If you attend a cookout at my house in the spring or summertime, there’s one dish you can always count on being served no matter what. Rain or shine, bring your appetite for a scoop (or seven) of The Best Baked Beans recipe EVER.
I’ve been eating these beans since I was a kid — we used to call them “Judy’s Baked Beans” (don’t ask me who Judy was/is?!) — and decades later we still make them all spring and summer long.
That said, no summer holiday, potluck, birthday, nor BBQ is complete without a pan of these luscious baked beans that have the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors. Quick and easy to assemble, then baked low and slow for several hours, they emerge from the oven bubbling and with a lacquered, caramelized top.
Trust me when I tell you that baked beans do NOT get better than this!
Watch How to Make Them
Why You’ll Love this Baked Beans Recipe
Take one bite and you’ll understand why these baked beans deserve the title of “Best Ever”. They’re the perfect side dish for any warm-weather get together!
- Savory + sweet: this summery side dish features savory bacon and smoked sausage plus sweet ingredients including crushed pineapple and brown sugar — aka, they’re irresistible.
- Canned beans: no need to soak and cook dried beans from scratch to make this easy baked bean recipe, as canned beans form the base. I guess you could call them kicked up canned baked beans!
- Pour and bake: all you need to do is pour a handful of everyday ingredients into a casserole dish then send her into the oven — no extra cooking required. Prep the entire dish up to several days ahead of time, if you like.
Ingredients Needed
Most of the ingredients needed for this easy baked beans recipe are fridge and pantry staples. I usually buy a case of Bush’s Baked Beans from Costco a couple times each year so we always have a can of beans ready and waiting to be doctored up for this recipe. Here’s what else you’ll need:
- Canned baked beans: are the base of these oven baked beans. I love Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans because they’re a little lower in sugar than other varieties, though your favorite flavor will work too. The Costco ones I mentioned are “original” flavor.
- Kielbasa: is added to the baked bean mixture as a nod to “franks and beans” — they’re my favorite part of the recipe. I like Johnsonville brand pork kielbasa.
- Crushed pineapple: melts into the baked beans and adds natural sweetness. That said, be sure to purchase pineapple packed in its own juices, vs heavy syrup.
- Onion: adds savory, cozy flavor to the baked beans.
- Brown sugar: adds sweetness and depth of flavor thanks to the molasses inside.
- Steak sauce and yellow mustard: add a savory, tangy balance to the brown sugar and crushed pineapple. Several splashes of worcestershire sauce is a good sub for steak sauce in a pinch.
- Bacon: sliced bacon covers the top of the beans and permeates each bite with flavor as they bake. Surprisingly, the baked beans don’t taste extremely bacon-y — it just adds to the overall flavor of the dish. Use regular vs thick-cut bacon for the best results.
- Ketchup: slathered over the top of the bacon caramelizes in the oven as the beans bake low and slow. The caramelized ketchup not only creates a gorgeous, lacquered top, but a savory, tangy taste, too.
How to Prep Ahead + Store + Freeze
I love how low-fuss this baked beans recipe is — its able to be prepped ahead, reheated, and/or frozen, too!
- How to prep-ahead: assemble the beans up to the point of baking up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover with aluminum foil then refrigerate. Let the baking dish sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking as normal.
- How to store: cool leftovers to room temperature then cover the baking dish with foil or transfer to an airtight container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave.
- How to freeze: assemble the beans up to the point of baking then cover with saran wrap, and then foil, and then place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator then let the beans sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking as normal. I like to assemble/freeze the baked beans in disposable aluminum pans.
Alright — let’s get you a scoop of these best ever baked beans!
How to Make the Best Baked Beans Recipe
Step 1: Slightly drain the canned beans.
Start with canned baked beans — again, I highly recommend Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans as they’re a little lower in sugar than other varieties.
Open the cans then drain off nearly all the liquid that sits on top of each can. This will ensure your baked beans don’t turn out runny.
Step 2: Combine with other ingredients.
