Simple Homemade Maple Baked Beans

These simple homemade maple baked beans come together quickly on the stovetop and are a delicious side dish or topping for hot dogs or toast! Vegan, sweet 'n savory, and made from whole foods... a classic case of healthy comfort food.

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Okay look, we're not about to tell you you're NEVER going to want canned baked beans again, because there's always a time and a place for nostalgia and convenience. And honestly, canned baked beans are pretty darn good. But friends, allow me to introduce you to simple stovetop baked beans recipe that's a smoky, savory, and sweet in all the right places.

We LOVE these baked beans on toasted sourdough, and to be frank, they make quite the hot dog topper, too ;). All around, this baked beans recipe is an ultra-comforting and healthy way to round out any meal whether or you eat meat or not!

Jump to:

• Ingredients You'll Need
• Instructions
• Substitutions & Variations
• Serving Ideas
• Storage
• Baked Beans FAQs
• You might also like...
• Simple Homemade Maple Baked Beans

Ingredients You'll Need

To make these homemade maple baked beans, you'll need:

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• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh cloves of garlic
• Sweet onion
• Tomato paste
• Navy beans
• Water
• Dijon mustard
• Smoked paprika
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

Making stovetop baked beans is SUPER easy and comes together in 20 minutes! Here's how:

To make these baked beans, prepare your ingredients by peeling and mincing the garlic, dicing the onions small, and draining and rinsing the navy beans.

Then, heat some extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized pot. Once hot, add the garlic and onions and sauté for a few minutes, until soft. Stir frequently to avoid burning, and add a pinch of salt as the onions soften to bring out their flavor.

Once the onions are soft, add the tomato paste and stir it into the onions and garlic. Sauté for another minute or so to combine all the flavors. Next, add in the navy beans, mustard, maple syrup, molasses, water, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.

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Stir to combine everything together, bring the pot to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer (low-medium heat). Allow the baked beans to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes during which they will thicken and all the flavors will meld. After the 15 minutes are up, remove the lid and remove the pot of beans from heat. Stir the beans, and once slightly cooled, taste and add more salt if needed.

Serve immediately as a side dish, or top toast or hot dogs (plant-based franks to keep it vegan, of course)!

Substitutions & Variations

As is, this homemade baked beans recipe is plant-based. However, some of the variations and serving ideas below will suit folks who eat meat, while other suggestions will keep it plant-based. All are delicious!

• Spicier - use hot smoked paprika instead of sweet! I use this hot pimentón (aka hot smoked paprika) (affiliate link) and love it.
• Bacon - If you're not vegan or vegetarian, adding bacon is delicious! Simply cut a strip or two of bacon into 1-inch pieces, and sauté with the onions and garlic. You can drain the fat if you'd like, but I highly recommend leaving at least a little bit of bacon fat in there for cooking the remaining ingredients. It's so good!
• More or less molasses - If you want a deeper molasses flavor, you can reduce the amount of maple syrup and swap it for more molasses. Alternatively, you can omit the molasses if you prefer baked beans without molasses.

Serving Ideas

Hot dogs: Baked beans on hot dogs is a classic comfort food, and with these homemade maple baked beans, it's a comfort food made healthier. These are, hands down, our FAVE hot dogs and our absolute fave hot dog buns.

Toast: Beans on toast -- another comfort food classic! When it comes to toast, we are obsessed with our local sourdough bakery, (Madison Sourdough - we love you!).

Baked sweet potato: Bake a sweet potato, cut it in half, add a little butter, olive oil, or coconut oil, and plop these baked beans right on top. This is one of our favorite dinners when we need to get by with pantry staples, and it is super filling and delicious!

Side dish: Throw a pot of these homemade baked beans on the stove to simmer while you cook a meal of roasted veggies, potatoes, and any meat, seafood, or vegan main dish.

Storage

To store: Store the beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can easily reheat them on the stovetop or in the microwave.

To freeze: To freeze these baked beans, place them in an airtight container (filling it full, with very little air space), and store in the freezer for up to three months. When you're ready to eat, let them thaw in the fridge, and reheat on the stovetop or microwave.

Baked Beans FAQs

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Some of our other side dishes!

• Creamy Instant Pot mashed potatoes
• Maple walnut Brussels
• Simple herb roasted beets

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