British Baked Beans
My British Baked Beans are copycat Heinz beans, and as close in flavor to them as you will find, but these are oh so better because they’re homemade and haven’t been sitting in a can for who knows how long. Similar to American-style, but meat-free and without the smokey flavor, just like my mum in England used to serve. Navy, great northern (or haricot) beans are cooked in tomato sauce for an authentic taste of a truly British classic.
Baked beans are probably one of the most common (if not the most) canned items to buy in England. A delicious, saucy side for any dish, from fish and chips, sausage rolls, to beans on toast (picture below). The perfect budget meal enjoyed by college students and bachelors. Let’s not forget about beans for breakfast too… yes, really! See more below on this subject.
I recently updated the pictures and video and made a few improvements and simplified original recipe. If you see the recipe anywhere else like Pinterest, Yummly etc., I cannot guarantee it will taste as good as the recipe you see on this page.
Dried beans are best for baked beans
Everyone loves good baked beans. They really go with just about anything and good homemade baked beans start with dried beans, not canned. Dried beans just have better texture. If you used canned for this recipe they would be mush by the end of the recipe. Dried beans are best for baked beans, but I wont be mad at you if you used pre-cooked canned.
Below I am answering one of the biggest question I have had when cooking dried beans.
This is the most common issue that readers have had and it is all to do with the beans. I’ve had some be almost mushy in 30 minutes and some take almost 2 hours. You just have to keep testing them as they boil.
There are no hard-and- fast rules as to why dried beans take longer to cook because it seems every batch of beans are different (see below at my test results on this). A few reasons could be, they are old beans. You can’t be sure how old they are, even if they are within their expiration date. You have hard water. Hard water can toughen the skins. You didn’t soak long enough. 8-12 hours is optimal but no more than 24.
Possible solutions:
- Use bottled or distilled water to soak.
- Allow enough time to soak the dried beans. This helps them soften and cook faster.
- Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) per cup (453 grams) of beans to the soaking water, this may not always work.
My test on cooking beans
Regarding the above information on the cooking of the beans, this week I decided to test out some beans from different sources. Each batch I spilt into two pans, one I added baking soda and salt, the other nothing.
The result is, some cooked really quickly (they were almost mushy in 40 minutes) and some took almost 2 hours to cook. The baking soda and salt did not make a difference. The beans are going to be done when they want.
Yes! They cook faster because they absorb a lot of liquid. Take a look at the the difference between a non-soaked and soaked bean below.
In addition to eating beans on toast for breakfast, they are also served with the most popular British breakfast, the Full English Breakfast (picture below) consisting of sunny-side up eggs, English back bacon, cooked tomato slices, black pudding (sausage), mushrooms and fried bread.
British Baked Beans v’s American Beans
These British Baked beans are made without meat, with a thinner tomato-based sauce. American-style baked beans are cooked with pork (bacon) molasses and brown sugar and the sauce is much sweeter, thicker and smoky.
These beans will keep refrigerated in a sealed container for 3-4 days or frozen for 2-3 months.
This recipe yields 2 quarts/8 cups/1.8 kg.
If you’ve made these British Baked Beans or any other recipe leave a comment below. I love to hear from my readers!
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British Baked Beans
Navy or haricot beans baked in a simply tomato-based sauce that tastes as close to store bought as you will find.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (360 grams) dried great northern, navy or haricot beans, rinsed
- 1/2 cup (140 grams) tomato ketchup
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 3 cups chicken stock + 1 tablespoon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch/cornflour
Instructions
- To a large bowl add the beans, cover with water, more than double the amount and soak at room temperature for 8 hours.
- After 8 hours drain, discard the liquid and rinse the beans.
