This southern baked bean recipe is rich, smoky, and loaded with savory flavor thanks to simple ingredients like navy beans, sweet brown sugar, and tangy barbecue sauce. It's the best baked beans recipe to serve as a comforting side for pulled pork, hot dogs, or anything else sizzling on your summer BBQ grill.
Why You'll Love It
If you're a big fan of homemade baked beans but not into babysitting a bean pot for 6+ hours, this one’s for you. This easy baked beans recipe starts with canned beans—navy beans, to be exact—which means no soaking dry beans overnight or waiting for a large bowl of water to magically transform them into something edible.
We’re speeding things up while still getting that thick sauce and deep, smoky, sweet flavor you’d expect from the old-school, cooked-forever kind.
So what makes these the best beans you might be asking yourself?? For starters, the base is layered with sautéed onion, green pepper, and garlic cloves cooked in olive oil over medium heat until everything's nice and jammy. Then comes a bold mix of barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's all day, baby!), a lil bit of maple syrup, ketchup, mustard, and a splash of apple cider vinegar for some zip.
The end result is a savory, slightly sweet, slightly tangy, thiccccccc sauce that clings to every bean like it was born to be there.
I recommend making these beans bake in a braising pot or a dutch oven—no need to mess with a slow cooker or crock pot unless that’s your vibe. And if it is, DO IT!!!
Personally, I have a vegetarian in my family so we always leave out the bacon... but if you don't - you totally should add a couple strips of bacon, some salt pork, or crumbled ground beef if you’re feeling feisty.
I’ve done them with thick-cut bacon before and they were an instant hit—rave reviews from the fam when our vegetarian sister-in-law was out of town. lol.
So whether you’re headed to a Labor Day potluck, making them as a side for some bbq chicken thighhs, pulled pork, coleslaw and homemade bbq sauce... Or even if you just want a nostalgic taste of cookouts past, this easy homemade baked beans recipe is the perfect side dish for all yall!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the simple ingredients that you'll need to make these homemade baked beans from scratch! If you're looking for exact measurements, don't forget to check out the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Navy Beans: These white beans are small, tender, and soak up flavor beautifully. You could also use cannellini beans or pinto beans if that’s what you’ve got in the pantry. Honestly, you could even use regular ole' baked beans and just make them better with these additions!
- Olive Oil: For sautéing the veggies. Bacon fat or butter would also work if you want even more savory flavor.
- Yellow Onion: Brings sweetness and depth. Red or sweet onions work too, but yellow keeps things classic and simple.
- Green Pepper: A Southern staple for baked beans. You could also toss in a chopped bell pepper of any color.
- Garlic Cloves: Fresh is best here. Garlic powder will do in a pinch but won’t pack the same punch.
- Smoked Paprika: Adds that deep, campfire flavor. Try sweet paprika or a little chili powder if you want a spicy kick.
- Garlic Powder: Layers in more flavor without overpowering the garlic cloves. You could also use onion powder.
- BBQ Sauce: I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Original, but feel free to use whatever barbecue sauce is your fave. I recommend one that is mostly sweet and a little savory. It's also a great way to get ride of random bottles if you have some!
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps thicken the sauce.
- Maple Syrup: Adds complexity and a rich sweetness you won’t get from just sugar. You can leave this out if you don't have any maple syrup laying around - it's totally ok!
- Ketchup: Classic. I don't recommend swapping in tomato sauce bc it won't have that same tangy zip of ketchup.
- Yellow Mustard: Balances out the sweetness with a bit of tang. You could also try dry mustard or Dijon if you needed to.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Cuts through the richness and brightens up the dish. Red wine vinegar or white vinegar also works just fine.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds umami depth—don’t skip it! Trust me!!
- Water: Just enough to loosen the sauce. If you're using dry beans, you'll want to start with soaked beans and adjust the cups water accordingly.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper: Start small, taste as you go. I like using fresh ground pepper and a good pinch of kosher salt.
- Optional Additions: Want a little bacon?! GO FOR IT!! Roughly chop a few slices of bacon (I recommend thick-cut bacon) and crisp them up in the pan over medium heat before adding the onions and peppers. You can even use the bacon fat instead of olive oil for more flavor. Personally, i have a vegetarian in the family so I always leave out the strips of bacon for her. But if she's out of town, you best believe we're adding a little bacon!!
How to Make It
Here are the detailed step-by-step instructions on how to make this perfect side dish! If you have any questions, feel free to Dm me on instagram or leave a comment below!
- PREP BEANS: Drain beans and rinse with cold water. Meanwhile chop your veggies up.
- SAUTÉ THE VEGGIES: In a heavy-bottomed pot like a braiser or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, green pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cook until soft and fragrant—about 5-7 minutes.
- ADD THE AROMATICS: Stir in the minced garlic cloves, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Let it cook and toast the seasoning for another 1-2 minutes until everything smells amazing.
- BUILD THE BASE: Add the rest of the ingredients - navy beans, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, maple syrup, ketchup, mustard, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, and water. Stir it all together and bring it to a gentle simmer.
- BAKE IT UP: If you're using a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pot that doesn't have a tightfitting lid, you can pour the baked beans in a baking dish or cover the top tightly with tinfoil. If not, then just go ahead and pop the lid on and bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes.
- CARAMELIZE THE TOP: Remove the lid and bake for another 5–10 minutes until bubbly and slightly caramelized on top.
- LET IT REST: Let the beans hang out for 10 minutes before serving. This helps everything thicken and gives the flavors a chance to marry or cadillac as we say in the south.
- SERVE or SAVE: You can either serve this easy baked beans recipe right away or save them for later! Simply store leftovers in an airtight container and thank yourself tomorrow. It’s hearty, comforting, and tastes even better the next day once the flavors settle in.
What to serve with Baked Beans?
Here are some of my favorite things to serve with this easy baked beans recipe.
- Grilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Dill Pickle Potato Salad
- Asian Slaw Hot Dogs
- Cocktail Sausages
- BBQ Chicken Salad with Smoked Gouda
- Deviled Eggs with Relish
- Classic White Cheddar Mac and Cheese Recipe
- 20 of my Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes
And if you want more bean type of recipes, try some of these:
- Japanese Inspired Green Beans
- Tuscan Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup
- Green Bean Casserole Appetizer Bites
Recipe
The Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe (from scratch!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 16 oz cans Navy Beans drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 large Yellow Onion finely chopped
- 1 large Green Pepper finely chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1.5 cup BBQ Sauce
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- ⅓ cup Ketchup
- 3 tablespoon Yellow Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ cup Water
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a braising pot or small dutch oven heated over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, green pepper, and a hefty pinch of salt. Cook down until soft—about 5-7 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Then stir in the smoked paprika and the garlic powder.
- Add the beans to the pan along with the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire and water. Stir to combine and bring back to a simmer.
- Put the lid on the pot and place in the oven—bake for 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake 5–10 more minutes until bubbly and caramelized.
- Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
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