This BBQ Baked Beans recipe is super easy and packed with flavor, and it’s healthy and delicious – BONUS! It is the ultimate side dish and perfect for summer barbecues or as a new family favorite. Whole Food Plant Based, no oil, no refined sugar, and gluten free.
Hi! Robin here.
While growing up, we rarely had baked beans and when we did, my mom would doctor up canned baked beans. They were still really yummy, but typically she would buy several large cans of baked beans, and then added a bunch of ingredients: ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, onion, bacon, chopped up hot dogs, etc. Who remembers their mom putting chopped up hot dogs in their baked beans? They were so good. It wasn’t until years later that I realized how much fat, sugar, and sodium are in baked beans, not to mention what goes into hot dogs! :O
On a whole food plant based diet, the goal is to use whole foods, no oil, no refined sugars or flours, and minimally processed to no processed ingredients. I love this recipe because it was fun to make and super easy.
Bean Research
If you are like me, you enjoy using dried beans. They are so economical. Dried beans (and canned) do require some additional research for those of us that have a gluten dietary restriction as you need to find beans (both canned and dried) that are processed in a gluten free facility. Beans, by nature, do not contain gluten, but a lot of beans are processed in facilities that also handle wheat, so if this is a concern, you may have to do a little research before purchasing beans.
We are super lucky as our local grocery store carries brands (both dry and canned) that are processed in certified gluten free facilities. If you aren’t as lucky, you can typically order both off Amazon. I’ve order 10 pound bags of beans off Amazon before and then vacuum sealed them in half-gallon mason jars! 😀
I think Amazon must love us because we order tons of stuff. You can find some really good deals there, including food items that you can’t find at your local grocery store. Michael is obsessed. He orders everything off of Amazon. On any given day, the UPS truck stops at our home. We are on a first name basis with our UPS truck driver. Shout out to Dave from UPS. We love you man! 🙂
Sorry, I digress, back to the baked beans!
Cast Iron Skillet
One of the things I love about this recipe is using a cast iron skillet. I don’t use it all that often because cast iron skillets require seasoning with oil. “Wait, I thought you said no oil is allowed Robin!” And you would be correct. However, I remove the oil seasoning right before I cook in it. I put water in the skillet and really wipe it down to ensure that the skillet doesn’t have any oil residue. I really wipe it clean, like super clean. This way I feel comfortable that I have succeeded in removing all the oil. The cast iron skillet will look dull.
Additionally, you will also note that the vegetables may stick when dry sautéing them, so you may find yourself adding a little water to prevent the vegetables from sticking.
You might be thinking why bother then? The reason is because I simply love cast iron skillets and their versatility of moving from the stove-top to the oven. Of course, you can skip all of that and dry sauté your vegetables in the skillet of your choice and then move the contents to a casserole dish to bake. But when I can use one pot, it’s a total bonus.
We love this recipe. It is so tasty and everyone who has made it has commented on how awesome it is which makes us really happy.
Ameera here!
When I think of baked beans, I think of summer. For our family, baked beans was a classic picnic side dish, but it never expanded outside of the picnic realm. I can easily say that this one has made its way into our monthly rotation of recipes due to its BBQ flavor and yumminess.
We recently made it for Chris, Katie, and Charlotte. They all loved it. A simple and healthy Whole Food Plant Based take on an old classic comfort food. We hope you give it a try.
PrintBBQ Baked Beans
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: stove top, oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe is super easy and packed with flavor, and it’s healthy and delicious – BONUS! It is the ultimate side dish and perfect for summer barbeques or as a family favorite. Whole Food Plant Based, no oil, no refined sugar, and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, fine dice
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup organic maple syrup
- 1–15.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
- 1–15.5 oz. can navy beans, drained & rinsed
- 1–15.5 oz. can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
Herb/Spice Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste)
Other Optional Ingredients:
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, cut in half, seeds removed – optional *
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place all the Herb/Spice Ingredients into a small bowl, set aside.
- Over medium heat, sauté the diced onion in an oven-safe large skillet until tender, approx. 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet, and sauté for 1 minute, then add the tomato paste, cook for one minute, then add the Herb/Spice Ingredients, sauté for 30 seconds to release their fragrance.
- Add 3 cups of water and maple syrup to the skillet, turn up the heat on the burner, and bring to a low boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Then add the beans to the skillet, and stir well.
- Place the two halves of the jalapeño pepper, cut side down on top of the beans (see images) and simmer on the stove top for a few minutes.
- Place the oven-safe skillet into the oven for 30 minutes at 350 F.
- After 30 minutes, carefully remove the hot skillet and check the liquid level. Some of the liquid will have evaporated, if needed, add up to 1/2 cup of water to ensure the beans are just barely covered with liquid. Stir well. Test the flavors. Add more sea salt or ramp up additional spices, if needed.
