Easy gluten-free baked beans recipe with a flavorful traditional homestyle flare. It uses the finest healthy ingredients stewed together to create a thick and creamy sweet and savory sauce. It is a must side dish at your next cookout!
Serve them with my healthy turkey burgers, juicy grilled hamburgers, easy-peasy potato salad, and an extra side of gluten-free cornbread muffins!
In a hurry? Everything goes into one saucepan and simmers for 20 to 25 minutes. No oven, no soaking, and the longer it cooks the thicker it gets.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes, one saucepan
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 98kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet maple and molasses with tomato, mustard and a little cumin and chili warmth
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as simple as my stovetop black beans
Quick Answer
Chop cooked ham, pork or bacon super fine and dice the onion almost to the consistency of mincing. In a medium saucepan combine the drained and rinsed white beans, the meat, onion, ketchup, mustard, maple syrup, molasses, tomato sauce, cumin and chili powder, and season with salt. Cook uncovered over low-medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until the desired consistency is reached. The longer the beans cook the thicker they will become.
Jump to:
Enjoy all the flavors of Boston baked beans with an American-style twist that satisfy any appetite. This version combines a mouthwatering tomato sauce base with ham (pork or bacon), molasses and maple syrup. It is sweet, rich and a side dish that pairs well with grilled burgers, hot dogs, chicken and cornbread dishes, perfect on outdoor grilling days!
Growing up my mom always served baked beans (Bush’s Homestyle Baked Beans, to be exact) as a ritual staple side dish with grilled meat at any of our outdoor BBQ’s. It was always my favorite summer food because I had a major sweet tooth as a child, and still to this day, and baked beans have that slightly sweet sauce that is irresistable! But store-bought versions can sometimes be tricky if you are on a strict diet.
Many store bought brands of homestyle baked beans are gluten-free, but some are not. It is always important to read labels if you have a gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder. Flours sneak their way into canned goods and to help thicken sauce in baked beans, soups, condiments, dressings and other packaged or prepared foods.
Many canned baked beans on the shelf may also have high fructose corn syrup in the ingredient list, which is a sweetener made of simple sugars that give food artificial sweetness. See my sugar detox article if you need help with sugar, and do not worry, you are not alone if you are addicted to the sweet stuff! That is why these homestyle gluten-free baked beans are so awesome, no processed ingredients, and made 100% with natural sugars.
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Both sweeteners, not one. These gluten free baked beans have both molasses and maple syrup for a ridiculously delicious sauce. Something about thick molasses brings depth to baked beans and compliments salty meats.
- Canned beans skip the soak. Navy beans or white beans are traditionally used in baked bean recipes, and starting from cans means the whole thing is done in 25 minutes instead of a day.
- Mincing the meat and onion matters. Chopping the cooked ham and dicing the onion almost to a mince spreads that flavor through every bite instead of leaving chunks.
- Time is the thickener. There is no flour in this sauce. It thickens by simmering uncovered, and the longer the beans cook the thicker they become.
- Cumin and chili powder do the background work. A quarter teaspoon of each keeps the sauce from tasting like plain sweet tomato.
- Ham instead of bacon lightens it. I use cold-cut ham because it has less fat than bacon and it is usually what I have on hand anyway.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 25 minutes, one saucepan. No oven, no overnight bake, and only one pan to wash.
- Naturally gluten-free. No flours, no thickeners, nothing sneaking in from a can label.
- Made with natural sugars. Maple syrup and molasses instead of high fructose corn syrup, and it is seriously more delicious than any canned baked beans.
- It is a cookout staple. Sweet, rich, and it pairs with grilled burgers, hot dogs, chicken and cornbread dishes.
Key Ingredients
- Canned navy beans or white beans - this is the heart of gluten-free baked beans. Make sure to drain and rinse the beans before using. You can also mix white beans with kidney beans, which still have a delightful consistency.
- Cooked ham, pork or bacon - finely chopped, it adds loads of flavor. You can also use turkey bacon or salt pork.
- Onion - diced very finely, almost to the consistency of mincing it.
- Organic ketchup, yellow mustard and tomato sauce - the tomato base. Use plain canned tomato sauce without added salt.
- Maple syrup and molasses - both go in. The molasses brings depth and the maple keeps it from tasting like brown sugar.
- Cumin, chili powder and pink Himalayan salt - a quarter teaspoon each of the spices, then salt to taste.
As always, please see recipe card below for full ingredient list.
Substitutions and Variations
- Ham, bacon or salt pork. Boston baked beans traditionally use pork or bacon for flavor. Because I like to lighten up traditional recipes I use cold-cut ham, but you can sub turkey bacon or salt pork.
