These vegetarian baked beans are smoky, tender, and full of flavor.
No, they are definitely not authentic Boston baked beans (though the flavors are definitely inspired by them!) That would pretty much be impossible because the authentic version includes salt pork or bacon … and if we’re going vegetarian with these bad boys, well, meat is no bueno.
To add some smoky flavor back into the mix, I’ve included smoked paprika. A diced green bell pepper adds loads of flavor, too.
By the way – I really wanted to include a jalapeno, too, to add a bit of heat and even a slight smoky element, but ultimately I just found that jalapenos vary too much in heat level to maintain a consistent recipe. So out they went. And instead, we’ve got a little cayenne and a few dashes of Tabasco for heat.
How else do we add flavor? Dry mustard, onion, and vegetable broth instead of water, for starters. Water, by the way, will work fine as a substitute – veggie broth just deepens the flavors a bit.
Oh, and a bay leaf. Must have a bay leaf.
But let’s not forget the most important ingredient of all, aside from the beans themselves.
Molasses, baby. Thick, black molasses. That’s what gives these Crock Pot baked beans their unmistakably Boston-y flavor. Molasses, along with brown sugar, mingles with the onion, pepper, and spices to create a sweet, rich vegetarian Boston baked bean extravaganza.
Make these, and you’ll be tooting your own horn, too. Now go back and read the first six words of this sentence and giggle with the 12-year-old me. (Did I just go too far?)
Actually … speaking of. Did you know that’s why it’s so important to soak your beans (and discard that soaking liquid, and rinse well)? That helps remove many of the … gaseous compounds in beans.
All that’s left? Pure (vegetarian!) deliciousness.
If you’re tasked with bringing the baked beans to a barbecue this summer, try this meatless version. Even if you’re a meat-eater yourself, I guarantee there’ll be a vegetarian at the party who will thank you immensely. Vegetarian baked beans can be such a nice, protein-packed, satiating option for the vegetarians – take this from a vegetarian who has eaten one too many “cheese buns” (that is, a hamburger bun with cheese melted inside) at barbecues past. And you know what else? The carnivores won’t miss the bacon, I swear. Win-win!
Oh, wait! I have one more thing to say about this recipe. Lord knows, I’ve made it enough times and thought about it enough times to where I’m going to have to stop myself at some point here.
So I tried this recipe in the oven the first couple of times, and finally, it dawned on me. Baked beans, the perfect summertime substantial side, baking in a hot oven for hours? No. No no. So I broke out my Crock Pot and made this a slow cooker recipe. I love using the slow cooker in the summer months – no heating up the kitchen – and nice and portable too.
Okay, I’m done. Go forth and eat delicious (vegetarian!) beans!
Important Note
I’ve had a couple of people report back that this recipe didn’t work for them, for various reasons (see comments). I tested this recipe a gazillion times over so I’m not sure what is going wrong for them. I’m keeping this recipe up because I believe in it but I will continue to test and hopefully replicate any issues – and solve them.
Slow Cooker "You'll Never Miss the Bacon" Vegetarian Boston Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried small white beans or navy beans
- Water for soaking beans
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 1 medium green pepper (diced)
- 1 cup vegetable broth or water
- 1/2 cup molasses (I use Grandma's original)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 5-6 dashes Tabasco sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Soak. Rinse the beans and sort through them, discarding any beans that look "off" or any foreign objects. Place beans in Crock Pot and cover with 3-4 inches of water. You can also add them to a pot or bowl; I just like to use my Crock Pot stoneware because in the end that's one less dish to clean. Cover and let soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. Pour the soaked beans into a colander and rinse well. Rinse out the Crock Pot. Set soaked beans aside; you'll add them back to the Crock Pot in a minute.
- Assemble. Add onion, pepper, broth, molasses, brown sugar, olive oil, dry mustard, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to Crock Pot. Mix until combined. Add back your soaked and drained beans and stir until combined. Add bay leaf.
- Cook. Cook on high for 8-10 hours or on low for 12-14 hours. Note: Slow Cookers can vary, so the first time you make this, you may want check on it periodically and see if you need more broth or water after the first few hours. But don't worry, your beans shouldn't turn to mush! The molasses helps to prevent that.
- Leftover beans keep up to three days refrigerated in an airtight container. They also freeze well.
