Maple Beans
This vegetarian builds dried navy beans and maple syrup into a proper meal you can have ready in about 65 minutes. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Rinse the navy beans, pick out any stones, then soak them in plenty of cold water overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- Drain the soaked beans, place them in a large pot with the 1.5 litres of fresh water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for about 45 to 60 minutes until the beans are just tender but not falling apart; drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F) and peel and finely chop the sweet onion.
- In a casserole or bean pot, combine the cooked beans, chopped onion, maple syrup, dark brown sugar, butter, dry mustard, ground pepper and salt, then stir in enough of the reserved cooking liquid to just cover the beans.
- Cover the pot and bake for 3 to 4 hours, stirring once an hour and adding a little more reserved liquid whenever the surface looks dry, so the beans stay moist and absorb the sweet sauce.
- Uncover the pot for the final 30 to 45 minutes of baking so the top develops a glossy, caramelised glaze and the sauce thickens.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, then let the beans rest for 10 minutes before serving warm.
You'll use: Oven · Large pot · Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- Brown Sugar
- white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Tips & common questions
How long does Maple Beans take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 9 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of brown sugar?
Try white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Maple Beans vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Maple Beans is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Baked beans in maple syrup.JPG by CoveyHill, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.