These delicious homemade baked beans are sweet, savory, smoky and the perfect side dish for all of your summer BBQs! Includes instructions for both dried and canned beans, with vegetarian and gluten-free options.

homemade baked beans in a white bowl with a gold spoon beside it.

Is there a more iconic side dish for summer barbecues than baked beans? The sweet and savory beans are almost always present at summer cookouts from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and for good reason - they're so delicious! Most recipes out there for baked beans start with canned pork and beans, which I'm not a huge fan of. If you've ever wanted to make homemade baked beans, look no further. I have the perfect recipe for you!

Why You'll Love These Homemade Baked Beans

Making homemade baked beans from scratch - starting with either dry beans or plain canned beans for a shortcut - are much easier to make than you may think! When you make baked beans from scratch, you know exactly what you’re putting in them, and you can adjust the ingredients to fit your tastes and dietary needs. These homemade baked beans are the perfect balance of sweet, smoky and savory, and the texture is great - not too mushy! They go perfectly with everything from burgers to BBQ chicken to ribs or pulled pork. They will be a welcomed addition to any cookout you attend this summer!

Which Beans To Use For Baked Beans

Most baked beans use navy beans, which are not navy at all. They are tiny white beans that are available both dry and canned. Usually the canned ones will just say 'white beans' but if you read the ingredients, it will list the variety. If you can't find navy beans, you can use any other white bean or even pinto beans.

Ingredients In Baked Beans

Beans (see above)
Onion
Brown Sugar and Molasses - Yes, you need both for that signature spiced sweetness.
Ketchup - For thick and saucy beans. Look for kinds with no high fructose corn syrup.
Bacon - Smoky, salty, and fatty. Look for uncured bacon, if possible. You can also use a ham hock, if you have one.
Worcestershire Sauce - Lots of flavor wrapped up in one sauce. If you're gluten-free or vegetarian, check the label because this sauce isn't always.
Dijon - A hint of savory acidic flavor.
Garlic Powder (of course!)
Smoked Paprika - Key for a smoky flavor, especially if you're making the vegetarian version. I highly recommend you keep some on hand at all times.
Bay Leaf

How To Make Homemade Baked Beans

six image collage showing steps for making homemade baked beans.

Start by soaking your dry beans overnight. This makes cooking time faster and also improves the digestibility of the beans. If you forget, you can always use the quick soak method (see notes in the recipe card).
The next day, drain the soaked beans, add fresh water, and boil for about an hour to soften them up. Meanwhile, chop the onion and bacon.
After boiling, drain the beans, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Stir in all the rest of the ingredients, along with about 1 cup of the reserved liquid.
Bake! Cover the beans and bake for about an hour. Then uncover and bake for about 30- 40 minutes. This way, the beans soak up all the delicious flavor while becoming nice and tender, then the sauce gets thick and bubbly. You may need to add more liquid after uncovering the beans if they seem a little dry.
Give the beans a stir and serve.

overhead view of a wooden spoon filled with baked beans over a pot of beans.

Tips, Recipe Variations and Substitutions

I love using my Dutch oven for this recipe because I don't have to mess with switching dishes or using foil. If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can use a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with foil for the baking step.
If you forget to reserve the cooking liquid, no worries! Just use water or broth.
For vegetarian version, omit bacon and make sure your Worcestershire sauce is vegetarian.
For gluten-free, make sure Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free.
If you prefer your baked beans with bell pepper, add 1 diced green bell pepper with the onion.

Can I Use Canned Beans?

Yes! Grab four (15 oz) cans of navy beans (not pork and beans!) and skip the soaking and boiling steps. Drain and rinse the canned beans and proceed with the recipe, omitting the salt and adding water or broth in place of the reserved cooking liquid.

Can I Use The Instant Pot?

For cooking the beans, yes, although the beans tend to burst under pressure. Cook dried beans in the Instant Pot for 20-25 minutes for unsoaked, or 7-8 minutes for soaked. Then proceed with the recipe.

overhead view of homemade baked beans in two white bowls with gold forks on a white background.

Can They Be Made In Advance?

Yes. You can either make them up to the point of baking and refrigerate them until you're ready to bake or make the recipe all the way through, then refrigerate and simply reheat when you're ready. Either way, up to 4 days in advance is fine.

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating in the comments!

Homemade Baked Beans

Print Recipe

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 150 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Yield: 12 servings 1x
Category: side dish
Method: baked
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb. dry navy beans (see notes for canned beans instructions)
Water
½ tsp salt
1 small onion, diced
2-3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can also use a ham hock, if you have one)
⅔ cup ketchup
⅓ cup brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 bay leaf

Instructions

Soak beans overnight: Place beans in a large bowl and cover with 2-3 inches of water. Allow beans to sit on the counter at room temperature. The next morning, drain beans. (See notes for quick soak method.)
Place soaked and drained beans in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover with about 2 inches of fresh water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.
Heat oven to 375°F.
Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid. Add beans back to the Dutch oven with remaining ingredients and about 1 cup of reserved cooking liquid. Stir to combine. Cover and bake 1 hour.
Remove cover and bake an additional 30-40 minutes, or until beans are tender. You may need to add more cooking liquid if beans appear dry.
Remove bay leaf (and ham hock, if using) before serving.

Notes

For vegetarian version, omit bacon and make sure your Worcestershire sauce is vegetarian.
For gluten-free, make sure Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free.
If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can pour the beans into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish and cover with foil for baking.
If you forget to reserve the cooking liquid, no worries! Just use water or broth.
If you prefer your baked beans with bell pepper, add 1 diced green bell pepper with the onion.

To make the recipe with canned beans:

Skip the soaking and boiling steps. Add 4 (15 oz) cans of navy beans, drained and rinsed, to a Dutch oven or casserole dish with remaining ingredients (omit salt) and add ¾ cup water or broth. Stir to combine.
Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes, or until beans are tender and sauce is thick. Add additional water as needed. Remove bay leaf (and ham hock, if using) before serving.

For Quick Soak (if you forget to soak your beans overnight):

Add beans to a large pot of water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil 1 minute.
Turn off heat, cover pot, and let the beans sit for 1 hour.
Drain the beans and continue with the recipe.

Keywords: homemade baked beans, baked beans from scratch

Comments

Brittany says

May 16, 2019 at 12:55 pm

These look so yummy! My husband is a big baked beans fan, so I'm sure he'd be super impressed if I made this recipe for him!

- Kaleigh says
  
  May 19, 2019 at 10:03 am
  
  Definitely! They're actually much easier than you'd think!
  
Kara @ The Foodie Dietitian says

May 16, 2019 at 10:48 am

These looks delicious! Can't wait to try!

- Kaleigh says
  
  May 19, 2019 at 10:01 am
  
  Thanks Kara!