Best baked beans: the budget beans that beat Heinz

Cheap Best Buy baked beans from Aldi can save you money over branded beans without compromising on taste, our latest consumer taste test reveals.

In fact, if you get through two tins per week, switching from Heinz beans (at full price) could save you over £100 per year, as a year's supply of Aldi baked beans comes in at £42.64 versus £145.60 for Heinz - a £103 saving.

To find out which beans are best, we asked 66 people to blind-taste and rate baked beans from Heinz and Branston alongside supermarket own-brands including Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Aldi's budget beans won the day, but, while one big brand also gets our Best Buy recommendation, the other came firmly mid-table in the rankings. 

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Best baked beans

Aldi's beans were the biggest crowd pleaser, and they're cheaper than most too, making them a savvy choice.

Top of the brands was Branston, also a Best Buy, followed by good showings from Co-op and Asda.

Best Buy & Great Value: Aldi Bramwells Baked Beans in a Rich Tomato Sauce - 76%

41p for 410g can (10p per 100g)

Aldi’s beans came top in this year’s taste test. Our tasters thought the beans looked great, had an appealing aroma, and the majority said the strength of flavour was perfect.

The texture of the beans was deemed just right – neither too firm nor too soft – by 80%, and a similar proportion approved of the sauce too. 

That all-important, comforting sweetness was found to be spot-on by 79% of the panel.

Available from Aldi.

Best Buy: Branston Baked Beans - 75%

£1 for 410g can (24p per 100g)

Branston’s beans are also a great buy. 

Our tasters thought they looked appetising and had a good flavour.

The texture of the tomato sauce was considered top-notch – not too runny, not too thick – by an impressive 89%. The texture of the beans themselves was also just right according to most, although a quarter found them a bit on the firm side.

They're a good deal pricier per can than Aldi's baked beans, but it's worth looking out for deals as they're fairly regularly on offer.  For example, a multi-pack of four is around £2.50, bringing the cost per can down to around 63p. 

Available from Amazon, Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.

Co-op Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce - 74%

49p for 400g can (12p per 100g)

Co-op’s baked beans are good all-rounders that only just missed out on the top spots.

The texture of the beans and sauce were deemed just right by 73% and 74% respectively, while the level of sweetness was considered good by 71%.

Most also thought the strength of flavour was good, though some would’ve preferred a stronger tomatoey taste.

Available from Co-op.

Asda Baked Beans in a Rich Tomato Sauce - 73%

42p for 410g can (10p per 100g)

Another solid choice. Three quarters of our tasters loved the rich tomatoey flavour of these beans, while two-thirds told us the sweetness was to their taste.

Most also thought the texture of the beans and sauce were just right, but around a quarter found the sauce a bit too thick.

Although the appearance was rated well overall, some of our panel weren't sure about the colour of these baked beans - just under a third thought they looked a bit too intensely orange.

 Available from Asda.

Best cheap supermarket food and drink - find out which other own-brand products beat the big brands in our taste tests

How Heinz, Tesco and other supermarket baked beans compare

Heinz and Waitrose were the next most-liked baked beans in our test. Least popular were baked beans from M&S and Morrisons. 

Here's how the rest of the products scored:

• Heinz Beanz – 72%. Our tasters thought these beans looked good and had a pleasing texture. Most were satisfied with the strength of flavour, but the aroma wasn't as well liked as rivals, and just over a third of tasters thought the sauce was too thin. £1.40 for 415g can (34p per 100g). Available from Amazon, Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Waitrose Essential Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce – 72%. Good-looking beans, with a good texture and sauce. A stronger tomato flavour would’ve made them more popular, and just over a third of tasters thought they lacked sweetness. 55p for 420g can (13p per 100g). Available from Waitrose.
• Sainsbury’s Baked Beans in Tasty Tomato Sauce – 71%. They looked great and smelled good, but only 56% of the panel felt the flavour was just right, while 42% found the beans too firm and 38% said the sauce was too runny. 40p per 400g can (10p per 100g). Available from Sainsbury’s.
• Tesco Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce – 70%. Reasonable all-rounders. Three quarters said they looked great and that the texture of the sauce was right, while two thirds said they hit the spot for bean texture and overall flavour. 43p for 420g can (10p per 100g). Available from Tesco.
• Morrisons Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce – 68%. Two thirds of tasters liked the texture of these beans but around half weren't sold on the flavour or level of sweetness, and a similar number thought the sauce was too runny. 45p for 410g can (11p per 100g). Available from Morrisons.
• M&S Baked Beans in a Rich Tomato Sauce – 67%. The texture of the beans and sauce were well liked by most, but less than half approved of the flavour and a third wanted them to taste sweeter. 50p for 400g can (13p per 100g). Available from M&S (in-store only) and Ocado.

Lidl's baked beans weren't included in this test as it informed us there is variation in the product recipe due to multiple suppliers.

How to get Heinz baked beans for less

If you're a dedicated Heinz fan, you can save by keeping an eye out for special offers on multi-buy packs. However, you'll still usually pay more per can than foe own-brands. 

For example, a Heinz six-pack is currently £4.50 in Asda (75p per tin), or two for £8 at Tesco with Clubcard (67p per tin).

Make sure you check pack size when comparing prices too, as they can differ from 400g to 420g between brands.

Best tomato ketchup: our taste test reveals the tastiest and best-value supermarket ketchups

Are baked beans healthy?

Baked beans have a reputation for being sugary and salty, which isn’t entirely deserved. 

They also get a bad rap for being ultra-processed, but in reality they have a pretty simple list of ingredients. It's just herbs, spices and modified cornflour or starch used to thicken the sauce that pushes them into that classification.

They are a relatively good source of protein and fibre, typically containing around 8-10g of fibre per half a pack, which is a good chunk of your recommended 30g per day. They also have negligible fat content, and are vegan-friendly and gluten-free.

All but one of the brands on test fall into the ‘low sugar’ category according to NHS guidelines, with less than 5g per 100g. Morrisons’ beans are just over this with 5.5g per 100g.

They tend to have a moderate amount of salt. Heinz and Branston were the saltiest on test with 0.6g per 100g. Half a can of one of these would give you nearly a quarter of the NHS-recommended daily maximum. There are lower-salt and lower-sugar options available.

Baked beans: how much is a portion?

According to the NHS, a portion of baked beans is a rather measly 80g or three heaped tablespoons, which is about a fifth of a tin. 

However, the British Heart foundation says half a 400g tin of beans (around 200g) makes up a portion, and serving suggestions on the products also recommend this.

Which tin you choose will impact how many beans end up on your plate, as the amount you get per can varied from 400g to 420g in the line-up we tested. 

Tesco and Waitrose give you the most, while Co-op, M&S and Sainsbury’s are the lightest.

Best food and drink - see all our taste tests, including blind taste tests of red wine with tasting experts to find the best supermarket wine

How we tested baked beans

The baked beans were taste-tested in September 2024. 

We recruited a large panel of people who regularly buy and eat baked beans, and who broadly represent the demographic profile of adults in the UK (age, gender split etc). 

Each brand of beans was assessed by 66 people. The taste test was blind, so our testers didn’t know which brand they were trying. 

They tasted the beans in a different order that was fully rotated to avoid any bias. Each tester had a private tasting booth so that they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The tasters rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance and told us what they liked and disliked about each product. 

The overall score was based on:

• 50% flavour
• 20% appearance
• 20% aroma
• 10% texture.

These weightings are based on what people ranked as the most important attributes when tasting baked beans.

Price and availability checked: 13 September 2024