Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Everyone loves homemade baked beans so they’re popular at picnic and potlucks. This baked beans recipe is sweet, smoky, and tangy. They’re the best!
How long it takes: just over two hours, mostly hands off
Equipment you’ll need: baking dish, small bowl, and a spoon
Servings: 8 generous servings
Thick, Sticky Baked Beans
I love baked beans. All baked beans. Even the canned ones. But homemade? That’s a whole different situation.
These are thick, sticky, sweet-and-tangy baked beans that actually stay on your plate instead of sliding around in a puddle. The consistency is just right. And every single time I bring them to a party, I come home with an empty pan. Which, honestly, is the best review I could ask for!
What makes them special:
- Better consistency than canned beans. One thing I really like about this baked beans recipe is that the beans aren’t super runny. No bowl needed for these!
- Easy to prep. It shouldn’t take you more than fifteen minutes to prep this recipe for the oven.
- Popular at get-togethers! Bring these baked beans to your next family party, reunion, potluck, or picnic. Everyone will be asking for the recipe!
“Made these beans for a picnic and everyone loved them. I will definitely use this recipe over and over again.”
Ingredient Notes
Scroll down for the complete recipe, including measurements! This is just an overview, with some helpful tips and substitution ideas.
- Canned beans: I usually use a large jar of great Northern beans, along with a can of butter beans for a nice textural contrast. You can substitute 3 cans of great Northern beans if you can’t find beans in a jar. Other kinds of beans can be used too.
- Onion: Lots of chopped onion go into these beans. They’ll cook down so don’t worry about finding chunks of onion in the beans. Any type of onion works, but we love a sweet onion.
- Bacon: Bacon adds a nice smoky salty flavor to the beans. Keep reading for variations.
- Make it saucy: A good amount of ketchup adds tomato tanginess and gives the beans a nice saucy consistency. I add dark brown sugar and molasses to give the beans a sweet caramelized flavor. Dijon mustard and white vinegar balance the sweetness of the beans.
How to make This baked beans Recipe
Mix the beans, onions, and bacon. The first step is to mix the beans, diced bacon, and chopped onion in a large baking dish. There’s no need to cook the bacon first.
Make the sauce. Using a small whisk, blend the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or large measuring cup: ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard and vinegar.
Combine. Pour the sauce over the beans, bacon, and onions.
Stir until everything is good and mixed up.
Bake the beans in your oven. You can bake them covered with foil or leave them uncovered. Sometimes, I cover the beans with foil for the first hour, and then bake them uncovered for the last hour. It depends on how saucy you like your beans. Regardless of whether you cover them or not, stir the beans halfway through the cooking time to make sure they’re cooking evenly.
Recipe Variations
- Protein alternatives: If you’re not a fan of bacon but still want meaty beans, try ground beef, turkey, or sausage. Brown the meat before adding it to the beans. Link sausages can be added as well, or even hot dogs. Some people like to place the bacon strips on top of the beans instead of mixing it in.
- Vegetarian beans: Omit the bacon. There is plenty of flavor in this baked beans recipe even without bacon.
- Substitute different kinds of beans. Choose your favorite variety of canned beans, or use a mixture. If you’d rather start with dry beans, cook them as directed on the package before proceeding with this recipe. An Instant Pot works great for cooking dried beans quickly.
- Looking for more baked bean recipes? Calico beans with ground beef and bacon are super popular. Cowboy beans are meaty (with kielbasa!) and slightly spicy. Try frijoles borrachos (drunken beans) with a southwestern flair.
Crockpot Baked Beans
The recipe for my slow cooker baked beans is very similar to this recipe. Crockpot baked beans are great for parties because the baked beans will stay warm all evening on a low setting.
What To Serve With Baked Beans
Baked beans go great with grilled burgers, hot dogs and sloppy Joes. I love to serve baked beans with my Instant Pot Ribs or slow cooker ribs. For a really traditional picnic, serve baked beans with homemade creamy potato salad, cheesy potatoes, or classic coleslaw. Another favorite potluck recipe is 7 layer salad which can be made ahead and serves a crowd. For dessert, Texas sheet cake is always a winner!
