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Make your barbecue complete by putting these Vegan Baked Beans on the table! This smoky, flavorful side dish is easy to prepare and made in one pot. It’s also a freezer-friendly recipe, perfect for family dinners or Sunday meal prep.
Push the store-bought version aside and fill up on these rich and tasty Vegan Baked Beans! This easy side dish will bring depths of flavor to all of your favorite meals. My family loves them alongside my vegan mac n' cheese and skillet cornbread.
This recipe is simple, flexible, and only takes about 1 hour to come together. It'll be worth the wait! The leftover beans are freezer-friendly so you can enjoy them for family meals or weekday lunches. Using canned beans keeps this recipe as easy as possible. No soaking is required!
Ingredients Needed
The ingredients are fairly simple, but if you don't have some of them, they can easily be substituted with something you have on hand.
- Dry Mustard: You can replace it with 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard. This adds more zing so you may want to reduce the vinegar.
- Smoked Paprika: Chipotle powder works well. It has some heat, so you may want to reduce or omit the red pepper flakes. You can use regular paprika but it won't have the smoky flavor.
- Vegan Worcestershire: 2-3 teaspoons of hoisin sauce or you can omit it altogether.
- Maple Syrup: Brown sugar is a great alternative.
- Tamari: Soy sauce is the perfect replacement (note: soy sauce contains gluten)
- Liquid Smoke: This is optional, so you can skip it. If you want a little more smoky flavor, you can add another teaspoon of smoked paprika.
- Tomato Paste: ½ cup ketchup will work. The flavor isn't as deep but it's still delicious.
- Molasses: Reduce the maple syrup to ¼ cup and add 3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar.
- Great Northern Beans: You can use cannellini, pinto, kidney beans, or a blend of them.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: You can use white or red wine vinegar, but you may want to reduce the amount in the recipe.
How to make baked beans
It takes just six easy steps to make these beans! Here's what you'll need to do as well as some cooking variations below:
- Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart Dutch Oven. Now add onion and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Now stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30-60 seconds.
- Add the dry spices and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the broth and bring to a mild simmer for a few minutes.
- Stir in the maple syrup, molasses, tamari, vinegar, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, salt, and pepper.
- Add the beans and stir to combine well. Cover with lid and place it in the oven for 45 minutes. Uncover the pot and let it bake for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is thickened and caramelized on top.
Cooking Variations
My favorite way to cook these beans is in the oven. The flavors really shine through and I love the caramelized sauce. Follow my easy instructions in the recipe card below to bake your beans in the oven. Here are other ways to cook them:
Stovetop: Instead of transferring to the oven, cover the pot and simmer on low for 40-50 minutes. Then uncover for an additional 10-15 minutes to thicken.
Slow Cooker: Sauté the onions, garlic, tomato paste, and spices before adding them to your slow cooker. Reduce the broth by ¼ cup. Stir everything together, cover with a lid, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours. Make sure to give the mixture a stir once or twice while it’s cooking.
How to Serve
Grill up some portobello mushroom steaks at your next barbecue and serve the beans as a side dish along with vegan potato salad or vegan macaroni salad. You can also top them on nachos, baked potatoes, salads, and more!
FAQs
Dried beans will work, but they do take some preparation. Use 1 lb of dried navy beans and soak them overnight. Drain and rinse them the next morning. Add the beans to a pot with water and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Remove from the heat as soon as the water begins to boil, cover with a lid, and let them rest for 45 minutes before using them in this recipe
Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. They also freeze well when sealed tightly. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat the batch in the oven or on the stovetop until warmed throughout. Keep covered so they don't dry out and add a few splashes of broth if needed.
More bean recipes to try
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would make my day!
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Recipe
Vegan Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or preferred cooking oil
- 1 large onion , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard (sub with dijon mustard)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- ¾ cup vegetable broth , low sodium
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (sub with brown sugar)
- 2-3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- 2 tablespoons tamari , low sodium (sub soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 teaspoons liquid smoke (*optional)
- 3 15-ounce cans (425g) great northern beans or navy beans (rinsed and drained)
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt , more to taste
- Fresh cracked pepper , to taste
Recommended Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Oven-Safe Skillet (see note for stovetop method)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ° F (177 ° C).
- Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart Dutch Oven or large oven-safe skillet (*see note). Once the oil is shimmering, add onion and sauté until softened and lightly golden. About 4-6 minutes.
