Baked Beans

These baked beans made with bacon, peppers, onions, barbecue sauce, brown sugar and spices are going to be a must-have at all your cookouts!

Our baked beans recipe is sweet and savory and incredibly delicious, you’ll never serve straight canned beans again!  Try them with our grilled pork recipe or a spatchcock chicken. 

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Baked Beans

Baked Beans Ingredients

• Bacon – Normal cut. 
• Onion – Red, yellow or white is good. Finely chopped
• Bell pepper – We used green, but any color works. Finely chopped
• Pork & beans – Canned.
• Barbecue sauce – Grab a bottle from the market or make your own bbq sauce!
• Ketchup – Whatever you’ve got hanging out in the fridge. 
• Brown sugar – Light or dark is fine.
• Mustard – We used classic yellow mustard, but dijon would also work. 
• Worcestershire sauce – Soy sauce can be substituted in a pinch. 
• Black pepper – Fresh ground will give the best flavor. 

How do you make baked beans? (step-by-step)

⭐ First, cook bacon in a large skillet. Remove bacon and drain of most of the grease. 

⭐ Next, sauté onions and peppers in bacon grease.  

⭐ Then, in a large bowl stir together beans, vegetables, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, pepper and Worcestershire. Pour bean mixture into a baking dish. 

⭐ Finally, top with bacon and bake until thickened. 

Alternative cooking methods

Slow cooker baked beans

• First, cook bacon in a large skillet. Remove bacon and drain of most of the grease. 
• Next, sauté onions and peppers in bacon grease.  
• Then, add vegetables, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, pepper, Worcestershire and bean mixture into crock pot. 
• Finally, cook on low or high, as desired. 

Instant pot baked beans

• First, cook bacon in a instant pot on sauté mode. Remove bacon and drain of most of the grease. 
• Next, sauté onions and peppers in bacon grease.  
• Then, add vegetables, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, pepper, Worcestershire and bean mixture into instant pot. If your pot is on the finicky side when it comes to burn notices, also add additional liquid (water or broth). 
• Finally, cook on manual (high pressure). Hit cancel, and allow pressure to release naturally or do a very careful quick release and pause if it sputters.  

Preparation

Do baked beans need to be cooked?

Baked beans are already cooked, so they technically only need to be reheated. They’re so much more delicious when prepared this way though!

Can you make baked beans ahead of time?

For sure! You can prep this recipe a day or two in advance and then heat it up before serving. I actually love it the next day when it’s super thick and all the ingredients have fully married. 

Leftovers and storage

How long do baked beans last?

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Because it contains meat, you don’t want to keep it too much longer than that unless you freeze it. 

Can you freeze baked beans?

Yes! Allow them to cool completely, then store in an airtight freezer safe container for up to 12 months.  Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. 

What’s the best way to reheat?

Reheat baked beans on the stovetop over medium heat. It will thicken when cooled, so add water as needed to reach your desired consistency. 

Alternatively, heat in the microwave in 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring in-between. 

What to eat with baked beans (serving suggestions)

We love serving baked beans with classic BBQ dishes like homemade potato salad, macaroni salad, tender instant pot ribs (or oven baked ribs), and homemade pickles. For dessert, try these peanut butter blossoms or no bake cake balls. 

Variations

🌫 Make it smoky with a drop or two of liquid smoke. 

🌶 Go spicy with some sriracha sauce or diced pickled jalapenos. 

🍗 Add some chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks before baking to make it a full meal. 

More side dish recipes

• Stovetop mac and cheese recipe
• Twice baked potatoes
• Homemade corn casserole
• Bacon pimento cheese potato salad
• Tuna pasta salad with cheese
• See all our side dish ideas!

More recipes with beans

• Black bean soup recipe
• White bean dip
• Roasted green beans
• Green bean casserole

Tools we love

• Large mixing bowl – I use mine every single day. 
• Enameled dutch oven – Perfect for going from stove top to oven. 

How to Make Baked Beans

5 from 5 votes

Baked Beans

Created by: April Woods

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

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These baked beans made with bacon, peppers, onions, barbecue sauce, brown sugar and spices are going to be a must-have at all your cookouts!

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 8 slices bacon
• ▢ 1 small onion finely chopped
• ▢ Half a small green bell pepper finely chopped
• ▢ 2 large cans pork and beans 28 ounces each
• ▢ ½ cup barbecue sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons ketchup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon mustard
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 325F.
• Chop the bacon and cook till brown in a large skillet.
• Remove bacon from the pan and drain off all grease except for about 1 tablespoon.
• Add onions and peppers to the pan with the bacon grease and cook those till translucent.
• In a large bowl stir together the beans, veggies, bbq sauce, brown sugar, mustard, pepper and worcheshire.
• Pour the beans into a 9x13 baking dish (or keep it in your pan if it is oven safe).
• Top with the cooked bacon
• Bake uncovered for 1 to 1 ½ hours, you want them to bake and thicken up nicely.

Video

Notes

Calories are automatically generated. For best results calculate based on your exact ingredients.

Slow cooker directions

• First, cook bacon in a large skillet. Remove bacon and drain of most of the grease. 
• Next, sauté onions and peppers in bacon grease.  
• Then, add vegetables, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, pepper, Worcestershire and bean mixture into crock pot. 
• Finally, cook on low for 4 - 6 hours or high for 2 - 4 hours, as desired. 

Instant pot directions

• First, cook bacon in instant pot on sauté mode. Remove bacon and drain of most of the grease. 
• Next, sauté onions and peppers in bacon grease.  
• Then, add vegetables, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, pepper, Worcestershire and bean mixture into instant pot. If your pot is on the finicky side when it comes to burn notices, also add up to 1 cup additional liquid (water or broth). 
• Finally, cook on manual (high pressure) for 10 minutes. Hit cancel, and allow pressure to release naturally or do a very careful quick release and pause if it sputters.  
• Optional, cook off extra liquid on sauté mode. Stir constantly until desired consistency is reached. 

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcal

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Don’t love beans? Try this beanless chili!

Baked Beans

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