Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans

With just a few ingredients you may already have on hand, you can turn ordinary canned baked beans into extraordinary! Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans is an easy and delicious way to make canned beans taste as though you made them from scratch! Perfect with my BBQ Chicken Thighs!

"This recipe was a definite 5-star. Everyone loved the beans!"

Why This Recipe is a Keeper!

Short on time or just don't want to go to the trouble of making baked beans from scratch?

Here's a recipe you'll want to file away for all your special occasions like graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day, summer barbecuing, potlucks and even the holidays!

If you love the convenience of canned baked beans but find them lacking in homemade flavor, my Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans are an easy way to dress them up and taste as though you made them from scratch!  This is the best baked beans recipe from canned beans with hundreds of four and five-star reviews!

The flavor base in canned baked beans is already there but with a little help with simple ingredients you may already have on hand, no one will ever know you started with a store-bought convenience item!

This baked beans recipe with canned beans is:

• Easy!
• Budget-friendly because not a lot of extra ingredients are needed--just good, flavorful mostly pantry ingredients.
• Completely make-ahead.
• A sure crowd-pleaser!

How to make Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans:

• Start with four 16.5-ounce or two 28-ounce cans of original recipe canned baked beans such as Bush's.

• Gather up the rest of the ingredients:
  • Bacon
  • Onion
  • Molasses
  • Spicy brown mustard (can substitute yellow mustard)
  • Worcestershire
  • Brown sugar
  • Ketchup
  • A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar for a touch of tanginess is optional and not shown.

• Cook the bacon until it's crispy then transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate.  Reserve the bacon drippings.

• Cook the onion in the reserved drippings until it's softened.
• Combine everything in a 4-quart baking dish.  Save a little bacon to sprinkle over the top.
• MAKE AHEAD: The beans can be assembled up to two days ahead of time.  Refrigerate covered until needed.

• Bake uncovered for one hour or until hot, bubbling and the top of the beans is caramelized.  Yessssss.......like this!

• Garnish with the reserved bacon...

• And let everyone dig in!

SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: If you prefer slow cooking this baked bean recipe, the top won't get caramelized.  As suggested by a reader, place a tea towel over the top of the slow cooker to absorb the steam that is produced in a slow cooker so it doesn't water down the beans.

Storing Leftovers:

First, ensure the beans didn't sit out too long at your gathering.  Two hours at room temperature is the max.  Longer than that and you're flirting with a foodborne illness.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator or freeze them for later use in an airtight container for 2-3 months.

FREEZER-FRIENDLY: Freeze them for later use in an airtight container for two to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave and bake as directed.

More great summery side dishes for your next get-together!

• Mediterranean Farro Salad
• Creamy Cucumber Salad with Yogurt
• Easy Fresh Tomato Salad
• Cool and Creamy Potato Salad
• Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
• Quinoa Tabbouleh with Grilled Vegetables
• Tuscan Cherry Tomato and White Bean Salad

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Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans

4.50 from 539 votes

By: Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans is an easy and delicious way to make ordinary canned baked beans taste as though you made them from scratch!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Side Dishes - Beans Rice and Grains

Cuisine American

Servings 10 -12

Calories 199 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Wusthof Chef Knife
• ▢
  Cutting Board
• ▢
  Nonstick Skillet
• ▢
  Baking Dish

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ Cooking spray - for pan
• ▢ 6 slices bacon - diced
• ▢ 1 small onion - finely chopped
• ▢ 4 cans (16.5-ounce) baked beans - or 2 (28-ounce) cans, preferably original recipe such as Bush's, undrained
• ▢ ¼ cup ketchup
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• ▢ 2 tablespoons molasses
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar - optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 4-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Place the bacon in a skillet or saute pan and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until rendered and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Place the onion in the skillet with the bacon drippings and cook for 5-6 minutes or until very soft. If the pan gets dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of water and continue cooking until the onions are cooked to a soft stage.
• Combine the beans, onions, ¾ of the bacon and the remaining ingredients using 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to start with in the prepared baking dish.
• Taste and adjust sweetness with more brown sugar as desired. Add the apple cider vinegar for a little tanginess if you desire.
• Sprinkle the remaining bacon over the top.
• Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until bubbling and the top is caramelized.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD:  Beans can be assembled to the point of baking up to 2 days ahead. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking or add additional baking time.

SLOW COOKER:  Can also be made in the slow cooker but you won't get the caramelized top and the beans could be a bit soupier.  Place a clean kitchen towel over the slow cooker then place the lid on. The kitchen towel will absorb some of the steam which can water down the beans.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

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