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, Homemade Hamburgers, 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 ⅓ 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 ½ 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
This old-fashioned recipe for Homemade Baked Beans is made from scratch with a sweet and savory maple sauce.
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Servings: 10
Calories: 280kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups dried navy beans soaked overnnight
- 3 slices thick bacon chopped
- ¼ cup yellow onion chopped
- ½ cup tomato sauce or ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup brown sugar use up to ½ cup if you like REALLY sweet beans
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup apple juice or water
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Prepare Navy Beans
- Place dried beans in a container that can be fitted with a lid. Pour fresh water over the beans until the water is at least 1 inch above the beans. Seal the container shut. Soak beans for 8-12 hours.
- After soaking, drain the beans. Add the soaked beans to a 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.
- Alternatively, you can speed up the process by cooking the soaked beans in the Instant Pot after they have been soaked (Navy beans' texture is best if soaked before cooking.)
For the Baked Beans
- Preheat oven to 300℉
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the sliced bacon. Cook until bacon begins to render fat and then stir in the chopped onion. Saute bacon and onions together until onions begin to soften and the bacon is browned and slightly crisp. This should take about 5-6 minutes. After browned, drain off the excess grease that the bacon has rendered.
- In a large bowl, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, dried mustard, vinegar, apple juice, water, and salt until well combined. Add in bacon and onion mixture and cooked beans and gently stir to combine.
- Pour the bean mixture into a 2-quart oven-safe dish. Beans should be pretty well submerged in liquid and the mixture should be relatively loose. If there does not seem to be enough liquid in the baking dish, add up to ½ cup of additional water or juice. Cover the pan with foil or an oven-safe lid.
- Bake covered for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the lid or foil, and bake for another 30-40 minutes, until thickened.
Notes
Type of Beans: Navy Beans are traditional for baked beans, but pinto beans or great Northern can be used in a pinch.
Using Canned Beans: In place of dried beans, you can use 4 cups of rinsed and drained navy beans--measure after draining.
Dried Mustard: In place of dried mustard, feel free to use 1 tablespoon of prepared mustard.
Sweeter Baked Beans: For really sweet baked beans use ketchup in place of the tomato sauce OR add up to ½ cup brown sugar instead of ¼ cup brown sugar.
Vegetarian Baked Beans: Omit the bacon and add the onions raw to the bean mixture. You may need to increase the salt by up to 1 teaspoon as the bacon has quite a bit of sodium.
Storage: Homemade Baked Beans can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave as desired, or enjoy cold.
Freezing: Prepare as directed, allow them to cool fully, then transfer the beans to a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer-safe bag, leaving 1-2 inches of extra space for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, allow the beans to thaw fully in the refrigerator and then reheat the beans in a baking dish, covered with foil (or fitted with an oven-safe lid) at 300 degrees F for 45 minutes to warm through. Alternatively, you can microwave them in a heat-safe dish fitted with a heat-safe lid for 5 minutes, stopping to stir after every minute.
Nutrition
Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 1043mg | Potassium: 1223mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 4.8mg
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SAH
I followed the directions precisely. My beans were liquid and hard after adding an additional hour. Not sure why it flopped.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi there! Did you soak your beans overnight, as the recipe directs?
SAH
Yes, I soaked them overnight and boiled them. As I said, I followed the directions precisely.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing that. I asked to be sure 🙂 I would suggest boiling a bit longer than in the future to get them as as soft as you desire.
SAH
I will try that next time. Thank you.
Karen H
Another factor in how long it takes dried beans to cook is the age of the beans. The older the beans, the longer they take to soften. Some cooking experts will say never use dried beans beyond XX years. I've never had a problem with older beans as long as I allow the extra time necessary for them to cook longer until they become soft. I learned this tip from my g'ma who *NEVER* let food go to waste.
Laine
Just made these and threw them in the smoker while my husband was making brisket. These are amazing! I made a double batch so we will be canning left overs for future BBQ nights.
Kristen Chidsey
I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed so much! Thanks for sharing, Laine!
Anna Wirt
Very tasty baked beans! I used the slow cooker method, but did not see anywhere in the directions that I needed to boil them first. 🙁 Took longer than anticipated, but delicious. Next time I will boil first. You might try to make it clearer?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Anna! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the beans. As for the instructions not being clear, I am sorry about that. The first step states, "prepare dried beans as directed."
Anna Wirt
Hi Kristen, thanks for your reply. 🙂 It was my error, trying again and will boil beans first, because they were SO good. Anna
Kristen Chidsey
It is easy to make mistakes! So happy you enjoyed the flavor so much 🙂
AMK
Could this recipe be canned?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi there! I am not a canning expert, but I do know that Baked Beans are a low-acid food and must be pressure canned. They can not be canned in a hot water bath or steam canned.
AMK
Ok thank you! I have seen other recipes with sugar & broth that are pressure canned for 95 min (quarts). Your recipe does have ACV in it so just thought you may have tried pressure canning it with success & would know. Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
I am sorry I am not more help on this. Canning is a science, and I am just not comfortable with the process.
Jack F
Great flavorful beans. Had to extend cook time by an hour. First batch was made without bacon. Next batch made with pork stock. Both times came out fine with extended cook time.
Farrah
Would the beans still be edible if I forgot to boil them before putting them in a slow cooker?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Farrah! No, the beans would not soften enough if they weren't boiled before.
Lisa Meyvis
Your Papa was spot on about the potato chip and baked bean combo!! I’ve always loved it!! Great bean recipe!
Thyra Hombach
I’m super excited…. Using the slow cooker method 🤞🏼
Daniel
Very good recipe. We do not use meat so substituted black beans for the meat. there was many happy faces and everyone went for seconds.
MM
Made almost exactly as recipe, but discovered I had no molasses, so I just left it out. They tasted so good, hubby had THIRDS!!!