These Easy Bacon Baked Beans are the perfect blend of sweet, savory and smoky! Topped with bacon, they’re always a hit, and are SO easy to make!
Thisย Baked Beans recipe is one of those recipes we have with so many of our family dinners and for potlucks and bbq’s.ย We also love easy summer recipes like my Classic Pasta Salad andย Smoked Chicken Wings.ย This is one of myย Side Dishesย recipes I know youโll want to keep on hand!
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BAKED BEANS RECIPE
Baked beans are such classic summer cookout/bbq food… and really easy to make yourself! ย Don’t reach for a can of pre-seasoned and full of preservatives beans… whip up theseย easy and lip-smackingly delicious brown sugar and bacon baked beans instead! ย Your mouth will thank you.
Baked beans are such a classic dish, and I love how many varieties there are! ย Depending on your tastes and where you live, your beans might be more savory, more sweet, or more smoky.
These beans are a great combination of the 3! ย You get the savory flavor from the sautรฉed onions and peppers, sweetness from the brown sugar, and the smokiness from the molasses and of course, the bacon ๐
I also like to season my bacon with a sprinkle of black pepper, smoked paprika, chili powder, dried rosemary and brown sugar. ย That’s my signature bacon seasoning, it’s SO addicting!
HOW TO MAKE BAKED BEANS
Making these baked beans is a cinch… in about 10 minutes they’re ready to pop in the oven and then you don’t have to mess with them for at least 2 hours.
- Cook bacon halfway through in whichever method you prefer.ย See my method for baking bacon below in the additional cooking tips section.ย Once bacon has cooled enough to handle, roughly chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Preheat oven to 325ยฐF and set oven rack to lower-middle position.
- Cook onion and pepper.ย I like to use bacon grease to saute these in if I have it, but butter will work just as well.ย Just saute until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add beans, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and dry mustard.ย Stir to combine well and let cook a minute or two to make sure it’s all meshed together.
- Transfer bean mixture to a greased 3 quart baking dish or pot.ย Top evenly with partially cooked bacon.
- Bake 2-3 hours, until beans are desired consistency.ย I like my beans thick and brown, so I bake mine closer to 3 hours, but if you like yours more saucy, start checking the beans around 2 hours.
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
Even though they’re pretty straightforward, here are a few extra tips and tricks.
HOW LONG TO COOK BAKED BEANS
How long you cook them depends on how you like your beans… I like mine thick and pretty brown. ย So I cook mine about 2.5 hours, sometimes up to 3. ย If you like yours a little less thick, I’d cook them for 2 hours.
HOW TO BAKE BACON
Baking bacon is my preferred way to cook it, since there’s NO mess, and it’s pretty hands off.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of aluminum foil (trust me on this).ย Lay out your bacon so they’re close but not actually touching.
Place baking sheet in a COLD oven, turn the oven on and preheat to 400ยฐF.ย Immediately start a timer for 18-19 minutes.
No need to flip them or anything, just walk away until the timer beeps.ย If you like your bacon a bit crispier, you’ll probably want to bake an additional minute or two.
BUT FOR THIS RECIPE YOU DON’T WANT TO COOK THE BACON ALL THE WAY THROUGH!
- So when I bake my bacon for baked beans, I only bake it about 10-12 minutes.
- My advice is to cook it about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way done. ย That way it will be nice and crispy once the beans are finished!
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- VEGETARIAN – to make this dish vegetarian-friendly, don’t use bacon fat, and omit the bacon.ย You’ll also want to use 4 (15.5 oz each) cans of navy or pinto beans that have been drained and rinsed.ย Increase the sauce ingredient amounts by 1/2 to make up for the lack of sauce in the pork and beans.
- SPICY – if you prefer your baked beans to have some kick, use 1 – 2 diced jalapeรฑos instead of the green bell pepper.ย You can also add some cayenne pepper to the sauce, and top with some jalapeno slices!
- EXTRA SMOKY – I don’t know about you, but I LOVE smoky baked beans.ย Try adding 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke to the bean mixture.ย You could also smoke these baked beans in your smoker at 325 for about 2 hours!
- SLOW COOKER – if you’d prefer to cook your beans this way, cook onion and bell pepper in butter as directed in recipe.ย Cook bacon all the way through to desired crispness, then set aside.ย Add all ingredients to slow cooker, stir and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours.ย If beans are too thin, remove lid and continue cooking (on HIGH now), until thickened to your liking.ย If your beans are too thick, stir in a little bit of water, as needed.ย Top beans with bacon before serving.
