Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans (Kidney-Friendly)

Think baked beans are off-limits if you need to follow a low sodium or kidney-friendly diet?  Well, I’ve got great news!  Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans are not only low sodium, but lower phosphorus and potassium as well! 

In addition, they’re unbelievably easy to make and provide many other health benefits as well! So, whether it’s for your next barbeque, family get-together or just an ordinary weeknight, you can enjoy baked beans with no worries!

Jump to:

• What makes our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans so easy?
• Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans--OK for any stage of kidney disease!
• Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans are high in fiber
• Comparison of beans prepared from dried and drained & rinsed canned beans
• Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans contain plant protein
• Variations & serving suggestions for Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans
• Storing Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans      
• Time to enjoy your Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans!
• Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans (Kidney-Friendly)

What makes our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans so easy?

Much of what makes our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans…well, super-easy, is the ingredients! For one thing, our recipe uses only a handful of ingredients.   Let’s talk about them: 

1.      Fresh or frozen veggies (sauteed in butter or oil), if desired.

In the spirit of keeping our recipes as easy as possible, here at The Everyday Kidney Cook we try to give the option of using appropriate ready-made ingredients when possible.  This recipe is no exception!  If desired, you can use a frozen pepper/onion mix instead of fresh in our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans and it turns out great!

2. No salt added canned pinto beans

Our recipe uses no salt added canned pinto beans.  So, no soaking dried beans overnight or lengthy cooking times.  The only pre-prep required for the beans is draining and rinsing. In fact, you'll be able to whip up this recipe in about 20 minutes! 

3.      1-Minute Low Salt BBQ Sauce

This recipe uses our delicious 1-Minute Low Salt BBQ Sauce (Kidney-Friendly) as the sauce for the baked beans.  Many keep our 1 -Minute Low Salt BBQ Sauce on hand in the fridge to use in other recipes such as our Easy Low Sodium Sloppy Joes (Kidney-Friendly), or simply to use as a condiment for chicken, pork etc. 

However, if you don’t already have some made up, no worries!  As the name implies, it literally only takes one minute to make (yes, really!).  You’ll also only need 3 ingredients:

• 50% Reduced Sodium & Sugar Ketchup
• Brown sugar
• Liquid smoke.

Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans--OK for any stage of kidney disease!

There isn’t a clear-cut definition of “kidney-friendly”.  A kidney-friendly diet can vary depending on individual needs, blood test results, etc.  (Please always discuss your individual needs with your doctor and/or registered dietitian!)

For some people, a kidney-friendly diet may simply mean low sodium.  For others it may mean low potassium and phosphorus in addition to low sodium.  There may also be different protein recommendations (i.e.: amount or type of protein) depending on whether or not you are on dialysis.

Here at the Everyday Kidney Cook, we want our recipes to be suitable for anyone with kidney disease.  That’s why all of our recipes are lower in sodium, potassium and phosphorus.  In addition, we always give modifications that you can make to the recipe’s ingredients or portion size to fit individual protein needs.  Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans (Kidney-Friendly) recipe is no exception!

Low Sodium

A ~½ cup serving of our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans contains 107 mg of sodium.  This can easily fit into a typical low sodium diet.  For many with CKD, sodium recommendations are <2300 mg.  Or, you may be advised a lower sodium limit of ~ 1500 mg. (Note:  Please discuss your individual sodium needs with your doctor or registered dietitian.)

This is in comparison to a ½ cup portion of regular homemade baked beans that contains 535 mg of sodium or canned vegetarian baked beans which weighs in at 480 mg of sodium.  Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked beans contain ~75% less sodium than these options!

There are several factors that make this recipe uniquely low sodium:

• We use no salt added pinto beans in this recipe, which contains only ~20 mg sodium per ½ cup.
• We use our 1-Minute Low Salt BBQ Sauce (Kidney-Friendly) in this recipe. The base of the sauce is 50% Less Sodium & Sugar Ketchup instead of regular ketchup.
• We use unsalted butter to sauté the vegetables.
• This recipe contains no additional salt added.

Lower Phosphorus

Wait a minute…aren’t beans high in phosphorus?  Maybe not as high as you think! Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans contain 67 mg of phosphorus per serving.  Not bad!

The phosphorus content in our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans is on the low side due to a few reasons. Let me explain.

We use canned beans

Canned beans that are drained and rinsed are lower in phosphorus than those boiled from dried beans (81 mg vs 126 mg for a ½ cup serving).

 Beans have less “available” phosphorus than some other foods

The recommendations for phosphorus intake for those with kidney disease, particularly those with high blood phosphorus levels (generally those in later stages of kidney disease), have changed.  In the past, if you needed to be on a phosphorus restriction, you may have been advised to limit all sources of phosphorus.

However, more recent recommendations are that it makes a BIG difference what type of phosphorus you are eating.

