Easy Baked Beans Recipe

Easy baked beans recipe, loaded with navy beans, bacon, and brown sugar is perfect for picnics and BBQs.  Everything cooks in one pan making clean up a snap!

I can’t sit down to anything BBQ related without a side of baked beans to go with it.

For me, baked beans, potato salad and some smoked meat (pork shoulder, brisket, ribs, etc.) is my idea of the perfect summer meal.

Opening up a can of baked beans is easy, but why do that when it is so quick and easy to make them yourself.

My sister annoyingly asks me to make this at least once a month. I often get asked to make this recipe for other functions because people enjoy it so much.

However, I do have to warn you, this dish is not healthy and has the potential of giving you diabeetus, said in your best Wilford Brimley voice, and heart disease. 

Our baked beans recipe is also very forgiving, making it a great beginner’s recipe. There is nothing like a few successes to give you confidence in the kitchen.

Starting with recipes, that have a wide berth for a margin of error, are what we recommend for folks just learning how to cook.

HOMEMADE BAKED BEANS INGREDIENTS

I start with bacon, who doesn’t love bacon in their baked beans? The key to getting the most flavor out of your bacon is too cook it until it is crispy. 

I suspect that you have brown sugar, onions, ketchup, mustard, and chili powder on hand already. The only thing you might need to pick up is some canned navy beans, unless you’re like me, in that case you already have some.

You can easily adapt this recipe to suit your tastes.  Play around with your normal BBQ style spices: chili powder, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, etc. to amp up the spice level.

Browned breakfast sausage and green bell peppers in this recipe work surprisingly well.

Heck, you could probably even use browned ground beef if you wanted.  The point is, this recipe is super adaptable and a great base to start with.

COOKING BAKED BEANS ON THE STOVE, IN AN OVEN, OR SLOW COOKER

My recipe for Baked Beans can be made on the stove top, in a crockpot or in the oven.  Again, we are talking super adaptable and forgiving.

On the Stovetop

These beans will cook up in about an hour using low heat on the stove.  Stir them often to make sure they aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.

In an Oven

If I’m feeling particularly lazy, I’ll put the Dutch oven in my oven set to 225 degrees F  and forget about it for an hour or two.

In a Slow Cooker

If I am being super lazy, I’ll put these in a slow cooker set on low for 4 to 6 hours. 

The recipe calls for a Dutch oven, but any large saucepan will do. 

If baking your baked beans, make sure that any saucepan you use has an oven-safe lid before trying this method.

DOES THIS RECIPE MAKE A LOT OF BAKED BEANS?

It really depends on how big your appetite is.  You will get 16 half-cup servings from this recipe.

But it can easily be doubled or tripled, giving you enough for a large group or crowd.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER BAKED BEANS

Leftover baked beans can be safely stored, tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

You can freeze leftover baked beans by placing them into an airtight freezer container.  I wouldn’t freeze them for longer than 3 or 4 months though.  The quality starts to deteriorate after that.  That the beans before attempting to reheat.

The best way to reheat baked beans is to use low heat on the stove or place them back into a low oven.

You might need to add a bit of water, not a lot, just enough to loosen everything up so you can stir it.  Heat, stirring occasionally, just until heated through.

If you have tried this recipe, please leave us a comment and rating!

More Quick and Easy Picnic Recipes You Should Try

No-Fail Fruit Cobbler

Cherry Delight

Sweet Corn Salad

Ranch Pasta Salad

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Baked Beans

Baked beans smothered in a sweet bacon sauce.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 8 cups

Calories: 216kcal

Author: Beth Mueller

Equipment

• Dutch Oven

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. chopped bacon
• 1.5 cups white or yellow onion chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1.5 cups ketchup
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 4 cans of navy beans drained and rinsed

Instructions

• Using a dutch oven or your heaviest pan, cooking the bacon over medium heat until the bacon is almost crispy
• Remove the bacon from the pan and remove all but about two tables spoons of the bacon grease.
• Add the onions to the dutch oven and add the salt. Saute the onions over medium-low heat until translucent.
• Add the garlic to the onions and sauté for about another minute. Do not let the garlic brown.
• Add the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and chili powder to the Dutch oven.
• Stir the mixture up very well to distribute the brown sugar.
• Add the navy beans and the cooked bacon to the Dutch oven and mix.
• Place Dutch oven over very low heat. You want a bare simmer. Simmer for a minimum of an hour and your beans are complete.

Notes

Can be oven baked at 225 Degrees F for 1 to hours using an oven-safe covered pot or a Dutch oven.

Can be cooked in a crock pot or slow cooker set to low for 3 to 4 hours.

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Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.9g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6.2g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 993mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 23.2g

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