If you’ve been looking for a great vegan baked beans recipe – especially one made in an Instant Pot – than I’ve got you covered! Made from scratch with dried beans, these healthy baked beans are full of nutrition, flavor & texture.
Ever since celebrating my daughters bon voyage with a BBQ, I’ve the itch to make homemade baked beans. I bought my favorite ‘Celebration’ Field Roast to slice and grill (it’s great on the grill) and made canned baked beans, along with fresh roasted red potatoes and corn on the cob. Need I say, it was supremely delicious and this family affair set in motion the need to make fresh baked beans!
My journey to the perfect instant pot baked beans
This recipe was pretty easy pull together and only took a couple of tries to get just right. The first time, the beans didn’t cook long enough resulting in funky texture (nothing worse than undercooked beans, to the trash they went), and the flavor was a bit underwhelming.
Next try, I ramped up the ingredients which were right on, but the darn beans still needed a few extra minutes. Cooking time in the Instant Pot for non-soaked small white beans is a minimum of 50 minutes, and better at 65 minutes, plus 20 to allow the steam to vent naturally.
The end result is perfectly textured beans, with a robust flavor, that’s not too sweet, and has plenty of juices for dipping and swiping. It’s a healthy, vegan baked bean recipe I can stand behind 100%!
And if you don’t have an Instant Pot. No problem! There are instructions for using a slow cooker as well in the notes.
How To Make The Best Healthy Baked Beans
The ingredients are fairly minimal and simple, you may even have everything on hand already.
- Start with small white beans, navy or great northern are perfect. No need to soak your beans, as the Instant Pot will do all the work, cooking time is 65 minutes. But if you prefer to soak the beans overnight, you’ll be able to reduce the cooking time to 40 minutes (see notes).
- The main spices are simply smoked paprika, garlic powder, pepper (pref. freshly cracked from the pepper mill), and salt (which will be added at the end to taste). I love bay leaves, but you can omit it if you like, as it’s pretty subtle.
- Use your favorite mustard. I used whole grain mustard here. I didn’t test regular or Dijon, but I’m sure they will be great too. If you try them, let us know in the comments.
- The maple syrup will add a little sweetness, but not overwhelming in the least. If you prefer a sweeter baked beans, add a 2 – 3 extra tablespoons of syrup.
- To add a slight tanginess, the apple cider vinegar works wonders. It also helps break the beans down for easier digestion!
- For maximum flavor, use all vegetable broth. Although, I tend to stick with a combo of vegetable broth and water, using half and half of each, with great results.
- Personally, I don’t care for baked beans that are overly tomatoey in flavor. This recipe does call for a 6 oz. can of tomato paste, but I didn’t find to be too much at all.
Healthy Ingredients To Add-In For Versatility –
- Small jalapeno, diced (add a few seeds for extra heat)
- Small green pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses (unsulfered)
So there you have it, now it’s your turn to make a batch of these flavorful baked beans!
How To Serve Baked Beans
Baked beans will go perfectly with any of these recipes. You may just find a new combination for the meal rotation!
- Field Roast (burgers, hot dogs, or roasts)
- Smoky Black Bean Burger
- Baked Sweet Potato Wedges
- The Ultimate Vegetable Lentil Loaf
- 5-Ingredient Kielbasa with Peppers & Potatoes
If homemade baked beans were not on your list of things to make, I hope they are now. A staple for summer gatherings, they are perfect for BBQ’s & picnics.
Love using your Instant Pot
If love using an Instant Pot, try these other wonderful pressure cooker recipes. All are easy and delicious!
HEALTHY BAKED BEANS – INSTANT POT
Healthy, vegan baked beans made with simple ingredients right in your Instant Pot. No soaking of the beans required. Life made easy & delicious!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 85 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Side
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1b. navy or great northern beans (2 cups), rinsed and odd beans removed
- 4 cups water or low-sodium vegetable broth (or combo)
- 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mustard (regular, dijon or whole grain)
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- good pinch of mineral salt, or to taste
Instructions
Press the SAUTE setting on your Instant Pot and add 1/4 cup water. When hot, add onion and saute for 4 minutes. Add the smoked paprika and garlic powder, cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant, stirring frequently.
Next add the beans, water/broth, tomato paste, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, mustard, bay leaves and ground pepper, gently stir until the tomato paste is dissolved completely and everything is well combined.
Attach the lid, and make sure the vent is in the SEALED position. Push the PRESSURE COOKER button, and manually set the time for 65 minutes. When done, let the steam vent on it’s own, takes about 20 minutes. Move the vent to open, careful not to burn yourself as there may still be a little steam left. Remove lid and let cool a bit, add salt to taste. Remove bay leaves and transfer beans to a serving dish.
Beans will thicken once cooled. If too thick, add a 2 tablespoons of water at a time, mix well, and repeat until desired consistency.
Store leftovers in and airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. These freeze wonderfully, and will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer. Thaw before reheating.
Serves 6
NOTES:
No need to soak your beans, as the Instant Pot will do all the work. But if you prefer to soak the beans overnight, reduce the Instant Pot cooking time to 40 minutes, with natural release.
Use your favorite mustard. I used whole grain mustard here. I didn’t test regular or dijon, but I’m sure they’ll be great too. If you try them let us know in the comments.
These baked beans are not overly sweet. If you prefer sweet baked beans, add and extra 2 – 3 tablespoons of maple syrup.
Optional add-ins for variation:
- Small jalapeno, diced (add a few seeds for extra heat)
- Small green pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses (unsulfered)
If using blackstrap molasses, add 2 extra tablespoons of maple syrup. You most likely won’t need to add any salt.
