Our Favorite Saucy, Smoky Baked Beans.
Okay hi! It’s basically officially summer so let’s just start doing the whole baked beans thing.
Because it’s time! It’s really time.
Even if you are making them for yourself. You’re worth the good beans, I’m telling you.
If you’ve been here long enough you may remember when I didn’t even like these summer favorite beans.
Times have changed!
Years ago I made these bourbon beans and they hooked me. Seriously, hooked me! They turned me into a baked bean lover and now I’m convinced that no outdoor cookout, barbecue or summer meal is complete without a side of baked beans.
Now.
While I do really love these slow cooker bourbon baked beans, this here is the recipe I’ve found myself making more often for the last few years. Probably since I’ve had kids and had a little less time on my hands.
Also, I should warm you that it’s kind of semi-homemade. I mean, it’s definitely semi-homemade. Not kind of.
But they are so easy!
While my slow cooker beans recipe uses dry beans (so, like, the entire recipe is from scratch), I actually used canned baked beans in this one and I LOVE them. Since making this, I’ve become quite the baked bean snob over here. I’ve tried many different brands and varieties but for this particular recipe, I always come back to the Bush’s Grillin’ Beans. Specially, we love the southern pit bbq or the bourbon bacon flavor. They are so good in this recipe!
That being said, you can use whatever can of baked beans you can find. Just throwing out my random recommendations in case you want them.
I find that this recipe yields a thicker, more syrupy baked bean, in a really good way if that makes sense. Don’t let it scare you off! They are not overly sweet, but they are obviously still sweet.
However, there is enough dijon, smoked paprika and chipotle in here that it’s no overwhelmingly sweet.
Yes. So much flavor.
I have adapted this over the years from Ree’s recipe. Her’s are absolutely amazing, they just make a ton of baked beans! And even when we have a party or I take the beans somewhere, I don’t need that many. Lots of people in my family have an aversion to baked beans – hey, even I had one up until the last decade!
My mom still puts cut up hot dogs in her baked beans and I just… cannot. I mean, I love a good hot dog. We ate hot dogs this past weekend; felt like summer. I just don’t want them cut up in my baked beans!
P.S. if any of you have been around long enough, do you remember when I discovered my obsession with baked beans and loved putting them on top of poached or fried eggs, on toast? That was SO GOOD. Def doing it again.
Anyway.
This makes a “nice” sized amount, even if I just make them for our family. We eat, save a bit for leftovers and freeze the rest if I don’t give it away. It’s perfect!
Give me a plate of these with a smash burger and I’m good to go!
Baked Beans

Favorite Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 2 sliced bacon, diced
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 TO 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 (22 ounce) cans baked beans (I love Bush’s Grillin’ Beans for this recipe)
- 2 slices bacon, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat a large (oven safe, if you don’t want to transfer) skillet over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook until it’s brown and crisp and most of the fat is rendered.
- Stit in the onion, pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until everything softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard and brown sugar until combined.
- Stir in the baked beans directly from the can. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat. I suggest tasting the beans here and adding more salt, pepper or heat if desired. If you'd like, you can lay a few strips of bacon on top of the beans here too!
- Place the skillet (or transfer to an oven-safe dish) in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly and syrup. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.
- You can make these ahead of time - cook them in the skillet then let cook to room temperature and cover, placing in the fridge. Bake the next day (or whenever you’re ready!).
- These also freeze well!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Oh so saucy.
283 Comments on “Our Favorite Saucy, Smoky Baked Beans.”
Made these last night for an extended family dinner–they were soooo good!
Do you freeze before or after they go in the oven?
After !, duh 🧐
Completely delicious! I made these instead of a “passed down family favorite recipe” …and now my family specifically requests this. Our new favorite baked beans. Love them! And so easy!
Hubby made this for a Father’s Day celebration. It was a huge hit. Actually made a batch and a half for left overs but they were all gobbled up to rave reviews. A keeper for sure. Thank you for posting this delicious recipe.
30-35 minutes is a long time to cook in the oven. Mine burned at the 25 minute mark at 395F. Safer to cook on the stovetop to watch it. Taste is fine otherwise. 3.5/5 stars. 4.5 if the recipe cook time is adjusted.
If I’m going to make five times this amount for a gender reveal. Would it still only require about 35 to 45 minutes to bake?
