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
Author:Ingredients
- 300g / 1.5 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
- ½ 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 until the beans are just tender. 60 - 90 minutes should do it. If you are using canned beans skip this step. Once the beans have cooked, drain them and 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.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.
Khadija says
I made these beans maybe one or two years ago and it was very delicious!
Do I need to cook the beans as long (3hrs) if I'm using canned beans? Will the beans get overcooked and become too soft?
Melanie McDonald says
I do because the slow cooking enhances the flavours. The beans are soft but they don't break down. You can take them out earlier if you prefer though.
Kim says
This recipe is everything you could want out of baked beans. Love it and make it over and over again. Thank you Mel!
Lorena says
Hi I thought I'd stop by and leave a comment. I have tried a few baked bean recipes but this one has been my go too for the past two or three years. They're easy to make and absolutely delicious. (I have never altered the recipe)
-Lorena
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you're enjoying them Lorena and thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It's much appreciated!
Jackie says
Lovely recipe! I have made this a couple of times and it’s simply delicious. I do use a little less salt, a clove or two more of garlic, and I used "fancy molasses" as I didn’t have blackstrap. Thank you!
Tara says
I never soak the beans first and they come out amazing! Great recipe thank you!
Corryn says
YUM!!!! I couldn't stop eating the sauce before I threw it all in the slowcooker! I halved the salt & only used 1/8 of the maple syrup suggested as we're used to cooking/baking with half sugar usually anyway. We also use smoked paprika rather than liquid smoke. Seriously AMAZING!!!
LORRAINE B. says
O.M.G.! I never liked baked beans until now. Turned vegan and thought, "I should give them another try." So glad I came across your recipe! From the getgo I modified it - a heaping TBSP of cumin, palmful of fresh rosemary, 1 finely chopped jalapeno instead of dried, and only 1 tsp salt slowly baked in my grandmother's bean pot. This is my new comfort food! Breakfast on ww toast, lunch with a thick slice of pumpernickel or over brown rice or pot barley for dinner. Wow! Thank you so much.
Erin says
I made this recipe for a small family gathering yesterday.... so good! No one present was totally vegan, but this was loved by all regardless. I even had a few baked beans converts (who both said they’d never liked baked beans previously) . I followed the recipe as written, did stovetop in my Dutch oven then into the oven for 3 hours. Yum!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you all enjoyed them Erin!
Tess says
This recipe was amazing and it freezes so well. I didn't have molasses so I used 1 tablespoon dark coconut sugar. I made it all in the instant pot. Soaked the beans in it, rinsed them and cooked them and then added all the ingredients and cooked for 30 mins. So only 1 pot to clean :)
I recently bought your book and I am loving the recipes. Congratulations on the One Bite Vegan Awards, well deserved.
Thank you again
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Tess. I'm really pleased you enjoyed the baked beans and appreciate you coming back to leave a review/rating!
Alan says
Great recipe, best baked beans I have ever had. I used liquid smoke, which really enhances the taste. Thanks
Maureen says
I want to try this but do not have blackstrap molasses. Can I use extra maple syrup?
A Virtual Vegan says
Don't use extra maple syrup. It will be too sweet. Black strap molasses isn't sweet. It's really dark and bitter. For the best flavour I recommend the molasses but they are still good if you omit it!
Gina Harry says
I'm baking a pot of these beans as I write. My hubby and I are hooked on them. I'm thinking on purchasing a bean crock to keep them around for every meal! I took the advice to decrease the tomatoes. I'm glad I did. It made the sauce browner and smokier.
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you're both enjoying them Gina!
Nancy says
OMG, thank you!
I am not a big bean fan which makes it hard to be plant based. I do love baked beans and have tried so many recipes over the last year. They’re either flavorless, odd flavored, dry or otherwise just not right.
This recipe, though, is soooooo amazing.
I can now ramp up my bean intake without having to force them down.
I did go a little rogue. I haven’t liked the recipes with smoked paprika or liquid smoke that I’ve tried, so I did use 1/2 the amount of both.
Had it over toast yesterday and will have over potatoes today.
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed them Nancy!