Looks fantastic!! I have to try this soon! 🙂
I have never made my own baked beans before, but now I REALLY want to try.. especially since this is vegetarian!! 🙂
Do you think something could be substituted for the mustard? Or do you think it’d taste fine just omitting it? I wish I didn’t have to ask, but I’m sensitive to mustard (and last time I ignored that fact I ended up with hives). They look delicious.
Hi Jennifer, I’ve heard of both wasabi powder and horseradish powder as substitutes for dry mustard, but I can’t vouch for how they taste. Maybe go lightly the first time around and see? The dry mustard definitely adds nice flavor, so I think I’d try to substitute before omitting. Hives – eek! I think you’re right to steer clear! 🙂
these look like amazing baked beans. i have a vegetarian who would love these!
These look terrific! However, I do not own a crock pot. How can these be prepared?
You can also cook them in the oven in a cast iron pot. But you’ll want to increase the broth – double, triple, or even quadruple it, and keep an eye on the liquid level as they cook. I’d say about 4 hours at 350 degrees or so. Hope that helps! 🙂
just put this together..Dug out my old Rival crock pot (at least 30 years old), crock is working and I cant wait. Thank you for this recipe. I like baked beans but since becoming vegan I wont eat them. Thank you again
How much onion? you mention it in the instructions, but not in the ingredients. I’m currently soaking my beans. very excited about making these
Whew, you scared me! It’s there in the ingredients. 🙂 1 medium yellow onion. I hope you love them!
Hello!
These look delicious, I’m just soaking my beans and looking for the perfect recipe! I’m a baked bean newbie, I’ve been using the tins for years and only just realised how bad the actual tin is to the food :/. So, here I am, making my own baked beans. They look and sound fab, however il was wondering about the sauce? I love a thick rich tomato sauce, does this have that? I can’t tell lol.
Becky
It’s definitely saucy (the sauce thickens and does absorb a little as the beans cool). But these might not be the super saucy tomato-y baked beans that you are after. Maybe search for a barbecue baked beans recipe? Now I feel the need to create one – thank you for the idea. 🙂 I’m kind of obsessed with Crock Pot baked beans!
I just put these in the crock…now i just …wait 🙂
But.. i used raw sugar and i didn’t put molasses…trying not to use too much sugar ..calories…
I hope it comes out good .. i really love the smell of smoked paprika , i never knew about it wow..:) I tried the broth and it seemed sweet enough..
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Diana, I hope you love them! The molasses does do some magic by helping keep the beans from getting mushy, so if your result is a little mushier, that might be why. I’m sure they’ll still taste fabulous though!
could you use canned beans or are dried better?
The recipe accounts for using dried beans because the beans cook in the sauce. But you can absolutely use canned! I’d just reduce the broth a bit (maybe even leave it out entirely) and cook for less time overall. I haven’t tried this recipe this way so I can’t guarantee fantastic results, but I do think they should still be delicious!
I made these last night! I had to double the recipe for a larger party, but here’s the changes I made:
1.5 cups of broth (I bought lower sodium broth)
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
4 tsp of salt (I don’t like to over salt and there’s salt in the broth and canned tomato)
3/4 cup of molasses
+/- 3/4 cup brown sugar…I didn’t pack it or measure too accurately
The house smelled amazing when I woke up this morning and they taste delicious!!!!!
This recipe looks wonderful. I am wondering if you can share the oven directions that you were following before switching to the crockpot. I volunteer in a line of hope and prepare food for the homeless and I would like to do a larger quantity than my crockpot would hold. Your time/temp would be a great starting place for me to make a large quantity to serve. Because yumm! Thanks
I tried to post this but for some reason my comment isn’t showing up….
I made these last night! I had to double the recipe for a larger party, but here’s the changes I made:
1.5 cups of broth (I bought lower sodium broth)
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
4 tsp of salt (I don’t like to over salt and there’s salt in the broth and canned tomato)
3/4 cup of molasses
+/- 3/4 cup brown sugar…I didn’t pack it or measure too accurately
The house smelled amazing when I woke up this morning and they taste delicious!!!!!
