Baked Beans Recipe – a tried and true homemade baked beans recipe created from multiple attempts and taste tests. I hope you will enjoy this baked beans recipe enough that your baked beans search ends here!
Baked Beans RECIPE: A BBQ Must-Have
I don’t know about you, but I am a total sucker for BBQ parties, with the buffet of side dishes to go with the grilled meats. Add in these baked beans with bacon, honey and a bit of brown sugar, and I’m sold. Anytime we do ribs or grilled bbq chicken at the house or for holiday parties, these baked beans make an appearance. It is hard to turn them down. These baked beans are also easy to make from scratch. They’re sticky, salty and sweet and a perfect addition to your BBQ or picnic.
Homemade Baked Beans
A few years ago, I had a wild idea to make my own baked beans. I don’t know what gave me the motivation since I was used to the canned kind and they always seemed to be on sale at the grocery store. I also happen to be married to a very sweet, intelligent man who doesn’t care for coleslaw or baked beans [I know, crazy right?]. It wasn’t until I created this baked bean recipe that I convinced him baked beans were amazing [I’m still trying to convince him about coleslaw!].
I tried 3 or 4 different baked bean recipes — some even called for you to throw in a can of already made baked beans. (I couldn’t understand that logic when I was going through the effort of making them anyway!) It wasn’t until I took three recipes and made a frankenbean recipe that took parts from each one, that I created this dish. I hope you will enjoy this baked beans recipe enough that your baked beans search ends here!
How to Make Baked Beans with Bacon
This baked beans recipe is easier to make than you might have guessed. Forget about canned baked beans, homemade baked beans are lightyears better.
- Place bacon in a large cast-iron or another heavy bottomed oven-safe skillet.
- Cook over medium heat until browned and most of the fat is rendered.
- Remove the bacon.
- Cook the onion in the bacon fat until caramelized and brown.
- Pour out the excess bacon fat [you can use this bacon fat to make my delicious Yukon Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette!]
- Add the bacon back into the pan.
- Add in the beans and the rest of the ingredients.
- Cover tightly and cook for 1 hour.
Honey Bacon Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon , cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 (16-oz) can pinto beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 (16-oz) can white beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 (16-oz) can dark red kidney beans , drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place bacon in a large cast iron or other heavy bottomed oven safe skillet.
- Cook over medium heat until browned and most of the fat is rendered.
- Remove the bacon.
- Cook the onion in the bacon fat until caramelized and brown.
- Pour out the excess bacon fat [you can use this bacon fat to make my delicious Yukon Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette!]
- Add the bacon back into the pan.
- Add in the beans and the rest of the ingredients.
Cover tightly and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
I made this tonight and wow, what a fantastic, easy dish. Didn’t have pintos, so I just used more of both the red kidney and cannellini beans. Subbed Dijon for yellow mustard since it was what I had, and it worked perfectly.
I don’t know what grade of molasses you used, but I had both blackstrap and “robust” (midpoint between fancy/light and blackstrap) and used the latter so it wouldn’t be too harsh-tasting.
If anyone is on the fence about making this, don’t be. It is wonderful.
Absolutely brilliant. I made this for a potluck and the entire class loved it! It was pretty much gone.
To those who are looking to make this:
In my trying of this recipe, I only had 1/3 a cup of ketchup. I replaced the rest with BBQ sauce from the fridge. I also used 4 cans of beans (the extra being kidney) instead of three, which is more than enough. I fed around 30-40 people at my potluck, but wanted some for dinner so I made extra. A side note, the pinto beans (at least the ones I had) were more firm than the other beans at the end. They were still PLENTY soft, but it does provide a nice texture. It just may not be your thing.
Overall, a brilliant recipe! Super simple and easy, no hard stuff. Will make again! Thanks.
Can I make these in the slow cooker? How long? Also, are white beans and butter beans similar? Thanks bunches!
Butter beans are the same as Lima beans so they aren’t the same as white beans. I would recommend using cannellini or Northern beans. Unfortunately, you won’t get the same amazing flavor from making this in a slow cooker. The bacon in this recipe really does better in an oven.
Cannellini beans are White Kidney beans. I have another recipe that called for just White Beans and didnt specify what kind of white beans. So I narrowed it down by the picture. That’s when I discovered that cannellini beans are just another name for white kidney beans. They have a slight different taste than the red ones do.
Where does the oven come into play? Says to preheat to 375?
Oh no! I’m just seeing your question now and hope that I didn’t ruin a Labor Day recipe you were planning on making!! I’m so sorry. The oven comes into play at the end and I realized that was a bit confusing in the instructions so I updated it.
Wowza ! This looks amazing drool worthy dish ! Bravo!
Aww thanks 🙂 You’re too kind!
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try these.
Thanks!
These beans looks very tasty and flavorful!
Wow, these look delicious, my mouth is watering! I am pinning these to make at my next BBQ!
Thanks for pinning! I hope you love them!
I love making anything in the cast iron skillet. So good. Love making homemade baked beans too. Taste so much better.
Yes! Me too! Any excuse to use it!
I love baked beans at summer get togethers, but I usually cheat and buy them already made or just buy canned and doctor them up. I’m TOTALLY making your recipe! It looks so good.
Thanks! I do see a lot of doctored up versions out there. This one was a breeze so I didn’t feel put out.
I have not been able to stomach even the smell of baked beans as an adult, but I want so badly to cook them for my kiddos to see if they will eat them. This recipe is something I will certainly give a try to, and shared on my FB page so I can come back to it again!
How sweet! thank you for sharing! I hope these work out for you 🙂
Those look so good! We have baked beans at every family cookout and they are even better with baked beans.
Yum! These look and sound incredible. My husband would flip if I ever did this for him., I will have to for his birthday!
I like the mix of beans in this recipe. I think it looks and sounds delicious.
Thanks!
Okay, so these look all kinds of perfect. I cannot and I mean I CANNOT wait to make these. Honey, bacon, and beans? You are speaking to this southern girl’s soul right now. lol
Haha, how sweet of you! Thank you 🙂
I love baked beans so these are calling my name. I can’t get enough grilling either, I grill every single day .
Me too! I love grilling and am lucky enough to be in a climate where I can grill anytime.
Those sound awesome. I always put bacon in by baked beans. I think bacon makes everything better.
I may be wrong, but I really think bacon can solve all the world’s problems. Who could be unhappy while eating a warm crispy piece of bacon
What an easy way to get baked beans made and ready to enjoy! I’ll have to keep this in mind when I don’t feel like cooking it all from scratch.
Yup! And they taste like you spent all day on them 🙂
I was looking forward to reading reviews of the recipe after making. Why are there only comments of how good the beans look before making them. Pretty useless reviews.
I really can’t control what people say. I would love it if you tried it and came back with a review though?