- Return the hot skillet to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven, and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
* Jalapeno pepper: Jalapeno peppers vary in degrees of heat. If you like your BBQ Baked Beans spicy, then chop up the jalapeno pepper and put it in the BBQ sauce. If you just want a hint of heat, then cut it in half, remove the seeds and allow it to cook in the skillet, then discard it later (or eat it if you wish).
* Water/Liquid: The component for a great BBQ Baked Bean dish is to have a little liquid for the beans to swim in, but not too soupy. This is why you initially use 3 cups of water, then check the beans to see if they need more water after 30 minutes. They may require a little extra water added at the 30 minutes time mark.
Storage: Cool to warm, place in glass storage and refrigerate.
This looks really delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
A tip that my mom taught me is cooking large amounts of dried beans in a crockpot (beans + pre-boiled water(to remove calcium) + baking soda + 8 hours on low) then draining them, letting them cool, freezing them in a single layer, and bagging them. This means you always have cooked beans on hand in any amount you need.
Love your website! Cheers, Nicole
Hi there Nicole 🙂
Yaaay, so glad to hear you are enjoying our website, and we are excited you’ll be giving this recipe a try! Thanks for sharing your bean cooking methods. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
I don’t have an oven safe skillet so I just used my stainless steel cooking pan and they came out great. We really liked them with your burger recipe.
Hi there Colleen 🙂
Woo hoo!!! We are so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe along with our burger recipe. We appreciate you sharing your awesome feedback and for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
I LOVE baked beans!! I look forward to trying this recipe. One question, I’m not a lover of spicy food, so I will probably leave out the jalapeño. Should I keep the other spices as is? Thanks so much for sharing this recipe?
Hi there Daniel 🙂
We sincerely apologize for the late response as Monkey has been on maternity leave and we are now just being able to address comments – thank you for your patience.
We are so glad that you’d like to give this recipe a try! We would recommend that you make sure to use a mild chili powder as some brands can have a little heat. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
This was so good! We had a bbq at our house last night with the husbands family and I am the only WFPB. I made these impromptu as I suddenly realized everyone was bringing meat, eggs or ice cream..the ONLY thing I was going to be able to eat was fruit. I will be making these again as soon as they are gone! I am going to cut the maple syrup in half next time and see how that goes! The flavor was so good I think it might still be great even with less sugar.
Hi there Amy 🙂
Yaaaay!!! We are so thrilled you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it. We appreciate you sharing your awesome feedback and for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Paired this with a salad for dinner tonight. It was a hit! The beans were so creamy and indulgent seeming. Total comfort food!!
I think I will try and add some molasses the next time I make it.
Thanks for another winner! ?
Hi there Sandra 🙂
Wooooooot! We are so glad this dish was a hit! Love the idea of pairing it with a delicious salad. Molasses would be an awesome addition to this recipe. Thank you so much for your fantastic feedback and for taking the time to write to us <3
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Would this be possible to make the night before and then just put it in the overn the day of? Have a birthday part tomorrow and trying to thinks to make my day easier tomorrow but still want everything to taste perfect!
Hi there Amy 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. We apologize for the late response. We have not tried that method before, but we think it will work well. It’s possible the beans make soak up some of the liquid while sitting in the fridge; you may or may not need to add a little liquid as you can adjust to fit your personal preference.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Do you cover the pot when baking?
Hi there Cassandra 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. No, you do not cover the pot while baking. You want the liquid to bubble and caramelize the beans.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
I’m confused. I just made this recipe and put it in the oven. I thought it was odd that we’re supposed to use 3 cups of water with canned beans, but your recipes have never lead me wrong before. I’m reading the comments and I see people are mentioning using dry beans which would make more sense. If this is the case why does your recipe say canned beans on the list of ingredients? I hope I didn’t waste my time and food making this. I’ll find out in 50 mins.
Hi there Juliette,
We sincerely apologize for the late response, somehow this review got away from us. 3 cups of water is correct. We did not use dry beans as you can see the recipe indicates canned beans. 50 minutes would not be enough time to cook dry beans, nor enough water. The beans are not covered in the oven, a good bit of the water evaporates while in the oven. Not sure if you ended up making this recipe or not. Thank you.
-Ameera and Robin
These beans are beyond good!!
Hi there Juliette,
WOOT!!!!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for the awesome review of this recipe.
-Ameera and Robin
I always have too much liquid when I make this so instead of increasing the bake time the last time, I added another can of beans (black). It turn out perfect with the suggested bake time and got rave reviews from a mixed crowd of tasters in addition to creating even more color. I didn’t change anything else.
Hi there Teri,
YAYYYY!!! We are thrilled that you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a great review.
-Ameera and Robin
Doubled the recipe for a group of 14. Modifications: (I know, sorry but used what I had on hand, plus I am allergic to tomatoes.) 3 cans of pinto, and 1 cannellini, 1\5 cup maple syrup, 1/2 AIP beet/carrot Classic Nomato Meat Sauce adopted from Meatified. A huge hit at our Resurrection BBQ meal.
Hi there Lovely Franse,
WOOO HOOO!!! We are thrilled that you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the awesome review.
-Ameera and Robin