If you click on her link to the Pioneer Woman at the bottom of the page where it says “adapted from: the pioneer woman” that will take you to her recipe that gives a better idea of how long baking a batch that large will take. I am following this recipe but like you, need it for a crowd. Says 2 hours baking and that is what I usually do with my older recipes. So excited to try this one and take them up a notch!
I made it, and I must say it was delicious but I didn’t vinegar, ketchup, chili powder or paprika (an syrup? Ughh) but it still turned out grand!
I’ve made this recipe a few times and they have become a favorite amongst family and friends!
I have time this morning to make them but our party doesn’t start until 5. Can I prepare them the same (minus oven) but cook in the crockpot on low for a few hours?
yes definitely!
Great recipe, I times it by 3 for the 4th, I found it a bit to tangy from vinegar and mustard so I added more brown sugar to cut it. Will definitely make it again with some minor changes. Thank you
This is an amazing recipe. I never knew baked beans could be so good. Savory, spicy, delicious
I was cooking for a crowd for a North Carolina pulled pork bbq potluck. I chose to use the southern pit bbq beans, since I figured it would be the best match for the meal. I used six cans. I taste-tested it first, and was glad I did. The beans were almost candy sweet, and quite hot. They were quite soupy with sauce as well. I could not see adding any additional sweetener or sauce, so skipped the ketchup, bbq sauce, and brown sugar. I added 12 oz of cooked, chopped bacon, the cooked green peppers, onion and garlic, and that helped cut the sugary-ness. I skipped the spices, it was too hot for my taste already. Finally I put in the vinegar and mustard, and that brought the sweetness down to a tolerable level. I just heated it up slowly in a pot on the stove, the beans were already super-soft right out of the can, I was afraid if I baked it, they would totally disintegrate. I’m not knocking the recipe, people’s taste vary, I am not a fan of overly sweet vegetables, stuff like marshmallow topped sweet potatoes make me shudder. I just think it is wise to check out whatever style of canned beans you use first, in case the recipe needs to be modified to fit.
Best baked beans ever!
Wouldn’t change a thing here. They were fantastic!!
I made this recipe twice!! I have changed a few things made my beans from scratch added more smoked, added my bq sauce,paprika, bacon cooked the whole time, only use green bell pepper, added worshire. Matter which way this is a very good recipe. OK, a excellent recipe!!
The absolute best recipe one tweak I make is adding 2 tablespoons of molasses for an even more unique sweet kick and thickness … if you want to spice them up skip the chipotle and use 1/3 tablespoon of olde virde seasoning (it’s got a kick but a fantastic flavor)
Hello I’m in Australia and what to try this recipe, do I use an any baked beans in tomato sauce for this recipe? Also if I wanted to use plain beans for this recipe should I add tomato Passata or something else?
these are delicious by them selves but i smoked a beef chuck roast and smoked some pork belly to add and oh boy!
I made a quadruple batch for a large picnic yesterday for my husband to take. There were just a couple of changes I had to make. I am allergic to cider vinegar so I used white distilled and I don’t have Chipotle chili powder, I have ‘guess what chilis are in the chili powder’ powder. I adjusted the smoked paprika down by a tablespoon and added a tablespoon of the chili powder. Everything else I kept the same. I chopped the bacon prior to rendering the fat, removed the bacon, chopped up a larger sweet onion, a red and green pepper and softened those in the bacon fat. Added the garlic towards the end before adding the spices. Toasted the spices for about a minute and added the sauce, cooked bacon and the beans. I transfered them to an aluminum disposable pan after it came to a boil and baked them at 375° for about an hour and fifteen minutes.
My husband saved me a serving, but the rest of them were gobbled up. He told me that he heard someone say “Now these have flavor!”. Most Midwestern’s idea of baked beans is throwing a couple of cans of baked beans in a pan and putting strips of bacon on top. The first couple of people always take all of the bacon and the beans are bland. I will be making this recipe everytime from here on out. I never liked baked beans and I was a tad bit upset that he didn’t put more on my plate tbh, lol. Thank you for sharing! This is definitely a keeper which will be made frequently.
Superb, perfect for the backyard barbecue. Everybody went back for seconds and gave them rave reviews. I substituted molasses for the brown sugar, was the only deviation. excellent!
Made these today. While good they were a touch too sweet. Next time I would leave out the brown sugar and add a little more heat. Used Bushes Grillin’ Steakhouse beans. Alas my husband didn’t care for them but he’s become quite picky in his tastes.
