Best Ever Vegan Baked Beans

Alissa at Connoisseurus Veg

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
• 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey, optional
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. vegan Worchestershire sauce (regular will work)
• 2 tbsp. blackstrap molasses
• 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. liquid smoke, optional
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 (14 oz.) cans navy beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Coat the bottom of a skillet (use a medium, oven-safe skillet if you’ve got one) with oil and place over medium-low heat. Add onion and toss a few times to coat. Allow to cook, flipping occasionally, until onion is very soft and caramelized, 30-40 minutes. Raise heat to medium and add garlic. Cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add whiskey and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, molasses, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, paprika and liquid smoke together in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup maple syrup, taste test and add up to 1/4 cup more. If you used a non oven-safe skillet to caramelize the onions, transfer them to an oven-safe dish (an 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish works). Otherwise, leave them in the oven-safe skillet. Add beans and maple syrup mixture. Stir a few times to mix everything up. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cover and bake 40-45 minutes, until bubbly. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more.
4. Remove from oven and allow to sit for a few minutes. Serve.

These beans are sweet, smokey, and packed with savory flavor – without bacon! I was very excited about these baked beans.

They take a while. Even though I went with canned beans, between the onion caramelizing and bean baking, the time adds up. It’s mostly hands off though, and it’s so worth it.