This recipe is fantastic! I’m about to make them for the third time. The only thing I do differently, everyone’s taste being a little different, is use half the sugar. I love pork/bacon, but my gallbladder won’t let me eat it anymore, so I reluctantly, and skeptically, searched for a recipe, found this one and thank goodness because I’ll never need to find another. Truly, I do not miss the meat/fat thanks to this recipe!
I am so happy to hear this, Kevin! So glad you like the recipe and good to know the sugar can be reduced with good results!
I’ve never liked baked beans but as pregnant women could relate, I got a strong craving for baked beans that could not be ignored. My husband found this seemingly simple sounding recipe (and we had all the ingredients for it already). After cooking for 6 hours on high and nearly 12 hours on low the beans are still crunchy and they do NOT smell as good as it all did going together last night. The sauce is still soupy and the whole thing just is no where near as appetizing to look at as your version.
I’d like to avoid making these 8 times before they turn out right, any tips tricks or majic you could share would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Beans don’t cook easily if they haven’t been soaked long enough. The last couple of times that I made baked beans, I soaked them for 24 hours and it made it so much easier to get a tender end product. Best of luck with your next attempt.
You say the beans were crunchy despite hours of cooking. This can be caused by using dry beans that are old. Look at the date on the package and do not use them if they are a year or more old. Old beans do not soften, no matter how long they are cooked.☺️
I couldn’t be more of a meat eater if I tried, but I want to start cutting fat from my diet. This dish looks absolutely amazing. I’m definitely going to try this. (I may need some cooking help from my wife though as I’m a total klutz in the kitchen.)
Thank you for sharing this!
I made these yesterday. The liquid did not seem adequate at first, so I added maybe about a half cup of water. After 8 hours on high (and not paying attention to the amount of liquid at all), they were still hard and dry. So, I added another cup and a half of water and left it running for another 2.5 hours. It was my first time using my crockpot so I’ll have to get used to starting a bit earlier. By the time the beans were cooked down enough to refrigerate, it was 1 AM!
I have this sitting in the crockpot today while I’m at work. I made a few adjustments/additions just to meet our tastes and to accommodate what I had on hand. I can’t wait to walk in the door tonight and smell the aroma.
This will be a first for me….so I hope they turn out 🙂
These would have tasted great but the beans never softened. 16h of cooking and 2h before our guests were to arrive we bailed and made a run to the store. I bought small white beans but maybe they were the issue?
I am making the beans now and I am very excited to offer these to my vegetarian friends who are coming over for dinner! But I do not have 12 hours, so I quick-soaked, rinsed, and then cooked the beans on the stove BEFORE adding all the yummy ingredients into the crock pot. I am putting this out there as a suggestion to those who were not getting the beans to soften during cooking. I have read that tomato sauce keeps the beans from cooking, so it may be better to add it later in the cooking process. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Johanna, thanks for your thoughts! Cooking bean can be a such complex thing. Hope you had a wonderful dinner party!
Just came across your recipe and it looks delicious! However, just wanted to point out that the soaking of beans for degassifying is an urban myth. Serious Eats did some in-depth research on it, including blind taste tests. The best way to cook beans to get maximum flavor is to not soak them, just put em in water and start cooking them. That’s how they’ve always done it in Mexico, and they know a think or two about beans.
Hi Aerel, yes, I saw that Serious Eats story too! I’m not sure I’m totally on board with the one-person test but it is intriguing research nonetheless. 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly this weekend and my beans, green peppers and onions came out black and very unappealing. My crock pot was on low, but maybe it cooks at a higher than normal temperature? I dunno. I’m going to test out another recipe (that has different cooking times, methods and some ingredients are different). Hopefully I can find something that works! So disappointing when a recipe doesn’t turn out!
Hello, I often don’t make comments, but felt I had to after making this recipe. For my son’s birthday dinner he requested cheeseburgers and I was asked to bring homemade beans. I followed the recipe (including over 8 hours of soaking the raw beans the night before ) and got the slowcooker ready and going before bed. Having to work the next day, I had no time to babysit the beans, but the recipe struck me as having too little liquid per 1 pound of beans. My slow cooker was set for 12 hours on low. When I came home, they weren’t done. I amped up the heat to high for the amount of time I had before our dinner. The end result tasted bitter and nd no one ate them. 🙁 I added water to them while trying to cook them off more. Now they are back in the pan today. I am attempting to cook them more with more water in hopes of stretching out the bitter and greatly reduced molasses and brown sugar broth. Hope I can salvage them.
