Best Baked Beans

Company-worthy baked beans made with dried navy beans, smoked bacon, onions, garlic, and molasses in a sweet tangy sauce with just a touch of kick.  These classic baked beans are the perfect side dish for all your summer grilling and barbecuing needs.

With just a little advanced preparation, these tasty beans are so incredibly easy. I love to serve them with Oven Baked Ribs, Herb Butter T Bone Steaks, and Grilled Flank Steak.

How to make Homemade Baked Beans from scratch

I like to use the quick soak method for my dried beans.  First, pick through the beans making sure there are not any foreign materials like pebbles.  Then rinse them really well.  Add the beans, water, and salt to a large pot over medium-high heat on the stovetop.  Then bring it to a boil for a few minutes.  Now reduce the heat and simmer until tender.  This usually takes around 1-2 hours.  Reserve a couple of cups of the water and then drain the beans.

Then place the bacon on an old baking sheet.  Bake in the oven for about six minutes, reserving the bacon grease.  Then add the bacon grease to a skillet over medium heat.  Now add the onion and red bell pepper, cooking until soft.  Reduce the heat and add the garlic, cooking for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Now in a baking dish, stir together the cooked drained beans, cooked onion/pepper mixture, tomato sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Chop the bacon into bite-size pieces and sprinkle the partially cooked bacon over the top.  Bake covered with foil in a preheated oven for about an hour, checking on them several times.  If they get too thick, use the liquid you reserved from cooking the beans to thin them out.

Recipes notes and helpful tips

• Par-bake the bacon to give it a little head start and to reserve the bacon grease.
• Don’t skip the step for sautéing the onions, peppers, and garlic in bacon grease, as the caramelization process brings out amazing flavor.
• I like Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce with these beans, but it does add a little extra kick.  Sweet barbecue works well too.  It really is just a matter of personal taste.
• You can skip the dried beans and add 4 (15.5 ounces) cans of pork and beans.  Simply omit the tomato sauce in the recipe.
• If needed, you can substitute brown sugar for the molasses. 
• These beans are even better the next day. Heat them up in the microwave, adding more water if they are too thick.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave.
• Be sure to read my section on ways to soften dried beans.

How to soften beans for cooking

Overnight Soak

1. Sort beans removing any pebbles or debris.  Rinse well with cold water.
2. Add the beans to a large stockpot or Dutch oven.   Cover them with water adding 2 inches over the top of the beans.
3. Cover the pot and let them soak overnight or for up to 10 hours.

Quick Soak Method

1. Sort beans removing any pebbles or debris.  Rinse well with cold water.
2. Add the beans to a large stockpot or Dutch oven.   Cover them with water adding 2 inches over the top of the beans.  Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, cooking for 3 minutes.  Cover and let soak for 1-4 hours or until soft.
3. Drain the beans.  You can also rinse if you want to avoid the extra salt.

More Summer Side Dishes

Creamy Macaroni Salad

Spaghetti Salad

Pea Salad

Cauliflower Broccoli Salad

Ambrosia Salad

Tomato Salad

Calico Beans

Best Baked Bean Recipe

The best homemade Boston Baked Beans are made with dried navy beans, smoky bacon, sweet red bell peppers, onions, and garlic in a sweet and tangy tomato sauce.

5 from 32 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: side

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dried navy beans
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 sweet medium onion minced
• 1 red pepper finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup molasses
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

• In a Dutch Oven or large stockpot, add the beans, salt, and enough water to cover two inches over the top of the beans.  Bring to a boil; cook for 3 minutes.  Reduce and heat and simmer until tender. This can take up to 2 hours. Reserve a couple of cups of the water and then drain the beans.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Cook for 6 minutes.  Reserve the bacon grease.  Chop bacon into bite-size pieces.
• Add the bacon grease to a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and red bell pepper, cooking until soft; 5-7 minutes.  Reduce the heat and add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• In the serving dish, combine the cooked, drained beans, cooked onion/pepper mixture, tomato sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Sprinkle the chopped bacon over the top.  Bake covered with foil in a preheated oven for 1 hour.  Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Check on them several times, and if they get too thick, use the liquid you reserved from cooking the beans to thin them out.

Notes

• Par-bake the bacon to give it a little head start and to reserve the bacon grease.
• Don’t skip the step for sautéing the onions, peppers, and garlic in bacon grease, as the caramelization process brings out amazing flavor.
• I like Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce with these beans, but it does add a little extra kick.  Sweet barbecue works well too.  It really is just a matter of personal taste.
• You can skip the dried beans and add 4 (15.5 ounces) cans of pork and beans.  Simply omit the tomato sauce in the recipe.
• If needed, you can substitute brown sugar for the molasses. 
• These beans are even better the next day. Heat them up in the microwave, adding more water if they are too thick.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave.
• Be sure to read my section on ways to soften dried beans.

Nutrition

Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 462mg | Potassium: 660mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 146IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg

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