Beans, beans they make you fart, beans, beans good for the heart!
If you think baked beans on a low FODMAP diet sound like a recipe for a full-on flare-up then this recipe for homemade low FODMAP baked beans is for you.
Unfortunately for IBS sufferers, the humble baked bean tops the list at number one as a favourite, fart-inducing food.
Here in the UK, baked beans are a comforting staple, eaten by kids and adults alike. We particularly enjoy them for breakfast, which apparently isn't the done thing in many parts of the world, including the Americas where they originated. Let me know in the comments below if beans for breakfast are a thing wherever you call home. Don't worry if you can't get on board with it, I've got more delicious low FODMAP breakfast ideas here.
Baked beans are particularly popular with vegetarians and vegans as a quick and easy protein-packed food. So it goes without saying that many of us find it hard to give them up when first starting a low FODMAP diet. This is where the inspiration for my homemade recipe came from.
The only way to get your baked bean fix on a low FODMAP diet is to make them yourself. This recipe for a rich and tasty homemade version uses a safe serving of chana dahl in place of the traditional, high FODMAP haricot beans, aka navy beans.
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Top Tips
Here are my top 3 gut-friendly tips for enjoying these homemade baked beans at any time of the day, without the dreaded musical side effects;
- Soak the dried chana dahl (or bean of choice) overnight. Discard the soaking water and rinse thoroughly with fresh water before cooking
- Stick to a serving of no more than ¼ - ½ cup at a time
- Pair them with GOS free foods
These faked beans (as I affectionately call them), would go really well with my crispy baked hash browns and dippy v'egg for a cracking, vegan, English brekkie.
If you're anything like me then you won't consider breakfast complete without a side of hot buttered toast. To keep things low FODMAP you could add a slice of sourdough. If you need it to be gluten-free then check the Monash app for the brands that are fructan (FOS) rather than GOS based.
Ingredients
To make this low FODMAP version you'll need;
- dried chana dahl
- tinned/canned tomatoes
- tomato puree
- nutritional yeast
- dijon mustard
- smoked paprika
- garam masala
- asafoetida (optional but recommended. Ensure gluten-free if required)
- sugar (for optional sweetness)
- salt
See the recipe card for full quantities and the FODMAP ingredient notes below for detailed FODMAP safe portions.
Instructions
The most important step is to soak the chana dahl in double the volume of filtered water. Do this for anywhere from 12 - 48 hours. I generally leave mine on the counter overnight. If you're leaving them to soak for longer I recommend changing the water every 12 - 24 hours.
Skipping this step will likely result in the beans not softening enough during cooking. Soaking any dried bean helps to reduce the cooking time and generally makes them easier to digest.
When you're ready to cook the beans, discard the soaking water and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water. This soaking water is known as aquafaba and is a very popular ingredient in vegan baking.
However, if you suffer from gut issues then don't be tempted to use this (or any) aquafaba in your vegan meringues. It's full of the FODMAPs that have leached from the beans during soaking and is the main source of those fart and bloat-inducing carbohydrates.
Pop the drained beans into a deep, heavy-bottomed pan with a vented lid. Cover with double their volume of fresh cold water. Bring the dahl to a boil and continue to boil rapidly for 10 minutes with the lid on. If the dahl starts to boil over try venting the lid at a slight angle to allow some of the steam to escape.
Using a slotted spoon, skim off any frothy scum that floats to the surface. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook with the lid on at a high simmer for a further 20 minutes. Do not allow the water to boil away or the pan to dry out.
Half fill the kettle with water and set it to boil. Strain the dahl over the sink and carefully pour the boiled water over to rinse thoroughly. Allow the water to fully drain away before returning the dahl to the pan.
Once again this process of draining and rinsing away the cooking water can really help to remove more of those water-soluble FODMAPs from the beans.
At this point, the dahl should be more than half cooked. Add all the ingredients, except the optional sugar and salt, back into the pan. Stir everything together and bring it back to a medium simmer for 20 minutes. You'll need to keep the lid on and stir frequently to avoid it sticking to the pan.
Taste the beans after 10 minutes and add the optional sugar if you think it’s needed to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes.
The faked beans are ready when they’re fork-tender but not mushy. If they're too watery due to the condensation in the pan remove the lid for the final 5 minutes.