- Add the beans to a large saucepan. Cover the beans about 2 inches (5 cm) above the beans with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour uncovered. Stirring often so they don't stick to the bottom. Cooking time will depend on your beans so check them often for tenderness. Drain. If using already cooked beans, skip these 2 steps.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- To the same pan, add the ketchup, tomato paste, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, vinegar and chicken stock. Whisk to combine. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of stock or water with the cornstarch and mix until dissolved, stir into the sauce. Transfer to a high-sided baking dish, or, if your pan is ovenproof use that and transfer to the oven and bake uncovered until thickened, 20-25 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 89Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 3mgSodium 385mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 2gSugar 8gProtein 4g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
93 Comments on “British Baked Beans”
I love that you recommend dried beans.
Canned beans don’t hold their shape. Am cooking the beans right now.
I was taught to soak beans for 24 hours and never put salt in til dish is being put together. Thank you for reaffirming my mumma’s teaching❤️❤️❤️
You’re welcome 🙂
I can honestly say I will never be buying tined baked beans again after trying this recipe. These are the best British Baked I’ve ever had, they’ve definitely been a big hit in my British household, my boys love them. Thank You for this recipe.
This is wonderful to hear, thank you so much.
I can’t agree more with using dried beans rather than canned. Not only are they more flavorful but the texture is far superior and the sugar and sodium levels can be better regulated by soaking in plain water, leaving out the bicarbonate of soda during the soaking period. Beans are also a nice change from potatoes, rice, or pasta, which are the typical American side dishes. I do prefer the smoky flavor imparted by ham hocks or shamks.
Smoky beans are also delicious too.
I made these 2 days ago and they taste better after 2 days. I bought a can of Heinz to compare and the canned tasted old and metallic. This is a keeper.
I’m loving all of this, thank you 🙂
These beans were the icing on the cake of my full English this morning. I think I’ll have the leftovers on toast 🙂
Hi, I don’t really want to be *that person*, but I feel the need to point out that Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian, since it is made with anchovies. I feel most vegetarians will know this and make adjustments, but someone making this for their vegetarian friend/family may not. Vegetarian/vegan Worcestershire sauce can be found, however, so I thought you may want to know that and make a note of it on your site. Just a suggestion. I will be trying this recipe with said vegetarian Worcestershire sauce.
Thank you for reminding me of this. I have made the necessary edits in the recipe.
Perfect Baked beans! thank-you for this recipe keeper 🙂 Very different to how I have made unsuccessful beans in the past. The only thing I did different was after soaking them all day and after rinsing I put them in the crockpot over night, I already had the sauce made so in the morning just added the beans to the sauce and baked. Perfect British Baked Beans 🙂
I love the slow cooker idea. I’ll have to try.
Perfect Baked beans! thank-you for this recipe keeper 🙂 Very different to how I have made unsuccessful beans in the past. The only thing I did different was after soaking them all day and after rinsing I put them in the crockpot over night, I already had the sauce made so in the morning just added the beans to the sauce and baked. Perfect British Baked Beans 🙂
Great! Thank you for sharing the slow cooker info.
I left a response and it was deleted? I just simply said my son in law and his family did not enjoy them and that they are from England. It is just one opinion, it obviously works for many from the rave responses, which is why I made them. They were good by my family’s taste, just not the english side of it. I did not mean to offend you by my comment, just figured some people would like to see an alternate opinion. Again, they were NOT bad
All comment/questions are monitored for spam before publishing and neither of your comments were deleted. It just took me a little longer to catch up after Christmas on all the comments. I fully appreciate your candor and I am no way offended.
I followed this recipe verbatim and am sad to say my son in law and his family, who are from England did not like them. They said they did not taste like “english beans”. Now I dont know because I have never had english baked beans before, but for me, I spent a lot of time on something nobody really ate. However, it was a rather inexpensive dish so it’s all good. Thank you for the recipe, but not a hit here.
I can understand that they did not care for them. They are never going to taste like the canned variety that is manufactured in a factory, but this is as close to how I remember them growing up as I can get. I also make them often and everyone agrees (including the reviews from readers) that do taste very good. It could be yours just tasted a little different.
You have a truly kind and forbearing attitude towards your in-laws. What odd folk, to leave your lovingly-prepared beans on the plate and frankly state they weren’t like the beans they’re used to and they didn’t care for them! (Did I get that right?) You honored them and it sounds like they weren’t at all gracious about it. Possibly international airfare is wasted on folks like that. I sincerely hope things work out beautifully for your daughter and her English husband.
