Heinz Beans, produced in the England, are a staple for many Brits both in the UK and abroad. If you’ve ever been to the UK, you might have been surprised to see the beans included in a full English breakfast. Heinz beans are the ultimate in comfort food, no matter how they are served.
About Heinz Beans
Heinz is actually an American company founded in 1869 in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1886, Heinz baked beans were exported to England and first sold in Fortnum & Masons. Originally, the beans included pork and much more sugar than now. Over the years, the sugar level was decreased to suit the British taste. Because of meat shortages during World War II, the pork was omitted.
Some significant differences exist between the Heinz beans produced in the UK and those produced in the US. The two main differences are the sugar level and the sodium level. The US variety has twice the amount of sugar, and almost double the amount of sodium, both of which are totally unnecessary.
Today Heinz beans are produced near Wigan, in Northwest England. The Wigan factory is the the largest food factory in Europe. An astonishing 3 million cans are produced every day. Of that, over 2 million cans of the beans are consumed every day in the UK.
If you’re interested, you should check out the Inside the Factory episode showing the amazing process whereby these delicious beans are produced.
Ingredients
The UK version of Heinz beans is an absolute favorite of the Master Taste Tester. Through the years, I tried unsuccessfully to reproduce this humble product. Then, last week, RecipeTin Eats published a copycat recipe that looked so much like the real thing that I just had to give it a try. They were about as close to the real thing as I could have imagined.
The ingredient list on the UK can included beans, tomatoes, water, sugar, modified cornflour, spirit vinegar, salt and natural flavorings.
- The Bean: While different beans can be used, my choice was the dried Navy bean, known as the haricot bean in other countries. This is the bean that is used to actually make the Heinz beans.
- The Liquid: The liquid noted on the Heinz can is water. However, the RecipeTin Eats recipe included a combination of chicken broth and water. That’s what I used. The recipe also included some Worcestershire sauce and cider vinegar.
- Tomato: Two types of tomato products are used: (1) Ketchup; and (2) Tomato Paste
- The Spices: The spices included garlic powder, onion powder, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- The Sweetener: The sweetener of choice was light brown sugar
- The Thickener: The ingredient list on the can included modified cornflour. The US equivalent to cornflour is cornstarch.
Soaking the Beans
Because the beans are dried, they need to be reconstituted. This is done by soaking the beans in water.
There are two methods that can be used to soak the beans: (1) long soak in cold water; or (2) quick-soak in boiling water. I tried both methods and prefer the quick-soak method.
For the long-soak, I first rinsed the beans and then added about 6 cups of filtered water to them. I allowed the beans to sit over-night. The next day, I drained and rinsed the beans.
For the quick-soak, I again rinsed the beans and added about 6 cups of filtered water to them in a Dutch oven. I heated the water to boiling and let the beans boil for about 2 minutes. Then, I removed the pan from the stove, covered it, and let the beans soak for about an hour.
Cooking the Beans
After the beans soaked for an hour, I drained and rinsed them. Now, it was time to cook the beans.
I returned the soaked beans to the Dutch oven and covered them with about 6 cups of filtered water. I brought the beans to a boil. Then, I reduced the heat to medium low, covered the pan and cooked the beans for about 30 minutes. When I made the beans using the long-soak, it took about an hour and 15 minutes for the beans to cook.
After 30 minutes, the beans were perfect. They were soft, but not mushy. I wanted to be careful not to over-cook the beans at this point. The reason was that the beans still needed some cooking in the sauce.
Once the beans were cooked, I drained them and set them aside to make the sauce.
Making the Sauce
Beans are beans. However, it’s really the sauce that defines Heinz beans.
Making the sauce is super simple. Basically, I whisked together all of the sauce ingredients to the same Dutch oven that I used to cook the beans. That’s it!
Finishing the Heinz Beans
Once I had whisked together the sauce ingredients, I added the cooked beans to the Dutch oven. I stirred everything together and set the Dutch oven over medium heat.
After the mixture came to a slow boil, I reduced the heat to medium low and cooked the beans uncovered for about 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, a poured in a slurry of cornstarch and water. I stirred the beans constantly until they had thickened.
