Who is this choice for?

Cooks keeping track of salt in the curry

If you are adding part or all of a tin, the beans are one ingredient to count alongside curry paste, stock or sauce. The salt figure per 100g lets you compare tins before calculating the amount you will use.

Shoppers considering sugar claims too

Reduced-sugar and no-added-sugar recipes are different choices. Check which claim the tin makes, and read the ingredients if sweeteners or a particular recipe matter to you.

Shoppers comparing supermarket own-label tins

Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Waitrose have relevant own-label options. Compare their salt values on the same per-100g basis rather than treating similar front-of-pack wording as equivalent.

What should you check?

Choose using the salt figure per 100g, then consider the recipe, tin size and quantity you will put in the curry.

Priority What to check Your needs
Salt content Compare salt in grams per 100g across tins. Use the weight of beans going into the pan to work out their contribution; a stated serving may be a different size. I may use a whole tin, or just enough for one curry. I want to judge the amount I actually add, especially if the sauce or stock also contains salt.
Reduced-salt claim Read what the percentage reduction is compared with, then check the final salt figure per 100g. Tesco’s 25% less-salt claim is against its standard beans; Sainsbury’s states 30% less salt for its reduced sugar and salt product. A large reduction on the front of the tin does not tell me which brand has the lower final salt figure.
Sugar and ingredients Distinguish reduced sugar from no added sugar. Check the ingredient list, including any declared sweeteners, if the recipe matters to you. I might want to consider sugar as well as salt, but I do not want to assume those two claims mean the same thing.
Tin size and leftovers Check the can weight against the amount your curry needs. Follow the exact tin’s instructions for storing any unused beans. For a smaller pan, I would rather plan what to do with the remainder than compare tins solely by their total contents.

Common buying mistakes

  • Comparing reduction percentages across brands

    A percentage such as 25% or 30% refers to the stated comparison product, not to every other tin on the shelf. It cannot establish which finished recipe contains less salt.

    Use the declared grams of salt per 100g for the cross-brand comparison, and read the reduction claim for its own stated context.

  • Choosing by salt per tin alone

    Different can weights make total salt per tin a poor starting point for comparing recipes. Total salt becomes relevant once you know how much you will use.

    Compare per 100g first; then calculate from the weight added to your curry.

  • Seasoning before considering the other ingredients

    Beans are not necessarily the only source of salt in the finished curry: paste, stock, sauce and accompaniments can contribute too.

    Check those ingredients and taste the curry before adding extra salt.

  • Treating a vegan label as an allergen guarantee

    Marks & Spencer identifies its No Added Sugar Baked Beans as vegan but also says the product is unsuitable for people with milk or egg allergy.

    If an allergy affects your choice, check the current pack’s allergen statement for the exact tin.

Relevant brand options

These figures apply to the named products, not to every tin made by each brand. Pack labels are the point of comparison when you shop.

Tesco

Tesco Reduced Sugar and Salt Baked Beans come in a 420g tin.

  • Tesco Groceries lists 0.29g salt per 100g and 25% less salt than its standard baked beans.
  • That percentage uses Tesco’s own standard recipe as its comparison, so use the per-100g figure when comparing brands.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans come in a 400g tin.

  • Sainsbury’s lists 0.29g salt per 100g and states 30% less salt and 30% less sugar.
  • Check the current ingredients if the sugar-reduction recipe or use of sweeteners affects your choice.

Asda

Asda Reduced Salt & No Added Sugar Baked Beans combine those two claims in a 410g tin.

  • ASDA Groceries lists 0.34g salt per 100g and states 30% less salt than a standard equivalent.
  • The declared salt per 100g is higher than the 0.29g listed by Tesco Groceries and Sainsbury’s for the products compared here.

Waitrose Essential

Essential Reduced Salt & Sugar Baked Beans are an own-label option in a 220g format.

  • Waitrose & Partners lists 0.30g salt per 100g and states 30% less salt and sugar for this product.
  • Check how much of the smaller tin your curry needs before comparing its total contents with a larger can.

Heinz

Heinz No Added Sugar Baked Beans are a branded option for shoppers seeking that recipe.

  • Waitrose & Partners lists 0.40g salt per 100g for the single-serve product and describes it as having 25% less salt than standard Heinz Beanz.
  • Its declared salt per 100g is higher than the Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose Essential and Asda products described above.

M&S

M&S No Added Sugar Baked Beans are an option to consider for their no-added-sugar recipe rather than a stated reduced-salt claim.

  • Marks & Spencer lists 0.43g salt per 100g for this product.
  • Its product information says it is unsuitable for people with milk or egg allergy, despite identifying it as vegan. Check the current pack if this applies to you.

Joybuy product options

This reduced-sugar-and-salt baked-bean multipack is an option to consider if you are using beans in a curry and want several tins of the same recipe. Check its current salt figure per 100g against the other options before choosing.

Branston Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans, 4 x 410g

Branston Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans, 4 x 410g

For a curry made with part or all of a tin, this reduced-sugar-and-salt recipe comes as four 410g cans. Compare the current pack’s salt per 100g with other tins, then calculate from the quantity going into the pan.

View on Joybuy

Questions about choosing baked beans

Which salt figure should I compare between tins?

Compare grams of salt per 100g first: it puts different can sizes and stated servings on the same basis. The NHS explains that nutrition labels give values per 100g and may also give them per portion; use the quantity going into your curry for the final calculation.

Does “reduced salt” mean a tin has the lowest salt content?

No. A reduced-salt claim compares a product with its stated standard recipe or equivalent, not with every competing brand. Tesco Groceries and Sainsbury’s each list 0.29g salt per 100g for the products discussed here, while Waitrose & Partners lists 0.40g per 100g for Heinz No Added Sugar Baked Beans, which it describes as having 25% less salt than standard Heinz Beanz.

How do I work out the salt from half a tin?

Check the tin’s weight and salt value per 100g, then calculate using the weight you actually add. A half-tin serving printed on one brand’s label may not weigh the same as half of another brand’s tin.

Are vegan baked beans necessarily suitable for a milk or egg allergy?

No. Marks & Spencer identifies its No Added Sugar Baked Beans as vegan but says they are unsuitable for people with milk or egg allergy. Check the current allergen information on the exact pack rather than relying on the vegan description.