Name: Healthy Easy Baked Beans
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 7 min
Ingredients: 400 g haricot beans (canned, use bean water too); 1½ tbsp tomato puree; ⅔ tsp Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian); 1 tsp maple syrup; ¼ tsp onion granules; Salt and pepper to taste

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These healthy baked beans are low in sugar, contain a handful of pantry ingredients and are ready in under 10 minutes! There is every reason why you should make your own.

Making your own healthy baked beans is super quick and simple. With just a few ingredients you can transform ordinary white beans into your favourite weekend brunch food! There is no chopping involved and all you have to do is throw all the ingredients into a pan (including the beans along with bean water) and cook them together for a few minutes.

Delicious, creamy baked beans that are also healthy!

Why you will love this recipe

You can control the amount of sugar that goes into these beans.
It requires few ingredients and minimal effort.
These beans taste better than store bought and cost less to make.

Healthy baked beans ingredients

This recipe uses 4 ingredients in addition to the beans. You may or may not need to add any salt depending on whether your can of beans contains salt so check the label.

A huge advantage of making baked beans from scratch is being able to control the amount of sugar in the recipe. While commercially produced baked beans are very high in sugar this recipes only uses 1 teaspoon of maple syrup.

Worcestershire sauce comes with or without anchovies so read the label to make sure you get the kind you want.

Using not only the beans but also bean water is an easy way of recreating the consistency of store bought baked beans. Bean water is full of protein, naturally quite thick and makes an ideal base for the tomato sauce in this recipes.

Recipe instructions

1.In a skillet combine all the ingredients, including the beans along with the bean water.

2. Stir and bring the mixture to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens a little, stirring often. The sauce will thicken further as it stands.

Remove from the heat, adjust the seasoning if needed and serve immediately.

Expert Tips and FAQs

Beans: Baked beans are usually made using haricot beans, which is also the variety I used in this recipe, but you can use another white bean variety. I recommend using canned beans rather than soaked and cooked as you will also need to use the bean water from the can. This water tends to have a thicker consistency than water from cooking your own beans.
If your canned beans did not contain any salt season to taste towards the end of cooking.
The proportions used are recommendations only so adjust the amount of maple syrup etc to your liking. You can also add a touch of chilli powder or dried thyme into the sauce.
Storing: You can keep leftovers in the fridge and reheat the next day. (You may have to add a drop of water as the sauce will thicken).
Best served immediately.
Not suitable for freezing.

Serving suggestions

These healthy baked beans are delicious with so many dishes, from being a weekend brunch staple to beans on toast (with cheese melting underneath!) as a snack, or poured over a hot, steaming baked potato.

I also think they are delicious with crispy potato pancakes, served alongside roast chicken, turkey potato patties or even perogies (baked beans are great with all things potato really).

Check out also this collection of 18 healthy, easy vegetable breakfast recipes.

Keep in touch!

Have you made this healthy baked beans recipe? Let me know how it turned out for you in the comments below, thanks:)

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipe updates! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right into your mailbox!