Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch – If you’re looking for a quick and easy Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch, I’ve got you covered! Full of nutrient-rich, healthy beans, and free from overly-processed ingredients and sugar, this recipe is the perfect swap for your average store-bought can of baked beans.
This Recipe is the perfect quick and easy side dish for any occasion. From the summer barbecue, to cozy winter meals, this dish is in-season all year long. Ready to learn more? Keep reading!
Are Beans Healthy?
Before we jump into the details of this recipe, I want to address the question: are beans healthy? With all of the diets avoiding beans these days, there’s a common misconception that beans are unhealthy, and should be avoided. I first want to start off by saying that no diet is a one-size fits all. For some, especially those with IBD or gut-related issues, avoiding beans may absolutely be necessary. However, for the general public, beans are actually incredible tiny powerhouses of nutrition!
Beans are Full of Resistant Starch
Resistant starch is incredible, offering numerous health benefits and perks. A functional fiber, resistant starch helps to resist digestion, therefore, the calories in resistant starch are much less likely than the calories in other foods to be stored as fat.
Since resistant starches are only partially digested, yet very filling, you may benefit from lower blood sugar levels, less insulin spikes, and a higher ability to burn fat after a resistant starch–rich meal.
All-in-all, resistant starches offer a ton of health benefits, and beans are a great source of this!
Beans are Full of Nutrients
Beans are a great source of plant-based protein. They provide a large dose of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and iron. Beans have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, depending on the person, can encourage good gut bacteria, and boost your heart health, among much more.
Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch
If you’re anything like me, then you grew up eating pre-packaged, canned baked beans from the store. I love just about anything sweet, and consequently, have always loved baked beans. However, when I’ve looked up baked bean recipes in the past, every single one I found called for massive amounts of sugar. Don’t even get me started on pre-packaged, store-bought versions… Loaded with refined sugar, processed bacon, and way too much sodium, a can of these beans can be highly inflammatory, and have always left me feeling less than optimal.
Luckily, making a Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch is actually incredibly quick and easy! Free from gluten, dairy, refined-sugar, and pork, this recipe is bursting with flavor, without all of the unnecessary and harmful ingredients.
Mom’s Secret Ingredient for a Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch
To be honest, my mom was the one who inspired my Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch Recipe. The secret to her sensational healthy baked beans is the liquid smoke! I had never used or even heard of this stuff before, but my mom apparently uses it all the time. A great brand to use is Lazy Kettle’s Liquid Smoke. Free of sugar and caramel color, this liquid smoke’s ingredient list is one item long: liquid smoke…as it should be!
Lazy Kettle’s liquid smoke simply gives an outdoor flavor with indoor ease. This is an ingredient you don’t want to skip out on. You’re gonna love it!
Best Recipes to Pair with Baked Beans
Baked beans are a versatile side dish that can be paired with a variety of dishes! Here are my personal favorites…
Recipe for Cornbread Muffins: Recipe for Cornbread Muffins is easy to make and whole grain nutritious. Plant-based milk paired with natural sweeteners is the perfect blend.
Hamburger Recipe on Grill: This is the BEST Hamburger Recipe on Grill – delicious grass-fed burger is juicy, flavorful and a classic dinner for your menu. Yum!
Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe: Healthy Pasta Salad Recipe is both gluten free and very, very healthy. It’s full of vegetables, super easy to make & delicious to eat!
Kitchen Favorites
Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch
Full of nutrient-rich beans, and free of overly-processed ingredients and sugar, this Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch delicious, and healthy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour + 10 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups Vidalia onions, finely chopped
- Himalayan salt, to taste
- 2 small cans (8 ounces each) organic tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon organic, gluten free Worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons liquid smoke (Lazy Kettle brand for a clean version)
- ¾ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high; add the onions and saute 5 to 6 minutes or until onions caramelize.
- Season onions with salt to taste.
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
- Transfer beans to a casserole dish.
- Bake beans for 50 minutes, or until thick.
- Remove from heat, and serve warm. Enjoy!
Keywords: Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch
Joëlle says
Hi,
Thank you for the recipe, which I will try as soon as the weather gets cooler! I tried clicking on your cornbread muffins recipe link but it didn’t work. Have you deleted the recipe from your site? I have my own gluten-free recipe and was curious to compare with yours 😊.
Madison Suttles says
Hi, Joelle!
I’m so sorry about that! I’m not quite sure what happened there, but the link has been updated. Thank you for bringing this to our attention! Here’s the link for quick reference: https://cleancuisine.com/recipe-for-cornbread-muffins/
Let us know what you think when you try the recipes!
Have a great day,
Madison
DEE says
I LOVE BEANS! AND BAKED BEANS ARE MY WEAKNESS. I was very drawn to this RECIPEs LOW calorie, LOW SUGAR CONTENT. I am VERY happy I tried it twice!
My substitutions or ADDITIONS FOLLOW.
1) ONIONS – COOKED UNTIL VERY CARMALIZED ABOUT 30 MINUTES OVER THE HEAT.
2) GREEN PEPPER, 1 MEDIUM, minced. Mixed into ingredients just before baking.
3) liquid smoke safety IS CONTROVERSIAL, I USED A spicy (DIY) barbecue “dry rub” mix, about 1 tbsp in the sauce.
4) Maple Syrup, I used 2 Tbsp “nectevia” new England maple syrup flavor. it’s made with blue agave and stevia, very low calorie, very low carbs, trace of sugars per serving.
Thank you for posting this delicious recipe.
Stacy says
How would you twist this into a crock pot recipe? Could you cook the sauce with the beans or would you need to cook the beans, drain them, then add the sauce?
Ivy Larson says
Hi Stacy, That’s a great idea to cook it in a crock pot! I would cook the sauce with the beans on low heat. I think that would work perfectly! Please let me know if you try it…
Bridy says
Thank you for the recipe. So many people have “sugar free” recipes, but add molasses. Sorry, that’s sugar too. I am looking forward to trying this.
Evelyn says
Hi! Just wondering if the Colgin has msg? Thanks!
Ivy Larson says
Hi Evelyn, So sorry for the delay getting back to you, I have been super behind on everything the last week or so. But no, Colgin definitely does not have MSG (Click here to learn more: http://www.colgin.com/faq.php#msg) My dad always got TERRIBLE headaches from MSG so this is one ingredient I have always known to avoid.
Lucy says
Hey! This recipe looks really good! I just have one question: I live in australia so I have a bit of confusion over the tomato sauce. Is it like tomato paste? Or more like a passata?
Thanks so much!
Ivy Larson says
Thanks so much Lucy! The tomato sauce is definitely NOT a “paste”—it is more like the consistency of a marinara sauce, but without the oil. I suppose if they don’t have canned and unseasoned tomato sauce in Australia you could puree canned tomatoes and that would probably be about the same thing? Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! Hope this helps?
Kelly says
Thank you for offering a healthy alternative that is diabetic friendly, made for our Memorial Day cookout!
Ivy Larson says
You are welcome Kelly!