MAKING BAKED BEANS AHEAD OF TIME
You can make these beans a day or so ahead of time.ย I find that when I reheat my beans, they tend to dry out a bit though.
Alternatively, you can also assemble the bean mixture and pre-cook the bacon and store them separately in the refrigerator.ย Then just add to baking dish, top with bacon and bake.ย This will ensure your beans aren’t dry at all.
STORAGE
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 1 week.
FREEZING
Let baked beans cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat at 350ยฐF for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- 3 quart baking dish – normally I use a glass dish like this one, and I love the included lid!
- Alternate baking dish – if you like the look of the dish in the photo above, this is a very similar product and by the same quality brand.
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERSโ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DONโT FORGET, IF YOUโVE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Recipe originally published in 2015 and has been updated in 2020 with additional information.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 10 slices bacon diced
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper finely diced
- 54 oz can pork and beans or 4 (15.5oz each) cans
- 4 Tbsp ketchup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tsp dry mustard
Instructions
- Cook bacon about half way through (in whichever way you want), and set aside to drain on a paper towel. Once cooled, roughly chop into semi-bite sized pieces.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and set rack to the lower-middle rack position.
- In a deep skillet, heat about 2 Tbsp of bacon grease (or butter) over MED heat. Add diced onion and green pepper and saute about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine well. Let mixture simmer for a minute or so.
- While the mixture is simmering, grease a 13x9 baking dish, or other 3 quart dish or pot.
- Pour beans into the prepared baking dish and lay cooked bacon on top of the beans.
- Bake for 2-3 hours, depending on your desired consistency.
- Let the beans stand for 5 minutes before serving.
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Chef Tips
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Cynthia Coccaro says
My mother always used onions and green peppers in almost everything – cole slaw, chili, spaghetti and ba ked beans. Surfing the internet, this is the first baked bean recipe I’ve found with green peppers. I know she didn’t use molasses but I don’t remember what she used to sweeten it. I’ll give this recipe a try since I have some molasses which I seldom use. I don’t have bacon but I have a jar of reserved bacon grease (another Mom trick) in the frig which I’ll saute the veggies in. Thanks for the recipe!
Susan says
Beans are okay? but I don’t eat them a lot until NOWโ๏ธI luv themโผ๏ธ
I make these a least once a week. My husband can eat beans everyday.
I can’t have bacon but I still luv them.
I do mine in the crockpot. I use 4 little cans. 2 I drain. They seem runny
when you take the lid off but thicken up when cool and kept in fridge.
Bless you for sharing your awesome recipe. ?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Susan ๐ Beans are such a great summer dish! Your crockpot version sounds really good ๐
Angie Erickson says
I’m trying this out today for my 40th birthday BBQ. They look delicious. It’s pretty warm out and I’d love to avoid the heat in my kitchen; can these be made in a slow cooker?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Angie ๐ Happy Birthday!! I’ve never made these in a slow cooker, so I can’t say for sure… but if you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out ๐
Kim says
I made these a couple of weeks ago for a Sunday school party and they were a hit! If I wanted to make them the night before, would you recommend doing all of the steps up until putting beans in the oven and refrigerating over night? Thanks for the great recipe:) Kim
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Kim! I’m SO happy you all loved the beans ๐ I think if you were to refrigerate overnight before baking them, I would put the bean mixture together, and pre-half-cook the bacon, but only put the bacon on right before you bake the beans (just to be sure the bean liquid doesn’t cause the bacon to go soggy) ๐
Carol Borchardt says
These beans look freaking amazing! We’re smoking some ribs this holiday weekend and I think these need to be on the side!
The Chunky Chef says
Thanks so much Carol!! Oooooh they’d be amazing with some smoked ribs ๐
Rachel @ Simple Seasonal says
These look just like my mom’s baked beans; sweet, sticky, and with bits of bacon. My favorite part of any family picnic!
The Chunky Chef says
Thanks so much Rachel!! Mom’s cooking is just the best ๐
Lou Lou Girls says
Oh Yum! I get so excited each week to see what you have been working on because it’s always AMAZING! Thank you for sharing this with us. Pinned and tweeted. I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm, so we can party!!!! Lou Lou Girls
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Kimmie!! I’ll be sure to stop on by ๐
Miz Helen says
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you are having a great day and enjoy your new Red Plate!