Came here looking for a recipe that my English fellow may prefer over those icky, pallid Heinz things. I’m worried about his nutritional status because he likes Heinz Beanz wayyy too much and the nutrition facts on the label do not reassure me. Thank you for posting the recipe, Janette. I love your website!
Thank you so much Harriet.
Janette,
I’m picking up the craving. Made beans and sausage pasties. But what is the infatuation Brits have with baked beans?
I love the idea that you made sausage pasties and they must have been so good with the beans. I’m not sure where the infatuation came from. Could be that it is an inexpensive convenience food that everyone always has a tin or 2 in their kitchen at all times. They could essentially be called peasant food because of this, but they have actually been around for over 100 years and used to be sold in posh food stores, so who knows 🙂
It’s comes from food rationing during WWII. Same reason that Hawaiians love spam to this day.
Thank you for the info 🙂
The beans were a hit, thanks for your recipe!
I always loved to hear my dishes were a hit. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi, these beans are so good. I have lived away from Britain for nearly thirty years, but developed a craving for British style baked beans. This recipe was just how I remember baked beans! Beans are a staple in the Caribbean and I often cook haricot beans, but not with that delicious tomato sauce.
I added a cup of grated squash with the carrot, a couple of tiny, thin skinned ” gustoso” peppers and swapped the Worcester sauce for a teaspoon of soy sauce as I am vegan.
I agree with those who used the bean cooking liquid, I do too. After many years of experimenting with soaking beans before cooking, I am of the opinion that adding a little salt to the soaking water really improves the flavour of the cooked beans and has no affect at all on their softening time. Cooking time depends on the freshness of your dried beans!
I would suggest that you change the 9 hours cooking time in your recipe, it could put many people off if they don’t realize that you are including overnight soaking.
I made the beans again today, the fifth time since lockdown! A great success, thank you for inspiring me with this wonderful recipe.
I’m so glad they satisfied your craving and thank you for the great review and tips. They freeze well too if you want to batch cook them 🙂
These beans are fantastic! I just made them tonight and put them on some toast that I made from homemade bread. I’ve never had beans on toast before but I just knew that I’d like it. And I did!
I’m so happy you enjoyed them. On toast is how we like to eat them in England too 🙂
Hi there, in your recipe, it states, “To a large saucepan, add 6 cups water and bring to a simmer (see note). I had printed out the recipe and don’t see any note. I’m guessing maybe it’s about to cook them until they’re tender, and that the amount of time needed may vary, but I just wanted to check to make sure.
Also, we have hard water, so I am soaking the beans in a mixture of tap and distilled water. Is it OK to just use tap water when I go to cook it?
Thanks 🙂
Just to be on the safe side I would try and use filtered or distilled water, or a mix of both for cooking. After many batches of beans, I believe it comes down to the beans themselves. Some cooked really quickly and some took a long time. I’m sure the hard water does probably hinder the cooking time of the beans, but I would just cook them until they are tender enough to your taste. The soaking will help. I hope this all helps you and enjoy!
These turned out wonderful! We love it on buttered toast. Yummmm!
But I did have a couple questions arise while I was making it, and would like to know for when I make it in the future. I was wondering, after the beans are cooked and the right softness, am I supposed to drain them? Because there was still a lot of liquid. I ended up using the bean water in place of the water called for in step 4, just scooping it out of the beans pot as needed. Cuz otherwise I thought the final dish would get too soupy if I added more liquid.
Second question is about salt (step 2 calls for salt, as does step 4). The recipe ingredients list 1 teaspoon salt; is that to be divided between the two steps? That’s what I did, pretty much.
I will definitely be making these often. Thanks again 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed them and you asked great questions. I have edited the recipe to make it clear to drain and discard the liquid after cooking. This is just something I always do, but it sounds like using the cooking water worked for you so you can do this next time. I’m sure the starch in the water helped thicken the sauce. Regarding the salt, with beans and legumes, it is standard practice to not add salt to the cooking water as sometimes this can hinder the cooking process and should only be added to the sauce. I wrote about this in the body of the post.
