Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe! (2024)

This Southern Baked Beans Recipe makes the best baked beans! It’s a perfect side dish for so many meals and a family favorite recipe for years! So savory, scrumptious, and easy to make!

If you’re looking for a simple yet delicious recipe that’s perfect for any meal, baked beans are the way to go! We love it with hamburgers, grilled chicken, ribs, and more! This classic dish is a crowd-pleaser that’s easy to make and can be customized to your taste.

Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe! (1)

How to Make Baked Beans Recipe

Rich, smokey, and so delicious, my recipe comes together quickly and then bakes slowly so that all those flavors just meld perfectly together!

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe! (2)
  • Beans – Use canned navy beans or soaked dried beans.
  • Bacon – My recipe included diced bacon in the baked beans and then strips of bacon on top of the beans.
  • Garlic – Use 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced, or substitute with 1 teaspoon of Stone House Seasoning.
  • Onion – Dice and include 1/2 of a medium sweet onion. If you do not care for onions, omit them. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder instead of fresh onion if you prefer.
  • Worcestershire sauce – Use Coconut Aminos if sensitive to soy.
  • Unsulphured molasses – Adds a deep, smokey flavor to the cooked beans.
  • Dark brown sugar – Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar. I prefer the richness of dark brown sugar in my baked beans, but you can use either. You’ll use brown sugar mixed in the recipe and a little sprinkled on top. You can also use brown coconut sugar as a replacement for brown sugar for a lower glycemic option.
  • Ketchup – Use 1/4 cup of ketchup in this recipe
  • Yellow mustard – I have found that yellow mustard helps to round out the flavor in the baked beans.
Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe! (3)

Oven-Baked Beans

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • While the oven preheats, pour your navy beans into a medium stockpot set over medium heat.
  • In a medium skillet, add diced bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook until the bacon is crisp and the onion is tender. Then, remove from the heat and add to the navy beans. Add Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and yellow mustard and stir to combine well. Pour into the deep dish you plan to serve from or leave in a stockpot. Finally, top with the optional (but highly recommended!) bacon and sprinkle the top with brown sugar.
  • Place into the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Increase temperature to 425º F for 10 minutes to crisp bacon. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

  • Add your navy beans to the slow cooker and set aside.
  • In a medium skillet, cook your diced bacon, onion, and garlic until the bacon is crisp and the onion and garlic are tender. Add to the slow cooker. Add Worcestershire sauce, molasses, dark brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard. Stir to combine well.
  • Cook on a low setting for 6-7 hours or on a high setting for 3-4 hours. If your baked beans are not as thick as you would like, remove the lid to the slow cooker about 30 to 45 minutes before serving and allow them to continue cooking until thickened. If too thick, you can stir in water a few tablespoons at a time until it reaches the desired thickness.

Optional: top with baked bacon strips before serving.

Storage Tips

To make ahead. Cook and allow to cool. Wrap well or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To freeze. Cook and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat and serve.

So, here’s my Southern Baked Beans recipe. Get ready to make it often!

Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe! (4)

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Southern Baked Beans Recipe

Southern Baked Beans Recipe – This recipe makes the perfect side dish for so many meals! These easy baked beans are a family favorite!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 (16-ounce cans) navy beans
  • 3 strips bacon, diced
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ medium sweet onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

For the Top of Baked Beans (optional):

  • 2 slices bacon, halved
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325º F.

  • Pour navy beans into medium stockpot.

  • In a medium skillet, add diced bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook until bacon is crisp and onion is tender. Remove from heat and add to navy beans.

  • Add Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and yellow mustard. Stir to combine well. Pour into deep dish you plan to serve from or leave in stockpot. Top with bacon and sprinkle top with brown sugar.

  • Place in oven and bake 45 minutes. Increase temperature to 425º F for 10 minutes to crisp bacon. Remove from oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

  • Add navy beans to a slow cooker.

  • Cook bacon, onion, and garlic in a medium skillet until the bacon is crisp and the onion and garlic are tender. Add to the navy beans in the slow cooker.

  • Add Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and yellow mustard. Stir to combine well.

  • Cook on LOW setting for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH setting for 3 to 4 hours. If the baked beans are too thin, remove the lid to the slow cooker for the last 30 to 45 minutes of cook time until the beans have thickened to desired consistency. If too thick, stir in water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Top with optional baked bacon for serving.

Notes

Make-Ahead:
Store baked beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Freezer Friendly:
Allow the baked beans to cool. Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat in a 350ºF oven for 15 – 20 minutes until heated throughout.

Vegetarian/ Vegan:
To make these baked beans vegetarian and vegan friendly, simply omit the bacon from the recipe as well as the optional topping.

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 184mg | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe! (5)

From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2013.

