Ditch the can and make this homemade Baked Beans recipe! It’s smokey, sweet, and absolutely incredible! They feed a crowd and everyone will be impressed you made them from scratch! They only take 15 minutes to prep and can even be made in advance.
Do you have a hard time deciding what side dishes to take to a BBQ? Try the Baked Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Corn Salad, or Buttermilk Cornbread!
Baked Beans from Bland to Bam
If you’ve never thought of Baked Beans as a BBQ side dish that can steal the show, you’re not making them right! This is our favorite classic recipe that can easily be tailored to your taste buds; sweet, smoky, tangy or spicy. No BBQ menu is complete without them, and I promise no canned version comes close to the flavor of homemade baked beans.
How to make Baked Beans:
Cook Bacon over medium heat, stirring often until crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Sauté veggies: Drain some of the bacon grease then sauté onion in same pot for 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic then cook for 2 more minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and bacon and stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Bake: Pour beans into a 9×13 baking pan, cover with foil and bake for 1 to 2 hours, depending how thick you like them. Uncover pan and bake for 10 additional minutes. Remove from oven and rest for eat least 15 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Follow instructions until the baking step. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Allow beans to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking as instructed.
To Freeze: Keep beans in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before baking.
Recipe Variations:
- Saucy vs Thick: For saucy beans, cook for recommended 1 hour. Bake for 30 minutes to an hour longer for a thicker consistency.
- Sweetness: These beans are on the sweeter side, so feel free to cut the brown sugar down to ⅓ cup, if desired.
- Instant Pot Baked Beans
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans: Cook bacon and sauté veggies according to instructions. Add to slow cooker with remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
Serve With:
- Steak Kabobs
- Black Bean Burgers
- BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Ribs
- Classic Juicy Hamburgers
- French Dip
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Recipe
Baked Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 slices bacon , chopped
- 1 yellow onion , medium, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 15 oz can kidney beans , drained
- 15 oz can navy beans , drained
- 15 oz can pinto beans , drained
- 15 oz can baked beans Undrained
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon Hot sauce , or more, to taste
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke , optional for smoky flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , or more, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook Bacon: Add bacon to a large pot. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring often until crisp. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Remove only some of the excess grease.
- Sauté veggies: Add onion to pan and sauté for 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bacon and to stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Bake: Pour mixture into a 9×13 baking pan and bake, covered with foil, for 1 to 2 hours, depending on desired thickness. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
-
- Saucy vs Thick: For saucy beans, cook for recommended 1 hour. Bake for 30 minutes to an hour longer for a thicker consistency.
-
- Sweetness: These beans are on the sweeter side, so feel free to cut the brown sugar down to ⅓ cup, if desired.
-
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans: Cook bacon then sauté onion in a skillet on the stove. Add all ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe May 2022. Updated May 2024.
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I generally like your recipes so thought I would try these beans for a fourth of July gathering. Everyone liked them and one comment from one of my adult sons was that “I could eat these beans every day!” They will be on our menu from now on. Thanks.
Amazing! My family loves them
Easy to do. I followed the recipe exactly, except I made it and put in the fridge overnight to cook the next day for a High School graduation party. Like everyone else says, it was delicious and a hit. Also had pulled pork sliders, coleslaw, veggie tray a costco box of variety classic chips, Costco sheet cake and a ice cream sundae bar. Yummy
From Scratch” means from SCRATCH not from cans! This recipe calls for multiple cans of various canned beans drained and rinsed.
True from scratch will be dried beans.
“From scratch” just means mixing your own ingredients together instead of buying an already made product. By your logic, you should make your own ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, etc.
I doubled the recipe and made it in my crock pot. It was absolutely delicious!!
I added a little bit more hot sauce because our family enjoys the kick!
Thank you for sharing!
Just made for 4th of July party; it was a hit! Very delicious!
Made these for Father’s Day celebration and they are delicious. Several people raved about them! Wonderful flavor. I baked mine for the 2 hours. Yum!
I love these beans! SO much texture and flavor, and all of my kids devoured them and asked for more. A winner! (I actually love your instant pot beans too- they are a bit tangier! and good for when I don’t want to use my oven)
This recipe is fantastic. It is like the recipe my Mom used to make years ago for backyard picnics and barbecues. You will never want to go back to serving canned beans once you know how good this homemade recipe is.