Have you ever made these in a large batch? I would like to make them for canning and they need to be put in the jars hot. The thought of doing multiple small batches is unappealing but if I need to do it for taste I am not opposed.
Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
I have not made a large batch of the beans. The recipe does yield 2 quarts/8 cups which is always enough for me at the time. I don’t see why you can’t make more than this at one time, but you will need a large pan. I hope this helps and enjoy.
Really great recipe!! The beans are delicious!!
If I can give you an advice about the beans not being soft after the cooking time, where I live in recepy books it’s said not to add salt until the end or the beans will stay hard no matter what amount of time you cook them 😉
Thank you for the feedback and tips
I just made these and I’m eating them while they cool. They are really tasty, going to make your sausage rolls tomorrow to go with them . My beans cooked really fast
Yum, they are so good with sausage rolls. Enjoy.
This recipe did NOT work for me. I followed it exactly to a T and the beans were hard. It messed everything up… They ended up baking in the oven for over 8 HOURS and were still El dente. When I was going mad questioning why people treated me like a fool telling me beans should be soaked a MINIMUM of 8 hours…. But should really be soaked for about 24 HOURS! Huge difference. I ended up putting well over 4x more water, sugar, salt and Worcestershire sauce too. Again sorry but this was extremely disappointing and stressful.
I’m sorry for the trouble you had. To be fair, it was the beans and not the recipe that didn’t work for you. This can happen for 2 reasons. 1, the beans are not of good quality (and also could have been old) and 2, if you have hard water where you live, this can also be the problem which I talk about in the blog post. I have had (and many of my readers have) many successes over the years with these beans and I’m confident if you make them again taking the the 2 reasons into consideration, I’m confident it will work out.
If you have hard water, adding a ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the cooking water can help the beans cook properly.
Thank you so much for the tip. I actually do write about this in the main text of the website post. After a comprehensive test of many different batches of beans I found that the baking soda did not make a difference. It is all to do with the beans themselves. Some just cook quicker than others depending on their age and other factors.
I made my beans in the instant pot (water and salt, no soaking) and made the sauce separately. Strained the beans and mixed in the sauce. I was too lazy to “bake them,” but they turned out wonderful! Although these did not taste exactly like the beans I had in London, these beans are absolutely DELICIOUS. I’ve made this recipe 4 times already in the past two weeks! I love how many vegetables are in this and how flavorful it is. I eat these beans with toast and it has quickly become my new favorite breakfast. My 1 year old can’t get enough of them too. Thank you soo much for sharing! I really appreciate it!! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your IP method. I haven’t tried it yet and I’m happy that it worked. It’s always good to get toddler approval on a recipe too 🙂
Do I soak the beans on the counter or in the refrigerator?
Soak the beans at room temperature
They don’t really taste like Heinz or any British beans to me! They taste like beans in tinned tomatoes.
I’m sorry that the beans didn’t turn out the way you expected. I make these myself regularly as have a lot of my readers (per the comments) and they turn out very well for me also. There are enough ingredients in the sauce so you should not be just tasting the tomatoes, I’m not sure what happened when you made them.
I don’t know what I did wrong, I followed the recipe exactly. The sauce came out really thick and fiberous. I used navy beans (I couldn’t find the other kind mentioned) they are much too large and some of the skins soaked off the beans are impossible to pick out. The flavor is kind of off to me, nothing like Heinz. I don’t know how it went so wrong. I so much wanted this to be an amazing dish, as we love the Heinz beans and they’re sometimes hard to find in the US. I’m going to try to doctor it up and see if I can save them.The sauce is kind of the consistency of tomato juice, kind of broken, not smooth. I blended the heck out of it but maybe the veggies weren’t soft enough or something.
Yes I saw the tips for the beans after I already made them. I will try that next time as I do have very hard water. I tried them today and the flavor has come together so next time I’ll make the proper adjustments and it should be perfect! I’m going to see if I can find the other beans and try the recipe again. Thank you!
