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
a different idea for beans… and they sound like a great idea for a potluck BBQ!
GAH!! I LOVE Summer Sausage AND Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffles. Lovely sodium overloads!!!
I made Judy’s Beans yesterday! Oh M G! My husband is not a fan of sweet beans, but he LOVED these! I think the addition of the Kielbasa sausage is a great idea! It made a great sweet heat combination! This recipe makes a HUGE pan! Unless you are making it for a BBQ gathering or something I definitely recommend making a 1/2 recipe!
Lays Original Potato Chips–no one can eat just one!
Like Brenda, I can NOT have nutella in the house! I will eat it with a spoon, dip pretzels in it, make peanut butter & nutella sandwiches. And before I know it, its gone. :-/
My grandmother, who passed away in the late 80’s, made amazing homemade baked beans and brought them to every family function I can remember. When I got married I made it my mission to make my grandmothers baked beans from scratch. Took several tries, and my family ate A LOT of beans for a good month. I eventually mastered the recipe. And never made them again. Thanks for reminding me about that recipe, and I think I’m going to have to attempt it again for 4th of July. :))
Your baked beans look wonderful and I will have to try this recipe. I no longer put raw bacon on top because I just can’t tolerate all the fat that is rendered as the beans cook. Instead, I cook the bacon and crumble it and add it to baked beans now.
I would like to understand why there are times when a person’s willpower is strong as steel and there are times there is no willpower. What changes?
Hopefully this isn’t TMI for you, but I find willpower fluctuations are related to PMS. That is, about a week before my period is scheduled, my cravings are RAGING! And the day it starts, it’s like a switch is flipped, & I’m totally fine – cravings vanish! It helps to know that during that week, that is what is causing them so I can stay strong. :)
Beans look awesome and where did you find the smiley spoon? That would be a huge hit at our house!!
A friend gave it to me from Target a couple years ago (around Christmas season)!
Dark chocolate M&M’s and salt & vinegar chips. I’m usually pretty good at self-control, but with this stuff. Forget. it. I become a total glutton.
2 spoon comments: I love that cute smiley face spoon!
Also, I think it’s cute you eat everything with that little asian soup spoon. :)
I can. not. keep chips in the house. I will sit there and eat them without even realizing I’m doing it. Along with chips, I can eat a whole jar of salsa in one sitting, it’s bad!
HELP! A small can of crushed pineapple is how many ounces?
I have a hard time with proportions of ingredients [that’s why I love when you photograph the ingredients in their packaging]. I guess I’m either a visual person or I’m still frustrated with a recipe that I have — it calls for a ten cent Hershey bar![Needless to say, both the recipe and I are very old!]
Seriously? These beans look so freakin’ good. I think these might be my kryptonite now! They just might take the place of chips, salsa, and Ranch……
I lose control around leftover pizza, baked goods, leftover desserts, my favorite schwan’s ice cream, and trader joe’s cookie butter!
A) I am the SAME WAY about foods that cannot be kept in the house. Salt & vinegar chips are my kryptonite. It’s not right.
B) I want these beans RIGHT NOW. And that’s not a normal craving/demand for 9:50 AM. But seriously. Amazing!