These Homemade Baked Beans are made with cannellini beans and a yummy tomato sauce packed with hidden vegetables. They’re naturally sweetened with a date, contain no added sugar and are lower in sodium than many store-bought baked beans. This makes them a great baby and toddler-friendly option for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Homemade baked beans are surprisingly easy to make – and there’s actually no baking! They can be prepped ahead of time and frozen, so you can have a batch ready whenever you need a quick kids’ meal. Serve them on toast, alongside eggs or as a simple side dish for the whole family.
➡️ WONDERING WHAT ELSE TO SERVE BABY AND TODDLER FOR BREAKFAST? Read my Baby and Toddler Breakfasts Guide for ideas! It includes breakfast ideas by age and food type, plus plenty of easy breakfast recipes.
➡️ LOOKING FOR MORE VEGGIE-FILLED BREAKFASTS? This Zucchini Slice is a great make-ahead option for a vegetarian breakfast. Or, try this Potato Egg Scramble for another filling option.
Ingredients in Homemade Baked Beans
This homemade baked beans recipe is full of whole foods and flavour:
Tomatoes – Forms the base of the sauce and adds plenty of flavour.
Carrot, celery, onion, garlic – These form the vegetable base of the sauce and add extra veggies to the meal.
Cannellini beans – I use cannellini beans but navy beans or butter beans also work well. Chose a ‘no added salt’ variety where possible. If using standard canned beans, drain and rinse the beans thoroughly to remove as much excess sodium as possible.
Stock – I use salt-reduced chicken stock for extra flavour. For babies under 12 months, substitute it with salt-free chicken stock or water.
Pitted date – This is a naturally sweet alternative to refined sugar. I use just one, to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Smoked paprika – Adds a rich, smoky flavour.
White pepper – It’s a little milder than black pepper, but you can substitute it.
Tomato paste – Adds richness and intensifies the tomato flavour. Choose a salt-reduced variety where possible.
Balsamic vinegar – Adds aciditiy and depth of flavour without needing to add salt.
How to make Homemade Baked Beans
These Homemade Baked Beans are ready in about 25 minutes! Sautéing the veggies first, before adding the remaining ingredients for the sauce, helps to enhance the flavour 👍
Scroll down to the recipe card below, to find exact ingredient amounts and full detailed steps for both regular and thermo cooker methods.
Step 1: Roughly dice the vegetables.
Step 2: Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and sauté the carrot, celery, onion, garlic and tomatoes until soft.
Step 3: Remove the mixture from the heat, and add all remaining ingredients except for the beans. Either transfer the mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until smooth.
Step 4: Return the mixture to the saucepan if needed, and place over medium heat. Add the beans and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
THERMOMIX BAKED BEANS:
Thermomixer? Make these homemade beans entirely in your machine. First, chop the vegetables. Then sauté. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and blend, before lastly inserting the butterfly whisk, adding and cooking the beans.
Baked Beans for babies and toddlers
These Homemade Baked Beans are a great way to introduce beans to babies and toddlers. Cannellini beans are soft and easy to mash, while the smooth vegetable and tomato sauce adds extra flavour and vegetables.
For babies, use no-added-salt beans and salt-free stock or water. You can serve the beans on their own, mashed slightly, or alongside toast fingers for dipping and scooping.
Baby bonus! 👶 These Baked Beans also helped Baby LJ practise his pincer grip. At the time I created this recipe, he was determined to feed himself. He could get the spoon to his mouth, but hadn’t quite mastered keeping food on the spoon along the way. So he spent plenty of time picking beans up from his high chair tray instead. It was VERY MESSY work 😆 but he was determined to eat them!
Serving
Homemade Baked Beans are delicious served on fresh, buttery toast.
For babies and toddlers: Serve the beans with toast fingers for dipping and scooping, or alongside other breakfast favourites such as eggs or avocado.
The beans are soft enough for little hands to pick up, making them a great (but messy!) option for babies who are practising self-feeding. You can also mash them slightly for younger babies if needed.
For older children and adults: Season their portion to taste after removing baby’s serving. This means the whole family can enjoy the same meal while keeping baby’s portion lower in sodium.
Storing
The Homemade Baked Beans are great for making ahead!
STORING: Allow them to cool, then store in a labelled airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
FREEZING: They also freeze well. I recommend making a batch and then freezing portions for quick and easy meals! Freeze in labelled airtight containers for up to 3 months, either in small, baby-sized portions or family-sized portions, depending on how you plan to use them.
REHEATING: Thaw frozen baked beans in the fridge overnight, or reheat gently from frozen in a saucepan or microwave until piping hot. Stir well and allow to cool to a suitable temperature before serving.
SERVING THESE AS A SIDE DISH FOR FAMILY DINNER?
For another easy side dish that baby can enjoy along with the whole family, try this Broccoli Cauliflower and Cheese Bake next. It’s a yummy vegetable bake that’s easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time.
If you try these Homemade Baked Beans, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too for more baby and toddler-friendly recipes.
Happy cooking!
Chloe x
Homemade Baked Beans
Category: SidesIngredients
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 carrot peeled and diced (Thermomixers: peeled & roughly chopped)
- 1 celery diced (Thermomixers: roughly chopped)
- 1/2 brown/yellow onion peeled and diced (Thermomixers: peeled & halved)
- 1 garlic clove minced (Thermomixers: peeled)
- 2 large tomatoes cored and deseeded (approx. 220g) (Note 1)
- 1 pitted date pre-soaked (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 60 ml chicken stock salt-reduced or no-salt (Note 3)
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 2 400g/14.5oz cans of cannellini beans rinsed and drained (Note 4)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a pan. Add 1 carrot, 1 celery, 1/2 brown/yellow onion, 1 garlic clove and 2 large tomatoes, and sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent.
- Remove from the heat and add 1 pitted date, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp ground white pepper, 60 ml chicken stock, 2 tbs tomato paste and 1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar. Transfer to a blender or with an immersion/hand-held blender, blend the sauce until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the stovetop, add 2 400g/14.5oz cans of cannellini beans and simmer on low to medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until beans are cooked to your liking.
Thermomix Instructions
- Put 1 carrot, 1 celery, 1/2 brown/yellow onion, 1 garlic clove and 2 large tomatoes into the mixing bowl. Chop for 3 seconds, speed 9, MC on. Scrape down the mixing bowl.
- Add 1 tbs olive oil. Cook for 5 minutes, 100°C, speed 1, MC off. Put the simmering basket on the lid to prevent splatter.
- Add 1 pitted date, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp ground white pepper, 60 ml chicken stock, 2 tbs tomato paste and 1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar. Blend for 10 seconds, speed 9, MC on. Scrape down the mixing bowl.
- Insert the butterfly whisk. Add 2 400g/14.5oz cans of cannellini beans. Cook for 15 minutes, 100°C, speed 1, reverse, MC off. Put the simmering basket on the lid to prevent splatter.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
[1] Salt, 2022, Better Health Channel.
One Response
Great simple, nutritious baked beans – very yummy!