There’s nothing quite like a pan of homemade baked beans fresh from the oven. This easy baked beans recipe combines tender navy beans with ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, onion, cider vinegar, and a touch of hot pepper sauce for the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and smoky flavor. Topped with crispy bacon and baked until rich and bubbling, these classic baked beans make a comforting side dish for summer barbecues, cookouts, potlucks, picnics, or weeknight dinners. Whether you’re serving them alongside grilled burgers, hot dogs, ribs, or roasted chicken, this simple recipe is sure to become a family favorite.
Everything You Need to Make Homemade Baked Beans
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of canned navy beans
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (Red Truck Orchards Cherry Vinegar works well too!)
- 5 drops of hot pepper sauce
- 6 slices of uncooked bacon
How to Make Homemade Baked Beans
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Add the navy beans, ketchup, minced onion, brown sugar, molasses, cider vinegar, and hot pepper sauce to the baking dish. Stir gently.
- Lay the six slices of uncooked bacon over the top of the bean mixture.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked and lightly crisp.
- Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. Transfer the bacon to a cutting board and roughly chop it.
- Stir the chopped bacon back into the baked beans and serve warm.
Best Dishes to Pair with Homemade Baked Beans
Homemade baked beans are more than just a barbecue staple. Their rich, sweet-and-savory flavor makes them an easy side dish for everything from grilled favorites to hearty comfort food. Try serving them with one of these delicious main dishes:
Grilled Burgers – A classic backyard barbecue pairing, with juicy burgers balancing the sweet and smoky flavor of baked beans.
BBQ Pulled Pork – Tender pulled pork and rich barbecue sauce are a natural match for the savory-sweet beans.
Grilled Bratwurst or Hot Dogs – Whether you’re hosting a cookout or an easy weeknight dinner, baked beans are the perfect side for grilled sausages or hot dogs.
Smoked or Grilled Chicken – From barbecue chicken thighs to smoked drumsticks, baked beans add a hearty, comforting complement to any chicken dish.
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Family Recipe courtesy of Ethan Colyer
Photo by P.O.sitive Negative on Unsplash
