Are baked beans good for you?

What are baked beans?

Baked beans are usually haricot or cannellini beans, canned in tomato sauce. 

And yes, they count as one of your 5-a-day – just once though, no matter how much you eat in a day. 

A ‘5-a-day' portion is about 80g cooked beans (3 heaped tablespoons). 

The reason they only count once a day is because they contain fewer vitamins and minerals than other fruit and vegetables.

Are baked beans healthy?

Most canned baked beans would be classified as ‘ultra-processed’ because they contain added sugars, salt and ingredients like thickeners or preservatives that are not typically used in home cooking. 

However, baked beans can still be part of a healthy diet which includes lots of fruit and vegetables and wholegrains.

Low-fat and high in fibre

Baked beans are low in fat and high in fibre. They have soluble fibre, which helps lower cholesterol levels, and insoluble fibre, which helps to keep your digestive system healthy.

In fact, a half-can portion of baked beans (207g), which many of us might typically eat, provides nearly a third of the 30g of fibre you need a day.

Baked beans’ tomato sauce is rich in an antioxidant linked with a reduced risk of heart and circulatory disease.

Plant protein packed with vitamins and minerals

Baked beans are also high in plant proteins and packed with nutrients such as iron, zinc and B vitamins.

And the tomato sauce is rich in lycopene, a protective antioxidant linked with a reduced risk of heart and circulatory diseases.

Replacing some of the meat you eat with beans is a great way to eat less unhealthy saturated fat, manage your weight and reduce your risk of heart and circulatory diseases.

But watch out for added salt and sugar

However, look out for the salt and sugar content of baked beans. 

A typical half can portion (207g) of baked beans contains about 1.3g salt. That’s 21 per cent of the maximum recommended amount of salt you should have a day (6g).

A half can also contain about 9g sugar – that's 10 per cent of the maximum recommended amount of ‘total’ sugar you should have a day. 

Traffic light labels on food packaging show only total sugars. They do not tell you how much is naturally occurring (as in fruit or milk) and how much is ‘free’ or ‘added’ sugar (as in table sugar or syrup). 

In baked beans, most of the sugar is added, because beans themselves do not naturally contain much sugar. It's mainly from the tomato sauce.

How to choose the healthiest baked beans

You can buy healthier baked beans by checking the nutrition information on the label. Choose varieties with no-added sugar (or reduced sugar) and reduced salt. These varieties are often sweetened with stevia or other artificial sweeteners.

Ideally the front of pack labelling will show green for ‘low’ salt and sugar, although most are amber for ‘medium’ salt.

Some baked bean products contain pork or vegetarian sausages or come in different flavours (e.g. barbecue or curry), which may alter their fat, salt, sugar or calorie content, compared to standard varieties.

See our table below to see how different varieties typically stack up for calories and nutrition.

Baked beans calories and nutrition

The calorie and nutrition figures below are based on approximately half a 400g can of baked beans. These are average values – different brands will vary, so always check the labels.

Is beans on toast healthy?

Unlike animal proteins (from meat, fish, eggs and dairy foods), beans do not contain all the 9 essential amino acids (protein building blocks) you need from your diet.

However, a combination of baked beans with wholemeal toast delivers the full set of amino acids, plus extra fibre from the bread.

To make your meal even healthier:

• Choose baked beans with reduced sugar (or no added sugar) and reduced salt.
• Swap white bread for wholegrain.
• Skip the butter: the beans add enough moisture, or you can use small amounts of a lower-fat spread made from unsaturated vegetable oils.
• For an extra boost of goodness, add vegetables to your beans (e.g. roasted red peppers, onions, or mushrooms). 
• Or try our home-made baked beans recipe.

The takeaway: are baked beans good for you?

Baked beans count as one of your 5-a-day. Despite being ultra-processed, they make a healthy, speedy meal when you choose varieties that are lower in salt and sugar.

Serve with wholemeal toast or a jacket potato and add an ounce (25g) of grated half-fat cheddar cheese for extra calcium and protein, or a poached egg for extra protein, vitamins and minerals.

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