- Lower heat one notch and add the garlic. Sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Now stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30-60 seconds.
- Add the dry mustard, cumin, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper. Sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Now add the broth and bring to a mild simmer. Cook for 1-2 minutes to slightly thicken.
- Add the maple syrup, molasses, tamari, vinegar, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the beans and stir to combine well. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Cover with lid or tin foil and place it in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring midway through. Now uncover the pot and let it bake for 10-15 minutes more or until the sauce is thickened and caramelized on top.
Video
Notes
- Beans: If you don't have navy beans or great northern beans, you can use cannellini, pinto, or kidney beans.
- Oven-Safe Cookware: If you don't have it, you can transfer the beans to a casserole dish and cover it with a lid or tin foil.
- Stovetop Method: Instead of transferring to the oven, cover the pot and simmer on low for 40-50 minutes. Then uncover for an additional 10-15 minutes to thicken.
- Vegan Worcestershire: 2-3 teaspoons hoisin sauce (or omit)
- Tomato Paste: ½ cup ketchup
- Molasses: Reduce the maple syrup to ¼ cup and add 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar.
- Sweetness: for a subtle sweetness, reduce the maple syrup to ¼ cup or increase to ½ cup for more sweetness.
- Heat: for less heat, you can reduce the red chili flakes to ¼ teaspoon or omit them altogether.
- Tang: for more tang, increase the vinegar to 3 tablespoons and decrease to 1 tablespoon for less.
Elizabeth
This is my new go-to bean recipe. i added a can of petite diced tomatoes since I like them with extra tomato and they are perfect! So good over a baked potato.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Elizabeth, I'm so happy this was a hit for you! It sounds perfect with the extra tomato. Thank you for taking the time to share feedback. 🙂
Lisa
Really, really good! The recipe was easy to complete, because the instructions were so well organized. I cooked and added some vegan sausage. I used a mixed bag of beans. It turned out great.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Lisa, I'm so happy this recipe was a hit for you! Sounds perfect with the vegan sausage. Thank you for sharing feedback. 🙂
MJ
This recipe is very good! My husband really liked it, as did my son. I made the recipe as written. I definitely will make it again. However, I like a bit of liquid in my beans. I liked the consistency after the 45 minutes in the oven. Next time, I will not bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes. I will stop the baking after the 45 minutes. That’s a personal preference, not detracting from the recipe. The recipe is awesome!
Melissa Huggins
I'm so happy they were a hit with your family! Glad you found the perfect time to take them out too. Thanks for taking the time to share feedback. 🙂
Betsy Hinson
Amazing! I complained the entire time I was making these because of the large number of ingredients. But, wow, just wow. I make a lot of beans and these were for a neighborhood potluck. People raved and when I took my pot home at the end of the evening. I realized someone had taken crusts of bread to lick the pot clean! I’ll definitely make this often!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Betsy, Wow, this is such a wonderful compliment! I'm so happy it was a hit at the potluck. Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing such nice feedback. 🙂
Heather
This was DELICIOUS! I subbed regular paprika for the smoked, left out the liquid smoke, used brown sugar, and only used 2 cans of beans (as we like our baked beans saucy). I used dijon mustard, and low sodium soy sauce. This was super yummy. Thanks for the recipe 😀
Melissa Huggins
Hi Heather, I'm so glad the beans were a hit! They sound perfect with you modifications. Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing feedback. 🙂
kinsee
How many cups is 1 serving? Or are the nutrition facts for the whole recipe?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kinsee, it's about 1 cup per serving. 🙂
Joan Ketchum
Excellent flavor! Yummy!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Joan, So glad you loved them. Thank you for trying the recipe. 🙂
Pat
These beans sound delicious. Is this recipe gluten free?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Pat, thank you! Yes, this recipe is gluten-free as written. 🙂
Big Jim
Just like mommas baked beans! Making these for dinner tonight!
Melissa Huggins
Aww, that is such a wonderful compliment, Big Jim! Thank you! 🙂
Lia B
Delicious! I’ve made this at least 5 times in the last few months.
Definitely a popular request for gatherings 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Thanks for trying it Lia, and for the great feedback to! 🙂
Cathy
Thank you so much for this excellent recipe. I have made it twice. I used the bean cooking water instead of the vegetable broth and omitted the red pepper flakes.
I reduced the salt as I used regular tamari.
This recipe is our new favourite!
Melissa Huggins
That is amazing Cathy! You are very much welcome and thanks for dropping by.