Beans on Toast (Healthy, Vegan, Easy!) (2024)

Medically reviewed by Abbey Sharp, Registered Dietitian (RD), BASc.

This Vegan Beans on Toast is an easy take on the classic British recipe. Turn a pantry staple, like canned beans, into an entire meal!

With a name like Sharp, you can probably guess that I do have a lot of British ancestry and as a result, I was raised in a very meat and potatoes kinda household with lots of simple, comforting meals. One of my favourite meals of all time was canned beans on toast. That’s why I thought of making my own vegan beans on toast using simple pantry staple ingredients and a healthier bread. I love baked beans in general (I have an amazing instant pot baked beans here with no added sugar), but this one on toast is even easier and truly divine as well.

Why This Recipe Works

It could not be easier to make, and is super cheap and cheerful, but admittedly, the canned beans of my childhood were not the healthiest thing in the pantry. If you make it the classic way like my mom did, you would literally just open up a can of sweetened baked beans (Heinz is classic), warm them up and dump them on a piece of toasted white bread. That’s it.

Not a bad meal by any means as you would get some protein in the beans and your carbs in the toast, but the canned baked beans are high in sugar. One half cup would have about 10 or more grams of added sugar, and it would largely be from corn syrup. Again, no biggie in a pinch, but considering how easy (and inexpensive) it is to make your own, I say this vegan version is totally worth it. This version of beans on toast is much healthier has it’s made from scratch but doesn’t cost much more.

So not only is this a healthier version as we decrease the amount of added sugar, we also add in some extra greens in the form of kale to get some extra veggies into the meal.

Key Ingredients

Aromatics – I use onion and garlic as the base to almost anything, and these baked beans are no exception.

Spices – To get the complexity of the canned version, I use smoked paprika, garlic powder, chili powder.

Sauces – Tomato paste, yellow mustard, soy sauce or tamari, maple syrup, and apple cider get friendly in the pan.

Beans – I use either navy beans, or back eyed peas, but honestly, this would work with any kind of canned beans you have in your pantry.

Greens – To add some veg into the mixture, I like to just throw in some fresh or frozen spinach or kale.

Good bread – My favourite bread is always sourdough, but you could also do a crusty whole grain as well.

How to Make This Recipe

Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes until fragrant and softened.

Step 2: Add the spices, tomato paste, and mustard, and toss until the onions are coated in the spices and pastes.

Step 3: Add in the soy, maple, apple cider vinegar, beans, and spinach or kale and give everything a toss to combine. Cook until the greens are wilted, and the sauce has thickened and coated all of the beans, about 5-7 minutes.

Step 4: To serve, pile the beans on top of the crusty toasted bread. If desired, top with parsley and cherry tomatoes.

Expert Tips

Make sure you drain and rinse your canned beans before adding them to your nonstick skillet to avoid your beans being soggy.

If you want to use dried beans instead of canned beans, 1/2 cup of dried beans comes out to 15oz canned beans. So just use 1 cup of dried beans and then a little bit extra to substitute.

Once topped, these beans on toasts are best enjoyed right away. If you want to make this ahead of time, store the beans separately in the fridge in an airtight container.

Recipe FAQs

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about this beans on toast recipe.

More Recipes You May Like

Here are some more pantry staple recipes we are loving right now!! Check out some of my favourites!

• VEGAN ENCHILADA BOWL WITH RICE AND BEANS
• VEGAN OATMEAL PUDDING
• GREEK MEATLOAF MUFFINS
• EASY VEGAN PASTA BAKE WITH SAUSAGE, WHITE BEANS AND KALE

What are some of your go-to easy pantry staple recipes? Leave me a comment below!

Updated on November 30th, 2020