After extensive hours of research, trials and sit down sessions (with beans on my plate), I have concluded that the best baked beans in this country as I write this post are the home brand Tesco.

Offering the perfect flavour including a satisfactory bean-to-juice ratio, I find these the beans to go with. On the 1-10 on the gas scale, these boys rate generally low around a 3. Prior to a clearly obvious recipe change, Bransons (aka the cheapskates) were my go to, however a definite change in taste since Covid.

Heinz? Are you joking? Even their ketchup isn’t what it was. Get with the times.

Come November my search will begin again and I will find myself trialling every bean on the market, making sure my beans on toast remains the most superior meal possible. Will update.

by arableman

50 comments

  2. All supermarket own brand baked beans are superior to heinz. Branston is good but not worth the extra cost compared to own brand.

  3. I had a dodgy batch of Branston where the tin had reacted with the sauce. They had a metallic and slightly fishy smell. Since then, I’ve noticed that all Branston beans have that smell in varying amounts. I’ve not been able to eat them since.

  4. My favourite is the Tesco’s mixed beans in a savoury sauce. The sauce isn’t as sweet as standard baked beans.

  5. I do t live in the UK anymore, and baked beans are hard to come by in Austria. Only Heinz are available, and they’re about 4 euro a can. I started making my own baked beans, and they’re absolutely lush.

  7. I was steadfast Branston supporter until lockdown, when all I could lay my hands on were Heinz. Tried Branston again since and they always seem a bit gritty and rough in comparison. Will definitely have to give Tesco a whirl now 👍

  10. Here to disagree.

    1st place 🥇 Aldi blue tin

    Second place 🥈branston

    And in third🥉tesco ones you’ve pictured!

    Heinz are there with the weakest offerings

  15. When I lived in the UK, I would buy Asda beans. They were like 17p a can. I think this was during the great bean wars. They were delicious. Here in the US they only have Heinz and they’re $3.99 a can. Fuck that shit.

  16. I’ve not compared shops, but shop brand beans and ketchup has always tasted better to me. Probably got a higher sugar content or something.

  19. I want to add to this, cheap tins of beans and sausages from Aldi, Lidl Happy Shopper, etc are one hundred times better than Heinz beans and sausage.

  22. The best are Stockwells (or whatever the Tesco cheap ones are called) – 23p, cook on the stove, add flavours and spices according to preference and application.

  23. Bugger. I’ve got most of a case of 24 Heinz left.

    I thought, now that I’ve made it big time, I’d buy the high grade stuff.

    Might try the Branston ones then.

    That said, I add a lot of butter and black pepper, so not sure if I’d notice much difference.

  24. I have a roof to keep over my head so I can’t keep up my crippling Heinz habit. Tesco’s own brand gets me through.

  25. I just had my first tin of Sainsbury’s organic baked beans and they were surprisingly nice.

    I washed them down with Vimto and Perrier though so maybe don’t mistake my taste buds for being fine tuned.

  27. Tesco beans are my go to “daily” but also M&S beans for 50p a tin are a bloody bargain.

  29. It’s difficult to get the beans and veggie sausages nowadays. They were a great stand by. Heinz do them for about 2 quid a tin. Well they can have two fingers raised…and I want some change.

  30. Tesco ones were the best when they had the blue label that looked like the Heinz tins. Once they changed the packaging I feel like they went downhill. The best ones are now the M&S ones.

  33. My number 1 baked beans are made by this awesome Canadian dude and one day I will crack his recipe and become the true Queen of the Bean.

  34. I have no problem with Tesco beans, and admire your extensive research, but I don’t think I can trust your review due to your cupboard situation.

    Tea and sugar together, fine. Beans and tinned tomatoes together fine, and dog food with the tins, bit unusual but no real concern. But all together and with the tea balanced on what I imagine to be a salad spinner? Its making my OCD twitchy.

    I’m going to guess you either don’t have enough cupboard space (possibly because you have a dishwasher) or, you have ADHD which would also explain the tins being on the side.

    I await November to see if you’ve included seasonal food into this chaotic mixture…

  35. Thank you for this research. I’m not even joking when I say the other day I was suffering from bean related choice paralysis.

    Part of me said go home brand, it’s like half the price. But the other half of me said stick with what you know and go Heinz, you don’t wanna risk a disappointing beans on toast.

    I am glad someone took the risk and we can all bear the fruits of your analysis.

  37. I second this, and have been a long time supporter of the supermarket bean. However, my research indicates Sainsbury’s beans to be slightly better than Tesco, although it may be too hard to call either way

  39. The best baked beans are the ones that are cooked properly. A tin of beans, inexpertly handled by a family member will always taste like a tin of beans no matter if it’s from Tesco own brand or Heinz. But if you reduce the beans down slowly and evenly for longer that anyone in your immediate family has the patience to wait for you’ll be rewarded with richer, sweeter and more delicious beans than you could ever have thought possible. When you’re finished cooking them they should be so thick you could feasibly build a house with the beans as the bricks and sauce as the mortar. Beans of that calibre will bring empires to their knees.

  41. I moved from England to the states, the things I miss the most are my family and the ocean. The thing I miss the least, baked beans. Hating them growing up and still do to this day.

  46. Coming in with a dark horse candidate here: M&S own brand beans are absolutely lush and, as someone else has mentioned, quite possibly THE best bang for your buck in the baked bean game.

  47. Personally I’ve found Sainsbury’s are better, they’re less runny and if you cook them on the hob they go nice a thick.

  49. I just buy the cheap beans and put a squirt of tomato sauce in with them before cooking. It just makes the sauce taste better.

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