• Inorganic phosphorus is man-made phosphorus, or phosphate additives.  You will find phosphate additives in foods such as dark sodas, many processed foods such as most canned soup and frozen meals and some fast food.  Because we absorb almost 100% of phosphate additives, or inorganic phosphorus, if you need to limit phosphorus intake, it would be beneficial avoid these foods or limit as much as possible.
• Organic phosphorus is phosphorus found naturally in foods such as beans, grains, meat, poultry, fish & dairy.  The phosphorus in these foods have a lower bioavailability, meaning our bodies aren’t able to absorb all of the natural phosphorus in these foods.

Click here for a great discussion and chart by the Kidney Foundation of Canada, which compares the total phosphorus content and the absorbable phosphorus of different foods containing both organic (natural) and inorganic phosphorus (phosphate additives).

Lower Potassium

You may have been advised by your doctor or dietitian to limit your potassium intake if you are in the later stages of stages of CKD (usually stage 4 and 5, sometimes stage 3B).  This is due to the risk of high potassium levels when your kidneys are no longer able to filter out extra potassium.

If I have a client on a low potassium diet, I usually recommend caution and portion control with foods >200-250 mg potassium per serving.   Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans contain 228 mg potassium in one ~ ½ cup serving, which is definitely doable! The potassium in this recipe is kept lower in 2 main ways:

1. Canned beans are lower in potassium than beans prepared from dried.
2. Draining and rinsing—An important step in this recipe is draining and rinsing the beans. This greatly reduces the potassium content (For more specific information, take a look at the potassium and phosphorus comparison chart below!) 

To learn more about reducing potassium in legumes, check out this article by the Kidney Foundation.  In addition, keep reading next to learn how high fiber foods, such as beans, can help control blood potassium levels (for those who need to).

Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans are high in fiber

Our beans contain 4 g fiber per serving. I’m sure you know that fiber is “good for you” for many reasons.  For example, it has many digestive and cardiovascular benefits and can help prevent colon cancer.  However, are you aware of the other potential benefits of high fiber foods for those with kidney disease?

Fiber helps control blood potassium levels.

Fiber, such as that contained in beans, has been shown to help control potassium levels in 2 ways (both of which I have personally observed many times in my former patients!)

1. Fiber helps promote bowel regularity and prevent constipation.  If you are prone to high potassium levels, constipation can actually make your levels higher!
2. Fiber helps promote blood sugar control for those who have diabetes.  High blood sugar levels can cause higher potassium levels.  So therefore, keeping your blood sugar down is one way to help keep your potassium levels down.

Comparison of beans prepared from dried and drained & rinsed canned beans

This chart below compares the potassium and phosphorus content of pinto beans that are boiled from dried beans and canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed.

Nutrient:	Pinto beans prepared from dried (boiled), ½ cup	Canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed, ½ cup
Phosphorus (mg)	125.5	81
Available Phosphorus (mg)	25-50	16-32
Potassium (mg)	373	198

Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans contain plant protein

Our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans contain ~ 5 g of plant protein per serving. There are many benefits to eating a plant-based or plant-forward diet. 

One benefit for those with CKD is that plant protein is “easier” on the kidneys than animal-based protein.  Those eating a more plant-based diet may be able to delay or prevent the progression of kidney disease.  

Variations & serving suggestions for Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans

There are SO many kidney-friendly ways to enjoy our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans:

• Increase the portion size (if it fits into your sodium, phosphorus & potassium recommendations) and enjoy as a main dish! (this is a great plant-forward meal!).
• Enjoy as a side with your favorite sandwich (Ex: turkey burger, veggie burger, hamburger, pulled pork)
• Pair with your favorite barbequed or grilled protein such as chicken, pork, etc.
• Enjoy on toast for breakfast, lunch or as a snack!
• On top of scrambled eggs or alongside scrambled, fried, poached or deviled eggs
• Alongside rice. 
• Wrap in a tortilla and make a “baked bean” burrito (Hint: corn tortillas are usually lower in sodium and are less likely to contain phosphate additives than flour tortillas)
• With cornbread.  Check out our Easy Low Sodium Cornbread (Kidney-Friendly) recipe!
• Paired with a fresh tossed salad
• With a kidney-friendly mac and cheese such as our Low Sodium Macaroni & Cheese (Dump & Bake) recipe
• With our Easy Low Sodium Meatballs (Beef or Turkey)
• For a heartier baked beans dish, add some lower sodium bacon. Don't forget to check the ingredients for phosphate additives!

Storing Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans      

You can keep our Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.  If freezing, you may notice a difference in texture, however.

Time to enjoy your Super-Easy Low Sodium Baked Beans!

There are so many reasons to add this recipe to your list of faves!

• It’s easy to make.
• It is lower in sodium, phosphorus and potassium than regular baked beans and appropriate for anyone with any stage of kidney disease.
• It’s a great plant-based protein.  Those consuming a more plant-based or plant-forward diet may be able to prevent or delay the progression of CKD.
• It’s high in fiber which provides unique benefits for potassium-control for some with more progressed kidney disease.
• It’s versatile!

Enjoy!