I tried baked beans from 5 different supermarkets — only 1 tin was tastier than Heinz

Baked beans might be a simple food, but pouring them over cheesy toast or a hearty baked potato can make it among the best comfort food we crave as the weather gets colder. Most people have a few tins of Heinz at the back of their kitchen cupboard for rainy days, but I have always wondered if there could be a better alternative.

Heinz are tasty but tend to cost more than the supermarket brands so I decided to taste test baked beans from different shops to see how they measured up. I took a walk to Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl and even Marks and Spencer to see which baked beans were the best and if any could beat the classic. While some were better than others, I was surprised to find that one supermarket's beans tasted even better than Heinz, while costing less than 50p.

Which British supermarket has the tastiest baked beans?

Morrisons — 60p

The Morrisons beans were disappointing, quite bland and simply boring to eat. The tomato sauce lacked depth and the rich flavour you expect from baked beans. The reason I placed them in last place is that they had a bitter aftertaste, so I was done eating them after trying one spoonful. I felt like you could really taste how processed and artificial they were, so I do not think I would ever buy them again.

Aldi — 39p (Bramwell)

Aldi is one of my favourite supermarkets so I had high expectations for their baked beans but I am sad to say they were just a little plain and did not have enough seasoning.

There was nothing particularly wrong with them, but I just found their flavour quite mild compared to some of the others I tried. They were also really saucy, which can be tasty, but I felt this sauce might have been a little too runny, which could be frustrating to eat on toast or a baked potato.

At only 39p they were certainly cheap, but I would prefer to just go somewhere else and spend a few more pennies on another supermarket’s tinned beans.

Marks and Spencer — 40p

I felt Marks & Spencer had a good consistency, as the sauce was smooth and coated the beans well without being too stodgy. The beans had a rich and tangy flavour, which I found satisfying. My only small criticism was that I felt the beans were a little too firm for my liking.

I prefer beans to have a creamier texture, which made me prefer some of the other brands. However, I would have no problem buying these again in the future.

Lidl — 39p (Newgate)

Lidl’s baked beans were quite savoury compared to the other tins, but had a slight sweetness which I really liked. They had a nice balance of flavours without either the sweetness or savouriness becoming too overpowering.

They were not my absolute favourite of the taste test, as I felt I could taste the salt in the sauce, but overall, I thought they were a good option and would happily buy them again.

Tesco — 43p

The first thing I noticed about the Tesco baked beans was how pleasantly sweet they were, and they had a really deeply rich tomato sauce. Out of all the tins I tried, the Tesco beans definitely had the most flavour, which made them stand out from the other supermarkets' ones.

They also had quite a thick sauce, and the beans stayed tender without turning mushy. Overall, I absolutely loved them and, after finishing my taste test, ended up eating the whole bowl for lunch with some buttery toast.

A 420g tin of Tesco baked beans costs just 43p, while a 415g tin of Heinz costs £1.40. For me, the Tesco beans were the clear standout and proved that you do not necessarily need to spend more to get a really tasty tin of baked beans.