Homemade Baked Beans From Scratch

Side DishesDairy-FreeGluten Free

By Kristen Chidsey

4.94 from 297 votes

Updated May 15, 2026

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This Homemade Baked Beans recipe is made from scratch with a rich, sweet, savory sauce that tastes so much better than anything from a can. Made with navy beans, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, and bacon (if desired), this recipe delivers classic baked beans that are perfect for everything from summer cookouts to holiday dinners.

This baked bean recipe was passed down from my Papa and has been a staple at nearly every family gathering for generations. And while they are always right at home next to grilled BBQ chicken breasts and classic burgers, these old-fashioned baked beans fit in just as easily at a Sunday dinner alongside baked ham and my great-grandma's Texas sheet cake.

Homemade baked beans in large white casserole dish.

Homemade Baked Beans Recipe at a Glance

  • Yield: 10 generous side dish servings
  • Options for Prep: Start with dried beans OR canned beans for a shortcut
  • Flavor: Sweet, tangy, smoky sauce that is not overly sweet
  • Dietary Note: Dairy-free & easy to make vegetarian
  • Heirloom Family Recipe Generations-old recipe with hundreds of 5-star reviews

Recipe Highlights

Kristen's Keys for Homemade Baked Beans

To replicate the flavor and texture that made my Papa's baked beans so well loved (and guarantees the pan is scraped clean), pay attention to the following tips:

  • Do not undercook the beans before baking. The navy beans should already be tender before they go into the oven. If they are still firm, they will stay firm no matter how long they bake.
  • Use a combination of molasses, brown sugar, and maple syrup to sweeten the baked beans. Together, they create a sauce that is rich and nuanced rather than overly sweet.
  • Cook low and slow. Cooking the baked beans at a low temp lets the flavors develop without drying out the beans.
  • Serve baked beans with potato chips. Okay this is technically optional, but the sweet and salty combination is magical. Try it once and you may forgo utensils permanently!

Happy Cooking! xo Kristen

5-Star Reader Review

This is by far the best baked beans from scratch recipe. Following the recipe as written, results in a perfect outcome. The beans are rich, sweet and paired with brown bread and ham, a perfect wintery Saturday night supper. -Cynthia C.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ingredients for Homemade Baked Beans

These old-fashioned baked beans use simple pantry staples, but each ingredient helps build that signature sweet-and-savory flavor.

Ingredients for homemade baked beans made with dried navy beans, bacon, tomato sauce, and brown sugar labeled on counter.
  • Navy Beans: The classic choice for baked beans, as they are creamy, tender, and soak up the sauce beautifully. This recipe includes instructions for both dried beans and canned beans, so you can choose what works best for your schedule.
  • Bacon (optional): Bacon adds smoky depth, but the recipe is still fantastic without it. In fact, both of my kids prefer bacon-free baked beans. (My Papa would be shocked by this!)
  • Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar & Molasses: This trio creates the BEST baked bean sauce. Maple syrup adds warmth, brown sugar brings caramel-like sweetness, and molasses gives the beans richness, color, and that classic baked bean flavor.
  • To Flavor: Tomato sauce, dried mustard, apple cider vinegar, and minced onion balance the sweetness and give these baked beans their rich, tangy flavor.
  • Apple Juice: Sounds unexpected, but it helps create that saucy texture, while adding additional flavor that water alone can't duplicate. Be sure to use 100% apple juice, not sweetened or flavored juice.

How to Make Baked Beans from Scratch

Don't let the process of making baked beans from scratch intimidate you, it is really quite simple! I have even provided a few modifications to speed things up without sacrificing any flavor!

Step One: Soak and Cook Dried Beans

If starting this recipe with dried navy beans, place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water by several inches. Let soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours.

After soaking, drain, add to a large pot, cover with fresh water, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, but not falling about. about 45-60 minutes.

If starting with canned beans, skip this step.

Dried navy beans in large bowl covered with water to soak overnight.
Spoonful of cooked navy beans in spider spoon over saucepan.

Step Two: Pan-Fry Bacon (Optional)

Add diced bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until fat begins to render off the bacon.

Add the minced onion to the rendered fat and partially cooked bacon and continue cooking until the onion is softened and bacon is lightly crisp, about 4-5 minutes.

Not adding bacon? Skip this step and simply mix the raw minced onion into the beans. They will soften as the baked beans bake.

Cubed bacon and minced onion together in large sauté pan after bacon has been rendered and cooked.

Step Three: Combine Beans + Bacon + Sauce

In a large mixing bowl, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, salt, mustard with the apple juice and water until evenly combined.

Add the cooked (or drained canned beans), bacon, and onion and gently fold until the beans are coated in the sauce.

At this stage, the sauce will look a little thin. That's normal. As the beans bake low and slow, the sauce thickens into that rich, glossy consistency everyone wants in classic baked beans.

Cooked beans in baked bean sauce with molasses, brown sugar, and bacon.

Step Four: Bake

Transfer the prepared baked bean mixture to a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 300℉ for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, remove the foil, give everything a gentle stir, and continue to bake for 30-60 minutes, or until sauce thickens and clings to the beans.

Baked Beans in large white casserole dish.

Step Five: Serve

Now grab a spoon or a bag of potato chips and dig in! The salty crunch with the sweet, saucy beans? My Papa swore by it and after one bite, you will too.

Plain potato chip dipping into rich homemade baked beans.

