You won’t be surprised that the UK consumes more baked beans than the rest of the world… Combined! 1.5 million cans of Heinz beans are sold every day in the UK. But, can you extend their storage even further by placing them in the freezer?
Can You Freeze Baked Beans?
Yes, you can freeze baked beans for up to 6 months. However, you must not throw a tin of baked beans into the freezer, instead, you’ll want to portion them out into airtight containers before freezing them.
Do Baked Beans Freeze Well? Sometimes
Can You Refreeze Baked Beans? No
How to Freeze Baked Beans
It should go without saying, but you should really ever need to freeze sealed, unopened tins of food, like baked beans. They’ll last for months if not years in the cupboard as the canning process preserves the beans.
But sometimes you will find yourself only eating half a tin and that’s when freezing comes in handy:
- Portion Out: Remove your leftover beans from the tin with any sauce and tip it into a suitable freezer-safe container. Don’t completely fill the container as the sauce will expand slightly when frozen.
- Seal: You want the container to have a tight-fitting lid so seal it with the lid. If you don’t think it’s completely airtight then wrap the container in a sheet of clingfilm.
- Freeze: Place the container in the freezer with a clear label…
And that’s really all there is to it. No complicated method or multiple stages of freezing. You really have no excuses for wasting leftover baked beans now!
No, freezing cooked baked beans would not be a good idea. Cooking them then freezing them and then thawing them will play havoc with the textures. You’ll end up with gloppy and/or mushy baked beans – not what you want!
2 Tips for Freezing Baked Beans
Now you know how to freeze baked beans, we’ve got our 2 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing them to have the best results:
Never Freeze in the Tin
Never freeze in the tin! Instead, portion your baked beans out into airtight containers and freeze in those.
Avoid in the First Place
Baked beans have an incredibly long shelf life so if you can avoid freezing them at all then that would be best. If you find you only ever eat half a can then consider buying the mini cans in future.
How Long Can You Freeze Baked Beans?
Frozen baked beans will last in the freezer for 6 months before they need to be used up. When freezing them, it’s vital that you label them up with the date on which they need to be consumed so they don’t go to waste.
Remember that a tin of baked beans will last for months, if not years, in the cupboard so it’s only worth freezing baked beans if you have opened the tin and won’t use them up in the next few days.
Opened baked beans will need to be used within 2 days. They can be kept in a covered dish in the fridge.
How Do You Defrost Baked Beans?
If you plan on eating the beans on a jacket potato or toast then you’ll want to fully defrost before cooking them as you normally would. Simply place them in the fridge overnight to give them plenty of time to slowly thaw out.
You can then cook them how you normally would.
If, however, you plan on stirring your beans into a stew or casserole then the good is you can cook them straight from frozen. Simply remove the container from the freezer and tip the beans straight into the pan.
If they’re a little stuck then place the container in the microwave for a short 30-second burst to make it easier to remove the beans.
Can You Refreeze Baked Beans?
We would not recommend refreezing baked beans. You’ll find the texture of the beans themselves changes dramatically. You may even be left with beans that are mushy which is not what you want.
Do Baked Beans Freeze Well?
There is a risk that the beans will go a little mushy when frozen and some people dislike the texture of baked beans post-freezing. That’s why beans straight from the can are better than frozen.
But frozen beans are still far better than beans thrown in the bin.
Now you know how to freeze one breakfast staple, but it’s time you looked at freezing other vital breakfast ingredients such as bacon or black pudding?
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing baked beans or baked beans in general, then these may help:
Once you’ve opened a tin of baked beans, they will last for around 3 to 5 days in the fridge. You should pour them out of the tin and into a bowl which is then kept covered when in the fridge.
Yes, you can freeze homemade baked beans. Decant into airtight containers, seal the lid and then place them into the freezer. We would only freeze them for up to 3 months, however, as they can become mushy quite quickly.
Yes, you can freeze Heinz baked beans. In fact, you can freeze any brand (or supermarket’s own) of beans.
Although it’s possible to freeze baked beans and bacon together, there’s no benefit to doing so. Instead, freeze them apart, defrost, reheat and then serve them up on the same plate.
Very useful.
“It should go without saying, but you should really ever need to freeze tins of food like baked beans.” *never*
“If, however, you plan on stirring your beans into a stew or casserole then the good *thing* is you can cook them straight from frozen. “
Sorry about the confusion there MW, that first section is simply missing the word ‘sealed’.
“Can You Freeze Cooked Baked Beans?
No,…”
Ummm??? All baked beans are cooked. They’re literally called “baked” beans. Anything taken out of a can has been fully cooked as part of the pasteurization process.