Stir in a pinch of salt to taste, just before dishing up.
Hint: Most chefs cannot agree on whether adding salt too early in the cooking process prevents the beans from softening. To be on the safe side I prefer to add it to taste at the end.
Recipe FAQ's
Are canned baked beans low FODMAP?
No. Unfortunately, shop-bought canned baked beans are very high FODMAP and it's recommended that you avoid them during the elimination phase. The ingredients typically found in baked beans that make them high FODMAP are;
- haricot/navy beans
- onion flavouring
- garlic flavouring
- high FODMAP sweeteners such as xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol or high fructose syrup.
Which beans are low FODMAP?
This is quite a tricky question to answer as it can change depending on whether the beans are dried, canned or sprouted. The Monash app is the best place to get the most detailed, up-to-date information about serving sizes and the FODMAP content of beans.
Generally speaking, the following beans have small, ¼ - ½ cup low FODMAP servings;
- aduki beans
- black beans
- butter/lima beans
- chana dahl
- chickpeas/garbanzo
- lentils
- mung beans
- pinto beans
- toor dahl/pigeon peas
- urid dahl
Why is my dahl not cooking?
There are several reasons why your dahl may not cook as quickly as you expect, or in some cases, not at all. Here are the likely culprits;
- The dahl is old. No amount of cooking will soften the dahl if it's been sitting in the cupboard, in direct sunlight or on the shelf too long. This sometimes catches people out as the dahl may be fairly newly purchased to them but has been stored incorrectly or for long periods of time by the shop or supplier.
- You didn't soak the dahl for long enough, or at all, prior to cooking.
- The dahl was not boiled rapidly for at least 10 minutes before being turned down to a simmer.
- You didn't use a lid when cooking the dahl and/or the water boiled away too quickly. The water level needs to remain above the dahl throughout the pre-cooking stage.
- Attempting to cook the dahl directly in the sauce without pre-cooking first.
- Some chefs insist that adding acids, such as tomatoes, or salt too early in the cooking process stops dried dahl and beans from softening.
- The chana dahl should be more than half cooked after the pre-cook stage before the tomatoes and flavourings are added.
- Chana dahl looks very similar to toor dahl and yellow split peas. Both of these cook quicker than chana dahl. If you're used to the cooking time of other dahls then you may be caught out by the extra cooking time needed for chana dahl.
Substitutions
If you’re non-FODMAP or in the personalised phase you could try experimenting with other beans.
- Haricot or navy beans are the traditional types used in canned baked beans.
- Cannellini or butter beans give a bit of texture variety.
Be aware that different dried beans require different cooking times. Whole, dried beans need to be virtually cooked before you add them back into the pan with the sauce ingredients.
To make this recipe quicker try using cooked, rinsed and drained canned beans. If using pre-cooked beans follow the recipe from the point of adding all the sauce flavourings to the pot. Choose from the following canned varieties to keep things low FODMAP;
- Black beans at 40g per serving
- Butter beans at 35g per serving
- Pinto beans at 45g per serving
Using canned beans means that the overall volume of beans will be less than the amount of soaked chana dahl in the original recipe. You may wish to start with fewer tomatoes to ensure the beans do not end up too thin and watery. You can always add more (up to the FODMAP safe serving of 200g per 2 portions) if needed during the simmering stage.
Variations
Bored of traditional baked beans? Mix it up by adding these variations along with the basic ingredients;
- BBQ - Stir in my homemade BBQ sauce
- Spicy - chilli powder
- Curry - garlic free curry powder
- Savoury - ½ FODMAP safe stock cube or a splash of tamari or soy sauce
- Sweet - maple syrup
Cooks tips
Dried chana dahl naturally has a bit more bite and substance than a classic canned bean. Closer in texture to a chickpea rather than a baked bean. If you want yours to soften up fully then increase the initial rapid boil time by 15 minutes until almost fully softened to your liking.
The soaking and initial cooking of the beans can be done up to 48 hours in advance. Soak, cook, rinse and drain the beans, allow to cool and store in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them into the sauce.
This baked bean alternative recipe is much closer in taste to a reduced salt and sugar brand. If you prefer the flavour of regular baked beans then you'll need to increase the sugar and salt to suit your tastes.
