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, or 2 (28-ounce) cans, 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 there-thanks for this recipe! What are your feelings on putting these in the crockpot?
Hi, Elisa, Thanks so much for your question. Yes, you absolutely can do these in the slow cooker. The only thing you probably won’t get is the caramelized top. Also, the beans may not get very thick as slow cookers retain so much liquid (and even make more!). Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!
If using a slow cooker, put a clean dry tea towel over the crock before putting the lid on. The tea towel absorbs the extra liquid leaving your meal intact.
Thanks so much, Elaine! Great tip!
Could you let me know the time and temp for slow cooking option.. (low 2-3hrs.??)
Thanks so much for your question! You can do them on LOW for 4-5 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. Everything is already cooked so you’re safe that way–it’s a matter of heating through and getting the flavors to blend. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
I made these beans for a family get together and everyone commented on how good they were. I have found my go-to easy baked bean recipe 🙂
I made this without bacon and it still turned out great. Didn’t have spicy brown mustard so just used regular yellow mustard and skipped the apple cider vinegar. Didn’t have molasses and used regular pancake syrup. So many easy subs available to create a splendid recipe.
Sautéed the onions first until soft. Added the canned beans and then the additional ingredients which I mixed in a separate bowl first. Simmered the mixture for about 45 minutes.
Made your recipe recently; a definite step up from normal baked beans!
BUT would you please include METRIC measurements in your recipes? Don’t forget by placing your recipes on the Web you’re catering for a world-wide audience, of which probably 95% don’t use the antiquated US imperial system (I’m from Australia).
Ounces? Quarts? Oven temperatures in Fahrenheit? What are those? I had to resort to Google to look them up and was surprised to find that your recipe calls for 1.8kg of beans so I had to drastically scale down the quantities.
Baked beans are a United States dish. Don’t be lazy. Look up the measurements yourself instead of bashing the chef for her amazing United States dish.
I made these beans for a wedding that I was catering. Everyone loved them! They came back for seconds, thirds, and fourths! Such a big hit I will be making them for more of my events!
This little bit of extra time is well worth it! Very good.
Amazing recipe!!! Made it with 6 slices of thick-cut applewood bacon and stole the show. With the (2) 28oz cans. This was the side show to a 13 lb smoke brisket, sweet corn, and homemade mashed potatoes. It was a party of 9 and the beans were gone…. this recipe is a keeper!! Thank you!
Made these for a birthday cook out and everyone loved em!!! Now I am gonna attempt making for a bbq dinner sale- for 500!! Any tips- at least send me some luck!!
Hi, Karen, Thanks so very much and glad everyone enjoyed! If you can find the food service-sized cans, that would be a great start. Often, there is an aisle at stores like Kroger and Wal-Mart that have the super-sized cans. A quick internet search shows they have 26 servings each. And most certainly, GOOD LUCK! That’s amazing! Thanks again!
Hi Carol, I just ran across this recipe; these sound amazing.
I would like to take them camping next weekend. I don’t have a cast iron pot – but would these be okay in one of those blue enamelware camping pots?
If so, I may bake them the night before and reheat over campfire.
Questions:
If I don’t prebake, how long should I cook over fire, until the liquid starts to boil?
Or if I prebake then only reheat over fire – same question – heat until I see the liquid start to boil?
I’m also going to attempt to make your Yogurt Ranch Cucumber Salad too, that also looks yummy.
Thanks for these great recipes!!
Hi, Cathy, Wow! Cooking the beans over a campfire sounds GREAT and I can almost taste the smoky flavor! Because the beans and everything in it are already cooked, you really just need to reheat. I think a camping pot would be fine and heated through to a good bubbling simmer. Have a great time and hope everyone enjoys!
I am preparing the beans for our community block picnic tomorrow. Your photos of your beans looks awesome and hope mine turn out as well as yours. (I used maple syrup instead of molasses) I topped the casserole with the crumbled bacon as I didn’t see where you indicated to put any of it into the beans. It’s smelling so good and can hardly wait to sample it! Thank you for your recipe.
Hi, Peggy, Thanks so much and hope you all enjoy! Yeah, that wasn’t clear and thanks so much for pointing that out. I’ve made an adjustment to the recipe that I hope will clarify. Thanks again!