Categorized as:All Recipes, Bean Recipes, By Cooking Style, By Special Diets, Camping, Cooking, Egg-Free Recipes, Essentials, Father’s Day Recipes, Freezer Friendly Recipes, Game Day Recipes, Holiday and Occasion Recipes, July 4th Recipes, Make-ahead Recipes, Mother’s Day Recipes, Recipes, Side Dish Recipes, Simple Recipes, Slow Cooker Recipes, Southern Favorites

Welcome to Add A Pinch

About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to Bush's baked beans to make them better? ›

How to make Canned Baked Beans Taste Homemade:
  1. Canned Baked Beans: Use an “original” or simply-flavored style of canned baked beans. ...
  2. Bacon: Use your favorite brand but here, too, avoid flavored bacon.
  3. Mustard: I like spicy brown mustard for this baked beans recipe, but Dijon mustard or yellow mustard will also work.
Jul 1, 2020

What does adding vinegar to baked beans do? ›

Adding vinegar during the cooking step would lower the pH and hinder the process. So when the beans are done, add the cider vinegar to complete the classic tangy, sweet-and-savory taste of baked beans.

How can I make my beans more flavorful? ›

Those aromatics in the pot will revolutionize the beans' final flavor. The aromatics I tend to use are onions, carrots, garlic, and celery, and then heartier, woodsy herbs, like rosemary, sage, and thyme, which marry beautifully with the earthy-sweet flavor of beans.

What is the secret to soft baked beans? ›

soak them about 20 hours. Depending on how much water they soak up you may add more halfway through - if you set them soaking in the early evening, check them in the morning. drain, rinse, and then boil for about two hours, checking to see if they are soft.

How do you enhance the flavor of canned baked beans? ›

A few ideas:
  1. Rinse the beans.
  2. Spice (cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder) and warm them up.
  3. Mix with other ingredients (add vegetables, cooked rice, pasta, or use them as a filling for wraps or tacos)
  4. Mix with your own sauce (onion+bell pepper+carrot+canned tomatoes)
Aug 3, 2023

How do you elevate baked beans? ›

Adding a bit of brown sugar to the beans and some on top as it bakes creates a beautiful caramelized crust. Worcestershire. This is the secret to really savory beans! Worcestershire sauce adds tons of umami flavor and really dresses up canned baked beans.

What can I put in beans to prevent gas? ›

To cut down on the gassy properties, you can add a little baking soda to your recipe. The baking soda helps break down some of the beans' natural gas-making sugars. I tested this while fixing one of my favorite slow cooker recipes: red beans and sausage.

Why do you add baking soda to baked beans? ›

Baking soda creates an alkaline environment which reduces soaking and cooking time and preserves the beans' skin.

Why do restaurant beans taste better? ›

If you're wondering what is the secret ingredient for restaurant-quality refried beans, the answer is fat. Restaurant-made refried beans honor traditional Mexican culinary practices by adding a hearty helping of lard or bacon fat drippings to their recipe.

Do you season beans before or after cooking? ›

There's a myth out regarding beans and salt — specifically, that you should never salt your beans before cooking because the salt keeps them from cooking through. That's just not true. You can add salt to your bean pot at the beginning of cooking, and your beans will be better seasoned for it.

Why are my beans so bland? ›

Overcooked beans will also start to lose their flavor, leaving a flat taste. If you overcook your beans, don't fear — you don't necessarily have to throw them out. You can mash them up and add them to a soup to thicken it, or even puree them into a sauce.

What can I use in place of molasses in baked beans? ›

  • Honey. Generally speaking, honey is very sweet, floral in flavor, and golden in color. ...
  • Sorghum. Sorghum is sometimes known as sorghum molasses, which tells you how similar these syrups are. ...
  • Maple Syrup. ...
  • Dark Corn Syrup. ...
  • Golden Syrup. ...
  • Brown Sugar. ...
  • Simple Syrup. ...
  • Black Treacle.
Dec 5, 2019

Why are my homemade baked beans hard? ›

Beans and barley require different cooking times, so it's a good idea to cook them separately, then combine them and adjust the seasoning. You don't say how long you cooked them for, but if they're still tough, they most likely weren't cooked long enough. The older beans are, the longer they take to become tender.

What are the ingredients in Bush's baked beans? ›

Bush's® Original Baked Beans are a Secret Family Recipe of navy beans slow-cooked with specially cured bacon, fine brown sugar and our signature blend of spices.

What goes good with Bush's baked beans? ›

Here are some side dishes that pair well with baked beans and sausages:
  • Grilled or roasted vegetables (e.g. corn, zucchini, bell peppers)
  • Coleslaw or potato salad.
  • Cornbread or garlic bread.
  • Grilled or roasted potatoes.
  • Baked macaroni and cheese.
  • Green salad with a tangy dressing.
  • Grilled or steamed corn on the cob.
Jan 29, 2023

How can I make cheap baked beans taste better? ›

Caramelized Onion + Bacon + Espresso Powder

Slowly caramelize a chopped onion in a bit of oil, then add bacon and cook until crispy. Add the can of beans and stir, making sure to scrape up any tasty bits that have stuck to the pan. To finish, toss in a pinch of espresso powder for an extra hit of earthy flavor.

What is the difference between Bush's homestyle and original baked beans? ›

Our Homestyle Baked Beans are deliciously tomato-based—which makes them a bit tangier than the original—with brown sugar, bold spices and a specially cured bacon.

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