I need to double the quantity for a large group. I saw one comment about doing that an changing the measures of different ingredients, but she also added tomato sauce and paste. If I don’t add tomatoes, do you think doubling the broth/water would work?
I just had to comment on these beans! I made them for a large party with about 50% vegetarians in attendance. Meat-eaters and vegetarians alike raved about them. They were absolutely delicious! I doubled the recipe and added one can of tomato sauce to the mix. Full disclaimer – I did not cook them in a crock pot. I started them the morning of the party and looking at the time and other comments, I was nervous about them finishing on time. I put them on the stove at a simmer for 8 hours and they were cooked perfectly. Next time I will try the crock pot, but allow plenty of time. Highly recommend them!
Approximately how large is a serving? I entered the ingredients and “8 servings” into the Lose It! app. Trying to count calories. Thanks!
P.S. I also read the article referenced above about “do not soak your dried beans before cooking them” and am trying it on this batch.
hi!
I figured out why the recipe won’t work for some people. your instructions aren’t clear enough between steps one and two. all you say is: set soaked beans aside – not clear.
I think you need to actually add a step and say: remove soaked beans from crockpot (because you asked them to soak them in it), and rinse beans very well. because in your step two all you say is: add all ingredients to crock pot. now if someone has read your whole blog, they might make it work because you mention it somewhere in there; and if someone has made beans lots before, then they know too. but in your recipe part, really, the instructions are not clear. you know, not everyone is entertained by blogs that go on and on and on even though they are very popular; however, I read yours lol; sincerely, Linda
Thank you for your thoughts, Linda! I did mention to add back the beans but I could see how someone could miss that. I just rewrote the recipe directions to clarify why I soak in the Crock Pot and to better differentiate between the soaking and assembly/cooking steps. Thanks again, I appreciate it!
What size was your crock pot?
I made a batch of these for my daughter’s birthday party. I had a handful of vegetarian guests, so I figured it would be easier and inclusive to make all the sides vegetarian. They were pretty tasty, but I think the molasses left an aftertaste that was a bit too strong for my tastes. My father-in-law loved them, though, and he’s not even vegetarian! We’re throwing a retirement party for him next week, so I’m going to make them again. This time, I am thinking of reducing the molasses to about 1/4 cup instead and maybe the sugar too. I had some technical difficulties with my slow cooker (user error), which made them take a little longer to cook, so about an hour before the party, I threw on the pressure cooker function (my slow cooker does both) for about 20 minutes to finish softening them. This might be another alternative for anyone who doesn’t have a slow cooker or who wants to cook them faster. Just watch out for time and liquid content, as you don’t want them to burn or turn mushy.
These beans are delicious and so easy to make!! We plan to start making them on a regular basis since they were such a big hit in our house. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for posting this recipe, Karen. I made this and just started eating it!
Here is what I altered:
no green pepper
Dijon mustard
1/ 1/2 cups water instead of broth
Frank’s Red Hot instead of Tabasco
2 tsp salt
on high for 12 hours.
It tastes AWESOME. Yes, the beans and onions are caramelized so they look black, but that’s a sign they are infused with flavour. The molasses aftertaste is something you just can’t get in store-bought. My beans are firm to the touch but crush into a soft pillowy mess in the mouth.
My serving size is 3/4 cup (although I think 1/2 is probably better as this is a rich dish). Here’s calorie information for whose who are interested: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/230647977135981
Cook my beans these beans for 14hrs, although the sauce was delicious,the beans remained “crunchy”. I now know The secret to cooking beans is to not add the sauce ingredients, especially the molasses, until the beans are totally cooked. Once the molasses is added the beans seem to no longer cook.
Could this interesting bean recipe be used with kidney beans, as well?
I’ll be honest – after learning that raw kidney beans can be poisonous, I am a nervous to cook with them! When I use kidney beans I start with canned. So I can’t recommend them because I’m not sure how that would affect the cooking time etc. I will have to get over my fear and do some experimenting!
Baked beans do not cook well in slow cooker. Try baking in covered casserole in 300 degree oven for 4 to 6 hours.
