Goodbye canned beans.
After trying this homemade baked beans recipe, it’s hard to imagine going back to canned. Bush’s is good and all, but it just doesn’t compare to the heightened flavor and superior texture of baked beans made from scratch. Since July is National Baked Bean Month, there’s never been a better time to learn how to make your own healthy baked beans. It’s much easier than you might think…
When I first started learning to cook, one of my favorite meals to make was a large sweet potato topped with Bush’s baked beans and melted cheddar cheese. I wasn’t even a vegetarian yet, but I’d eat this meal at least once a week. It was quick and simple, and I loved the revelation that I no longer needed to rely on someone else to always cook for me.
In middle school, feeling independent is of the upmost importance… I remember around the same time, my friends’ moms and mine would take us to the mall and sit on a bench while we shopped. We had to check back in every thirty minutes, but we felt super cool, shopping by ourselves. Other people in the mall were probably rolling their eyes at the 7th graders who strutted around the mall like they owned the place. But we didn’t notice or care. And then I’d come home and prepare my very own homemade dinner, feeling very grown up.
Never mind that said “homemade dinner” was as simple as popping a potato in the oven, opening a can of beans, and microwaving everything together. That’s beside the point 
.
I felt the same sense of accomplishment the first time I made this vegetarian baked beans recipe from scratch a few days ago. Never mind the fact that it’s as simple as throwing all the ingredients into a crockpot, putting on the lid, and waiting for it to cook.
That’s beside the point.
Baked Beans Recipe
Baked Beans Recipe – Healthy & Homemade
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb pinto or white beans, soaked overnight in water
- 1 can “no salt added” tomato sauce (15oz)
- 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free soy sauce (45g)
- 1 3/4 cup water or vegetable broth (420g)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (30g)
- 2 tsp minced garlic (10g)
- 1 tbsp molasses (blackstrap or regular) (15g)
- 1/8 tsp pure stevia extract, or 4 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Instructions
Crockpot baked beans recipe: Drain and rinse the beans. Lightly grease a crockpot (mine is 4 quarts), then add all ingredients. Cover with the lid, and cook on high 7 hours or until beans are soft. Turning off the crockpot, but keeping the lid closed, let sit 1 hour. Serve immediately, or transfer to a container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. If reheating, add a little water (up to 1/2 cup for the entire recipe) and stir, then heat. Yields about 3 1/2 cups.
Question of the Day:
Do you remember the first thing you learned to cook?
Link of the Day: Homemade Larabars Recipes
Very good, but I did omit the soy sauce, it just didn’t feel right when comparing this to my mom’s recipe. Next time I’ll probably add less broth and cumin.
Could you make all this on the stove top and just let it simmer instead of in the crock pot? Would all the ingredients be the same?
See my comment above.
I can’t wait to try both the bean and lentil sloppy joes. I need to avoid dairy & all sugar/corn products. I can easily adapt these as needed
I make my own baked beans all the time. The recipe is a little different each time but it’s pretty close to yours. Except I like to use maple syrup as my sweetener. Then I eat them over toast. Yum!
Canned baked beans are my daughter’s favorite, so I decided to search for a vegan, homemade alternative and found yours! I made them today, followed your recipe exactly and they are awesome! The whole family gives two thumbs up! Thank you 🙂
Hi Katie, I clicked your recipe because your name caught my eye. Same as my sisters, lol. I’m making these baked beans right now as we speak. I did add chopped onion vs dried onion, and I didn’t have any soy sauce or worsteshire so I added a little steak sauce. I’m only 18, but I cook better than many people older than me. Haha. Here lately, I’ve really gotten into making everything from scratch. I actually write every successful recipe down in a notebook that I plan to turn into a personal cookbook when it’s full. Most of the recipes in there are a few i find online and then tweak them to make one recipe. So far so good , I have only gotten compliments. The one thing I can’t make is rolls and biscuits though. They always turn out dry. Well, anyways thanks for the recipe….it may be going in the notebook, lol.
Hope it turns out well! 🙂
Good job learning how to cook from scratch! I love cooking from scratch, too. Biscuits are tough and I’ve been trying for years. Part of the secret to a successful biscuit is to not handle the dough too much. And take them out when the top is barely brown. Let them sit for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet, and they will continue to cook without drying out. Good luck!
Okey doke. I just put this on the stove. I’ll let you know how it goes!
I always drain the sauce out and add vinegar I have been meaning to try my own and as theres a print button I can. Thanks !
These are some great tasting beans! However, it does NOT work to cook the dried beans with all the ingredients. I have tried it several times, and the beans never get soft! Now I cook the beans first in plain water (don’t use hard water because it also prevents the beans from softening). Then add all the other ingredients and simmer for at least 30 min. I also like adding some liquid smoke for that smoky flavor.
Made these the other night. I didn’t have salt free tomato sauce but I had some diced tomatoes that were. I used my hand blender on them and the recipe came out great!!! Thanks Katie!
Also, Just got your cookbook in the mail! Happy birthday to me!!! It is AWESOME!!! GREAT JOB!!!! WORTH THE WAIT!!!!