We Graded Every Canned Bean A–F. Plain Beans Swept the Top.

Most of our report cards are an exposé. This one isn’t. Legumes are one of the best things you can pull off a shelf, and the grades say so: plain canned beans — black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans — sweep the top of this list, carried by a rare combination of protein and fiber with almost no fat or sugar. The only laggard is baked beans, which get candied with brown sugar until they read more like dessert than legume. The one watch-out for everything else is sodium, and a quick rinse in the colander knocks a big chunk of it out. So this report card is less ‘who failed’ and more a confident yes: canned beans are genuinely good for you.

The verdict

Plain beans run the table — Goya Black Beans took the top at B+ (84), while the brown-sugar-candied Bush’s Best Original Baked Beans came last at C+ (67), dinged on added sugar, not protein.

Top of the class B+ Goya Black Beans 84/100

Bottom of the class C+ Bush's Best Original Baked Beans 67/100

The full report card — all 7 canned beans, ranked

#	Canned bean	Grade	Score	Weakest link
1	Goya — Black Beans	B+	84	protein density (59/100)
2	Amy's — Medium Organic Chili	B+	80	fiber (45/100)
3	Goya — Chick Peas (Garbanzos)	B	78	protein density (57/100)
4	Goya — Premium Pinto Beans	B	77	protein density (58/100)
5	Bush's Best — Pinto Beans	B	76	fiber (57/100)
6	Goya — Red Kidney Beans	B	75	protein density (62/100)
7	Bush's Best — Original Baked Beans	C+	67	added sugar (52/100)

Worth a closer look

The two ends of the list tell the story. Goya Black Beans tops the class at 84/100 (B+); Bush's Best Original Baked Beans anchors the bottom at 67/100 (C+). Click any product for its full fact sheet — the six dimension sub-scores, the per-serving label, and what would move its grade. Prefer to slice it yourself? Filter every graded product by the dimension you care about.

Check price on Amazon

Buy links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Labelgrade is independent of any affiliate relationship. More.

How we graded these

Each product is scored on six dimensions — protein density, ingredient quality, added sugar, sodium, fiber, and saturated fat — combined into a 0–100 score and a letter grade. Every number comes from the product’s own label, verified against USDA FoodData Central. The grade is absolute (relative to all packaged foods), which is why a whole category can land in the same band. See the full methodology. Last graded 2026-06-04.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which canned bean scored highest?

Plain, unsweetened beans led — Goya Black Beans topped the list at B+, with Amy’s Organic Chili and Goya Chick Peas close behind. See the ranked table above for the exact order and each one’s weakest dimension. The spread is tight at the top, so most plain beans here are a strong pick.

Why did the baked beans score lowest?

Bush’s Best Original Baked Beans came last because they’re candied with brown sugar, and added sugar is one of our six dimensions. The beans underneath are fine — it’s the sweet sauce that drags the grade down. A great example of how the recipe, not the legume, sets the score.

Are canned beans healthy?

Yes — emphatically. Beans are one of the best packaged foods there is: high in protein and fiber, low in fat and sugar, which is why the whole category grades well. The main thing to watch is sodium, and draining and rinsing cuts a large share of it before it ever hits your plate.

How is the grade calculated?

Six dimensions — protein density, ingredient quality, added sugar, sodium, fiber, and saturated fat — into a 0–100 score and a letter grade, from each product’s own label, verified against USDA data. See our methodology page.