Does Baked Beans Have Gluten In Them? 4 Brands That are Safe

Does baked beans have gluten in them? All kinds of beans – white beans, black beans, or pinto beans, they’re all gluten free. While this is good news, don’t celebrate just yet. 

The problem is that while beans naturally do not contain gluten, some brands artificially induce gluten in them for taste and other reasons.

Farmers and brands may use chemicals or other ingredients that may contain gluten in them. Also, in some cases, beans get contaminated with gluten when they’re packaged and processed. What is more commonly known as cross contamination.

So whenever you’re purchasing beans, make sure that you read the ingredients on the package. The problem is, certain packages don’t contain proper instructions. We recommend to stick to these 4 brands that are gluten free:

• Amy’s Kitchen Vegetarian/Vegan Baked Beans
• B&M Baked Beans
• Bush’s Best Baked Beans
• Heinz Baked Beans

What is gluten?

Gluten is a fancy name for a group of proteins that are found in grains and a few types of wheat. It is most commonly found in durum, emmer, semolina, barley and a few other forms of the grain. 

Contrary to popular belief, gluten is found in most foods that we eat. It’s in all types of bread that we eat: white, bran, multi-grain-, pizza’s dough, the crust of most foods, and even sweet baked products. 

The question is if gluten is in almost all the foods around us, why is it a problem?

Some people are gluten intolerant; their bodies can’t digest gluten, which gives birth to many problems. For instance, some people develop skin problems if they’re gluten intolerant, while others develop wheat allergies that result in stomach issues and a lot more complications, and of course, we all know about the celiac disease.

If you’re gluten intolerant or suffer from celiac, it is best to avoid gluten-rich foods altogether. 

What about baked beans? 

Whenever you bake something, you will have to add some ingredients in it, and there’s a strong chance that the added ingredient may contain gluten. Therefore, whenever you decide to make baked beans, you’ll have to ensure that you don’t add an ingredient that contains gluten. 

NOTE: If you have gluten allergy or celiac disease, you should definitely need to know exactly what you use and make sure it is 100% gluten free

If you wish to purchase canned beans, here a few brands of gluten free beans that will not break your trust and are mouth-watering as well.

 1. Amy’s Kitchen Vegetarian/Vegan Baked Beans

Amy’s Kitchen Vegetarian/Vegan Baked Beans are completely organic, gluten free, and, therefore, extremely healthy and tasty. 

Also, their baked beans recipe has the simplest of ingredients that are common to everyone’s kitchen, so you’ll know that you’re not eating anything unhealthy. 

Their baked beans consist of white beans, mixed with tomato puree, apple cider vinegar, and a tinge of salt.

Apart from that, Amy fulfils the legal criteria of a gluten free product. Also, the beans that they use are lactose-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. 

Their products contain less than 20 million per parts of gluten. 

2. B&M Baked Beans

B&M Bakes Beans are also gluten free. An interesting feature of this brand is that it has a large variety of baked beans: the original B&M baked beans, Boston’s best, vegetarian and much more. 

3. Bush’s Best Baked Beans

Bush’s Baked Beans can be easily found in all grocery stores. They come cheap, and they taste delicious as well. 

Plus, they have a lot of variety. You can choose from their extensive collection of ingredients, be it savory, sweet, spicy, or Mexican; they have it all. 

Also, Bush ensures that every complementing ingredient that they use in their recipe is also gluten free. So, when you’re eating Bush’s Best Baked Beans, you can be sure that you won’t be cheating on your gluten diet. 

4. Heinz Baked Beans

Heinz also happens to be the maker of the gluten-free ketchup. Their gluten free baked beans are also indulging and tasty. 

Heinz’s specialty is that they are always improvising and have a large variety of flavors from the spiciest to the sweetest option. They have something for every taste bud. 

However, only some flavor varieties are considered gluten free, which are Original, Hickory Smoke, and Molasses & Pork, and Sweet and Spicy.

The only problem with Heinz is that the complementary ingredients in the recipe may or may not be gluten free, so you’ll have to read the labels and warnings before making your purchase.  

Conclusion

While there are many gluten-free options, most of them aren’t entirely gluten-free. So before you make a purchase, remember to read the labels thoroughly. 

And, if you’re strictly adhering to your gluten free diet, it’s best if you prepare baked beans for yourself at home by purchasing fresh organic ingredients from the market. It never hurts to be a little more cautious.