These Old Fashioned Baked Beans are made from scratch with a sweet and savory sauce. This is a family heirloom recipe for the BEST Homemade Baked Beans!
Baked Beans are a classic side dish for potlucks and summer picnics and pair perfectly with BBQ Chicken Legs, Chicken Burgers, or Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs.
Baked Beans from Scratch
My Papa was famous for a LOT of recipes, but he was known for his Baked Beans.
And once you have his version of baked beans, you will NEVER settle for any recipe! They are sweet, savory, tangy, and smokey–all in one recipe!
Ingredients for the Best Baked Beans
- Navy Beans— 1 1/3 cups dried navy beans or 4 cups cooked navy beans
- Bacon–omit if looking for vegetarian baked beans
- Onion
- Tomato Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Molasses
- Maple Syrup
- Dried Mustard–feel free to use prepared mustard instead
- Apple Cider Vinegar–to cut through the richness of these baked beans
- Apple Juice–to help create a sweet sauce with a little less refined sugars.
How to Make Homemade Baked Beans
Step One: Prepare the Beans
- Place dried beans in large container that can be sealed shut. Cover the beans with cold water and seal the container shut. Let the beans soak for 8-12 hours.
- Drain off the soaked beans.
- Place the beans in large stock pan and cover with fresh water.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer beans for 1 hour or until tender.
- Alternatively, you can prepare your dried beans WITHOUT soaking in the Instant Pot.
Full disclosure, my Papa used canned beans! Feel free to take that shortcut as well! Just measure the beans AFTER you rinse and drain them!
Step Two: Fry Bacon and Onions (optional)
- Turn a large saute pan to medium heat and place bacon in heated pan.
- Once bacon begins to render off it’s fat, add in the diced onions.
- Saute for 2-3 minutes, just until the bacon BEGINS to crisp up.
Feel free to omit the bacon for vegetarian baked beans. If omitting bacon, just add the diced onion directly to the bean mixture–no need to saute.
Step Three: Make Baked Beans
- Mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, salt, dried mustard, and the bacon and onion mixture together.
- Add in the beans and stir gently.
- Add in the apple juice and water and stir again.
- Pour the beans into a 2 quart casserole dish or bean crock.
- If the beans look dry, stir in up to 1/2 cup more water.
Step Four: Bake the Beans
- Cover the casserole dish and bake for 2 hours at 300 degrees.
- Uncover, stir the beans and cook for an additional 30 to 60 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and thickened up.
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
If you would like to keep the heat out of your kitchen or don’t have enough room in your oven, you can make these baked beans in the slow cooker.
- Prepare dried beans as directed.
- Saute bacon with onions.
- In the slow cooker, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, salt, mustard, bacon, onions, and apple juice together. No need to add in extra water.
- Add in the beans and stir gently.
- Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Can you use Pork and Beans for this Recipe?
I get asked frequently if you can use canned pork and beans or prepared baked beans (like Campbell’s or Bush’s Baked Beans) in place of the dried beans.
And the answer is YES, with a few modifications.
- Use 32 ounces of canned prepared baked beans.
- You will not need to add in tomato sauce, apple juice, or water.
- I would omit the maple syrup as well, or cut back on the sweeteners a tad as canned bake beans already are sweetened.
- Bake as directed.
The Secret to the Best Baked Beans
What truly makes these beans over the top is serving them with potato chips!
YES, potato chips!
My Papa taught me that trick and it is PERFECTION! The sweetness of the beans makes a perfect contrast to plain potato chips.
More Picnic Worthy Side Dishes
Baked Beans from Scratch
Old Fashioned recipe for Baked Beans are made from scratch with a sweet and savory maple sauce.
Print Pin RatePrep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 280kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups dried navy beans soaked overnnight
- 3 slices thick nitrate free bacon chopped
- 1/4 cup onion chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce or ketchup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup brown sugar use up to 1/2 cup if you like REALLY sweet beans
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup apple juice or water
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
Prepare Navy Beans
- Place 2 cups dried beans in container that can be fitted with a lid. Pour fresh water over beans until water is at least 1 inch above beans. Seal container shut. Soak beans for 8-12 hours.
- After soaking, drain beans. Add soaked beans to large stock pan. Cover beans by 1 inch with fresh cold water.
- Bring water to a rapid boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Drain cooked beans well.
- Instead of soaking beans overnight and simmering, you can speed up the process and cook dried beans right in the Instant Pot, no soaking required.
For the Baked Beans
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add in the sliced bacon. Cook until bacon begins to render fat and then stir in chopped onion. Saute bacon and onions together until onions begin to soften and bacon is browned and slightly crisp. This should take about 5-6 minutes. Drain off excess fat off bacon.
- Mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, dried mustard, vinegar,apple juice, water, and salt together. Add in bacon and onion mixture and cooked beans and gently stir to combine.
- Pour bean mixture into 2 quart oven safe dish. Beans should be pretty well submerged in liquid and mixture should be relatively loose. If there does not seem to be enough liquid in baking dish, add up to 1/2 cup additional water or juice. Cover pan with foil or oven safe lid.
- Bake covered for 2 hours. Uncover and bake for another 30-40 minutes, until thickened.
Notes
- Navy Beans are traditional for baked beans, but pinto beans or great northern can be used in a pinch.
- In place of dried mustard, feel free to use 1 tablespoon prepared mustard.
- For really sweet baked beans use ketchup in place of the tomato sauce OR add up to 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of a 1/4 cup brown sugar.
- If you want these to be Vegetarian Baked Beans, omit the bacon and add the onions raw to bean mixture. You may need to increase the salt by up to 1 teaspoon as the bacon has quite a bit of sodium.
- In place of dried beans, you can use 4 cups rinsed and drained navy beans--measure after draining.
Nutrition Facts
Baked Beans from Scratch
Amount Per Serving
Calories 280 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Cholesterol 4mg1%
Sodium 1043mg45%
Potassium 1223mg35%
Carbohydrates 70g23%
Fiber 16g67%
Sugar 31g34%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 195IU4%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 161mg16%
Iron 4.8mg27%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
I would love to know how you enjoy this recipe!Snap a picture and tag #amindfullmom on Instagram or Facebook - I would love to see!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.
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I have a very complicated baked beans recipe but this one, more simple, is much better. I did use salt pork instead of bacon, however, but I’m pretty sure Kristen does not mind. I like the way Kristen explains “why” for some of the ingredients such as apple cider vinegar. Well done. I will make this again Saturday for my wife’s family when they visit.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Swen! And that you appreciated the tips! I really do try to make recipes so that you can adapt for you needs/tastes 🙂 Enjoy your visit with your family!
Absolutely sensational! Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much Karen! I am so glad you enjoyed!
when do you use the vinegar? I’m not seeing it added anywhere in the instructions thanks
Hi Marianne! You add the vinegar when mixing in the apple juice, dried mustard, etc. Hope you enjoy!!
So, so amazing! Used honey instead of molasses. Made a one pound bag of navy beans so I tripled the recipe. These were amazing!
Oh I am so glad you all enjoyed Amy!!
I want to know if anyone had ever substituted brown sugar for the maple syrup? I’m going to follow the recipe substituting brown sugar. Also I cooked a 2 lb bag of pinto beans. So do I need to go 1 and 1/2 times the other ingredients? I’m finishing my baked beans in the morning. Wendy
That is the way my mom makes them. Let us know what you think.
Can this recipe be made completely in the instant pot?
Yes! I have a recipe for Instant Pot Baked Beans.
Is there any way to substitute the tomato sauce? We can’t do tomatoes. Thoughts?
Oh that is hard one to replace in this recipe Mary. However, I would try it with maybe 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree. It will give the sauce some substance but will easily take on the flavor of the other seasonings. Let me know if you give that a try.
Thank you! I may substitute a tomato-less sauce(we have to avoid pumpkin) made with squash for the tomato sauce and see how it goes!
How long will these keep in the fridge?
For at least 5 days. They freeze well though too!
Made these today on the coldest winter day so far. They are incredible. I soaked the beans overnight and cooked them 20 minutes in my instant pot. A moment’s distraction caused me to forget the onions so I caramelized them in a skillet and added them in for the last hour of cooking. Scrumptious!
I am so glad you enjoyed Marcia! And stay warm!!!
I made these last night for my extended family who only eats canned beans. I was worried they would not approve of the “homemade” texture or flavor. Boy was I wrong. These were delicious and everyone wanted the recipe. I did a few things different than the written recipe but only bc I needed to leave during the hour of simmering. So I simmered on the stove for about 30 minutes then put in my instant pot with the the sow cool lid on and set on slow cook for about 2 hours while I was gone. Then came home and added everything but the extra water and used the pressure cook lid and bean setting and cooked them and then left on keep warm for several hours. I did transfer to a glass baking dish in the oven after to reduce the liquid. Sounds labor intensive as I type it out but it’s actually not at all. Will def be making these often!!
YAY!!! I am so so glad your family loved this recipe. And I love how you modified it to suit your timing needs.
II noticed at the introduction for the recipe it says pinto beans and in the recipe it says navy bean. Does it matter which one uses?
Great catch Michael. Navy beans are traditional for baked beans, but pinto beans work GREAT as well! I love this recipe both ways.