I’m sorry that it didn’t turn out right. It does sound like you did not cook the vegetables until they were soft enough to blend smooth. I hope you were able to recover the dish.
Great recipe! I really like Heinz beans and this recipe comes out similar but better! After cooking the beans and finishing the sauce I drained the beans and saved the bean water. When I combined the beans with the freshly blended sauce they turned out to be a bit thicker than I thought they should be so I thinned out the sauce with the bean water using about a quarter of a cup at a time until it became about the same consistency as appears in the picture at the top of this recipe.
I should hire you to help me develop recipes and right the text. 🙂 Thank you for the great comment and tips, I’m glad you enjoyed the beans.
We really enjoyed these but I think we prefer them a bit saucier, so I’m going to add some tomato sauce 🙂
I’m glad you were able to make them to your liking. Thank you for stopping by.
Do these taste anything like heinz or Branston as I would really like the idea of that
I haven’t tried Branston, but they are as close to the taste of Heinz that I can get them. If you try the recipe, please come back and leave a comment on the bottom of the recipe to let me and others know how they worked for you.
I really, really enjoyed these beans. I had to cook my beans longer (they’re a bit old, I think), I added a little extra celery to clear out my stock, and used liquid aminos instead of the Worcestershire sauce. They turned out great. Thanks for the healthy and plant based recipe. It was exactly what I was looking for!
You’ve made my day and I love the use of the liquid aminos. Thank you.
I made these beans today. SOOO good! I used crushed fire roasted toms instead, and subbed the sugar w monk fruit zero calorie sweetener. All else just as instructed. Thank you so much for this veg version. I will be making these often!
My favorite kind of feedback, I’m so glad you liked them
Not a Brit and never been there, but I developed a love for beans on toast and this recipe beats any other I’ve tried. Tasty and simple. Plus I know that I can make them truly vegan not just vegetarian and with a lower sugar and salt content than any UK imported canned beans. The recipe makes for enough to freeze and keep on hand for lots of breakfasts and lunches. Thanks for the recipe and all the tasty background info.
I’m so glad you liked them and I hope you get to try them in England one day. Thanks for the great feedback.
I’m enjoying your recipe at the moment, devouring a lunch of beans on toast. They’re subtly flavored, mild on the tongue and definitely delicious. The recipe yielded enough to fill three pint jars with enough left over to cover a piece of toast.
I checked a popular brand of vegetarian baked beans and found a single (pint) can has 10 times the sugar as in this entire recipe!
The one nit I have is that I would like to find a way to make them with a bit more sauce so that it can soak into the toast.
I had an electrician come just as the beans went on the stove, and they boiled over. Boy, you really do have to keep an eye on it. It went everywhere. Fortunately, starch cleans up easily.
The post cooking cleanup was a little more daunting, since we don’t use a dishwasher. The sink was full between the bean pot, colander, measuring spoons, saute pan, knives, cutting board and blender parts.
BUT, it’s all worth it. Thank you so much for providing a healthy, delicious recipe. It’s definitely going into our collection and will be used frequently! Best wishes!
Thanks for the detailed feedback Thom and I’m glad you liked them. The British recipe is very different than the American one that is quite sweet and smokey. To make them more saucy, try adding a little more crushed tomatoes, ketchup and little stock or water. You’ve got me thinking about beans on toast and now I want some 🙂
Pete says,
Before I saw this recipe I tried to recreate the heinz uk beans flavor and thought I got pretty close. I soaked white navy beans for 24 hours. Drained them, covered with V-8 juice(Campbell) added a dash of milk and cooked in a pressure cooker (instant pot)for 15 minutes. They came out very close, l may try to tweak but very close.
Thanks for your recipe, this is a heck of a shortcut, thank you for sharing.
It’s not clear when and where to to use the divided salt. Could you please clarify?
I can see where this doesn’t read clearly and I’ve make the change. The extra 1/2 teaspoon salt is for step 10 after you taste for seasoning so the cook can add as much or as little as you like. I hope this helps.
