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 â…“ 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
Ingredients
- 1 â…“ 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
Nutrition
Christa
These were the best baked beans!! I loved them on my first try. I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried adding anything like spices to add some heat? Or red pepper or maybe even kidney beans? I don’t want to mess with perfection but I have a feeling I will be making these often.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Christa. I definitely would not recommend kidney beans. However, adding some smoked paprika or hot sauce is definitely a welcomed addition.
HELEENA
I was looking for a good meatless baked beans recipe made from scratch and dry beans, this is the only one I could find that even sounded correct and healthier. I used regular mustard and omitted the vinegar. I accidentally let it bake about 20 min longer and the sauce reduced quite a bit, but the flavor was still amazing! After we taste tested, everyone immediately grabbed a bowl. I don't usually do recipe reviews but I had to for this one. Next time I will be more mindful of the time and see the outcome beforeI try to increase the amount of sauce. Thank you for sharing it with us. It was delicious
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you found this recipe and gave it a try--but most importantly, I am so happy you enjoyed! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Dean
I’ve made this recipe 4 times and it’s great! The only issue I have is that everyone in the house thinks that they need to taste test them before they’re done so when they are they’re half gone! I double the recipe, LOL!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoy this so much Dean! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Jen
These beans are DELICIOUS! Our family doesn’t like things really sweet so I used the water & tomato sauce, instead of the apple juice & ketchup. They were even a hit with my toughest critics, the kids!
Kristen Chidsey
LOVE hearing that!!! I am so glad you you all enjoyed--and even better that you cut out some of the sugar with success 😉
Mecca McCann
Hello,
Have you or anyone tried this, but cut back on the sweetness? Or some sugar substitutes? Thanks.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Mecca! I have made this many times with no brown sugar or only brown sugar and no maple syrup. I often do this for weekday meals and save the really sweet version for holidays. We still love it!
Joy
This is my second time making this, and use the crock pot. The first time I made it I used bacon from the farm which totally melted in! I didn’t have apple juice so I used water, and a half a cup of applesauce which worked beautifully!, I also use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. I had all I could do to not devour the whole thing in one sitting after it was done! Best beans ever! I’m retired and by myself, and in these uncertain times, a delicious recipe like this is a keeper! Oh, and I DID try with potato chips(dark russets)! I highly recommend eating that way! 😋
This time I am making it vegetarian. I’ll let you know how awesome that will be too!
This is SOOOO much better than canned baked beans, and I know what’s in it!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so so glad you enjoyed so much. And I am glad you tried it with potato chips...so good. I hope you enjoy it many more times.😊
Joy Ciesla
They are awesome even even without bacon!
Kristen Chidsey
I love them without bacon myself 🙂
Evi Currie
Great flavors and simple instructions to follow. I’ve never made baked beans and these ingredients and helpful tips were why I chose this homemade recipe 👌
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed so much Evi!
Robyn Barnett
I have never made baked beans from scratch until now, THANK YOU!!! This turned out absolutely amazing!! My entire family loved them!!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you all enjoyed Robyn! Thank you for sharing.
Bella
Hi this recipe sounds great! But my kids don't like onions is there another way I can give it that good flavor?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Bella! I would use 1 teaspoon of onion powder.
Sam
I don't have dry mustard or regular mustard what could I do instead?
Kristen Chidsey
Yes, just 1 teaspoon though.
cherylcaraballo1992@gmail.com
I don't have Maple syrup what can I use
Kristen Chidsey
The flavor will not be the same, but replace the maple syrup with additional brown sugar. Enjoy!
Cristie Sebastian
So happy to finally find a healthy version of Baked Beans. Beans are a perfect food & this is a perfect, Holiday recipe for a once in a while splurge. Love it! Thank you for all you do Kristen
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoy this recipe Cristie! Have a wonderful weekend.
Cheryl L Lehman
We love this bean recipe and the fact that I can make it in my Instant Pot. I'm wondering if they can be frozen or canned for later use?
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you love this Cheryl! I have frozen leftovers many times with great success. As for canning, I am not an expert on that, but I wouldn't see why it would not work with this recipe, as they are not highly acidic.
Brenda
Great bean recipe...making 2nd time around. Question. When simmering after soaking. Do I cover the pot?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Brenda! I am so glad you enjoy this recipe. Leave the pot uncovered while simmering, just watch closely to be sure the liquid does not evaporate. If so, add more water.
Sa- bean -e
Hi , do you have any suggestions if I don’t have molasses and apple juice( I do have apple sauce !)
Kristen Chidsey
As for the apple juice, I would use water. For molasses, use extra brown sugar or maple syrup 🙂
deb
@amindfullmom wonderful recipe. i soaked beans overnight, cooked in pressure cooker, and finished baked beans in crockpot. beans were served with mac and cheese and spinach. thankful to have this recipe as favorite canned bean has been unavailable in grocery store.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you were able to make this worth using what you had on hand. Sounds like a great family meal@