Listen, I know how easy baked beans out of the can are. I even know how easy it is to “doctor” up baked beans out of a can to make them taste better. But let me assure you, either option is NOTHING compared to the flavor you get out of these apple cider baked beans.
These are one of our go to summer side dishes and honestly, we love them so much that they have turned into a meal sometimes too. My youngest says they are like our lentil sloppy joes but with beans and she means that with the most love in her foodie heart.
My goal was to make this easy, but still amazingly full of flavor, so give it a go and let me know what you think!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Restaurant Quality – With all the fresh and dried spices and variety of ingredients, you’ll be shocked at how much this tastes like it’s out of a top tiered restaurant.
- Easy – This dish dump and let cook, which means you only need to spend like 10 minutes getting everything together before you can walk away.
- Meal Prep – This dish tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for meal prep!
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🥘Recipe Ingredients
Gather your ingredients!
Beans
We’re using navy, cannellini, kidney and pinto in this recipe. We like the combination and the texture and taste differences they give.
Substitute: You could only use white beans like navy or great northern if you’d prefer.
Apples
You’ll want a sweet but firm apple like honeycrisp or fuji, in addition to apple cider.
Substitute: Apple Juice would be the next best option to apple cider, but white grape would also work in a pinch.
Tomatoes
We’re using tomato paste and tomato sauce for this recipe. The concentrated flavor of the paste along with the sauce gives just the perfect amount.
Fresh Ingredients
You’ll need garlic, onions, and fresh thyme for this recipe as well.
Other Sauce Ingredients
We’re also vegan worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, maple syrup, molasses, and apple cider vinegar to finish out the recipe.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
More Summer Sides to Consider:
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Easy Slow Cooked Vegan Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned navy beans, drained and rinsed (425g)
- 15 ounces canned pinto beans drained and rinsed (425g)
- 15 ounces canned cannellini beans drained and rinsed (425g)
- 15 ounces canned dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed (425g)
- 1 medium crisp-sweet apple (such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady), cored and finely diced (about 1½ cups/180g)
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup/150g)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 cup apple cider (240mL)
- 8 ounces canned tomato sauce (227g)
- ¼ cup tomato paste (65g)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup (80g)
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (45g)
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses (40g)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (30mL)
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (15mL)
- 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt, more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Add the navy beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, apple, onion, garlic, and thyme to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider, tomato sauce, tomato paste, maple syrup, molasses, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, vegan Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne, if using.
- Pour the sauce over the beans. Stir until the beans are evenly coated and the tomato paste is completely incorporated.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours, stirring once or twice if convenient. The apples and onions should be very tender and the sauce should darken and thicken.
- Remove the lid and stir well. For thicker, glossier baked beans, continue cooking uncovered on high for 20 to 30 minutes. The sauce will also continue to thicken as the beans cool.
- Taste and add more sea salt, black pepper, maple syrup, or apple cider vinegar as desired. Let the beans rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Add the drained and rinsed beans, diced apple, onion, garlic, and thyme to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider, tomato sauce, tomato paste, maple syrup, molasses, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and all the dried seasonings. Pour over the beans and stir well.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the onion and apple are tender. Keep the heat low enough that the sauce bubbles gently; the sugars in the sauce can catch on the bottom of the pot.
- Remove the lid. If you’d like a thicker, glossier sauce, simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. For saucier beans, skip this step or stop as soon as the sauce reaches the consistency you like. If it thickens too much, stir in a splash of apple cider or water.
- Remove the thyme sprigs, if using. Taste and adjust with more sea salt, black pepper, maple syrup, or apple cider vinegar as needed. Let the beans rest for 10 minutes before serving; the sauce will thicken a little as it cools.
Video
Nutrition
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Recipe FAQs:
Yes. There is only vegan worcestershire sauce that contains allergens in this dish (soy and wheat). A safe steak sauce (like A1) would be the easiest swap.
Yes, these beans can be frozen.
Yes, this dish is good for 2-3 days after it’s made. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge when not using. Don’t spread on toast until ready to eat.
Good news! There’s no oil in this dish!
hi, just come across you on Instagram and love look of these beans.
have never seen vegan w sauce, any substitute?
also, could you tell me name of rice served with?
thank you so much, looking forward to making this very soon,
Anne (in Ireland)
Hi Anne, for a Vegan W Sauce replacement you could use steak sauce instead. As for the rice, that is our garlic turmeric rice and I’ll leave a link for it hear for you. We hope you enjoy it! Hey!
Garlic Turmeric Rice https://makeitdairyfree.com/anti-inflammatory-garlic-turmeric-rice/
This is as easy as it gets. Super delicious, packed full of fibre and the family came back for seconds. This will be on repeat in our home this fall.
I caution you though make a big batch it goes quickly if you were hoping for lunchbox leftovers 🙂
Awww, Thank you so much! We’re so happy to hear that you loved the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience here with us!
Thanks!
Welcome!
Do you have a recipe for the rice featured with them?
Hi! Yes, that is our Garlic Turmeric Rice and I’ll leave a link to it here for you!
Garlic Turmeric Rice – https://makeitdairyfree.com/anti-inflammatory-garlic-turmeric-rice/
Wow, looks so delicious!!! I also want to try the yellow colored rice next to this beans. Do you happen to have the recipe for it??? Mahalo.
We do! Enjoy! Here you go: https://makeitdairyfree.com/anti-inflammatory-garlic-turmeric-rice/
what if I don’t have a slow cooker? can this recipe be cooked on a stove or in an oven?
Just added stovetop instructions!
Looks amazing!!! I have a question, what type of rice did you use and how was it seasoned? Thank you 🙂
Here’s the rice recipe: https://makeitdairyfree.com/anti-inflammatory-garlic-turmeric-rice/