Easy British Baked Beans (High protein, vegan)
- Updated on Feb 12, 2025
These British baked beans are a staple in England and taste just like the real Heinz thing (it’s a Heinz copycat recipe).
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The UK version of beans are quite different from their counterpart in the US, which tend to be sweeter and have a BBQ kick.
These are savoury, tasty and pack a nice nutritional bang. They also happen to taste awesome, and we sometimes eat them as beans on toast.
This recipe came about as I used to bring over baked beans on the plane every time I went back to Britain.
One time I had them in a backpack and they forced me to throw away a 4-pack at security. What a waste!
I swore it would never happen so I went about perfecting this recipe!
I’ve kept our recipe nice and simple, too, so it’s easy to put together on a busy morning, whether it’s a weekday or weekend. It also tastes freakishly close to the original, meaning it’s always guaranteed to work.
As always, we use NO AI in our recipes, and our recipes are tested time and time again to make sure they really work well.
Here’s the how-to guide and ingredients. The beans are actually vegan, and it’s very easy to make them into a full meal like we do in England and Ireland. They also go really nicely with an Ulster Fry.
If you need an App with with a load of healthy, veggie meals built in, you can download the App here.
British Baked Beans – better than the high sugar version
Using simple white beans, like navy beans, means that you can create a dish that’s exceptionally high in both protein and fiber, as well as folate and magnesium.
What I’ve found recently that is by eating lots of fiber high content like beans (and chickpeas too) is that they’ll keep me feeling full for ages.
This is turn stops me craving snacks and sweet foods – by default it helps me keep the weight down.
There’s a reason they’re a part of The Vegetarian Protein Fix.
I don’t win anything by convincing you to eat more beans – but they just seem to be so damn good for you it would be silly to look the other way.
The final statistic that convinced me of the wonders of beans was the one mentioned here by WHFoods – that research shows diets high in legumes can reduce the risk of heart attacks by up to 82%!
That’s ridiculous. It’s harder to think of a reason not to eat them 😉
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ onion
- 1.5 cups white beans, cooked (~1 can, 15oz/425g)
- 1 tsp thyme, dried
- 1 tsp sage
- ¾ cup tomato passata
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1-2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (vegetarian) (or 2 tsp white wine vinegar and 1 tsp maple syrup for every 2 tsp Worcester sauce)
- ½ tsp Tabasco sauce (skip if you like)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Bread and Tomatoes
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 slice wholegrain bread
- 8 cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Dice the onion and garlic, then fry both in olive oil.1 tsp olive oil, ½ onion, 1 clove garlic
- As soon as the onion starts to turn translucent add the white beans.1.5 cups white beans, cooked
- Now add the tomato passata, herbs, Worcester sauce, nutritional yeast and tabasco sauce.1 tsp thyme, dried, 1 tsp sage, ¾ cup tomato passata, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1-2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (vegetarian), ½ tsp Tabasco sauce
- Let it simmer for about 10 minutes and give it a taste test.
- Finish off with salt and pepper, if needed.Salt and pepper to taste
- BAM! Done. You just decoded Heinz’ Baked Beans recipe 😉
Tomatoes and Bread
- In a pan on medium heat the olive oil and chuck in the tomatoes. Toast the bread as you normally would. Season with a little salt.1 tsp olive oil, 2 slice wholegrain bread, 8 cherry tomatoes
- Done!
NOTES
- Make-ahead? Yes, prep the night before.
- Freezable? Yes! Baked Beans can be frozen.
Nutrition
Comments
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27 comments
This was delish. I didn’t have white beans so subbed black beans. I did drain and rinse the beans, which I guess I shouldn’t have because I ended up having to add water (mixed with veggie bouillon.) I’ve never tried beans for bfast, but I’m all in!
Very nice of you to share a review! Glad you enjoyed your breakfast!
So this was a bit dry to simmer. Maybe I misunderstood what Passata is. I added a couple cups of water and it was really good!
Hi Josie! Good feedback. Passata essentially is tomato sauce. It usually comes in packs or jars. Maybe you used tomato paste usually in tubes?
Would be good to know 🙂
I modified this slightly so as not to have to walk to the shops. I used leftover adzuki beans, and boiled a tomato and chopped that and included some tomato paste to replace the passata, and cayenne pepper instead of tabasco. Perfect breakfast!
Haha, nice! Always a bonus if you don’t need to go shopping. Sounds like really good modifications!
Happy Baked Beans on Toast Day (25th Dec).
A simple peaceful tradition started a few years ago here in the UK by one of my adult children, as an alternative to the avarice, stress and waste created by mainstream traditions (kept going by films and the media, for retail). Enjoying simple pleasures, for to live a simple life helps others to simply live.
Doesn’t sound bad to me! And with good baked beans – any day is a fine day for them 🙂
Hi Hauke,
I’m excited to try this recipe, just one question, do you know it it will freeze well if made in a large amount?
Hey Ashlee, Dave here. I haven’t tried freezing this recipe yet, but I’d be happy to freeze all the ingredients individually, so I’d say that should work well. Maybe just try a small batch first? The next time I make it I’ll be certain to put a small portion aside too 🙂
I’ve made the version by The Tiffin Box (cooked in my pressure cooker instead of on the stove) and it froze quite well. I thought taste- and texture-wise the reheated beans were very similar to freshly made.
Love this recipe. It takes a fraction of a time of my hubby’s recipe with the added bonus that it doesn’t need bacon bones for the smoky flavour. And it got the tick of approval from all three of my men – the big one and the two little ones. Creating a vegetarian home one dish at a time! Thanks ya’ll.
That is really great to hear, Peta!! Glad you and your family liked the recipe 😀
If they miss the smokiness, just add a pinch of smoked paprika.