Get a head start. While the beans really don’t take too long to put together, if you want to get a jump on things, get them ready to bake up to a day ahead and refrigerate in a covered container or the baking dish. (If you’re using a glass baking dish, let it come to room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes so that it doesn’t break when you place it in your hot oven.)
Refrigerate: Put the leftover baked beans in a covered container; they’ll keep for up to 5 days.
Reheat: If the baked beans seem a little drier when you’re ready to reheat them, add a bit of water or broth before reheating. The best way to reheat baked beans is over low heat on the stove. If you reheat baked beans in the microwave, be sure to cover them because beans tend to explode when heated in the microwave.
More Bean Recipes
Baked Beans Recipe – sweet, tangy, and easy!
Ingredients
- 1 jar (48 ounces) great Northern beans (see note 1)
- 1 can (15.25 ounces) butter beans
- 2 cups finely diced yellow onion (about 2 medium onions)
- 6 ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (see note 2)
- 1 ½ cups ketchup
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons white vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- Pour the beans into a colander in the sink. Rinse them with cool water and drain well.1 jar (48 ounces) great Northern beans, 1 can (15.25 ounces) butter beans
- Add rinsed beans, onion, and bacon to a 9 × 13-inch baking dish; mix.2 cups finely diced yellow onion, 6 ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- In a small bowl, stir together ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, and vinegar. Pour over bean mixture and stir well until evenly distributed.1 ½ cups ketchup, 1 cup packed dark brown sugar, ⅓ cup molasses, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 4 tablespoons white vinegar
- Place beans in oven and bake for 2 hours, stirring once halfway through baking time. If you prefer, you can cover the beans with foil while they bake (see note 4).
Notes
- Beans: A large jar (or three 15.8 ounce cans) of great Northern beans, along with over-sized butter beans, gives a nice textural contrast. If you’d prefer to use all great Northern beans, that’s totally fine too. You can also substitute other types of beans, if you have a favorite. Whatever type you use, be sure to rinse and drain them.
- Bacon: If you prefer, place the bacon strips on top of the beans instead of chopping it and mixing it in. If you’re not a fan of bacon but still want meaty beans, try ground beef, turkey, or sausage. Brown before adding it to the beans. Link sausages can be added as well, or even hot dogs.
- Vegetarian: For vegetarian baked beans, simply omit bacon. The beans have plenty of flavor without bacon but add a ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika for a hint of smokiness, if desired.
- Cover the pan: If you prefer beans that have more sauce, cover the pan with foil for the first hour of baking to keep the liquid from evaporating. You can cover the pan the entire time if you prefer.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Does the bacon go on top of bean mixture raw or cooked, please?
Raw – it cooks for a long time in the oven with the beans. :)
Can all butter beans be used in this recipe
That will change the end result, but it should work okay.
Made these beans for a picnic and everyone loved them. I will definitely use this recipe over and over again. Thank you
So glad to hear it! Thank you for leaving a review!
This recipe was perfect! Everyone raves about it! It will be the only baked bean recipe that I make from here on out!
Thank you so much for leaving a review! I’m glad you liked them!
Also, I am adding 3 extra cans of the butter beans…will I need to add more of the ingredients that make up the sauce? Thank You!
Yes, you may need to add more sauce ingredients in that case!
Just wondering if I could cook these beans in a slow cooker instead of the oven? This recipe looks so sweet and tangy. Prefer to keep the beans in the slow cooker ready to take to our family reunion.
Yes! We actually have a recipe for those: https://www.rachelcooks.com/crock-pot-baked-beans/
I want to make it with canned beans but am weary. I would think they would turn into mush. But you say this recipe can be made with canned beans. I just wanted to verify your thoughts on this. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to try.
Yes – I recommend using canned beans!
We added it to our list:
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Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. Keep up the good work!
Thanks!
Can I can this after I make it??? I really love this recipe! I’d love to be able to can it and make it shelf stable somehow instead of buying cans of beans.
I haven’t canned these and I’m not an expert on canning, so unfortunately I can’t give you any guidance here. Maybe google it?
I (we) LOVE these beans!!The sauce is sooo good I made yesterday for our pool party at my sons, everyone loved it! I only got like a tbsp. So I’m making them right now in this 80 something heat with air conditioners on. Yummy❤️Ty for this recipe!!
Perfect for a pool party! I’m glad they were a hit. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!