The transformation was amazing. Before my very eyes, the soupy, nondescript mixture turned into thick tomato coated beans that looked just like the Heinz beans! I let the beans cook for about five more minutes before removing them from the heat.
How I Serve Heinz Beans
Heinz beans are amazingly versatile. All that is required is to heat them up either in the microwave or on the stove top. We like to eat them plain as a side for when we have turkey burgers without the mushroom cream sauce or with British sausage rolls. For breakfast, they are amazing when served with British sausage.
When we want the ultimate in simplicity and comfort food we have beans on toast. This may sound odd to Americans, but is absolutely delicious.
Sometimes, we do as the British do and have a jacket potato (a.k.a. baked potato) loaded with the Heinz beans. This may also sound odd to Americans. However it’s absolutely delicious.
This recipe for Heinz Beans is about as close to the real thing as I can possibly imagine. If you’re a fan of this British staple, you should definitely give the recipe a try. Yum!
Chula’s Expert Tips
- I always use filtered water when I soak beans and when I cook them. Is this absolutely necessary? Probably not. However, I want to minimize added flavor to the beans from unfiltered water.
- I used low sodium chicken broth for these beans. For a vegetarian dish, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
- I used low sugar ketchup, but you can use regular ketchup if you prefer.
- As the beans cook, they tend to produce foam on top of the water. You can spoon the foam off, or just leave it. Over time, the foam will disappear.
- Watch the beans carefully to ensure that they aren’t over-cooked. You want them to still be very slightly firm in the center. The reason is that the beans will continue to cook in the sauce.
- The timing in the recipe is based on using the quick-soak method. If you prefer, you can soak the beans over night or up to 24 hours in cold water. With this soaking method, the beans will take longer to cook – between 1 hour and 1 1/2 hours.
- We think that the beans are somewhat better the next day because the vinegary taste has subsided.
- Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat the beans in the microwave or on the stove top.
Heinz Beans (Copycat)
Ingredients
The Beans
- 16 ounces (2 cups) dried Navy beans
- Water (See Tip 1)
The Sauce
- 2 cups (16 ounces) chicken broth (See Tip 2)
- 1 cup water
- 6 Tablespoons ketchup (See Tip 3)
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
The Thickener
- 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
The Beans
- Rinse the beans well. Place in a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Cover with water (I used 6 cups). Bring to a boil over high heat; boil for 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 1 hour. (See Tip 4)
- Drain and rinse beans. Return to Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low. Cover pan and cook until the beans are tender but still hold their shape, 30 minutes to 1 hour. (See Tips 5 and 6)
- Drain beans in colander. Set aside.
The Sauce
- Whisk together the chicken broth, water, ketchup, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper In the same pan as was used to cook the beans. Add the cooked and drained beans.
- Heat over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The Thickener
- Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Slowly add to bean mixture, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Continue cooking for five minutes.
- Yield: 14 servings. (See Tip 7)
Chula's Expert Tips
- I always use filtered water when I soak beans and when I cook them. Is this absolutely necessary? Probably not. However, I want to minimize added flavor to the beans from unfiltered water.
- I used low sodium chicken broth. For a vegetarian dish, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
- I used low sugar ketchup, but you can use regular ketchup if you prefer.
- As the beans cook, they tend to produce foam on top of the water. You can spoon the foam off, or just leave it. Over time, the foam will disappear.
- Watch the beans carefully to ensure that they aren't over-cooked. You want them to still be very slightly firm in the center. The reason is that the beans will continue to cook in the sauce.
- The timing is based on using the quick-soak method. If you prefer, you can soak the beans over night or up to 24 hours in cold water. With this soaking method, the beans will take longer to cook - between 1 hour and 1 1/2 hours.
- Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat the beans in the microwave or on the stove top.
Love this recipe, though I reduce the sugar,as I don’t like sweet things.I’m a Brit and I like this as much as Heinz
Thanks so much for your comment Helen. My husband is a Brit as well and feels the same way about the level of sugar.
Chula
The Heinz factory is in WIGAN. not Wigin
You’re right – thanks for the correction.