Make a delicious homemade baked beans recipe! It is easier than you think to make Baked Beans from Scratch.
Make-ahead
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: How to build deep flavor in beans using aromatics, bacon, and a sweet-savory sauce.
Worth It: It’s a satisfying, protein-forward option that actually keeps you full
Bonus: Your house will smell amazing while these cook
Why you’ll Love this recipe
- Delicious homemade classic – I am all about a cooking shortcut, but sometimes you need to take your time and make a recipe from scratch. These baked beans from scratch are going to blow your mind.
- A little effort for a LOT of flavor – They are loaded with flavor AND although it might seem like a lot of work, they don’t take that much active prep time. Soak your beans overnight and then do about 20 minutes of sautéing the next day. Then, slow cook the beans in the oven for a few hours.
- Perfect for any summer party – Your house will smell incredible and you will be left with thick, rich homemade baked beans. Your barbecue guests will be blown away at how delicious these beans taste.
Serving Suggestions
Homemade baked beans are the ultimate summer barbecue side dish. You will fall in love with the deep rich flavor of these homemade beans and want to serve them with EVERYTHING!
Some of my favorite protein packed dishes to serve with these beans are Air Fryer Ribs or Perfectly Grilled Steak. For a chicken option, I love Marinated Grilled Chicken Thighs or Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings.
For dessert, make this peach blueberry crisp or mixed berry cobbler.
slow cooker Method
One of the best way to make homemade baked beans is in the slow cooker or crockpot. After you soak the beans, set them aside. Saute the garlic, onion and bacon on the stovetop. Then, mix all other ingredients together in the slow cooker.
Slow cook over low heat for at least 6 hours. After 6 hours taste the beans to make sure they are tender before turning off the heat.
Ingredients
- Navy beans – navy beans are the most common bean for baked beans, but you can also use dried pinto beans
- Bacon – the bacon complements the beans so well and takes this recipe to the next flavor
- Garlic and sweet onion – garlic and chopped onion are the aromatics that make your beans so flavorful
- Ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, white vinegar, mustard and worcestershire sauce – this combination is the most delicious sauce for your baked beans
- Smoked paprika and salt – I love using smoked paprika for an even bolder flavor
- Chicken broth – chicken broth continues to add more flavor as your beans cook
Ingredient substitutions
You should follow this easy baked beans recipe closely in order to make the best baked beans, but there are a few substitutions. I like to use navy beans for this recipe, but you can use any small white bean like cannellini or great northern beans.
To make this bean recipe vegetarian, skip the pork. Simply omit the bacon and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
If you want to add more of the smokey flavor that the bacon adds, you can try using some extra smoked paprika OR a little bit of liquid smoke.
You can use maple syrup in place of molasses, but the beans will not have as deep of a syrupy flavor. Apple cider vinegar would also work in place of white vinegar.
You can add a bit of green bell pepper to your garlic and medium onion if you would like. It would be really tasted with browned ground beef added in at the end as well!
How to make baked beans recipe from scratch
Step 1: soak and cook navy beans
To begin, soak the navy beans. Cover the beans in 2-3 inches of water.
More water than you think, they’ll soak a lot up! Soak them overnight. They can soak for up to 24 hours, but no less than 12 hours
Then, drain the beans and add them to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and allow to simmer for 2 hours, until softened.
Step 2: Saute on stove top
Next, drain the beans once again and set aside. You can include reserved cooking liquid in your sauce, but it is not necessary for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 325F.
In a large dutch oven or other oven-proof pot, add the diced bacon and cook until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon. Leave about 1-2 tbsp of bacon grease in the pot, but you can discard the rest.
Then, while the bacon is cooking, stir together the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside. Add in the onion and garlic to the dutch oven and saute in the bacon grease until soft, about 5 minutes. If you don’t have an oven safe pot, transfer all ingredients to a baking dish.
Step 3: Slow cook in the oven
Add the beans and the bacon back in. Stir in the sauce and broth that you’ve mixed together. It’ll probably be quite liquidy at this point, but will thicken up significantly in the oven.
Cover the pot and move it into the oven. Allow it to bake for at least 2-3 hours, stirring every 45 minutes to an hour or so.
Once the beans are thickened and very tender, they’re ready to serve!
Storage and reheating
Allow the homemade baked beans to cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze this recipe. Store your baked beans in a freezer safe container for up to three months. Thaw the night before then heat on the stove top.
Reheat on the stove top in a pot or in the microwave. Cook until just warmed through and serve.
Check out these other BBQ side dishes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Baked Beans from Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried navy beans
- 1/2 lb bacon diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small sweet onion finely diced
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Cover the beans in 2-3 inches of water (more water than you think, they’ll soak a lot up!) and soak them overnight. They can soak for up to 24 hours, but no less than 12 hours
- Drain the beans and add them to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and allow to simmer for 2 hours, until softened.
- Drain the beans once again and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- In a large dutch oven or other oven-proof pot, add the diced bacon and cook until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon. Leave about 1-2 tbsp of bacon grease in the pot, but you can discard the rest.
- While the bacon is cooking, stir together the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Add in the onion and garlic to the dutch oven and saute in the grease until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and the bacon back in. Stir in the sauce and broth that you’ve mixed together. It’ll probably be quite liquidy at this point, but will thicken up significantly in the oven.
- Cover the pot and move it into the oven. Allow it to bake for at least 2-3 hours, stirring every 45 minutes to an hour or so.
- Once the beans are thickened and very tender, they’re ready to serve!
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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