Baked beans are usually made from small white navy beans (also called haricot beans), not from kidney, black, or pinto beans in most classic canned or “Heinz-style” versions.

Quick Scoop

  • The classic “baked bean” is almost always a navy/haricot bean.
  • Other white beans like Great Northern or cannellini can be used in homemade recipes, but are more of a substitute than the default.
  • Some recipes or regions use kidney or pinto beans for heartier, thicker baked beans, but that’s less typical for the standard canned style.

Mini breakdown

  1. Standard canned / Heinz-style baked beans
    • Made from small white navy (haricot) beans.
 * Chosen because they’re mild in flavor, creamy inside, and hold their shape with long cooking.
  1. Homemade or BBQ baked beans
    • Often still use navy beans, but some cooks pick Great Northern, cannellini, kidney, or pinto beans for a meatier texture.
  1. If you see “baked beans” on a typical English or American breakfast plate
    • You are almost certainly eating navy/haricot beans in a tomato-based sauce.

Tiny story-style example

Imagine opening a can of classic baked beans: those small, pale, soft beans swimming in sweet tomato sauce are navy/haricot beans that have been bred and chosen specifically because they survive all that stewing without falling apart, while quietly soaking up flavor.

TL;DR: When someone asks “what kind of bean is a baked bean,” the accurate answer in most everyday contexts is: a small white navy (haricot) bean.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.