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Why I Love These Homemade Baked Beans
Baked beans have become relegated to the action of opening a can and pouring the contents into a serving dish. Maybe there’s a little bit of heating them up first. Some recipes may show how to “doctor up” canned beans in the hopes of fooling guests that they’re homemade. But that’s not what happens in this recipe.
Instead, I opt for truly homemade baked beans, which were one of my grandma’s terrific recipes. These aren’t hard to make, and the recipe is not complicated. All that’s needed is a bit of extra time, and it’s completely worth it for these beans. Their creamy interior texture is unparalleled. The flavoring is simple, made from molasses and bacon.
Don’t be fooled by the simple ingredients. These beans deliver.
Homemade Baked Beans Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are simple and exactly what you want in a baked bean:
- Navy beans – The traditional choice for baked beans. Once soaked and cooked, they become creamy while still holding their shape. If you want to save time, canned navy beans can be used instead (see notes in the recipe card for how to do this).
- Onion – Essential for building that classic baked bean flavor. As it bakes, it softens into the sauce and adds savory depth.
- Yellow mustard – Keeps the beans from tasting overly sweet and rounds out the flavor in the best way. Trust me on this one!
- Ketchup – Adds a familiar tomato richness along with a bit of sweetness, helping create the saucy texture you want.
- Molasses – Gives baked beans their signature old-fashioned flavor.
- Kosher salt and black pepper – Add seasoning to the whole dish.
- Reserved cooking liquid – Helps form the sauce and gives the beans a silky texture as they bake. If using canned beans, use the liquid from the cans instead.
- Bacon – Adds smoky flavor throughout and adds some savory bites to the finished dish.
The full amount of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Homemade Baked Beans
There are 3 simple steps to making Grandma’s baked beans recipe:
Step 1: Prepare the dried beans – Soak the beans in water and salt for 8 hours. Then drain the beans and cook in more water and salt for 1 hour until creamy. Remove from the heat and drain. (See the recipe card below for the full amounts.)
Step 2: Add the flavorings – To the cooked beans, add the cooked and chopped bacon, ketchup, mustard, onion, molasses, salt, black pepper, and reserved cooking liquid. Stir until everything is combined.
Step 3: Bake the beans – Pour the beans into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil, stir, and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Follow These Tips
Serving & Storage
Serving – These baked beans can be served as soon as they are taken from the oven. They’re perfect for any time of the year, but especially delicious during the summer months when BBQs and potlucks are in season. I love to pair them with any of the following summer recipes:
Storage – If there are any leftovers, they should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container, where they should be good for 5-7 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
I feel that the best baked beans are made from dried beans that you cook yourself. But you can substitute drained canned navy beans in this recipe in the interest of time. See the recipe card below for how to adjust for this.
Of course! Throw in some cayenne pepper for a little bit of extra kick, or smoked paprika for added smokiness. You can make these beans fit your own personal taste, but try them first before making any adjustments.
You could totally cook these in a slow cooker. Instead of pouring the beans into the casserole dish, place them in the slow cooker and cook for 4 to 6 hours on low. They will not get as golden on top and may be a bit saucier, but it should work.
More Summer Side Dishes
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Grandma’s Homemade Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried navy beans (see note for canned beans)
- 1 medium onion diced
- 6 tbsp yellow mustard
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ¾ cup molasses
- ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups reserved cooking liquid (see note for canned beans)
- 12 oz bacon cooked and chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the beans: Soak beans for 8 hours in 1 quart of water and 2 tsp salt. Once soaked, drain and cook the beans in a large stockpot with 2 quarts of water and 1 tsp salt until creamy on the inside, about 1 hour. Add more water if needed. Remove the beans from the heat. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Return the beans to the stockpot.1 lb dried navy beans (see note for canned beans)
- Once the beans are fully cooked, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the flavorings: To the beans, add the chopped onion, yellow mustard, ketchup, molasses, salt, black pepper, reserved cooking liquid, and bacon. Stir to combine and pour into a greased 9 × 13-inch baking dish.1 medium onion, 6 tbsp yellow mustard, ¾ cup ketchup, ¾ cup molasses, ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 tsp kosher salt, 12 oz bacon, 2 cups reserved cooking liquid (see note for canned beans)
- Bake the beans: Cover the beans with aluminum foil and place them in the preheated 375°F oven. Cook for 30 minutes with the cover on and then remove the cover, stir, and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the beans from the oven and let them sit for 15 minutes before stirring and serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Styling: Addelyn Evans / Photography: Dera Burreson
I made them tonight. I modified the recipe a bit. I added a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a tablespoon of garlic powder. Also taste before you add the salt, the bacon can add saltiness
If using canned beans, how much water should one add before baking? I see with the dried beans your to use the leftover water from cooking them. Not sure how much that would be with the canned bean option. I hope that made sense
Hello! I adjusted the note below the recipe to help, when using canned navy beans do not add any extra water and instead add the liquid and beans from the cans with the rest of the ingredients!
I made this baked bean dish yesterday and it was oh, so, good!!!
These were great! I read the reviews and ended up using all of the reserved water, which was 3 cups and they were not dry. So good!
I’ve made these twice. In think the second time, I didn’t cook quite long enough because they were a tiny bit too crunchy for me. However, my family loved them.
I noticed in the video, you used what looked like two Tbsps of ketchup. The recipe calls for 3/4 c. Which is correct?
These taste just my grandma’s baked beans. Thank you!
Question-if subbing canned beans, how many would you use? I made this with 2 cans of drained beans and it was soupy. The flavor was great, though. I did add a little green pepper and a Habanada for some pepper depth.
Hi Nancy! I would recommend using 4 cans of canned beans. That should take care of the soupy issue. I hope that helps!
These are delicious! The leftovers are great as well. The molasses gives just the right amount of somethin’ somethin’.
Always a winner!