These Easy Bacon Baked Beans are the perfect blend of sweet, savory and smoky! Topped with bacon, they’re always a hit, and are SO easy to make!
This Baked Beans recipe is one of those recipes we have with so many of our family dinners and for potlucks and bbq’s. We also love easy summer recipes like my Classic Pasta Salad and Smoked Chicken Wings. This is one of my Side Dishes recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
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BAKED BEANS RECIPE
Baked beans are such classic summer cookout/bbq food… and really easy to make yourself! Don’t reach for a can of pre-seasoned and full of preservatives beans… whip up these easy and lip-smackingly delicious brown sugar and bacon baked beans instead! Your mouth will thank you.
Baked beans are such a classic dish, and I love how many varieties there are! Depending on your tastes and where you live, your beans might be more savory, more sweet, or more smoky.
These beans are a great combination of the 3! You get the savory flavor from the sautéed onions and peppers, sweetness from the brown sugar, and the smokiness from the molasses and of course, the bacon 🙂
I also like to season my bacon with a sprinkle of black pepper, smoked paprika, chili powder, dried rosemary and brown sugar. That’s my signature bacon seasoning, it’s SO addicting!
HOW TO MAKE BAKED BEANS
Making these baked beans is a cinch… in about 10 minutes they’re ready to pop in the oven and then you don’t have to mess with them for at least 2 hours.
- Cook bacon halfway through in whichever method you prefer. See my method for baking bacon below in the additional cooking tips section. Once bacon has cooled enough to handle, roughly chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Preheat oven to 325°F and set oven rack to lower-middle position.
- Cook onion and pepper. I like to use bacon grease to saute these in if I have it, but butter will work just as well. Just saute until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add beans, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and dry mustard. Stir to combine well and let cook a minute or two to make sure it’s all meshed together.
- Transfer bean mixture to a greased 3 quart baking dish or pot. Top evenly with partially cooked bacon.
- Bake 2-3 hours, until beans are desired consistency. I like my beans thick and brown, so I bake mine closer to 3 hours, but if you like yours more saucy, start checking the beans around 2 hours.
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
Even though they’re pretty straightforward, here are a few extra tips and tricks.
HOW LONG TO COOK BAKED BEANS
How long you cook them depends on how you like your beans… I like mine thick and pretty brown. So I cook mine about 2.5 hours, sometimes up to 3. If you like yours a little less thick, I’d cook them for 2 hours.
HOW TO BAKE BACON
Baking bacon is my preferred way to cook it, since there’s NO mess, and it’s pretty hands off.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of aluminum foil (trust me on this). Lay out your bacon so they’re close but not actually touching.
Place baking sheet in a COLD oven, turn the oven on and preheat to 400°F. Immediately start a timer for 18-19 minutes.
No need to flip them or anything, just walk away until the timer beeps. If you like your bacon a bit crispier, you’ll probably want to bake an additional minute or two.
BUT FOR THIS RECIPE YOU DON’T WANT TO COOK THE BACON ALL THE WAY THROUGH!
- So when I bake my bacon for baked beans, I only bake it about 10-12 minutes.
- My advice is to cook it about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way done. That way it will be nice and crispy once the beans are finished!
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- VEGETARIAN – to make this dish vegetarian-friendly, don’t use bacon fat, and omit the bacon. You’ll also want to use 4 (15.5 oz each) cans of navy or pinto beans that have been drained and rinsed. Increase the sauce ingredient amounts by 1/2 to make up for the lack of sauce in the pork and beans.
- SPICY – if you prefer your baked beans to have some kick, use 1 – 2 diced jalapeños instead of the green bell pepper. You can also add some cayenne pepper to the sauce, and top with some jalapeno slices!
- EXTRA SMOKY – I don’t know about you, but I LOVE smoky baked beans. Try adding 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke to the bean mixture. You could also smoke these baked beans in your smoker at 325 for about 2 hours!
- SLOW COOKER – if you’d prefer to cook your beans this way, cook onion and bell pepper in butter as directed in recipe. Cook bacon all the way through to desired crispness, then set aside. Add all ingredients to slow cooker, stir and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours. If beans are too thin, remove lid and continue cooking (on HIGH now), until thickened to your liking. If your beans are too thick, stir in a little bit of water, as needed. Top beans with bacon before serving.
MAKING BAKED BEANS AHEAD OF TIME
You can make these beans a day or so ahead of time. I find that when I reheat my beans, they tend to dry out a bit though.
Alternatively, you can also assemble the bean mixture and pre-cook the bacon and store them separately in the refrigerator. Then just add to baking dish, top with bacon and bake. This will ensure your beans aren’t dry at all.
STORAGE
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 1 week.
FREEZING
Let baked beans cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat at 350°F for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- 3 quart baking dish – normally I use a glass dish like this one, and I love the included lid!
- Alternate baking dish – if you like the look of the dish in the photo above, this is a very similar product and by the same quality brand.