The asafoetida replaces the onion and garlic flavourings that are typically added to canned baked beans. You may omit it if you prefer but the beans will be lacking in depth and complexity of flavour. As the asafoetida is a substitute for garlic and onion there isn't really an adequate substitute for the asafoetida.
If you're not on a low FODMAP diet then swap the asafoetida for ¼ teaspoon of onion powder and ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Equipment
Due to space and budget constraints, I keep a fairly minimal kitchen. The majority of my recipes require nothing more than access to a kettle, microwave, hob and oven, with the occasional blender thrown in.
However, when it comes to cooking beans the one piece of equipment I wish I had at my disposal is a pressure cooker, such as the instant pot. Over my years with IBS I've heard a lot of anecdotal evidence from people who swear that the only way they can tolerate dried beans is to cook them in a pressure cooker.
I'm yet to experience this for myself but if you do have access to one it seems like the majority of cooks suggest a minimum of 10 minutes on medium-high. Most recipes I read also recommended allowing the pressure to release naturally for a further 10 minutes. This is just for the first stage of pre-cooking the chana dahl on its own. I'd still recommend continuing the recipe from this point in a pan, particularly the first time you make it, so you can taste and adjust the flavour and seasonings as you go.
Storage & Food Safety
The cooked faked beans will keep up to 3 days in the fridge. This will vary depending on whether or not you did any of the initial, rapid cooking of the chana dahl in advance.
Once cooked they can also be frozen for up to 6 months and defrosted in the fridge overnight. To reheat the beans, put them in a saucepan on medium heat. Add a splash of water to stop them from sticking. Simmer and stir frequently for about 6 minutes.
Any leftover tomatoes should be removed from the can and stored in a food-safe container in the fridge. Alternatively, they can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
It's advised not to store leftover food directly in the fridge in an opened can. This particularly applies to acidic foods such as fruit and tomatoes. There is a very small risk of both metal and plastic leaching from the opening of the can into the food. Even more likely is that food in an open can may develop a metallic taste and/or be tainted by the smells and flavours of other foods in the fridge.
Gluten Free Tips
If you require a strict gluten-free diet then make sure you purchase a brand of asafoetida that's free from wheat.
Asafoetida is a very pungent spice that is often diluted with various flour and gums to make it more palatable and cheaper to buy. For those on a low FODMAP diet, with no underlying wheat or gluten issues, the amount of wheat found in a portion of asafoetida should be well tolerated. This is because we typically only use asafoetida in tiny amounts and eating strictly wheat and gluten-free on the low FODMAP diet is not necessary for the majority of IBS sufferers.
I created this video, about buying and cooking with asafoetida on a low FODMAP diet, that you may find helpful.
FODMAP Tips
This recipe was updated in May 2022 to reflect the changes in low FODMAP serving sizes for canned plum tomatoes and tomato puree/paste.
I recommend that once you've got this recipe sussed you make it in bulk and freeze the beans in single servings. As long as you multiply each extra portion of your chana dahl in 45g increments and each extra portion of canned tomatoes by 100g it should be fairly easy to divide up accurately into FODMAP safe portions.
Due to the full portion of GOS in the chana dahl, you'll need to serve the beans with GOS free accompaniments. If you can't find a suitable GOS free bread then consider serving these as a comforting topping for a jacket potato.
FODMAP Servings
As written this recipe serves 2 and is FODMAP safe at a ½ serving. One single portion of this recipe (without toast) contains approx:
- ⅛ Fructan serving - ½ teaspoon tomato puree/paste + ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard = Trace amounts
- >1 GOS - 45g chana dahl = 1 GOS serving + trace serving from dijon mustard
- 0 Mannitol
- 0 Sorbitol
- 1 Fructose - 100g canned tomatoes = 1 Fructose serving
- 0 Lactose - All my recipes are vegan and therefore free from dairy and lactose. Yay!
Always refer to the Monash app for current low FODMAP servings and FODMAP categorisations.
FODMAP Ingredient Notes
Asafoetida
Some varieties may contain wheat flour. If this is an issue for you then source the pure version or wheat-free brands. I typically use the Schwartz brand which is blended with rice flour. If using pure asafoetida or undiluted Indian hing, reduce the recipe amount by at least half until you get used to the intensity of your purchased brand.
