What To Add To Beans On Toast: 10 BEST Ideas!

When it comes to a quick, easy, and budget friendly meal, you really can’t beat beans on toast. 

Perfect for those evenings when you don’t have the time or energy to cook, or when you haven’t had a chance to visit the supermarket and need to turn to pantry staples, it’s a satisfying meal that also happens to be surprisingly nutritious. 

If you want to make things a bit more exciting, there are plenty of tasty choices for what to add to beans on toast. Let’s take a look… 

What to add to beans on toast 

Some of the best ideas for adding to beans on toast include a poached egg, grated cheese, hot sauce, bacon, curry powder, Marmite, chorizo, and Worcestershire sauce. 

Keep reading for more ideas and inspiration… 

1. A perfectly poached egg 

An egg is always a wonderful addition to beans on toast. They’re cheap, readily available, and can help you to get more protein in your diet. Poached is always my preference for serving with beans on toast, and this guide to how to poach an egg will help you to master a simple technique that produces restaurant worthy results every time. 

Don’t love poached, or just fancy something different? Scrambled and fried would also work well on top of your beans on toast. 

2. Your favourite grated cheese 

Cheesy beans on toast is super simple, but the ultimate in comfort food! Grated cheddar is probably the most popular option, though you could shake things up depending on what you have in your fridge right now. Add some jalapeño cheese if you like things a little spicy, or if you want to get a little fancy, you could use small chunks of feta and add some fresh herbs as garnish. 

Your cheese will begin to melt slightly once it’s on top of the beans, but if you want things more melty, you could pop everything under the grill for 30 seconds or so. Just keep your eye on things so they don’t burn! 

3. A splash of hot sauce 

If you love all things spicy, a dash of your favourite hot sauce could be just what you need to elevate your baked beans to the next level. Varieties like Tabasco, Frank’s, and sriracha are all strong choices. 

Interestingly, from a food science perspective, the acidic element of hot sauce, typically due to the addition of vinegar in the ingredients, could be what’s responsible for making it so delicious when added to a wide variety of different savoury dishes. The acidity brings freshness and vibrancy to the plate, and it can also help to bring out the flavour of the other ingredients. 

4. Rashers of bacon 

Surely almost everything is improved by adding a couple of rashers of crispy bacon? It’s certainly true for beans on toast! Just grill your bacon and add on top once it’s golden, crispy, and delicious.

This choice is perfect for breakfast when you want something substantial, but you don’t want to go to the effort of making a full English.  

5. A touch of curry powder

Curried beans are warming, comforting, and full of flavour. If you enjoy experimenting with different cuisines, this spin on traditional beans on toast could be right up your street. 

Add a little curry powder at a time, and taste before deciding if you need to add any more. If you really want to shake things up, you could even use naan bread instead of sliced white bread! 

6. Marmite

Do you love it or hate it? If you’re a lover, Marmite could be a wonderful choice for what to add to beans on toast. I personally prefer to scrape it into my toast before spooning over the beans, though you could also add some directly to the beans once they’re done cooking and stir through. 

If you enjoy deeply savoury, umami style flavours, then this option could be perfect for you. Just remember that Marmite has a fairly strong taste and a little can go a long way, so add a small amount at first before tasting. 

7. Chopped sausages 

This is another classic breakfast ingredient that can be added to your beans on toast! I like to grill the sausages, chop into bite sized chunks, and stir through the piping hot baked beans. 

Go the extra mile by topping with grated cheese and a few splashes of your favourite hot sauce. This makes for a quick and easy dinner that doesn’t compromise when it comes to satisfying the healthiest of appetites. 

8. Hash browns 

Who doesn’t love a double serving of carbs?! Keeping a packet of hash browns in your freezer makes for a handy standby for evenings when you don’t have the time or energy to cook a big meal from scratch. 

Just pop them on top of your beans on toast, and you’re good to go. 

9. Chorizo 

Add a little bit of sophistication to your beans on toast by pan frying a little chorizo until browned and crispy. It adds both texture and delicious smokey flavour to your meal, and with the addition of a poached egg and some freshly chopped herbs, you’ve got a brunch that will rival anything you might be served in a fancy bistro. 

The added benefit here is that when you break chorizo into bitesized pieces, it cooks super fast. You can have it ready to serve in around 6 or 7 minutes, which coincidentally is about how long it’ll take you to prepare the rest of your meal! 

10. Worcestershire sauce 

Worcestershire sauce is probably my favourite secret ingredient when it comes to what to add to beans on toast! It’s both sweet and savoury with a delicious tang, and just a few dashes can take your quick dinner up to the next level. 

If you’re a keen home cook then this is an ingredient that’s definitely worth having in your pantry. It can also be added to bloody Marys, meatloaf, Caesar salad, and cocktail sauce, as well as a wide variety of savoury meals like cottage pie and spaghetti bolognese. 

How to make beans on toast more exciting 

With a little bit of imagination and creativity, you can transform your beans on toast into an exciting meal that you’ll want to enjoy again and again. 

By adding extras such as eggs, bacon, sausages, hot sauce, curry powder, Marmite, or chorizo, you can have a quick but delicious meal just using pantry staples and ingredients you already have in your kitchen. 

Have you got any favourites that aren’t covered here? Leave a comment and share your ideas!