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS:
Pre-soak the beans in a pot, cover beans with 2 inches of water, let set overnight (at least 8 hours). Alternately, place beans in pot and cover with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let soak for 1 hour. Drain beans before using.
In bottom of slow cooker, add the onion, beans, maple syrup, vinegar, 3 cups water/broth, tomato paste, smoked paprika, garlic powder, mustard, pepper, and bay leaves. Gently stir, until the tomato paste has broken up and dissolved. Cook on LOW for 8 – 10 hours. Add salt to taste.
Juliette | For the Sake of Good Taste says
Sounds delicious! I was just saying I need to find a really good vegan baked bean recipe! Now to find an instant pot…. 😊
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
No need to find an instant pot! You reminded me to add a slow cooker option. I had planned on it but got ahead myself. You can find it in the notes if you’d like to give this recipe a try. Thanks for the comment! Cheers :)
Michelle says
Perfect timing! Stuck at home waiting for washing machine repair man, who will surely arrive during the last minute of a 4 hour window! I happen to have have everything on hand –including the brilliant jalapeño add in. YUM! This sounds scrumptious! Thanks for what I’m sure is another winner!
JoAnne says
I just made these and they turned out great! Thanks for the recipe. This is just what I was searching for.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Great, JoAnne! Makes my day to know they turned out well. Cheers :)
Pam says
Did you use low or high pressure?
JoAnne says
I used high pressure.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
High pressure. Let us know how they turn out! :)
Beth says
Sounded so good! But didn’t turn out so great at execution… Upon the first round of cooking as recommended (50 mins, then 20 mins to ventilate), the thick sauce had stuck to the bottom and burnt really bad. Mixing the sauce and adding the small amount of water mentioned in the recipe meant mixing the burnt bits in, and ended up ruining the entire recipe. At the taste test, I found the beans to be pretty raw. I had to cook for an extra 4 hours to get the beans to be fully cooked (really didn’t want to give up on the recipe!) – and added quite a large amount of extra water to get them to soften. Ive tried a few of your recipes and usually they are great! But i think you should double the cooking time and the liquid (or maybe Im doing something wrong? Would totally try again if you know what I did to mess it up!).
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Oh my, I don’t know what could’ve happened here. It sounds like you did the right time. I’ve made this recipe about 5 times, the last two times with this cooking time and has been fine for me. So sorry it didn’t work out for you. Nothing worse than having a recipe not turn out well, I feel you on that. I do hope you try again with better results. :)
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
The only thing I can think of, is possibly the beans were old. When beans are old they don’t cook well and take forever to soften (if they soften at all).
Linda says
Finally got around to making this recipe and it’s absolutely delicious! I followed the directions, didn’t make any changes and it was perfect.
CElise says
If doubling the recipe in the instant pot, do I also double the water/vegetable broth?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yes, you want to be sure you have enough water for the beans to soak up. The bean juice will thicken upon cooling. Would love to know how it goes for you doubling the recipe! :)
Christine says
These turned out sooo yummy!!! The only thing I did differently is add a tablespoon and a half of blackstrap molasses and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper….thanks for the great recipe!!!
Melanie Cantin says
Mmmmm!
Looks yummy!
I don’t have an Instant pot or slow cooker…
That means i cannot do the recipe because i don’t know the proportions or what to omit in the ingredients…
Melanie Cantin says
I wonder how can i do the recipe without an Instant pot or a slow cooker. I have canned beans also haha!
I don’t have the time to do the hole process
Lisa says
The flavor is absolutely amazing, but for me the beans didn’t cook evenly, and some were still hard (in the instant pot for 50 minutes). Next time I will soak the beans overnight and then reduce the cooking time to 40 minutes. Aside from that issue, they taste sooooo good. To be fair, I did buy cheap beans from cub foods. In my experience, though, pre-soaking is essential, even with the instant pot.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Oh no, well soaking beforehand will definitely assure the beans cook. Hopefully next time they are perfect. I’ll make a note of that in the recipe, thank you for feedback. :)
Natasha says
Flavor of these is great. In my experience with the IP, I’ve found unsoaked beans don’t cook as evenly as I like, so I generally opt to soak. I found that same issue here, but thankfully, none of the beans are so hard that they’re inedible. I definitely will be making this recipe again, but I will probably soak my beans or add 10 minutes to the cook time. Thanks for the recipe!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
I totally agree with you on the time! I’ve updated the time to 65 minutes to be sure the beans are tender. I’ll make a note about soaking the beans and using the shorter cooking time too. Thank you for sharing your experience! Cheers:)
April says
Do you add the molasses before cooking or after?
I’m cooking a batch in an instant Pot and a slow cooker.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Great question! Add it before cooking. Enjoy!
April says
Thank you! I made a double batch. The Instant Pot batch is very good. I soaked the beans overnight and cooked for 40 minutes with natural release. The batch in the Slow cooker is still cooking. So many beans! I’ll have a happy holiday crowd.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Great, they hold up well and freeze if you need! Enjoy, and Happy Holidays to you and yours. Cheers :)
Mary says
How many minutes in instantpot if I pre soak the beans?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
With presoaked beans, 40 minutes should be all you need. Someone just commented on this, they presoaked the beans overnight and cooked for 40 minutes with natural release, and great results.. Hope that helps! Enjoy…
Cristina Siena says
Good recipe. I like it. My partner thinks there is too much apple cider vinegar. What can I add to fix the taste of too much vinegar?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Try adding a small amount of sugar, a generous pinch at a time until it’s balanced. You can also try to counterbalance with adding a generous pinch of baking soda, repeat as needed. Once flavor is balanced, you may need a tad bit of salt. Hope that helps!
Sandi says
Delicious! I didn’t have tomato paste and used barbecue sauce. Results were delicious!
★★★★★