Thank you, thank you for the BEST baked beans of my life! I found this recipe right after purchasing my first pressure cooker. Though I am not a vegetarian, I can’t imagine adding meat to this recipe as it is divine as is. As with most cooks/readers, I made a few minor adjustments to suit my tastes (reduced sugar and molasses, more smoked paprika, diced carrots + celery and a healthy dose of canned adobo peppers). It’s super fast to make and freezes beautifully. Your recipe alone has made the pressure cooker worth purchasing. Thanks again. Diane.
Thanks so much, Diane! How long do you cook this in the pressure cooker? I need to try it in mine ASAP! 🙂
Hello! We tried these today and were pretty impressed. I like my sauce just a little stickier, but for the ease of being able to cook them in a crockpot, I’d call this recipe a winner!
Thanks for sharing!
I soaked beans all day and cooked them overnight. The molasses burned and the beans were hard. I would like to try it again and use a lot more bRoth.
A couple of reasons that beans fail is 1 they are out of date
2 there is hard water You might want to use distilled 3 never add acidic ingrediants such as tomatoes until the last hour or so
I started eating my grandma’s baked beans in the 1950s. I’ve made many, many, many pots of my own. Since becoming a pescatarian several years ago, I’ve tried many recipes for vegan baked beans. This one is The Best. I suspect over the coming years, I’ll tweak it here and there but these are great beans. Thank you! (I did cut the sugar way back)
I made this recipe yesterday for a fourth of July party and it was a huge hit. The meat eaters didn’t even notice it was vegetarian (vegan, even). I doubled the recipe and cut the sugar and molasses by about 1/4 (so used 3/4 cup of each for a double recipe). No other modifications. Soaked 8 hours, then cooked 14 hours on low, and then kept them on the “warm” setting for several hours until guests arrived. They kept their shape, didn’t get mushy, but were fully cooked after the 14 hours on low. There were no leftovers and several people wanted the recipe. This is a keeper.
Yay, so glad to hear that! 😀 Thanks so much for your feedback and review. Happy (belated) Fourth!
Could I use maple syrup instead of molasses? I really dislike the taste of it. Thank you.
I made these for my daughter’s graduation party. It was easy; before I went to bed I put the beans in to soak, then I just started them in the morning. I could forget about them while I got ready with other things. Both vegetarians and non- vegetarians came up to me to say how good they were!
I made these for a picnic. They cooked overnight I followed redirections exactly. That morning I tasted them and they were not good. They say during the day and by the next evening they were amazing. So I am guessing my crockpot is way different (very large). So if they don’t taste right let them keep cooking. I wish I had made them 2 days ahead They were amazing!
Did you ever figure out what the issue was with folks who couldn’t get this recipe to work? I ask because I have made this twice, both times following the directions, making sure I had new beans, live in the same apartment (no hard water), used the same crock pot, etc. The first time they were fabulous! The second time, they tasted great, but were crunchy. I didn’t do anything different (I don’t think!)….any ideas? Something I’m not thinking of?
This recipe is in our favourites list. It is one of the first recipes I made after deciding to go vegan and my husband was in despair that we would no longer be buying his canned baked beans and bacon. But once I made this recipe, he is happy we went vegan – he absolutely loves them with toast at breakfast and says he can never go back to the canned.
I did make one change – I add a lot more vegetable broth as I found it was dry – about 2 or 3 cups instead of the one.
Thanks!
Made these today exactly as the recipe states. Doubled the recipe. There is much too much salt in this recipe. The beans tasted awful. I had to throw it all out. I would use a different recipe next time. If I tried this one again I would more than half the salt and decrease the sugar. I would also skip the broth and go for just water. There is too much ‘unhealthiness’ to this recipe.
1 cup of water/broth was definitely not enough for my ’70s slow cooker. After 2hrs, all the liquid had completely absorbed!
This recipe was not good. the taste was awful. There were 5 people and not one could eat them. The molasses and brown sugar called for is extremely high especially when you compare it with other recipes. It took over 16 hours of cooking and they still weren’t right.
You don’t have to parboil them before cooking?
I made this recipe last weekend. The only comment I have is that they need more liquid for my old crock pot, Otherwise, they were delicious and several people commented that they liked them, one asked for the recipe. Thanks for your post! Renee’