpot. Used navy beans and all required amounts of everything. May be a dumb question but- they do not at all look like the picture. Navy beans are white (which I knew) but thought maybe they absorbed the colors of the other ingredients. This is not the case. They are still white and the whole thing is a bit liquidy. I’m 7 hours in and not too impressed. Any ideas or suggestions? Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Brittany. Sorry you aren’t having great results. It’s such a popular recipe and one that I make quite regularly myself for our dinners and it never fails to turn out well. They really do end up looking like the ones in my picture every time I make them and the beans do take on the orangey/red kind of colour. It’s hard for me to trouble shoot when I didn’t see your process or the ingredients you used, but the fact you say it’s liquidy kind of suggests something may have gone wrong with quantities somewhere. There is only 1 cup of water in the recipe and 3 cup of crushed tomatoes which are really pretty thick straight out of the can. Mixed with all of those beans (about 4.5 cups once they are soaked and cooked) it really shouldn’t be significantly liquidy, especially after cooking for 7 hours. Obviously there should be a sauce but it should be pretty thick and cling tot he beans. Other ideas:
Is there a chance your dried beans were old? When we buy them from grocery stores we have no idea how long they have been sat there. Old beans don’t get as soft so won’t soak up the flavours (and colours) so well.
There is a chance your slow cooker runs cooler than mine. Do you cook other recipes in it and find the timings ok?
To thicken the sauce in this case you could transfer it all to a pan on the stove top and cook over a low-medium heat without a lid until it reduces and thickens up. You would need to stir them frequently in case of sticking.
I hope that helps!
Angela says
The ingredient list calls for 1 heaping tablespoon of smoked paprika or liquid smoke; however, later on the text says to start with 1 teaspoon…possibly adding up to 1-1/2 teaspoon more. Gah! I’ve already mixed in the tablespoon…
A Virtual Vegan says
You don’t make it clear whether you are using smoked paprika or liquid smoke. The quantity is 1 heaping tablespoon for the smoked paprika. If you use liquid smoke instead of smoked paprika it clearly says in the ingredient list to “see recipe notes for advice on amounts”. This is because different brands of liquid smoke vary in strength so much. That is why I advise adding it gradually and tasting at different stages. Regardless, if you have used 1 tablespoon I’m sure it will be fine. It’s not much more.
Jo Zimny says
I made this dish this morning. I just had some and the beans were still a bit crunchy. Not so that they are inedible, but they aren’t creamy like I expected. I did a little research and discovered that adding salt to the mixture was not recommended. Salt apparently inhibits beans from cooking properly, so….next time I will salt them once they are cooked then let the mixture sit, or let my guest salt their beans to their liking. I think either will work. The flavour was fabulous though, really liked the taste!
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you liked the flavour and sorry they were a little hard. However, salt making beans tough is a myth. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/soaking-salting-dried-bean-myths-article . There are so many myths out there about dried beans. It really doesn’t make much of a difference at all whether you salt or don’t salt. If anything it tends to make them very slightly softer because the salt helps break them down. The number one reason beans stay a little crunchy or tough is because they are old or not stored properly. When we buy them we have no idea how old they are or how they have been kept before they reached the shelf. I recommend next time you buy beans to go for a different brand or buy them from a different store. And don’t buy them from bulk bins as you have no idea how long they have been sat there or out the back of the store. No matter how careful you are when buying them though, getting a dodgy bag is inevitable occasionally. Hope that helps!
Bexy says
Happy Baked Beans on Toast Day (25th Dec).
A simple peaceful tradition started a few years ago here in the UK by one of my adult children, as an alternative to the avarice, stress and waste created by mainstream traditions (kept going by films and the media, for retail). Enjoying simple pleasures, for to live a simple life helps others to simply live.
A Virtual Vegan says
I love that sentiment! I hope you enjoyed your Baked Beans on Toast Day!
Bexy says
We did enjoy our Baked Beans on Toast Day. It was lovely and peaceful. I’ve been recuperating from a chest infection and the comfort of eating something lovely and simple like baked beans on toast was just the right thing. I’m now planning on going crazy with slices of Brussel sprouts and sliced almonds in a fry up. Happy whatever day you read this. Namaste.
Janice Reid says
Allergic to mustard what could I use? The recipe looks great.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. Just omit the mustard. It won’t make too much difference!
Rochelle Campbell says
Very excited to try these. Do you think it would be ok to leave out the molasses? Trying to bring down the carb!
A Virtual Vegan says
You could totally leave out the molasses just a long as you are aware that it does add a lovely barbecuey richness. They will still be good without though. 🙂
Kati says
Made this recipe on the stove top a couple months ago…(1st one I ever tried) they were really good ! Oh and I did freeze the leftovers and they did freeze very well 😍So now I’m about to make them in the crockpot today..looks like this is my go to recipe for baked beans lol..ty!
A Virtual Vegan says
That’s great Kati. Hope you enjoy the crockpot version too!
Diane says
A year after your comments I came upon this recipe looking for a vegan bean dish for your wedding Kati! Looks like this is the one.
Kay says
This recipe is perfect. Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
Great to hear Kay. Thanks for stopping by! :O)
Melissa Y. says
I made these overnight in my crock pot and woke up at 5 am to the most wonderful smell! Of course I had have them immediately! I am your newest fan can’t wait to try everything! THANK YOU!
A Virtual Vegan says
That’s wonderful Melissa. I am so glad you liked the recipe. What a way to wake up! I have never cooked them overnight like that so can only imagine how good your house smelt. And I can think of worse things to eat for breakfast than barbecue baked beans ;O) I hope you enjoy my other recipes as much as you have these!
My says
Hello! This recipe looks amazing, but I get lost in the beginning. After the beans are soaked overnight and drained, you then say cover in fresh water and cook. After they are cooked for the 40 minutes,do you drain that liquid as well or do you add that to the crockpot with an additional 1 cup of water?
Thank you for clarifying!
M.
A Virtual Vegan says
You drain the cooking water and discard before adding the beans with the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot. Sorry it wasn’t clear. I have amended the instructions so hopefully they should be ok now :O) Enjoy your beans!