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!
“I have used this recipe for years & always take it to BBQ’s. Everyone loves my beans (your recipe) and asks for it!”
If you come to my house for a cookout in the summertime, you’re almost guaranteed to be served a scoop (or seven) of The Best Baked Beans EVER.
I grew up eating this dish, though we called it “Judy’s Baked Beans” back then. Genuinely, none of us can remember who Judy is or was to us, but dang it did she have one heck of a baked bean recipe!
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!
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.
- Canned beans: no need to soak and cook dried beans from scratch, as canned beans form the base. I guess you could call them kicked up canned baked beans!
- Savory + sweet: bacon and kielbasa balance both brown sugar and crushed pineapple in the recipe.
- Pour and bake: add all the ingredients into a casserole dish then send her into the oven. Prep the entire dish up to several days ahead of time, if you like.
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Pin ItMain Ingredients Needed
Most of the ingredients needed for this 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 canned of beans ready and waiting to be doctored up for this recipe. Here’s what else you’ll need:
- Canned 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: in the mix is 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. Be sure to buy pineapple packed in its own juices, vs heavy syrup.
- 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: 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 center cut, vs regular or 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.
How to Prep Ahead + Store + Freeze
- 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.
Alrighty – let’s get you a scoop of these best ever baked beans!
Pair with Perfect Grilled Steak
How to Make the Best Baked Beans Recipe
Step 1: 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.
Recipe Tip
Open the cans then drain off 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 sliced bacon that has been trimmed of excessive amounts of fat.
Finally, slather ketchup over the top of the bacon with the back of a spoon.
Bacon Tip
Be sure to select thin, center-cut bacon for the best results. Thick-cut bacon won’t cook all the way through.
Step 4: Bake the beans.
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. Feel free to broil near the end to really crisp up the bacon.
Baking Tip
I use the convection setting on my oven to be sure the bacon cooks all the way through at the cook temperature and time indicated in the recipe. If your oven doesn’t have a convection setting, or runs a little cool, feel free to bake at 300 or 325 degrees instead of 250 degrees.
Let the beans sit and thicken for 15-30 minutes before scooping and devouring. If you try to dig into the beans before they have a chance to cool and thicken, they’ll be runny.
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
- Fruit Salad Recipe for a Crowd
- Gluten Free Potato Salad
- The BEST Pasta Salad
- Green Beans with Bacon
- Cucumber and Tomato Salad
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
- Napa Sweet Corn Salad
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
- 2, 28 oz cans Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans, drained well, see notes
- 13.5 oz package kielbasa, chopped into bite-sized pieces, Johnsonville recommended
- 8 oz can crushed pineapple in natural juices, NOT syrup, drained well
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons gluten free steak sauce
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 lb center cut bacon, NOT thick-cut, excess fat trimmed away
- 3/4 cup ketchup
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees then spray a 9×13” baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Pour the drained beans into a large mixing bowl (or directly into the baking dish) with the chopped kielbasa, drained pineapple, onions, brown sugar, steak sauce, and mustard then stir until combined.
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared baking dish then lay the bacon slices across the top of the beans – they may touch, but don't overlap. Ensure you have trimmed off excessively fatty portions of the bacon first.
- Spread the ketchup over the top of the bacon with the back of a spoon then bake for 2 – 2-1/2 hours or until the top of the bacon is deeply caramelized. Feel free to broil the bacon to further crisp it up.
- Allow the beans to cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving otherwise they can be soupy.
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.
- I like to bake these beans using the convection setting on my oven so the bacon cooks all the way through at the cook temperature and time indicated in the recipe. If your oven doesn’t have a convection setting, or runs a little cool, feel free to bake at 300 or 325 degrees instead of 250 degrees.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
I can NOT have Nutella in this house. I say I’m buying it for the kids and then suddenly I’m standing there with a spoon…..
I hate to be crude, but my husband is going on a week-long business trip in late July.
I don’t tend to eat beans when he’s around, due to my own, um, digestive issues, but I’m going to tell you right now that I’m going to make up a pan of this on Monday and eat them until Friday the week that he’s gone.
My kitchen kryptonite is cheese crackers – goldfish, Cheez-Its, you name it. I can’t restrain myself when they are in the house, so I don’t buy them any more.
When I want baked beans, I always just buy a can of Bush’s baked beans. One of these times, I need to get motivated and actually MAKE baked beans! This recipe does look good.
Salt & Vinegar kettle chips. I can demolish a bag of them in less than 24 hours. Cincinnati chili is another one I can inhale, especially when it’s on top of a big plate of fries!
This looks delish! Love the idea of adding kielbasa!
As far as food that shouldn’t make it into my house (but often does)….mini-Snickers bars (courtesy of my Snickers-addicted fiance) and tortilla chips with guacamole. Guacamole is also a healthy snack, but I will eat the entire thing with half a bag of chips if left to my own devices.
This sounds really great. We found this great recipe for baked beans a few years ago and it is pretty awesome too. Anytime we take it somewhere it disappears and people beg for the recipe:
This looks amazing!!!…. Well I am from the Chicago area….We would add all these things to beans…but also add giardiniera to give the beans a kick!!! ( I saw giardiniera at the Des Moines Costco last weekend)
I found your blog while searching for a maid-rite recipe, and started to follow you. Today, I was just thinking that baked beans would be good this weekend, and voi la! That, in addition to the fact that I, too, cannot keep certain foods around the house AND the fact that you use the word “copious” (which I love), all make me very happy to have found your blog!
I have a problem with cereal. I could eat a whole box in a day or 2. Bad!
Baked goods… cookies, cupcakes, muffins… they are gone instantly!
Homemade cookies and ice cream!
Chips and ice cream. I can’t handle myself around either.
I’ve never even thought to make baked beans from scratch. I guess I always just listed it in my head as one of those foods that comes solely from cans. These looks so good, I’ll have to try it!
Wavy Lays and Top the Tater — I will find myself opening the bag and dipping chips without even realizing what I’m doing. Not good.