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Recipe originally published in 2015 and has been updated in 2020 with additional information.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 10 slices bacon diced
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper finely diced
- 54 oz can pork and beans or 4 (15.5oz each) cans
- 4 Tbsp ketchup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tsp dry mustard
Instructions
- Cook bacon about half way through (in whichever way you want), and set aside to drain on a paper towel. Once cooled, roughly chop into semi-bite sized pieces.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and set rack to the lower-middle rack position.
- In a deep skillet, heat about 2 Tbsp of bacon grease (or butter) over MED heat. Add diced onion and green pepper and saute about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine well. Let mixture simmer for a minute or so.
- While the mixture is simmering, grease a 13x9 baking dish, or other 3 quart dish or pot.
- Pour beans into the prepared baking dish and lay cooked bacon on top of the beans.
- Bake for 2-3 hours, depending on your desired consistency.
- Let the beans stand for 5 minutes before serving.
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Chef Tips
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Althea says
I just took these beans out of the oven and the smell is heavenly. I did add the optional 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke as you mentioned. The taste is out of this world DELICIOUS!!! I baked them for 2-1/2 hours. Thank you Amanda for a terrific recipe.
Rob harbuck says
I used a bag of great northern beans.i used Dijon mustard and added a bit more of the ingredients to taste. I also added granulated onion and granulated garlic.
I only stove top cooked it.. The flavor is amazing.
Also no bacon to make it a little more healthy.
Traci Chrysler says
I’m wanting to make these tomorrow but need to increase the number of servings. I know you use a 9 x 13 baking dish, but do you think a dutch oven would work, or is it too deep?
The Chunky Chef says
I think it would work, but it may need additional time due to both the amount of ingredients and depth of the pot.
Suzie says
Every time I think of baked beans, this is the recipe I think of. I love the flavors & the ease of putting this together. The only downside is that I have to wait til it’s done baking to dig in!
Sue Bibee says
I made this in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. It was a little thick so added some hot water & stirred it. It was just right. I made it for my bosses monthly men’s group of 8 men. They ALL raved about how good the beans were. The next day my boss said those were the best baked beans he has ever had! Thank you for a great addition to a nice summer dinner.
Erin says
Delicious and simple! These taste amazing.
Cheryl says
Yummy
Megan says
I want to make this recipe for a memorial service. We will be feeding about 100 people. How much should I multiple the ingredients by to make sure I make enough?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never made this recipe on that scale, but will there be a lot of other foods there? If so, I would multiply the ingredients by about 4. Otherwise you may end up having to make a lot of batches.
Christina Miller says
Hello,
I haven’t made this yet. But is it possible
To make a day early, and not bake it but put in ridge? Then bake next day?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, totally possible! I find it’s best to store the bacon separate from the bean mixture though, and add it right before baking, so it doesn’t get soggy 🙂
Tracey says
Delicious!!!!!
Laurie Schuster says
If I am going to use beans from scratch instead of canned baked beans, do I need to add pork or alter the recipe?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only made this recipe as written, or as written in the “variations” section of the post, so I can’t say for certain. I would probably add extra bacon and stir some into the bean mixture, as well as have some on top. You’ll also need to increase the sauce ingredient amounts by 1/2 to make up for the lack of sauce in the pork and beans.
Frenchey says
Please use a conversion chart for ingredients to American use, tsp. Tbls, cups(s).
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t know what you mean… as I am an American, and my recipes all use cups, tsp, Tbsp, etc.
Jack says
What are the green leaves that you use to garnish with (in the pics) after cooking?
The Chunky Chef says
Just some minced fresh parsley 🙂
Diane Collis says
Very good just like momma used to make.
Viktory says
I ‘m not a big fan of beans, but I liked your recipe. I will try it!
Tim says
Do you cover the beans when you cook them?
The Chunky Chef says
Nope 🙂
Tammy says
Can I use 1 can pork n beans a can of kidney a can of great northern a can of butter beans. If so do I use liquid from all cans of beans. Thank you
The Chunky Chef says
Yes that would work, but instead of using the liquid from the kidney, northern and butter beans… I would increase the sauce ingredients (ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, vinegar and dry mustard) by 1/2 so you’ll have 1.5x the sauce to mix with the beans.
Mark says
Best baked beans recipe I have found. Everyone loved it. I cut down half the molasses and brown sugar and it still came out great. 10 Star recipe here… Thank You
Rick says
Is using 1 lb. bag of beans best for this recipe?
The Chunky Chef says
I honestly couldn’t say, as this recipe doesn’t use dried beans.
Amy Appell says
I used a 1 kg (2.2 lbs) bag of dried beans and it was a little more than doubled, so 1 lb of dry beans should work good for one batch! Just make sure to soak and cook the beans thoroughly before using them for this recipe. And I added about 2 tsp of salt per batch to make them close to the normal canned bean taste. Delicious – our family loves this recipe!
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes says
Such a fantastic dish!! LOVE the bacon!
Anna Carpanzano says
The only pork and beans I could find are in tomato sauce, should I drain the sauce?
The Chunky Chef says
Nope no need to drain 🙂
Vikki says
Best baked beans I’ve ever tasted! Truly scrumptious