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These easy baked beans start with canned pork and beans for a quick shortcut, but they taste homemade. Crispy bacon, brown sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce make them sweet, smoky, and perfect for BBQs, potlucks, and family dinners.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy: This recipe uses simple ingredients but put them together and you have the best baked beans for any potluck!
- It Has Bacon: Are baked beans even worth eating if they don’t have bacon? The added ingredient fills the beans with flavor.
- Goes With Everything: These beans can be used as a side to so many different recipes! I love making them for cookouts or summer BBQs.
Ingredients in Baked Beans
- Pork and beans: This keeps the recipe easy because the beans are already cooked and saucy. No soaking or dried beans needed.
- Bacon: Cook it until crisp, so it adds smoky flavor and texture.
- Brown sugar: Sweetens the sauce and helps it thicken as it bakes.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds savory depth so the beans do not taste flat.
- Green pepper and onion: Cook them in bacon grease first so they soften and build flavor.
How to Make Easy Baked Beans
These baked beans are sweet, smoky, and so easy to make. They start with canned pork and beans, then get dressed up with crispy bacon, brown sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Bake them in the oven or make them in the slow cooker for an easy BBQ, potluck, or family dinner side dish.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F, then fry the bacon in a large skillet and crumble it. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and discard some of the grease.
- Cook the Veggies: Return to the same skillet and add the diced green bell pepper and onion to some of the bacon grease, then cook until tender.
- Stir in the Remaining Ingredients: Stir in the cooked bacon, pork and beans, ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Place the beans in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 1 hour.
Baked Beans FAQ’s
- Can I Make Baked Beans Ahead of Time? Yes. Make them 1–2 days ahead, let them cool, and store them covered in the refrigerator. Reheat them in the oven, on the stove, or in a slow cooker until warmed through.
- *Potluck Tip: Bake the beans ahead of time, then transfer them to a slow cooker on warm. This keeps them hot and makes them easy to take to a BBQ or family party.
- Do I Drain the Canned Pork and Beans? No, I would not drain them for this recipe. The sauce from the cans helps create the base, and it thickens as the beans bake.
- How Do I Thicken Baked Beans? Bake them uncovered for the last 10–15 minutes if you want them thicker. You can also let them rest for 10 minutes after baking so the sauce has time to settle and thicken.
- Can I Make These in the Slow Cooker? Yes. Cook the bacon, onion, and green pepper first. Then add everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4–6 hours.
- What to Serve with Baked Beans: Serve baked beans with burgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, pulled pork, ribs, grilled steak, pasta salad, potato salad, coleslaw, cornbread, or dinner rolls.
Alyssa’s Pro Tip
Baked beans are easy to customize, and this recipe is a great starting point. They are delicious as written, but if you want to add more flavor, try one of these simple variations:
- More smoky: Add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika.
- More tangy: Add 1 tablespoon yellow mustard or apple cider vinegar.
- More BBQ flavor: Swap 1/2 cup ketchup for BBQ sauce.
- More hearty: Add cooked ground beef, sausage, or sliced hot dogs.
- More heat: Add diced jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne.
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Best Baked Beans
These easy baked beans are sweet, smoky, and perfect for BBQs, potlucks, and family dinners.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 white onion, diced
- 4 (15 ounce) cans pork and beans
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry up 1 pound bacon and crumble in pieces. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and discard some of the grease.
- Returning to the same skillet, add the diced 1 green pepper, and 1 white onion, to some of the bacon grease and cook until tender.
- Stir in the cooked bacon, 4 (15 ounce) cans pork and beans, 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Place the beans in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with foil or a lid and bake for 1 hour.
Video
Notes
Leftover Instructions
- Refrigerator: Store cooled baked beans in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheat: Warm on the stove over medium-low heat, in the microwave, or covered in the oven at 350ºF until heated through. Add a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick.
Nutrition
Serving: 8gCalories: 385kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 8gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 677mgPotassium: 306mgFiber: 1gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 230IUVitamin C: 14.5mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 0.7mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
Can leftovers be frozen?
Absolutely! Baked beans freeze really well. Just let them cool completely, store them in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use them, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave. You may just need a splash of water if they thicken up a bit!
Can these be made ahead and reheated in a crockpot?
These beans are the perfect recipe to make ahead and reheat in the crockpot!! What a great idea, I need to remember this the next time I host a potluck!
I’m making! Big question – drain beans or no?
Don’t drain the beans! You can just pour them in!
Àll the baked beans is delicious especially with bacon, onion, green pepper,
I found Bush’s Baked Beans in a 28 oz. with no sugar added and used that instead of regular pork and beans. It was a hit as all liked the recipe!
Made this recipe for a group of friends at a cookout and it was the BEST baked bean recipe I have ever made!
Yay! I’m so glad you all love them. It’s always my go-to for events like that!
Need a recipe for diabetics without all the sugar (canned beans, ketchup & brown sugar); and is biblically clean (no pork).
I’m sorry I don’t have a recipe like that. You could try my bean stew? https://therecipecritic.com/bean-stew/
I smoked some pork butts a few weeks ago. They came out amazing. I served these beans as a side dish (only I added an onion with the green pepper and used Bush’s beans instead of pork n beans). These beans almost stole the show. I only wish I had made more. I had at least one person who went back for seconds but all they got was more beans. Very good recipe.
I made this with couple of changes. I cut about 4 strips of bacon and add 1 T Liquid smoke. I cooked about 45 minutes. Turned out great. No other changes. If you have good smoked bacon, I don’t think you need a whole pound. Just my opinion.
Great recipe! Everytime I make it, people tell me it’s the best they ever had. ??
How do these compare with your Baked Beans from Scratch recipe? I am trying to decide which one to make and am always happy to do scratch-made but want the option that is the most delicious.
They are both so delicious!! You can’t go wrong either way.
Recipe needs to be edited. Remove “ Fry up the bacon and crumble in pieces. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and discard some grease. Add the green pepper and onion and fry until tender.” in step 2.
I would also use Bush’s Original baked beans myself. Van Camp’s has high fructose corn syrup in it.
You are right about the Van Camp’s beans. I read labels as well. Bush’s much better choice here.
Instruction No. 1 does not jibe with Instruction No.2.
Everyone seems to have missed that.
What brand of canned pork & beans is best to use?
My secret ingredient is 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon! It is delicious!