Best Canned Baked Beans Recipe
Updated Feb 15, 2022, Published Jul 01, 2020
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With just a few ingredients you may already have on hand, you can turn ordinary canned baked beans into extraordinary! This Canned Baked Beans recipe is an easy and delicious way to make canned beans taste like you made them from scratch! Perfect with my BBQ Chicken Thighs and Cajun Chicken Drumsticks!
“The first baked beans I’ve made in 50 years of marriage that my husband has really loved!”
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
Short on time or don’t want to go to the trouble of making baked beans from scratch? This canned baked beans recipe is your solution!
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 Canned Baked Beans recipe is the easy way to dress them up and taste like 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 some help with simple ingredients you may already have, 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 many extra ingredients are needed–just good, flavorful mostly pantry ingredients.
- Completely make-ahead.
- A sure crowd-pleaser!
How to make Canned Baked Beans Taste Homemade:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this canned baked beans recipe, along with how to prep the ingredients. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes:
- Canned Baked Beans: Use an “original” or simply-flavored style of canned baked beans. Avoid any that have hickory smoke flavor, maple, or other flavorings; they won’t work with these other ingredients and may compete.
- Bacon: Use your favorite brand but here, too, avoid flavored bacon.
- Mustard: I like spicy brown mustard for this baked beans recipe, but Dijon or yellow mustard will also work.
- Molasses: Readers have reported good results using maple syrup instead of molasses. You’ll have more of a maple flavor, which I think works well if you don’t mind it and don’t complicate the flavors by using flavored bacon, beans, etc.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Start with four 16.5-ounce or two 28-ounce cans of original recipe canned baked beans such as Bush’s.
- Cook the bacon until 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. Refrigerate covered until needed.
- Bake uncovered for one hour or until hot, bubbling, and the top of the beans are caramelized. Yessssss…….like this!
- Garnish with the reserved bacon…
- And let everyone dig in!
- So easy and they’ll be the hit of your get-together!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- If you prefer to cook this baked bean recipe in a slow cooker, it will work. However, the top won’t get caramelized. As a reader suggests, place a tea towel over the top of the slow cooker to absorb the steam produced so it doesn’t water down the beans. Cook for 5 to 6 hours on LOW or 3 to 3.5 hours on HIGH.
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 in an airtight container for two to three months for later use. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave and bake as directed.
More great summery side dishes for your next get-together!
Get more great summery side dish ideas at: 30 Best Sides to Take to a Cookout!
Best Canned Baked Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- Cooking spray, for pan
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 cans (16-ounce) baked beans, preferably original recipe such as Bush's, undrained
- 1/4 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 2 to 3-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, 3/4 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
- Use an “original” or simply-flavored style of canned baked beans. Avoid any with hickory smoke flavor, maple flavor, or artificial flavorings. Likewise, flavored bacon, except peppered bacon, could also affect the result.
- Although I prefer to use original or simply-flavored beans, maple syrup can be substituted for molasses.
- 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.
- 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. Cook for 5 to 6 hours on LOW or 3 to 3.5 hours on HIGH.
- Freeze in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave and bake as directed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Hi, I have made this recipe before and it is loved by everyone. Now I need to make a bigger quantity and noticed the 1x, 2x and 3x all say 2- 28 ounce cans. Is this right?? seems the bean quantity should increase? Thank you.
Hi, Diane, Thanks so much for your question and happy everyone enjoys this recipe. When you change the quantity (2X, 3X, etc.), look at that first number which will change to an 8, etc. The 2 28-ounce cans won’t change because it’s a limitation of the program I have to use for the recipe, but of course, it would be 4 28-ounce cans. My apologies for that. If I can think of a way to change/correct that, I certainly will. Thank you again!
Hello Carol, Thank you for this. I googled “adding to canned beans” and your recipe was at the top of the list. I did not add the bacon or the Bush’s, but four cans of no-name beans. Turned out great! I took a pic of the crock pot out of the oven but not sure how to add it to my comment. I followed your directions and it turned out way better than I expected. Thank you so much, it was delicious. Ron
Hi, Ron, Thanks so very much and so happy you love this recipe! I cannot upload readers’ photos either, but that can be done on Pinterest if you have a Pinterest account. Thanks again, and I so appreciate your giving the recipe a try and taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
Do you drain sauce from canned baked beans?
Hi, Debi, Thanks for your question. No, don’t drain the sauce from the canned baked beans. (See the ingredient section where I say the beans should be “undrained.”). That being said, the added ingredients will create additional liquid, but baking them uncovered will help thicken them up. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
I forgot to mention that I did not add any additional BBQ sauce, but I may try it the next time. Everyone loved it, and it is now my go to recipe.
Hi, Ted, Thanks so much and happy everyone enjoyed! Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.