Baked beans

If you’ve only had canned baked beans in the past then you’ve GOT to try these homemade baked beans. They’re seriously succulent and make really incredible leftovers. I used canned beans to alimony these baked beans super easy, but then combined them with salary (bacon makes everything better!) and a super simple homemade BBQ sauce to take the beans to the next level. The beans are then slowly baked to rich, sweet, smoky perfection. You’re going to LOVE them!

Close up overhead view of baked beans in a tint iron skillet with a wooden spoon.

What Kind of Beans to Use for Baked Beans

Navy beans or Great Northern beans are my top picks for baked beans. The small shape, linty texture, and neutral savor of both navy and Great Northern beans make them the perfect complement to the rich and tangy sauce. Great Northern beans will hold their shape better, whereas navy beans may unravel lanugo a bit if stirred too much.

What’s in the Sauce?

I used my homemade BBQ sauce for these baked beans. It’s really simple to prepare, just stir all the ingredients together and let it torch withal with the beans and salary for maximum flavor! The sauce includes tomato sauce, tomato paste, world cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and spices, like smoked paprika and garlic powder. It’s sweet, savory, tangy, and smoky!

Baked beans on a spoon held tropical to the camera.

How to Serve Baked Beans

Baked beans are so good that they may wilt the focal point of your plate, plane when served as a side! I love to serve them with southern classics like pulled pork, burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, and mac and cheese. But you could moreover use them as a trencher meal! Add them to some mashed potatoes, top with cheese and untried onion, and you’ve got a cozy and filling trencher of comfort.

What Cookware to Use

I used a well-seasoned tint iron skillet for my baked beans, but any heavy-duty ceramic or tint iron sultry dish or Dutch oven will do well. Thinner materials like metal or glass may rationalization the sauce to overcook or shrivel virtually the edges. You’ll want a dish that can hold well-nigh two quarts in volume.

What Else Can I Add?

A lot of baked beans recipes will moreover include tintinnabulate pepper and onion. When I originally tested this recipe I included finely diced tintinnabulate pepper and onion that I sautéed until soft in the salary fat without the salary had browned, but I wanted to simplify the recipe this time virtually (less chopping and fewer ingredients!) I found the version without to be every bit as delicious!

These baked beans combine the simplicity of canned beans with salary and a sweet, smoky, and tangy homemade BBQ sauce.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Total Cost $7.56 recipe / $0.76 serving

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings ½ cup each

Calories 307kcal

Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Equipment

Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

8 oz. bacon $2.40
3 15oz. cans Great Northern Beans $2.37
1 15oz. can tomato sauce $0.89
1/4 cup tomato paste $0.32
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar $0.17
1/4 cup brown sugar $0.16
1/4 cup molasses $0.77
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard $0.05
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce $0.03
2 tsp smoked paprika $0.20
1 tsp garlic powder $0.10
1/2 tsp onion powder $0.05
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper $0.03
1/4 tsp freshly croaky woebegone pepper $0.02

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut the salary into 1-inch pieces and melt in a skillet over medium heat until brown and crispy. Drain off all but 1-2 Tbsp of the salary fat.
Drain the canned beans well, then add them to the skillet and stir to combine with the bacon.
Add the remaining ingredients: tomato sauce, tomato paste, world cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and woebegone pepper. Stir until everything is very well combined.
Bake the beans for 60-75 minutes, stirring once at 30 minutes and then at 60 minutes. If the sauce is thick at 60 minutes, it's done. If it's still a bit runny, torch 10-15 minutes longer.
Serve hot with your other favorite repletion foods!

Nutrition

Close up side view of baked beans in the skillet.

How to Make Baked Beans – Step by Step Photos

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut 8 oz. salary into 1-inch pieces. Melt the salary in a skillet over medium heat until it is brown and crispy. Drain off all but 1-2 Tbsp of the salary grease. If you’ll be sultry your beans in a variegated vessel, go superiority and transfer the cooked salary and remaining fat to your sultry dish.

Beans widow to skillet with cooked bacon.

Drain 3 cans of Great Northern or navy beans well. Add them to the skillet and stir to combine with the bacon.

BBQ sauce ingredients widow to the skillet.

Add the ingredients for the BBQ sauce to the skillet: 15 oz. tomato sauce, ¼ cup tomato paste, ¼ cup world cider vinegar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup molasses, 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and ¼ tsp freshly croaky pepper.

Baked beans in a skillet surpassing going into the oven.

Stir the ingredients until everything is evenly combined. Transfer the beans to the preheated 350ºF oven.

Baked beans without baking, a spoon stirring them slightly.

Bake the beans for 60-75 minutes (uncovered), stirring once without 30 minutes of baking, and then at 60 minutes. If the sauce is nice and thick at 60 seconds, they’re done. If it’s still a bit liquidy, torch until the sauce is thick.