Easy Vegan Baked Beans
Picture this perfect summertime meal: a veggie burger, some coleslaw, corn on the cob, and a big helping of the best vegan baked beans! These sweet and smoky beans are a super easy side dish, and they are naturally gluten-free.
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Is it even a cookout or summer BBQ party without baked beans?! Sure, you can grab the ones in a can from the store but homemade is so much better! Plus, many store-bought versions contain ham or bacon so they aren’t vegan let alone vegetarian.
No worries, making vegan baked beans from scratch is pretty easy.
Ingredients
You can find the full printable list with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
- Green bell pepper and garlic: We will be sautéing these in a little oil. You can also sauté with some water if you’re eating oil-free.
- Brown sugar and maple syrup: Both of these ingredients add a depth of sweetness. I prefer the combination of the two! If you only have brown sugar or maple syrup and not both, you can just use the one and add a little extra.
- Ketchup: You can also use plain tomato sauce.
- Apple cider vinegar: Key to the tanginess!
- Mustard: This helps add a mild kick and more tangy flavor to the baked beans.
- Seasonings: smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Beans: You can use either navy beans or great northern beans. This recipe calls for two 15-ounce cans.
You’ll also need:
- A medium-sized baking dish (2-quart is the perfect size!)
- Foil or a cover for the baking dish
How to Make Vegan Baked Beans
Here are the step-by-step instructions, including photos. See the full, detailed recipe in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Heat oil in a medium-sized pot or pan on medium heat. Sauté the bell peppers in oil until soft. Add in garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
Step 2: Turn off the heat and add the brown sugar, ketchup, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. You are essentially creating a BBQ sauce. Whisk until well combined.
Step 3: Stir the beans into the BBQ sauce.
Step 4: Pour into a baking dish. A 2-quart dish works great. Bake for 45 minutes.
Variations
- Add vegan meats: Vegan bacon, ham, or seitan sausage are great additions to these baked beans. Benevolent Bacon by Sweet Earth is our favorite vegan bacon!
- Use half an onion instead of onion powder: My boys are not big fans of onions, so I always use onion powder. Feel free to sauté some chopped yellow onions alongside the green bell peppers.
- Leave the bell pepper out: If you don’t like bell peppers, just go ahead and skip that ingredient!
- To make this recipe oil-free, simply omit the oil and sauté in water.
Make Ahead
Yes, you can make vegan baked beans a day ahead of time! You have two options: prepare all the way up until the baking step, and bake when you are ready to enjoy. Or, bake them the day before and reheat on the stove or in a microwave.
Storing Leftovers
Got leftovers? Store these in the fridge for up to 3 days! They are delicious warm over toast for breakfast.
These baked beans are also freezer friendly! Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a comment and a ⭐ star review below!
Enjoy with some delicious easy baked tofu and vegan potato salad.
Looking for more tasty bean recipes? This vegan bean dip is a great snack or appetizer!
Best Vegan Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons oil
- ½ green bell pepper chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic chopped
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 15-ounce cans navy beans or great northern beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat oil in a pot on medium heat.
- Sauté the bell peppers in oil or water until soft. This takes about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, black pepper, mustard, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Whisk until well combined.
- Stir in the beans.
- Pour the contents of the pot into a baking dish. A 2-quart dish works great.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
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Made these as the recipe calls, with great northern beans. SO good! Wouldn’t change a thing
Wonderful!
Too sweet for our tastes. Will try reducing the sweet items and upping the mustard.
Very good flavor. Just 3T each brown sugar and syrup.
This tastes delicious and is easy to make! Some of my beans were hard though. I used canned white beans and canned pinto beans. Followed recipe exactly. How can I prevent this in the future?
This was a fairly easy recipe and I had all of the ingredients on hand except I only had one can of Great Northern beans, so I used one can of pinto beans. They looked and tasted great, but some of the beans were a little hard. What did I do wrong? I believe I followed the recipe exactly. Were the beans to be drained and rinsed from the can? That is the way I prepared them. Thanks for your help. I want to make this again, but I want all of the beans to be soft. It tastes so yummy!
I’m glad you enjoyed! Yes, you prepared the beans correctly. For next time, I would recommend adding a little water to increase the liquid – perhaps a 1/4 cup or so.
Do you drain and rinse the beans first? thanks!
Yes! I will make that clear in the instructions.
looks great got to try it thank you
Thank you, Susan! Hope you enjoy!