Looking for delicious homemade baked beans without the pork? Look no further! These lip-smacking vegetarian baked beans are just as rich and satisfying as the traditional ones, without the meat.
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Baked beans are my safety food.
While not all canned baked beans are vegetarian, a lot of them surprisingly are. Whenever I'm at a cookout that's all burgers and hot dogs, its a pretty safe bet I can find some baked beans.
Homemade baked beans are another story. You can bet most people making these kinds of beans are adding pork in the form of bacon or sausage, maybe even ground beef.
But don't worry! You can still have rich, flavorful baked beans with no pork. They're great as a side, or make a main dish out of a bunch of sides by serving them with mashed potatoes, salad, and cornbread.
These taste just like regular canned beans in my opinion. A little sweet, a little savory, and that perfect barbecue flavor. Of course you can play around with spices and seasonings if you like (be sure to check out my customization options below!).
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Molasses
- Ketchup
- Dry mustard
- Worcestershire
- Navy beans
- Beer
- Salt
How to make vegetarian baked beans
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Cover with foil or the lid of the pot and bake 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or more. The beans are ready when they're hot and the sauce has thickened, but you can continue cooking if you prefer a thicker sauce.
Top tips
How to make vegan baked beans
The only thing you need to check to make this recipe vegan is the worcestershire sauce. Not all worcestershire sauce is vegetarian or vegan, but I can usually easily find a vegan version in the natural and organic aisle of the grocery store.
Technically not all beers are vegan, but there are very few that aren't. You may also want to check this if choosing vegan is important to you.
What kind of beans to use for baked beans
Navy beans are traditionally used to make baked beans. They're a small white bean, and can be substituted with cannellini beans if needed.
I'm using canned beans to make this baked beans recipe faster and easier since they're already cooked. If you prefer, you can use dried beans to make vegetarian baked beans, just be sure to cook them first.
Choosing the right pot to cook in
This can be a one-pot meal if you cook everything in a dutch oven or other oven-safe pot. I chose to bake my beans in a regular baking dish so they would be easier to photograph, but normally I would use my Le Creuset dutch oven (affiliate link).
What to eat with baked beans
- BBQ Tofu
- BBQ Tempeh
- BBQ Tempeh Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Moist and Fluffy Cornbread
- No Mayo Coleslaw
- Homemade Veggie Nuggets
- Hummus Sandwich
- Vegan Ham
- Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes
- Cheesy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes
- Mashed Potatoes Without Milk
Tips for customizing vegetarian baked beans
- Add a small splash of liquid smoke or a ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
- Include sriracha in the sauce or drizzle it over the top when finished for a spicy kick
- For thicker sauce, bake an additional 30 minutes - 3 hours, covered with foil, removing the foil in the last 30 minutes of cooking
- Meat eaters can add cooked, crumbled ground beef or diced bacon
FAQ
Yes! Simply add everything to the slow cooker instead of the baking dish and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. You can also keep cooked beans warm in the slow cooker by using the "warm" function, whether or not you cooked them in the oven.
Yes, just allow the beans to come to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container (make sure you leave a little room at the top for expansion as it freezes) and storing in the freezer for up to 6 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or vent the lid and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until warmed.
Yes, but you'll need to cook the beans before using them in this recipe. Check out this post on how to cook beans. You will need about 2 heaping cups of dry beans for this recipe.
More bean recipes
- Easy Canned Butter Beans
- Spinach and White Beans
- Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Spinach and White Beans
- Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Gochujang Crispy Chickpeas
- Butter Bean Soup
- Orecchiette with Spinach and Butter Beans
- White Bean Dip
- Double Bean Pita Sandwich
- Chipotle Veggie Quesadillas
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Vegetarian Baked Beans
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the beans and stir until well combined.
- Add the beans and stir until incorporated.
- Cover with foil or the lid of the pot and bake 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or more. The beans are ready when they're hot and the sauce has thickened, but you can continue cooking if you prefer a thicker sauce.
Notes
Tips for customizing vegetarian baked beans
- Add a small splash of liquid smoke or a ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
- Include sriracha in the sauce or drizzle it over the top when finished for a spicy kick
- For thicker sauce, bake an additional 30 minutes - 3 hours, covered with foil, removing the foil in the last 30 minutes of cooking
- Meat eaters can add cooked, crumbled ground beef or diced bacon
Victoria West says
Could you use dried. Navy beans in this
Lindsay Moe says
Yes, but you would need to soak and cook the beans before using them in this recipe.