I am so sorry you have had issues Amanda. We have never had the problem. Be sure you cover the beans fully in water and that you are draining your soaking liquid before simmering beans. Also be sure you bring the beans to a full boil before lowering to a simmer. You may also want to simmer for an extra 30 minutes if you like your beans really tender. Hope that helps!
Hi! I’m goi g to try the recipe for a party on Saturday! I’m reading all reviews and it just sounds like everyone is going to try it but hasn’t made it yet. Can I please get feedback? Out of all recipes I find this one is my favorite because all others have way to many ingredients. I’m just worried that 3/4 cup of maple syrup is too much and also the molasses. Can someone please please pretty please provide feedback before I make it? Thank you so much! Worries about the party of Saturday…don’t want my beans to be an epic fail.
These beans are SWEET–but like the good old fashioned beans you get at a bbq. My family and everyone I have served them to adores them. Hope that helps! Feel free to use canned beans as well.
Thank you, I will be brave and make it😊 How much water though for three cups of beans (after beans are soaked?) Or do you not place the excess water after boiling them in the oven or crock pot?
I don’t think you will be disappointed Kristy!
So I would suggest draining your beans after soaking. Then I would cover all your beans with water in a large pot (as much water as it takes) and a couple teaspoons salt. Boil until super tender. Drain and then mix with remaining ingredients.
Enjoy!
Can I used mustard instead of the powder?
Hi Kristy, you can use just a teaspoon of regular mustard if you like or you can omit the dried mustard with no worries.
Oh my gosh thank you for replying so fast! Will the taste be the same, have you tried both ways? If it’s better with the powdered kind I can go to the store.
And now I am not replying quickly–sorry. I was busy working on new recipes. So yes, I have tried it both ways–I do prefer the powdered variety, but you will be okay either way. Sorry for the delay again! Enjoy.
thank you!
You bet!
Is there a way to shorten the cooking time? I work long shifts and wont be able to watch over the beans in the slow cooker. Is there a way to increase baking temp to reduce the time?
Hi Angelica! The beans can be cooked in the oven for 2 hours–but my guess is you want something faster? You can increase the temperature up to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes covered and 10-15 minutes uncovered. The results are not the same, but still delicious.
Hi Kristen, my wife loves her bean pot, (err crock) too!
But we both love to cook/entertain, especially in the summer when I can run my smoker!
When I smoke up a full brisket for a gang of 20 – 30, I need a couple of sides, (besides slaw)
and these beans look amazing! Anything with molasses and maple syrup in it has my vote!
About how many servings do you get from this recipe?
Oh my goodness–I want to come to your cook-outs. They sound amazing! This serves about 10. For a large cook-out, I would double and it should be plenty. And feel free to use canned pinto beans to speed up the process. Enjoy!
So glad I found your recipe! Two of my daughters have food allergies, so we are REALLY careful about what they eat (plus we try to do mostly whole foods/less processed anyway). We are hosting a picnic in a couple of weeks for our youngest daughter’s Dedication at church and this recipe looks perfect! My daughters have never had baked beans before (since we’ve always avoided them in a can)… so I’m excited for them to try (sans bacon and potato chips) 😉 Thank you!!
Dealing with food allergies can ve so hard!! I am so happy you found a recipe you can share with your family without worries. Enjoy!
This brings back so many camping memories. I love baked beans, sometimes with toast even.
I even have been known to top my burgers with these beans 🙂
Whoa! My parents have a bean crock that does not get enough use… I might have to negotiate ownership next time I visit! And… Homemade beans with potato chips from the yellow bag??!! Of course!
You better get on trying to get that crock Erin. And yes, chips with beans are the BEST
HA!! I LOVE LOVE my bean crock. Best of luck finding one!
It isn’t summer without baked beans! These look fantastic – love the addition of maple syrup.
You better believe summer is NOT complete without baked beans!!
These sound delicious! I’ve never had home made before. Will try this!
I hope you LOVE them Stacey!
This is one of the very few side dishes I’ve never made homemade but have always wanted to. My favorite summer meal is a good grilled burger, potato salad and baked beans. I’m bookmarking this one Kristen!
You know what Ally–let’s get together. It sounds like between the 2 of us, we would have the PERFECT summer dinner!
Baked beans are a summer staple! I always make my homemade since I need them vegan and GF!
Bonus is that homemade tastes so much better!
My kiddos love baked beans especially around this time of year. What a great recipe! We always use canned beans but I bet this recipe is super tasty. Going to have to try this one. Good stuff! 🙂
Tiffani, nothing wrong with canned beans now and then, but once you make these, you will never buy another canned bean again–and it is almost as easy as opening up a few cans!