The Best Baked BBQ Beans from Scratch (Made with Dry Beans)
Baked BBQ Beans From Scratch made with dry beans, bacon, and a homemade sauce. Tastes better and better for you than canned baked beans!
Growing up, I always wondered why baked beans were called baked beans when everyone knew you didn’t actually bake them. You just open up a can, pour them into a pot, and heat them up a little bit, right?
Well, it turns out, true baked beans actually do need to be baked! And once you make these delicious BBQ baked beans from scratch, starting with dry beans, real bacon, and all, you won’t ever want to go back to the canned stuff.
Dry beans are an essential storage food and pantry staple. They’re affordable, easy to source or grow in the garden, and add bulk and nutrition to the family diet. Plus, they’re super versatile and can be thrown in soups, stews, and many other dishes.
If you’ve yet to add dry beans into your from-scratch kitchen, here’s your push.
All you have to do is soak them in some water the night before you plan to cook with them, and then you’re ready to go!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are many bean recipes out there, but there are a bunch of reasons to try this easy barbecue beans recipe as soon as possible.
- SO much healthier. Have you heard that beans are high in estrogen and bad for hormone health? Well, when you start with quality dry beans and *soak* and drain them before cooking them, the antinutrients like phytate and phytoestrogens are drastically reduced. (Source) So you can enjoy beans as a high fiber, high protein food without worrying about any harmful effects!
- Simple and mostly hands-off: Don’t let dry beans intimidate you. Much of the prep time is hands off. Steps like soaking and slow baking don’t require your attention!
- Staple pantry ingredients: dry beans are a great storage food to stock up on and keep handy in the pantry. All of the other ingredients necessary to make delicious baked beans from scratch are everyday pantry staples you’re sure to have on hand.
What You’ll Need:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb dried navy beans
- 1 onion, diced finely
- ½ lb bacon, diced finely
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 1 ½ cup water
TOOLS:
- Bowl for soaking beans
- Medium pot for boiling the beans
- Heavy-bottom Dutch oven for making the sauce and baking the beans
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare and cook the beans: Soak dry beans in water overnight.
- In the morning, drain the beans, place them in a medium pot full of cold water, cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a gentle simmer for an hour until beans are fork tender but not mushy. Drain and rinse the cooked beans with cold water. Set aside.
- Make the BBQ sauce: In a heavy-bottom Dutch oven, sauté the bacon and onion for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add the remaining ingredients (salt, pepper, mustard powder, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and water) to the DO with the onion and bacon and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Bake the beans: Add the cooked beans to the boiling barbecue sauce, stir, and remove from the heat.
- Cover with a lid and bake at 275 for 5-6 hours. Stir every 30 minutes and add a few tablespoons of water if the beans begin to look dry at any point.
- Serve hot.
FAQ
Are these similar to southern baked beans?
Yes, they are! These delicious baked beans use bacon, brown sugar, and mustard powder, and those are classic southern ingredients. Then there is slow-baking them in a Dutch oven, which brings out that deep, rich flavor that southern baked beans are known for.
Can I make these into old-fashioned baked beans?
Yes! This recipe is already close to traditional old-fashioned baked beans, especially with the molasses and slow bake. If you want to go even more classic, consider skipping the ketchup and increasing the molasses a bit.
How do I make vegetarian baked beans?
That’s such an easy fix. Just skip the bacon and sauté the onion in a little oil or butter instead. Everything else stays the same. You’ll still get tons of flavor from the sauce and the slow baking process.
What kind of pepper works best for this easy baked beans recipe?
Black pepper adds just the right amount of everyday seasoning. Start with ½ teaspoon and adjust to taste. For a mild kick, toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes with the BBQ sauce. If you want a little heat? Go ahead and add a small pinch of cayenne pepper, just enough to warm things up without taking over. And for a touch of sweetness and texture, dice ½ a green bell pepper (or green pepper) and sauté it with the onion and bacon at the start.
Tips:
- The best beans for this easy BBQ are what you’ve got: Any variety of beans works here, or even a mix of dried beans. Think dried Pinto beans, navy beans, red kidney beans, cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, black beans, or whatever you have on hand.
- Don’t feel like making homemade sauce from scratch? No problem. Just stir together 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce with a little water and go from there. Go with something savory and tangy like Worcestershire sauce, a sweet, smoky, spicy BBQ sauce, or whatever else pleases your palate.
- Keep an eye on moisture: If the beans start looking dry while baking, add a few tablespoons of water and give them a stir.
Storage:
Once they’ve cooled, store these baked BBQ beans in an airtight container in the fridge. They’ll stay good for up to 5 days. The flavors get slightly better after a day or two, which means they’re a solid bet for making ahead.
What if you’ve got leftovers you won’t get to in time? Just freeze them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop or in the oven with a splash of water to keep them from drying out.
The Best BBQ Baked Beans from Scratch (made with dry beans)
Baked BBQ Beans From Scratch made with dry beans, bacon, and a homemade sauce. It's so much better than the canned baked beans you grew up with.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried navy beans
- 1 onion, diced finely
- ½ lb bacon, diced finely
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 1 ½ cup water
Instructions
- Prepare and cook the beans: Soak dry beans in water overnight.
- In the morning, drain the beans, place them in a medium pot full of cold water, cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a gentle simmer for an hour until beans are fork tender but not mushy. Drain and rinse the cooked beans with cold water. Set aside.
- Make the BBQ sauce: In a heavy-bottom Dutch oven, sauté the bacon and onion for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add the remaining ingredients (salt, pepper, mustard powder, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and water) to the DO with the onion and bacon and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Bake the beans: Add the cooked beans to the boiling barbecue sauce, stir, and remove from the heat.
- Cover with a lid and bake at 275 for 5-6 hours. Stir every 30 minutes and add a few tablespoons of water if the beans begin to look dry at any point.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Tips:
- The best beans for this easy BBQ are what you’ve got: Any variety of beans works here, or even a mix of dried beans. Think dried Pinto beans, navy beans, red kidney beans, cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, black beans, or whatever you have on hand.Â
- Don’t feel like making homemade sauce from scratch? No problem. Just stir together 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce with a little water and go from there. Go with something savory and tangy like Worcestershire sauce, a sweet, smoky, spicy BBQ sauce, or whatever else pleases your palate.Â
- Keep an eye on moisture: If the beans start looking dry while baking, add a few tablespoons of water and give them a stir.
Storage:
Once they've cooled, store these baked BBQ beans in an airtight container in the fridge. They'll stay good for up to 5 days. The flavors get slightly better after a day or two, which means they’re a solid bet for making ahead.Â
What if you’ve got leftovers you won’t get to in time? Just freeze them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop or in the oven with a splash of water to keep them from drying out.
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