No picnic or potluck is complete without a delicious pot of savory sweet baked beans!
This baked beans recipe is a classic side dish that pairs with everything from ribs or burgers to fried chicken.
You’ll Love These Baked Beans Because…
This is the last baked bean recipe you’ll ever need!
- These are sweet, saucy, and delicious.
- Since they taste even better the next day, they’re perfect to make ahead!
- They have a great homemade flavor, and using canned beans means no soaking or boiling for hours.
- These beans freeze well, so make extras to enjoy throughout the summer.
Ingredients in Baked Beans
- Bacon: Bacon adds salt and a smoky flavor to this recipe.
- Beans: Starting with canned beans saves time and adds flavor, you can use your favorite variety. Do not drain the sauce from the beans.
- Onion: Red onion adds a savory and slightly sweet flavor to the baked beans.
- Brown Sugar & Molasses: These sweeten the beans and add a caramel flavor. Use either light or dark brown sugar or replace it with maple syrup.
- Ketchup & Cider Vinegar: Adds tang flavor to balance the sweetness of the brown sugar and molasses.
- Flavorful Additions: Green bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard add flavor.
How to Make Baked Beans
This easy recipe requires only a little time for the beans to cook in the oven.
- Cook bacon: Cook bacon in a Dutch oven and set aside.
- Soften onion: Soften the onion and pepper over medium heat in the bacon grease.
- Combine ingredients: Combine all of the sauce ingredients, then add everything to the Dutch oven.
- Cook: Bake the mixture, simmer in a large pot, or cook in a slow cooker as directed in the recipe below.
I love to serve leftovers as beans on toast for lunch (does anyone else love beans on toast?).
Storing Leftover Beans
Keep leftover baked beans covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or microwave (or enjoy them cold).
Place cooled baked beans in zippered bags and keep them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Perfect Pairings for Baked Beans
Serve up baked beans next to these summer-time favorites!
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Grilled Chicken Thighs
Did you make these Baked Beans? Leave a rating and a comment below!
The Best Baked Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon chopped and cooked crispy
- 1 medium red onion finely diced
- ½ green bell pepper finely diced
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar * dark or light
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
- 56 ounces canned baked beans or pork and beans, two 28 oz cans
Optional Garnish
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and set the rack to the middle position.
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In a Dutch or deep ovenproof skillet, over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside, reserving 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the Dutch oven.
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Add the red onion and green bell pepper to the Dutch oven and cook until softened, stirring frequently.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and dry mustard to make the sauce.
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Add the beans and sauce to the the onion and green bell pepper. Stir well to combine.
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Cover the Dutch oven and bake covered for 90 minutes. Stir in the bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish, and cover. Bake 20 to 30 minutes more or until the sauce has cooked down to the desired consistency.
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Remove from the oven, uncover, and let the beans rest for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Garnish with reserved bacon and green onions if using. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
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I made these for a birthday party. There were very few leftovers and everyone commented on how great they were.
Your bean dish looks fantastic. Can t wait to try it. Thanks a million. Heather
We hope you enjoy it, Heather! Thanks for trying our recipe.
Holly, You’re the best when it comes to making delicious, easy to prepare dishes !
So sweet of you, Paul! Thank you.
This was totally a hit, we had this baked beans for pot luck at church everybody loved it.
So glad this recipe was a hit, Eddie!
I loved it, froze the left overs in small size servings so I can defrost only what I need & not waste any.
Thanks, I have looked everywhere, for a good Baked Beans recipe.
Lise
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi confused what kind of baked beans at the store lol and they all are seasoned. What are you all buying?
Any should work just fine Debbie! If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Excellent easy recipe to make and so good.
have these in the oven now, but to cover or not to cover? I’m used to old fashioned baked beans, cooked very low, and covered. Any other time I’ve made “cheater” beans, it’s been in a crock pot, so obviously covered. This pan I have uncovered, but I’m watching carefully, just in case. I could see not covering them to reduce the sauce from the canned beans.
We bake them uncovered Emma. Enjoy!
Very delicious recipe. You may want to try using half the brown sugar. This is my go to recipe for baked beans.
That sounds delicious Charlene! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
These are delicious! I made them in my crock pot and added a can of black beans and will use less brown sugar next time. Will definitely make these over and over again.
If you are looking for a sugar “rush” this is the recipe for you. Or you can just eat sugar right out of the bag! It is worth reading the comments first, to any recipe, in order to see the “tweeks”. I used 1/2 the sugar called for, and it was still ALL to sweet! Such a disappointment. Keep looking for that baked bean recipe that won’t put you in diabetic shock!
Making these for a second time …they are awesome!
My question: why do you wait to add the bacon to the beans? Why not just add them to begin with?
Thanks!
If the bacon is added in the beginning, I don’t think it would end up being crispy, Debra!
Spend with Pennies how would the bacon get crispy when you put it in the pot raw?
Hi Jo, if added at the beginning the bacon will become overcooked since it is already cooked until crispy.
Loved it but a little too sweet. I will make it again but with only half the brown sugar.
Is cooking the baked beans for 3 hours correct.
Thanks
Hi Sherry, we do bake these beans for 3 hours. In step 10 and 11 you will see we bake for 2 hours, add in the bacon, then bake for another hour or so until it reaches out desired consistency.
WHY ?? cannot PRINT copy recipes.
You will find the print button on the recipe card Judith. You can also hit Ctrl F (or command F on Mac) and type “Print Recipe” and it will take you to the print button.
Baked beans do you use can been for that recipes
Yes we did Lorraine! Canned beans makes this recipe so fast to prep!