Make Canned Baked Beans Taste Homemade With A Splash Of This Classic Sauce

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The sweet, smoky flavor of canned baked beans makes them a classic addition to a backyard barbecue or get-together. It might be difficult to imagine making them taste even better — but you can. Adding just a touch of Worcestershire sauce to store-bought baked beans is one way to enhance them without having to make a batch from scratch. The depth and balance it brings can make them taste as good as homemade (or better!).

You can start with a bottle from our ranking of Worcestershire sauces. The ingredients may vary by brand, but the foundational recipe for this condiment includes a unique blend of vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, onions, anchovies, garlic, cloves, tamarind extract, and chili pepper extract. This combination offers a robust, complex flavor: The anchovies provide a boost of umami; vinegar adds a tangy note; tamarind, a fruit with a flavor reminiscent of dates and apricots, and molasses give the sauce a deep sweetness; and added spices enhance its complexity.

We suggest starting by adding about 1 tablespoon of the condiment to two large cans — around 30 ounces total — of your favorite style of baked beans; it doesn't take much, and you can adjust to taste. For a quick preparation, simply stir the Worcestershire sauce into the beans and heat them in a saucepan on the stovetop. Alternatively, transfer the mixture to a casserole dish, toss in a diced onion and minced garlic, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes.

While Worcestershire sauce is used similarly to soy sauce, it also resembles fish sauce, packing loads of savory flavor. This means traditional Worcestershire sauce isn't suitable for vegetarians. Luckily, a vegan version — which is also gluten-free — is available on Amazon.

For optimal results, use one of the best canned baked beans that we tested, allowing for some variation based on the flavor notes and consistency you enjoy. Some options, such as Bush's Best Vegetarian Baked Beans, will give you more control over the final dish, as these contain fewer added ingredients, leaving you with more room to adjust the flavor. For this approach, you can also use the flavorful Amy's Organic Vegetarian Baked Beans, which have rich cider, maple, and tomato notes that will amplify the complex flavors of the Worcestershire sauce. Baked beans that contain bacon or brown sugar will already be sweeter or saltier; consider this before adding Worcestershire sauce, which is itself salty.

Because Worcestershire sauce is so robust, it's difficult to use it the wrong way; the bright, tangy, and sweet tastes of this complex condiment will round out the other ingredients. Yet, because its flavor is so powerful, try to avoid overusing it. You might experiment with the amount of Worcestershire sauce you add to your baked beans to find your perfect blend, and then try it as an ingredient in more unique recipes.