Recipe Variations & Modifications

  • Baked Beans with Canned Beans: Replace the dried beans with 4 cups of rinsed and drained canned navy beans (~3 cans of navy beans). My Papa often started with canned beans himself to save time!
  • Baked Beans with Pork and Beans: Combine 32 ounces of canned pork and beans (or prepared canned baked beans) with 2 teaspoons of dried mustard powder and ¼ each of brown sugar, molasses, and minced onion. Bake as directed for a shortcut that still tastes homemade.
  • Slow Cooker Homemade Baked Beans: Prepare the baked bean recipe up to baking, omitting the added water. Pour the bean mixture into a large slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. This is especially nice in the heat of the summer!
  • Vegetarian Homemade Baked Beans: Omit the bacon from the recipe and skip sautéing the onion and add it right to the baked bean sauce. The baked beans will still have plenty of flavor!
  • Make them Sweeter: Add an extra ¼ cup brown sugar or swap the tomato sauce for ketchup.
  • Use the Instant Pot to cook the soaked navy beans for a hand-off approach. Follow my Instant Pot dried beans recipe to cook the soaked navy beans.
  • No Dried Mustard? Replace with 1 tablespoon of prepared yellow mustard.
  • No Apple Cider Vinegar? Distilled white vinegar works just as well.

Storage Tips

Homemade baked beans can be served warm from the oven, at room temperature, straight from the fridge, or reheated. And honestly, the flavor actually improves after chilling as the sauce thickens and the beans continue soaking up flavor.

  • Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • Freeze: Transfer the cooled baked beans to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
  • Reheat: Transfer the refrigerated or thawed baked beans to a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 300℉ for 45 minutes, or until warmed through. Alternatively, microwave in a heat-safe dish, covered with a lid or damp paper towel, in 60-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until warmed through.

More Picnic Worthy Recipes

If you love my Papa's old-fashioned baked beans recipe, don't miss these other family favorites:

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4.94 from 297 votes

Baked Beans from Scratch

By: Kristen Chidsey
Servings: 10
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 10 minutes
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Saucy brown sugar baked beans in large white casserole dish.
These Old-Fashioned Baked Beans are rich, saucy, perfectly sweet, and made from scratch with simple pantry staples or a few smart shortcuts if needed to save time.

Ingredients 

  • 1⅓ cups dried navy beans, soaked overnnight
  • 3 slices thick bacon, chopped
  • ¼ cup minced yellow onion
  • 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
US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

Prepare Navy Beans

  • Place 1⅓ cups dried navy beans in a large bowl 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 at room temperature 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 or until beans are tender but not falling apart. 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℉ (150℃).
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the diced bacon and cook until bacon begins to render fat and then stir in the minced onion. Sauté 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 ½ cup tomato sauce, ¼ cup molasses, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ½ cup apple juice, and ½ cup water until well combined. Gently fold in the beans, bacon, and onions.
  • 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, or until thickened.

Equipment

Notes

***Old dried beans may take longer to cook and never fully soften.*** It is best to use dried beans within 6 months of purchasing and ALWAYS check the expiration date--even recently purchased beans may have been in storage for a while.
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 canned navy beans that have been rinsed and drained (measure after draining--you will need about three 15-ounce cans).
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 will want to add an additional ½ teaspoon of kosher salt to the bean mixture, 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, fully cool, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, allow the beans to thaw fully in the refrigerator. Reheat in a baking dish covered with foil at 300℉ for 45 minutes to warm through. Alternatively, microwave the thawed beans in a heat-safe dish fitted with a heat-safe lid in 60-second intervals. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 15gFat: 2gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 1043mgPotassium: 1223mgFiber: 16gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 195IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 161mgIron: 4.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @amindfullmom or tag #amindfullmom!

This recipe was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2026.

About Kristen Chidsey

Kristen is a wife, busy mom of two, and creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. From breakfast to dinner to dessert, it is her passion to share tried-and-true recipes that are big on flavor, made with easy-to-find ingredients, and family-approved!

Read More About Me

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459 Comments

  1. Absolutely phenomenal. I have one question. My beans seemed to not thicken up a whole bunch. Anything we could change to thicken it up a bit? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Shane! I am so glad you enjoyed the flavor! To thicken things up, I would recommend uncovering half-way through baking instead of just the last 30 minutes.

      Reply

    1. Hi Hope! I make this many times without the bacon and we all still adore it. The maple adds tremendous flavor. However, you could add in 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke if you like.

      Reply

  3. Hi Kristen; I'm going to double this recipe and take to enjoy at a cottage with my son and his wife. Could I use tomato paste (small can) instead of ketchup or tomato sauce and just increase the water maybe? Thanks and looking forward to trying them.

    Reply

    1. Hi Debbie, I would mix together one part tomato paste and one part water until well blended to use in place of the sauce. Enjoy your visit!

      Reply

  4. Hi Kristin just reading through your recipe is this all in imperial measurements and Fahrenheit? I am in Australia just so i know so i can convert to metric thanks in advance 😊 looking forward to making this recipe 😀

    Reply

    1. Hi Kimberly! Yes, I use imperial measurements. Please let me know if you need help converting.

      Reply

  5. Hello!

    I am wanting to make these for dinner and I'm wondering if they can be made in a preasure cooker?

    Thanks,
    Kristin

    Reply

      1. Thank you!
        I decided to let them soak overnight. I'm wanting to put them in my Ninja Foodi instead of the oven. Would the cook time be the same for slow cooking?

      2. I would cook for 30-35 minutes on high pressure. And be sure to put the apple juice in the pressure cooker first.

  6. This looks delicious, but my question is how much is a serving. Info says per serving, but how much it's in a serving?
    Can't wait to try this!!!!

    Reply

    2. Great! Just finished baking a double. The plan is to take them on vacation a week from now; are the beans okay to freeze?

      Thanks,

      Brad

      Reply

      1. Hi Brad! Yes, you can freeze the beans. Enjoy your trip--and the beans 🙂