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British Baked Beans

November 14, 2016

An overhead view of a pan of British baked beans

A closeup of a wooden spoon holding baked beans

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British Baked Beans are just like store bought but better, because they are homemade and homemade is always best. Similar to American-style, but meat-free and without the smoky flavor, just like mum used to serve. Navy, great northern (or haricot) beans are cooked with vegetables and flavorings in tomato sauce for a taste of a British classic.

Baked beans are probably one of the most common (if not the) canned items to buy in England. A delicious, saucy side for any dish, from fish and chips, sausage rolls, to beans on toast (the perfect budget meal) and even breakfast.

Vegetarian option

This is not a vegetarian recipe because of the Worcestershire sauce, but there are some delicious substitutes available to buy.

Dried beans are best

Everyone loves good baked beans, they really go with just about anything and good homemade baked beans start with dried beans, not canned. Dried beans just have better texture. If you used canned for this recipe they would be mush by the end of the recipe.

A closeup of a wooden spoon holding baked beans

Why are my beans hard and wont cook?

This is the most common issue that readers have had and it is all to do with the beans. I've had some be almost mushy in 30 minutes and some take almost 2 hours. You just have to keep testing them as they boil. There are no hard-and- fast rules as to why dried beans take longer to cook because it seems every batch of beans are different (see below at my test results on this). A few reasons could be, they are old beans. You can't be sure how old they are, even if they are within their expiration date. You have hard water. Hard water can toughen the skins. You didn't soak long enough. 8-12 hours is optimal but no more than 24.

Possible solutions:

Use bottled or distilled water to soak.
Allow enough time to soak the dried beans. This helps them soften and cook faster.
Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) per cup (453 grams) of beans to the soaking water, this may not always work.

My test on cooking beans (updated 28th February 2020)

Regarding the above information on the cooking of the beans, this week I decided to test out some beans from different sources. Each batch I spilt into two pans, one I added baking soda and salt, the other nothing.

The result is, some cooked really quickly (they were almost mushy in 40 minutes) and some took almost 2 hours to cook. The baking soda and salt did not make a difference. The beans are going to be done when they want.

Did you know Brits eat beans for breakfast? We do and this is because England is known for its Full English Breakfast (picture below) consisting of sunny-side up eggs, English back bacon, cooked tomato slices, black pudding (sausage), mushrooms and fried bread.

British Baked Beans v's American Beans

Baked bean originated in the U.S. American-style baked beans are cooked with pork (bacon) molasses and brown sugar and the sauce is much sweeter and thick. These British-style beans are without meat, with a thinner tomato sauce with carrots, celery and Worcestershire sauce.

How long will these beans keep?

These beans will keep refrigerated in a sealed container for 3-4 days or frozen for 2-3 months.

This recipe yields 2 quarts/8 cups/1.8 kg.

An overhead view of a pan of British baked beans

More British Recipes:

Full English Breakfast
British Fish & Chips
Minced Beef and Onion Pies

If you've made these British Baked Beans or any other recipe leave a comment below. I love to hear from my readers!

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 9 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups (360 grams) great northern,, navy or haricot beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
10 ounces (284 grams) yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup (87 grams) carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or grated
14-ounce (400 grams) can/tin crushed or whole tomatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or vegetarian option)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Instructions

To a large bowl add 4 cups (2 pints) of warm water to a bowl and add beans, soak at room temperature for 8 hours. After 8 hours drain, discard the liquid and rinse the beans.
To a large saucepan, add 6 cups water and bring to a simmer. Add the beans, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring often so they don't stick to the bottom. Cooking time will depend on your beans so check them often for tenderness.
Preheat oven to 320°F/160°C.
While the beans cook (15 minutes before they finish boiling) add the oil to a large, oven-proof skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes (if using whole, crush with hands) ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Be mindful if your ketchup is salty, you may need to adjust the salt. Stir to combine. Add 1/4 cup (50 ml) water and stir, simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in 1 cup (236 ml) water. Use a hand blender or a blender, working in batches to blend until smooth. Return back to the same pan stir in 3/4 cup water. Taste for seasoning.
Drain the cooked beans and discard the water. Add the beans to the pan with the cooked vegetables and stir.
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes uncovered.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 138 Total Fat 2g Saturated Fat 0g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 332mg Carbohydrates 26g Fiber 6g Sugar 8g Protein 6g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

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