- Brown sugar or coconut sugar. You can substitute the maple syrup for brown sugar in equal amounts, or use coconut sugar in equal amounts for a version using non-processed sugars.
- Mix the beans. Navy or white beans are traditional, and a combination of white beans with kidney beans still has a delightful consistency.
- Make it a cheesy chili bowl. If you want to get even more bold, add a bit of melted cheese on top. The kiddos will love it.
- Make it meat free. Leave the ham out entirely and the sauce still carries it, the same way my creamy vegan white bean soup does.
How to Make Gluten-Free Baked Beans
Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
1Chop the meat and onion fine. Chop cooked meat (ham, pork or bacon) super fine and dice onions into very fine dices as well, almost to the consistency of mincing them.
2Combine everything in one saucepan. In a medium size saucepan add the drained and rinsed white beans, the chopped meat, onion, ketchup, mustard, maple syrup, molasses, tomato sauce, cumin and chili powder. Season with salt to taste and stir them together.
3Simmer uncovered. Heat on low-medium, uncovered, for about 20 to 25 minutes until the desired consistency is reached. Continue to mix as it heats. The longer the beans cook the thicker they will become.
4Taste and finish. Add more salt to taste if needed, then serve warm.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Read the label on canned beans. Flours sneak their way into canned goods to thicken sauces, so check every can if you have a gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease.
- Skip the high fructose corn syrup. If you see it on a label, steer clear of that food. This recipe uses maple syrup and molasses instead.
- Drain and rinse. Rinsing the canned beans washes off the starchy canning liquid so the sauce you build is the flavor you taste.
- Cook it longer for thicker beans. There is no flour thickening this sauce, so consistency is entirely a matter of simmering time.
- Make it ahead for a cookout. The sauce only gets better sitting, so it reheats beautifully on a busy grilling day.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These are a must side dish at your next cookout. They pair well with grilled burgers, hot dogs, chicken and cornbread dishes, so serve them with my healthy turkey burgers, juicy grilled hamburgers, easy-peasy potato salad, and an extra side of gluten-free cornbread muffins.
Have you ever thought about having sweetened navy beans for breakfast, do you eat them like that? Gluten-free baked beans are quite tasty with sunny-side up eggs or cloud eggs in the morning, along with a fresh glass of lemon water!
For a bigger spread, put them next to a healthy snacks party platter, a bowl of cottage cheese mac and cheese, or a pan of brussels sprouts au gratin. In the 1930s brown bread and baked beans were a popular meal enjoyed on Saturdays and Sunday mornings in Massachusetts, and in colonial New England they used to make baked beans and leave them in brick ovens overnight to enjoy Sunday morning!
Gluten-Free Baked Beans FAQs
Many store bought brands of homestyle baked beans are gluten-free, but some are not. Flours are used to thicken sauces in canned goods, so it is always important to read labels if you have a gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease. Baked beans made from scratch like this recipe contain no flour at all.
If you choose to use store-bought gluten-free baked beans rather than making baked beans from scratch, try Amy's Kitchen (one variety, and it is gluten-free), B and M (all varieties), Bush's Best (all varieties) and Heinz. Always double check labels first, since recipes change.
Navy beans or white beans are traditionally used in baked bean recipes. You can also mix a combination of white beans with kidney beans, which still have a delightful consistency.
You can substitute the maple syrup for brown sugar in equal amounts. Or use coconut sugar in equal amounts of maple syrup for a healthier version using non-processed sugars.
Either works. Boston baked beans traditionally use pork or bacon for flavor. I use cold-cut ham because it has less fat than bacon and it is usually what I have on hand, but you can also sub turkey bacon or salt pork.
Simmer them uncovered on low-medium heat and stir often. The longer the beans cook the thicker they will become, which is how this recipe reaches a thick and creamy sauce with no thickener at all.
Other Recommended Bean Recipes
I hope you enjoy this gluten free baked beans recipe! If you make it from Delightful Mom Food I would love to see your creations and share it! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to be featured and for more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to rate the recipe in the recipe area and leave a comment below.
Easy Gluten-Free Baked Beans
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Plus get latest recipes and emails.
Ingredients
- 2 15 ounce cans white beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup ham or bacon cooked and finely chopped
- ½ cup onion diced finely
- ¼ cup organic ketchup
- 2 teaspoons organic yellow mustard
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 cup tomato sauce plain from a can without added salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- pink Himalayan salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine drained and rinsed white beans, ham or bacon, onion, ketchup, mustard, maple syrup, molasses, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder. Season with salt to taste.
- Cook over low-medium heat for 20 minutes or to desired consistency, stirring often. The longer it cooks the thicker the mixture will become.
- Add more salt to taste if needed.
Gina says
This was super easy and delicious! Thanks.
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
So glad you enjoy this recipe!