Add the beans to a large mixing bowl (or directly into the baking pan) then add diced kielbasa, crushed pineapple that’s been drained, minced onion, brown sugar, steak sauce, and mustard then stir well to combine.
Step 3: Top with sliced bacon and ketchup.
Scoop the mixture into a nonstick sprayed 9×13″ baking dish, or two smaller baking dishes, then line the top with bacon slices. You’ll want regular or center-cut bacon, vs thick-cut bacon. A 9×13″ pan will generally need 3/4 to an entire pack of bacon depending on whether you choose regular or center-cut (center-cut bacon is a little shorter than “regular” bacon).
Finally, slather ketchup over the top of the bacon with the back of a spoon.
Step 4: Bake.
Bake the beans uncovered for 2 — 2-1/2 hours at 250 degrees or until the bacon is deeply caramelized and the beans are bubbling. Let the beans sit and thicken for 15-30 minutes before scooping and devouring.
Seriously, just looking at this photo makes me so very happy. These baked beans scream “summer!” to me, and I hope you, like my family, enjoy them as often as possible during the warm spring and summer months!
More Summer Side Dish Ideas
- Gluten Free Potato Salad
- The BEST Pasta Salad
- Mojito Fruit Salad
- Cucumber and Tomato Salad
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
- Napa Sweet Corn Salad
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
free email bonus
Dinner Made EASY
5 days of simple yet flavorful recipes that take the stress out of dinnertime!
The Best Baked Beans EVER
Description
The Best Baked Beans Ever are the perfect mix of sweet and savory. This old fashioned baked beans recipe with bacon will liven up any BBQ or cookout!
Ingredients
- 2, 28oz cans Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans (see notes)
- 13.5oz package kielbasa, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I like Johnsonville)
- 8oz can crushed pineapple in natural juices, drained
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons gluten free steak sauce
- 1 Tablespoon mustard
- 1lb package bacon, regular or center-cut - not thick-cut
- 3/4 cup ketchup
Directions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees then spray a 9x13” baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Drain most of the liquid from the tops of the cans of beans then add beans to a large mixing bowl (or directly into the baking dish) with kielbasa, drained pineapple, onions, brown sugar, steak sauce, and mustard then stir until combined. Scoop mixture into prepared baking dish.
- Lay bacon slices across the top of the beans (may not use the entire package) then spread ketchup on top with the back of a spoon. Bake for 2 — 2-1/2 hours or until the top of the bacon is deeply caramelized. Allow to cool for 15-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- I like using Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans because the sugar content is a little lower than other varieties. You can use your favorite type of canned baked beans, just be mindful of the sugar quantity and how sweet you like your final baked beans to be.
- Recipe and photos updated in 2022. Original recipe called for 3lbs VanCamp's pork & beans instead of the Bush's Baked Beans.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Video
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
I decided to use your recipe for the Baked Beans and am so glad that I did! I made a mistake and actually drained more liquid off of the beans than you you instructed and did drain all of the liquid off of the pineapple. Woops! But I carried on. I’m having trouble with my oven and am waiting for our maintenence guy to fix it but………..I baked for 2.5 hours on 250* but they were only camalized a little so baked 3 hours and boy, they were beautiful and yummy! A couple of neighbors even knocked on my door to ask what it was that smelled so delicious! The only actual change was I used Bush’s NO SUGAR ADDED since the store was out of every other style of Bush’s. So glad I did use that style as we have quite a few diabetics in my apt. building as well as myself. I will always use this recipe from now on as this dish was Bom Bom and there wasn’t one bean leftover! Thank you for sharing Kristin, we always enjoy your recipes!
I’m SO glad these beans hit the spot – I love that your neighbors asked about the scent. They truly smell (and taste) so delicious!
Love your recipes but this one – I had to modify as bacon never caramelized. I cooked in middle of oven for over 3 hrs at 250 degrees and still not right.
