Homemade Baked Beans

A dish of baked beans is a welcome addition to any backyard barbecue, family reunion potluck, or football tailgate. Even though you may not have time to start from dried beans, this recipe allows you to turn out a savory and tasty dish based on canned beans.

Learn how to make baked beans, and bring this to your next barbecue or picnic. Everyone will be delighted to have their favorite side dish on hand.

Ingredients for Baked Beans

All ingredients and measurements are listed below, but here's what this recipe for baked beans will need:

• Bacon: For loads of smoky, meat flavor. Use your favorite variety. You can substitute with turkey bacon if you prefer.
• Onion: This adds a depth of flavor that will be missed without it.
• Canned pork and beans: This is our shortcut to fast, homemade baked beans. You can cook your own if you want, but we won't tell about this little secret.
• Ketchup: Amp up the umami flavor with a hint of sweetness.
• Worcestershire sauce: For more umami and a load of tang. Soy sauce or coconut aminos can work, too.
• Brown sugar: We like the caramel notes of brown sugar over the plain sweetness of granulated sugar, but if you don't have any, use regular sugar.
• Dry mustard: This is a magical ingredient. You don't know it's there, but it's adding a lot of vibrancy.
• Sorghum syrup or molasses: This is a good way to add a certain "mystery" to the baked beans. It will enhance the flavors of all the other ingredients, and eaters won't have any idea. If you don't have either, you can skip this or add a bit more brown sugar.
• Cooking spray: To coat the dish so the sticky-sweet sauce won't burn to it.
  

Which Beans Do You Use for Baked Beans?

Most baked beans recipes will use navy beans. That's the type of beans in canned pork-and-beans (like we use in this recipe), and it's what you'll likely use if you cook dry beans.

If you have dry beans you want to use, just build in time for cooking them. You'll add them to the other ingredients in step 4.

How To Make Baked Beans

The full recipe for baked beans is below, but here's a brief recap:

• Step 1: Cook the bacon: Start by frying up some bacon (because we believe that most things taste better with bacon) and sautéing an onion. You should do this step together since you need to use the bacon fat for cooking the onions. However, you can do this a day in advance if needed.
• Step 2: Make the baked beans sauce: For a sweet and spicy sauce, combine brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, and your choice of sorghum syrup, or molasses.
• Step 3: Combine ingredients: Stir the sauce and onions into the beans, and top with bacon.
• Step 4: Bake: Put the beans in a 350°F oven for about 45 minutes or until the beans are bubbling.

How Long Do You Cook Baked Beans?

This recipe for baked beans cooks for about 45 minutes in the oven. In total, it requires about an hour of time; you have to cook the bacon and onions before the dish can go into the oven.

Canned navy beans are a superb shortcut and equivalent to dried in flavor and texture, albeit there can be more salt. In this recipe, add canned beans directly to the rest of the ingredients. No further prep is required. But be sure to drain the salty mixture.

Can I Use Dried Beans for Baked Beans?

If you're using dried beans, you'll need to plan in advance, as they should soak for at least six hours or overnight in a bowl of water. After the required soaking time, drain the beans. Fill an oven-safe pot with water, and add a teaspoon of salt. Add beans and bring the pot of water to a boil, lowering it to a simmer and cooking for 30 to 40 minutes.

Alternatively, you can use an Instant Pot or pressure cooker to speed up the process. Add dried beans and water, and cook for 25 minutes at high pressure. Remove the water and rinse well with cold water.

Can You Make Baked Beans Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can make these baked beans the night before you plan to serve them. Just omit topping the beans with bacon until you are ready to put the dish in the oven. Bake beans for 45 minutes at 350°F or until bubbly.

How To Store Baked Beans

If you have leftover baked beans, scoop them into an airtight container, or wrap the baking dish with storage wrap. Keep in the fridge up to three days, and reheat in the microwave or in the oven until warmed through.

Editorial contributions by Alexandra Emanuelli.