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These World’s Best Baked Beans will be the last recipe you will ever make! This easy recipe is the perfect side to a potluck and a tried and true family recipe that your family will go crazy over!
A good side dish really makes a meal, in my opinion. Try out some more of my favorite sides that will complement just about anything! My favorites are these Creamy Parmesan Garlic Brussels Sprouts, this delicious Grilled Asparagus, and these yummy 1-Hour Dinner Rolls.
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 especially love having them at all of my summer BBQs.
World’s Best Baked Beans Recipe
This recipe is a family tried and true favorite! It’s simple to make, and it’s packed full of flavor. Using canned pork and beans make it so easy and no one will ever know because the other ingredients make this recipe shine! The secret to these baked beans is the bacon and brown sugar and the incredible flavor that it adds. They are hearty and rich, and turn out perfect every single time! The best part is that once they’re baked, you can put it in a slow cooker to keep it warm. Keeping them in the slow cooker also makes it easy to transport.
Our family requests these beans for every occasion, especially in the summer! Serve these beans at your next BBQ alongside this pasta salad and some grilled chicken. You won’t regret it!
Ingredients in Baked Beans
These ingredients are simple and easy for the world’s best baked beans. Once you try this recipe you will always want to have these ingredients on hand! It’s a perfect side dish because it goes with everything! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient measurements.
- Bacon: The crispy bacon is the secret ingredient that really makes this recipe stand out.
- Green Pepper: I like to dice this up nice and small.
- White Onion: You can also use a yellow onion if that’s what you have.
- Pork and Beans: This part is so easy. You just open the cans and dump them in!
- Ketchup: This adds a deeper flavor to the beans.
- Brown Sugar: The brown sugar adds a sweet flavor that goes especially well with the bacon.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This savory and sweet sauce complements the other ingredients perfectly.
How to Make Easy Baked Beans
The world’s best baked beans take just over an hour to bake. Prepare the beans in the morning so that it’s ready to throw in the oven when you need them. This is easy because then you can bake them while you make the main course.
- Preheat Oven/ Cook the Bacon: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry up the bacon and crumble in pieces. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and discard some of the grease.
- Cook the Green Pepper and Onion: Returning to the same skillet, add the diced green 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 and Bake: Cover the baking dish with foil or a lid and bake for 1 hour.
How do I Cook Baked Beans in a Slow Cooker or on the Stove?
Looking for more ways to cook the world’s best baked beans? Even though baking them is the preferred method, you can definitely cook them in a slow cooker or over the stove.
- In the Slow Cooker: Follow all of the steps in the recipe card but instead of combining the ingredients in a 9×13 pan, place them in a slow cooker. Cook the beans on low for 4-6 hours.
- On the Stove: Use a large Dutch oven over the stove to cook and combine all of your ingredients. Follow all of the steps in the recipe card, but instead of baking the beans, allow them to simmer on the stove in the Dutch oven for one hour.
How to Store Leftovers
These world’s best baked beans make even better leftovers! Once the beans have cooled then make sure to save the leftovers for another day. The flavors meld together and are incredible!
- In the Refrigerator: Once cooled, place the beans in an airtight container. Store the beans in your fridge for 3-4 days.
- To Reheat: When you are ready to eat them again, you can reheat them on low-medium heat on the stove until they are warmed through.
More Ideas For a Potluck
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World’s Best Baked Beans
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!