Dijon mustard
FODMAP safe serving of 23g/1 Tbsp. Very large servings of 230g or ¾ cup become moderate for fructans and GOS. As Dijon mustard is usually used in recipes in small amounts I tend not to count it towards my FOS/GOS serving. If you’re very sensitive to oligos then you may wish to consider it for FODMAP stacking purposes as a ¼ portion of fructans and GOS.
Sugar
FODMAP safe serving of 40g or ¼ cup. Many people are confused about sugar being included as a low FODMAP ingredient. The reason sugar (sucrose) is usually well tolerated is that it is made up of equal parts fructose and equal parts glucose. The presence of an equal or higher percentage of glucose helps our bodies to absorb and digest fructose.
When we avoid fructose on a high FODMAP diet we only need to worry about those foods which contain an excess of fructose, in comparison to glucose.
Unfortunately, many artificial sweeteners, those ending in 'ol' and many natural sweeteners such as dates, applesauce and overripe bananas are all incredibly high FODMAP.
Tomatoes plum, tinned/canned
FODMAP safe serving of 100g. Servings of 190g contain moderate amounts of excess fructose. High for excess fructose at 250g serving.
Tomato puree/paste
FODMAP safe serving of 28g or 2 Tbsps. The FODMAP content of tomato puree was changed in the 2022 Monash app update. It is now listed as moderate for FOS (fructans) in servings of 81g and high for FOS at 85g. Previously no excess FODMAPs were listed.
Shopping Tips
Steenbergs asafoetida (60g) Buying asafoetida online can be a tricky business. This one is moderately priced, lists its ingredients and is a blend of asafoetida and fenugreek. Many online do not specify the ingredients, they may be blended with wheat flour or otherwise contaminated or unsuitable for those avoiding wheat and gluten. I usually buy the Schwartz brand from the supermarket. It's widely available, affordable and blended with rice flour.
Engevita nutritional yeast with B12 (125 g) If you use this regularly it sometimes works out better value to buy it in multipacks rather than individually. If you’ve never used it before or prefer not to buy it in bulk then start off with a single pack.
Free From
- Celery free
- Coconut free
- Garlic free
- Gluten free
- Oil free
- Onion free
- Peanut free
- Sesame free
- Soy free
- Tree nut free
- Wheat free
- Lactose free
- Mannitol free
- Sorbitol free
Please always double-check your ingredients to ensure your products, brands and version is “free-from” if required. Where we list free from FODMAPs please be aware we are referring to free from excess FODMAPs as defined by low/high FODMAP limits in the Monash app and not a true allergy-safe definition of “free-from”.
Most plant foods will still contain some level of FODMAPs but in amounts that are considered to be tolerable for most people on the low FODMAP diet.
Recipe
Low FODMAP Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 90 g / ½ scant cup chana dahl - dried weight
- 200 g / 1 scant cup canned tomatoes - chopped
- 1 teaspoon tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida - optional, ensure wheat-free if required
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon sugar - optional to taste
- 1 pinch salt - to taste
Instructions
- Soak 90 g / ½ scant cup chana dahl overnight in double the volume of fresh, filtered water.
- Drain and rinse the chana dahl thoroughly. Pop the dahl into a deep, heavy bottomed pot with a vented lid. Cover with double their volume in fresh cold water. Bring the dahl to a boil and continue to boil rapidly with the lid on for 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, skim off and discard any frothy scum that floats to the surface. After 10 minutes of boiling, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook at a high simmer with the lid on for a further 20 minutes.
- Half fill the kettle with water and bring to the boil. Strain the dahl over the sink and carefully pour the boiled water over to rinse thoroughly. Allow the water to fully drain away before returning the dahl to the pan.
- To the pan add 200 g / 1 scant cup canned tomatoes, 1 teaspoon tomato puree, ½ teaspoon dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon asafoetida, ¼ teaspoon garam masala 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast. Stir everything into the dahl and bring it back to a gentle simmer for 15-20 minutes. You may need to reduce the heat to low, leave the lid on and stir frequently to avoid it sticking to the pan.
- Taste the beans after 10 minutes and add the optional ½ teaspoon sugar if you think it’s needed to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes.
- The faked beans are ready when they’re fork tender but not mushy. Stir in 1 pinch salt just before dishing up.
Recipe Video
Notes
Recipe Video
Do you eat baked beans for breakfast?
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