I followed the recipe exactly and they came out hard. Any ideas?
Hi Sam, I’m sorry this happened to you. This could be due to the beans themselves, if they are old (maybe they have been sitting in the store for a while) they will take longer to cook. You could just try baking them longer and keep tasting them until they are tender. I hope this helps.
Question: At what temperature for the last part in the oven ? Thankyou
Hello Frank, sorry for leaving that out. The temperature is 325°F and I’ve updated the recipe.
This is something I’ve been wanting to have a go at making for ages, Janette!
It’s very true what you’re saying about British baked beans. I have them at least once or twice a week, sometimes just for dinner on toast with a little sprinkling of cheese, and sometimes with a full cooked breakfast at a local pub (for about £3 if you can believe that!).
Thanks so much for the recipe – they look just like Heinz!
I have been looking for a real deal baked beans recipe for ever. I am such a huge banked beans lover, I could eat it anytime of the day. So cool you ad Worcestershire Sauce, yum! 😀
I do love my tinned beans, but I bet these would give them a run for their money! Yum!
Oh yum! I’m saving this one. I really need to make more beans at home!
I love baked beans, but have never made them myself. Being vegetarian, I always have a hard time picking something that is without meat. Love your explanation about how the British Baked Beans are different from the US ones. Now I know vegetarians have to go the British way when making the baked beans. Great recipe and thanks for sharing!
Homemade is always better! And paired with your English breakfast… I’m drooling just thinking about it! My husband would totally go nuts for this dish.
Hi I make my own version of baked beans as a weight watcher. I use pasata I instead of tinned tomatoes. I also use Worcester sauce but can I make a comment as in case people who are vegetarian don’t realise? Worcester sauce has Anchvies in it. So for those that cannot use it for that reason Maggi makes a good alternative. Can be found he was seasonings in supermarkets. I’m not a great fan of Heinz beans too sloppy for me and DH we prefer Branston. We live in France a lot (although we’re English) of the time and doesn’t mind the French ones. So I make my own, this week I tried cannelinni beans but beans too large. I’ve tried borlotti but a bit meaty but not the right texture. This week I’ve found extra fine beans. Will try with t hear next batch. These are all tinned but have used dried beans in the past from Spain. But skins slid off and skins we’re not soft enoughj. Yeah I know in fussy. I also book them in the hard afterwards as Americans say canning. This works for me. Only have to make a batch once a month. Plus I can use small jars for one portion. I also use bbq sauce and if it needs sweetening a tsp of Agave syrup. We can’t get monk fruit in uk. Many thanks for sharing your recipes. I will try the American recipe one day as love molasses. ☺
Thank you so much for all this information, it will be very helpful to my readers.
I just love baked beans. There is just something about the sweet and savory together. Yours look incredible!
I love this recipe. Growing up, we would eat baked beans and toast on Friday nights. We would groan at the site of the beans, but, my parents insisted that they are good for us. I will be making these beans on recipe on Friday nights.
Baked beans are so good and I have never tried making them homemade. Perfect to pair with a warm pot pie on cold days!
I love baked beans.. this sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Oh, Janette, this recipe is getting pinned immediately! My husband will love you if I make him these homemade beans (he loves beans and made us a bean and cheese toastie today … mmm!) Really keen on trying these! Especially love that you added bacon.
These look so much better than canned! Definitely a recipe I will have to try! My husband LOVES baked beans!!
I love baked beans, but I’m a bit embarrassed to say I’ve never made my own – that’s right, I’ve only had them from a can. I know… it’s shameful. This recipe looks so delicious, you’ve inspired me to make my own. I have all of the ingredients in my pantry – looks like I’ll be soaking beans tonight 🙂
Your baked beans sound incredible. This recipe is worth stepping away from the can! Thanks Janette.
Thank you KC. These really do taste so much better than canned, I was very pleased with them, so was my husband 🙂
Oh, I do love homemade baked beans – and a good pie – yum – I guess that’s the Kiwi in me:)