Recooked it a few days later at 375 degrees for about 30 to 45 min still not caramelized like your picture but tasted great. I did shut off the oven and just let it sit in it for an additional 30 min to finish other part of my dinner. Yes I’d say the best beans so this is what I thought… I should have removed more liquid from can, taking some off the top was not good enough and I think the temperature should be higher. I invite you to remake this recipe and see if with today’s products like the Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans (agree with this brand as it is the best) and see if the temperature needs to be updated. Also I put this in the middle of the oven – would it have been better to put lower or higher in the oven or even broil the last 5 minutes ?
The taste is great and it smells wonderful – just something is off with this recipe. I do plan to remake it again but at 350 degrees and see if 2 hrs works with this and checking along the way for this temperature.
I do enjoy all of your other recipes.
I’m so sorry to hear about your troubles with this recipe, Ellen! I actually just made it last weekend and it came out the same as always. Is it possible your oven needs calibrated, and/or any of the ingredients were mis-measured? Did you use thick-cut bacon vs regular? Happy to help you figure this one out! I will say that the beans thicken as the cool, so if it feels a little liquidy right out of the oven, that is normal. You can also broil at the end to really darken your bacon if it’s not caramelizing for some reason.
Absolutely delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Diane! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
How would these do in a crockpot instead of the oven?
That should be fine – you’ll lose some of the caramelized flavor, but will still be good! I would skip the bacon as it will turn out soggy in the crock pot.
Help! These were a family FAVORITE for years, and I’ve always come straight to your website to get the the recipe each time – but the last two times they’re soupy and not caramelizing at all. It seems like the temp on the recipe used to be higher. Am I crazy??
Oh no! I haven’t touched the recipe, but it’s possible that the beans and/or the pineapple products have changed to include more liquid than they used to. Next time I’d drain the beans more, and the pineapple all the way. Let me know if that helps!
Wow, this was so easy to go back and find! Longtime(2010!)reader who doesn’t eat red meat or pork, nor does my now-spouse–all that to say, do you think these beans will taste good with turkey substitutes? Won’t be mad if the answer is no. ??
Hi Heather! Thank you so much for being a long time, loyal reader! I think if you guys like the flavor of turkey substitutes then they could definitely work in here. If you have liquid smoke on hand, I might add a dash of that (start with a little – you can always add more) to mimic the flavor of the pork bacon and smoked pork sausage.
Can these be made in a crockpot
You bet – here’s the recipe: https://iowagirleats.com/2016/06/20/crock-pot-baked-beans/
Can you turn this recipe into a party tray size? If so, how?
Thanks!
I would double it for a 15+ person party!
I made this for my family tonight for our Fourth of July dinner and it was a huge hit! Thanks so much for sharing!
these are in the oven right now and they smell amazing…and just like the beans my gramma makes! i’m also making some bbq chicken but by the smell of them i kind of just want to eat the beans, haha.
i know this is an old post, but as for foods i can’t leave alone – storebought potato salad, especially if i’m drunk or hungover (weird, i know). rolls & soft real butter (if we end up with leftover rolls or bread from a bakery i will literally throw it away so i don’t eat it all at night, haha!) and i saw someone else mention pastries – i am not a sweets person really, but if i ever bought cheese danish (which i haven’t yet) that wouldn’t last the day i’m sure.
i also tend to eat too many doritos – not even because they’re so good, but because you’ll get one really good chip (you know, the one totally coated in cheese flavoring) and you spend the rest of the bag eating away searching for another mysterious “good chip”! (and yes, i do sometimes take one out, look at it, and put it back in the bag!)
by the way, these were as delicious as they smelled! boyperson said he could smell them all the way downstairs (we live on the third floor) and whatever it was, it smelled awesome. i halved the recipe for us, and the only other “changes” i made were that i used bold & spicy A1 (just what i had on hand) and used the full amount of mustard and a little salt so it wouldn’t be too sweet. definitely added to my bookmarks!
oh, for the half recipe i used two 14oz cans of campbells pork & beans. (my store doesn’t carry van camp’s.)
To up your recipe another level add Frenchs Fried onions to your mixture. Crush some to mix in then add additional as a topper toward the end of the cooking time. You’ll love it.
I made your baked beans for our race party and they were a hit! So delicious. I wish there were leftovers.