Miz Helen
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Miz Helen!! ๐
Cristina @ I Say Nomato says
Oh my goodness… this looks absolutely incredible! I’m going to have to try my hand at a nightshade free version of it, because there’s no way my baked beans are going un-baconed in the future!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Cristina!! Bacon makes everything soooo much better ๐ I’d be super interested to see your nightshade free version too ๐
Dini @ The Flavor Bender says
On so many levels YES!!! This is excellent! I love baked beans and to make it like this is just genius! I definitely need to make this for my hubby and me! ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Dini!! Oooooh I hope you both love it! ๐ I just made these over the holiday weekend and had some leftovers today ๐ You know me, I have to add bacon to everything lol
Josette says
This is such a fabulous upgrade from standard baked beans (which I thought were pretty good until now!)!! Mouthwatering photos too. Really the perfect side for any summer BBQ!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Josette!! Brown food can be so tricky to photograph ๐ I just love BBQ foods, and this one is one of my favorites!
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
I got so excited when I saw this…then I was deflated when I saw it has pork and beans because we don’t have them here in Australia! Oh boo hoo, I’m so bummed. I am guessing the sauce it comes in is key to the overall flavour of this?
PS Love that overhead pic, it made me want to do a faceplant! ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Ohhh no, no pork and beans in Australia! Hmmm, the overall flavor comes from the other ingredients, so I think you could use canned navy beans, enough to equal 54 oz (or close enough lol), and then maybe add a touch more ketchup, sugar and molasses? Do you have canned navy beans there? And thank you so much Nagi!! I followed a certain someone’s tips about placing my feet on either side of the dish and taking the shot directly over it ๐
Sam @ SugarSpunRun says
These Beans look amazing! So perfect for a cookout this weekend! ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Sam!! I actually just made these again today for a cookout ๐ They get requested often!
swayam says
Yet another bacon dish!! Delicious Amanda…simply mouthwatering …And the combination of bacon and brown sugar… Wow!
The Chunky Chef says
Thanks so much Swayam!! Lol can you tell I have a bacon addiction? ๐
Christine says
Dying from deliciousness is not a bad way to go.
This is a weird question but do you know what kind of bean is usually used in baked beans? Are they kidney beans? I may have to google that…
Thanks for linking to #SaucySaturdays. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
The Chunky Chef says
Definitely not a bad way at all ๐ It’s probably how I’ll go lol. Hmm, I think they’re navy beans? But I could be wrong lol. Hope you had a great holiday today!
Kaila (GF Life 24/7) says
Let’s be honest, I love almost anything with bacon. However, this looks mouthwatering. Thank you for sharing, and have a fabulous weekend!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Kaila!! Lol, I love anything with bacon too ๐ I hope you had a great holiday today!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
Wow, do those look amazing! Perfect for our weekend party!
The Chunky Chef says
Thanks Michelle!! Hope you have a great weekend ๐
Malia @ Small Town Girl says
I love when my buddy bloggers share recipes that I’ve been wanting to make but have no idea where to start. It’s so nice when someone who’s cooking you trust does the brain work for you ๐ This sounds outstanding. Pinned ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Awww Malia, thank you so much!! Your comment made me smile so big ๐ I hope you try and love these beans!
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
I’m going to share this recipe with my husband! He loves adding little touches to baked beans but this definitely takes things to a whole new level! Yum! #client
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Kelly!! It’s always fun jazzing up new recipes ๐ I hope you all love these!
Kristen says
Hey there, I want to make these today but don’t have molasses. Can I skip this step? Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Kristen ๐ You could potentially substitute the molasses for an equivalent amount of dark corn syrup or honey… but it will be missing the robust flavor molasses brings to the dish. I can’t vouch for the final product when using the substitute, but you’re welcome to try it!
Stephanie says
I am definitely taking these instructions and saving them forever- (no really!)- My Baked Bean experiences always flop, I’m terrible- I don’t know what it is! But thanks to your step by step pics and instructions I don’t think I can go wrong (although you never know with me and beans… lol)- Your pics are killing me!
The Chunky Chef says
Awwww thanks girl!! We all have that one food dish that is our absolute nemesis… for me, it’s pie. I’m determined to tackle that beast this summer lol ๐ I hope you LOVE these, they’re pretty fool-proof ๐ Thanks for the compliment on the pics… I was sooooo nervous to shoot these beans… brown food (ugh), and I think I must have taken at least 50 shots to get a few good ones lol ๐