Masala Beans, Baked Beans Curry

Baked beans on toast are the most ubiquitous British breakfast. They’re also extremely adaptable, and Indian-style baked beans — or masala beans — have a cult following. This baked bean curry is rich, juicy, robust, warm with spice, and dances between nuanced sweet and sour flavour notes. It’s a wonderful way to elevate a basic dish.

Like many people in the U.K., I grew up eating baked beans — for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! After all, baked beans are one of the cheapest, most accessible meals.

My Mum had an arsenal of baked bean recipes on rotation. While my dad and sister preferred smoky vegetarian barbecue beans, my Mum and I preferred curried beans (or masala beans, as I now know them!).

Her recipe wasn’t very “authentic,” relying mostly on turmeric and garam masala to do the work. Delicious, but not a patch on my masala beans (sorry Mum)!

Since my knowledge of Indian food has deepened over the past ten years, I’ve adjusted the nostalgic recipe from my childhood. Now, it’s full of depth, with layers of earthy, fiery spices puncturing the tomato-rich buttery sauce.

🌍 Where are Masala Beans From? Who Invented Them?

Baked beans may seem inherently British, but masala beans tell another story. The inception of this frugal curry can be attributed to South Asian immigrants. These early settlers couldn’t access the many pulses used in Indian food, so they settled with a cheap alternative: tinned baked beans.

Adapting the humble tin of beans to fit a homely Indian palette was easy: they added familiar spices also used in most of my Indian curry recipes, and the incredible masala beans were invented.

It’s a beloved sentimental dish within the British Asian community — so much so that many restaurants have adopted the beans into their menus. Case in point, the Dishoom masala beans, or the Chaiiwala masala bean and cheese toastie (now there’s an idea)!

🥫 Masala Beans Ingredients

You’ll need just over 10 staple ingredients for this baked bean curry — including the beans! All of these ingredients are supermarket essentials, while the spices are easily available and more affordable bought bulk from your local Indian market.

• Tinned baked beans are at the core of this recipe. You can use your favourite brand; I often opt for the cheapest. Note: American baked beans aren’t vegetarian by default, whereas British beans are. If you’re U.S.-based, head to a British store for proper British-style beans (there’s a large flavour difference), or in a pinch, get the vegetarian option — I like Amy’s.
• Neutral oil is a flavour carrier for all the spices we’ll be frying.
• Cumin seeds add pops of warming spice with subtle nuttiness.
• Green chillies provide heat/spice. They have a distinctly fruity flavour and medium-level heat ideal for this recipe.
• Onion melts down into the sauce, contributing sweetness.
• Garlic makes our sauce extra buttery.
• Turmeric powder is peppery and so healthy for you.
• Coriander powder is lemony and somewhat floral.
• Tamarind sauce is my secret to mouth-watering masala beans. The sauce adds a caramel-like sweetness, which brings in sour notes that cut through the tomatoey sauce.
• Fresh coriander (cilantro) is the perfect thing to garnish the dish, adding a zesty finish.

As always, ingredient quantities are found in the recipe card below.

🤧 Allergy Information

As if this recipe couldn’t get any more accessible, it’s also free from most major allergies. That makes it the ideal dish for a crowd if you have guests at home or have anyone in the family with dietary needs or requirements, including yourself.

Masala beans are 100% gluten free (check your baked beans tins to confirm, but almost all brands of plain baked beans in the U.K. are), vegan, dairy free, nut free, and soy free. Wow!

🔄 Customisations and Variations

One of my favourite things about this recipe is how unbelievably adaptable and customisable it is! While I recommend following the recipe to the T at first, once you’ve nailed the basic flavours you can have fun experimenting. Here are some ideas:

• 🧀 Make cheesy masala beans by adding grated cheese. I love classic British cheeses such as extra mature cheddar, red Leicester, or double Gloucester. However, non-melting cheeses have a different — yet pleasing — effect, such as crumbled feta, grated paneer, or fried halloumi slices. Of course, if you’re vegan, use a vegan cheese alternative — supermarkets are brimming with them nowadays, and there are some fantastic indie companies available to order from online, too.
• 🌶️ Adjust the spice levels. I’ve only added green chillies to this recipe, and for me, it’s the perfect spice level. However, if that’s too much for you, consider adding around 1/4 – 1/2 tsp (depending on your spice tolerance) of Kashmiri chilli powder, or for young children, smoked paprika. For more spice, add a small dollop of spicy pickles like Mr Naga or add standard chilli powder along with the green chillies.
• 🥛 Make masala beans creamy by stirring in either coconut milk or cream (either dairy or vegan) at the end.
• 🥬 Add leafy greens like chopped spinach or kale to add a nutritional boost.

🧑‍🍳 How to Make Masala Beans

I don’t know about you, but I barely feel like cooking in the mornings. Luckily for you and me, these masala beans take less than 10 minutes to cook, and then you’re set.

The instructions are incredibly simple, but we’ll go over them in more detail (with timings) in the recipe card. Here’s a step-by-step overview:

1. Make the curry base by heating oil in a non-stick pan and crackling the cumin seeds. Next, add the green chillies, chopped onion, and crushed garlic. Saute until the onion is soft and everything is aromatic.
2. Add the dried spices and quickly mix. Be careful not to burn — only cook for a few seconds.
3. Add the beans and mix everything well.
4. Season with tamarind sauce, smoked salt (or sea salt), and freshly chopped coriander. Serve!

💡 Expert Tips

Is this baked bean curry one of the easiest protein-rich meals you’ll ever make? Absolutely. Nonetheless, I’ve got some tips and tricks to make sure your cooking experience is super-duper easy and completely non-stressful.

• Use your favourite brand of beans. There’s quite a lot of variation in flavour, how much sauce/juice is in the beans, and of course, price. Go for your family-favourite tin. I usually buy the cheapest beans — because we’re jazzing them up anyway — but higher quality ingredients usually equals better taste.
• Don’t burn your spices. We’ll be adding the spices to a mostly dry pan, meaning it’s very easy for them to catch and burn. To prevent this, add a splash of water and don’t delay adding the beans straight after. Burning the dry spices can ruin a whole dish by making it bitter. Uh-oh!
• Depending on how you’d like to serve your masala beans (much on this below), adjust the consistency. To serve on toast, I like to simmer my beans to a fairly thick sauce (as pictured), but for other meals, you might want them more saucy. If so, just add a splash of vegetable stock to the pan.

🍞 How to Serve Masala Beans

Beans and bread are a match made in heaven, and masala beans are no exception. My favourite combo is with buttery toasted sourdough — the soft, melt-in-the-mouth beans with lightly toasted bread are drool-worthy.

Having said that, since baked beans curry is a fusion recipe, Indian bread works just as well! Go Mumbai-style and serve masala beans with fluffy pav (bread rolls), or opt for a classic and choose flaky parathas or simple buttered roti. Yum!

On special occasions, I serve masala beans with a full English breakfast (vegetarian, of course): sauteed mushrooms, hash browns, fried eggs (if you’re not vegan), charred roasted tomatoes, and garlicky wilted spinach. Oh, I’m hungry just thinking about it …

Also, masala beans aren’t just for breakfast! To elevate them to a lunch or dinner dish, serve the masala beans with baked jacket potatoes, homemade potato waffles, or lightly spiced potato wedges with a leafy side salad to balance things!

😍 Why You Should Make This Recipe

If you tried this masala beans recipe — or any other recipe on my website — please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know your thoughts in the ✍️comments at the bottom of the page. Thanks for being a part of my community!

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