A hit with even the non bean eater :)
Wow – just delicious! Love the slight
bite of heat the chipotle adds!! Takes a bit of time to prepare but well worth it! Thank you for sharing.
I already left one review, but I wanted to say that I am making this again for Labor Day and I am using Bush’s Bourbon Bacon Grillin’ Beans since grillin’ beans were suggested in the recipe. The Kroger brand that I used last time was a hit, but I am only serving a party of three tomorrow. They only had three varieties of Bush’s grillin beans at the store and the one I chose was the best option they had to work with this recipe. I will keep everything the same aside from allergy triggers and capsaicin is one, so mild chili powder and white vinegar. This is an excellent recipe and I am not a fan of baked beans. I really enjoy this one. Baked beans done right for once.
Prepared by cooking partner daughter in law for Labor day cookout. We just had two cans of Bush’s vegetarian beans and this recipe was a perfect combination to add smoke flavor as paprika and hickory bacon. Following the recipe and allowing them to bake cut the sweetness perfectly. Hopefully she can cook with me again a make this our father- daughter special dish. She left the recipe on my tablet, so I have it saved for another day.
Do you cover the pot/skillet when putting in the oven?
Really good everyone love them will make them again
I can totally relate to the change of heart about baked beans! I used to think they were just ‘okay,’ but after trying a good homemade version like this one, there’s no going back. The combination of bacon, peppers, onions, and BBQ sauce is such a winner. I love the balance of sweetness from the brown sugar and the depth you get from the smoky bacon and bourbon (if you use it). Plus, Dijon mustard adds just the right amount of tang to cut through all that richness.
I’ve made a similar recipe, and I found that letting the beans bake a little longer makes them even better—the sauce thickens up, and you get those caramelized bits around the edges that are irresistible. Have you ever tried adding a splash of apple cider vinegar at the end? It really brightens up the flavor! These beans are definitely a must at any summer cookout. Printable Calendar
I made these once before. Had to find this one again! With over 12,000 ratings and 5 stars, THAT”S incredible! Well worth it and I too had to come give it 5 stars. This is the exact recipe I was looking for. I’ve made plenty of BBQ beans in the past but these are hands down the BEST I’ve eve made. Family TORE. THEM UP last time I made them and I made a lot more than I thought I would need too.
I need to make a quadruple batch for a crowd, do I change any of the amounts? And can I heat them in a crock pot instead of the oven??
i would get 2 large foil pans and make 2 double batches. they need cooked in the oven first. unless you have 3-4 crockpots, there won’t be enough room to reheat them.
I really enjoyed these! It was a tad spicy for my family so I’m thinking it was the Chipotle pepper? I may just reduce that next time. I doubled it and baked in a 13×9. Used the exact beans mentioned. I tripled the garlic. Easy to make and delicious
Made these for Thanksgiving and used some spicy bbq sauce, extra bacon, and added an extra tbsp of dijon mustard and ACV–this recipe is so much better than your average Thanksgiving beans!
Absolutely delicious!! Everyone loved it!!
Made this for a potluck. It was a big hit. I added a little more brown sugar and left out the bell peppers since we don’t get along.
Looking to make these for upcoming family dinner. Quick question – do you recommend green or red bell pepper? Thx!
Would like to try this recipe, but with dried beans, soaked overnight. Can you let me know the amount of dried beans to use please?
So I followed the recipe exactly with one additional ingredient… I added one honey crisp apple. Peeled and diced it and added at the end. Gave it a very nice sweetness and crunch. Now everyone wants the recipe.
Can you make this with dry navy beans?
Incredible. Just awesome. A church member had a very similar version of this when I was a kid, it brought back a lot of memories. I always double it because when the family of 16-20 come over, ya gotta feed them right. My only changes are that since I am not a huge fan of green bell peppers is that for the doubled recipe I use one green bell pepper and one really good sized poblano. Poblanos are so much better. And I always use a full pound of bacon, render it down, and then mix most of it back in and then bake it. Most is relative, depending on how much bacon I snacked on while cooking it :) Thank you Jessica for sharing this with us.
I love this recipe. Always get lots of compliments! Reheats well too.
What if the recipe is spicy before being placed in the oven? will it calm down a bit or should I add something to remove the spiciness a tad?
Looks delicious, but I don’t see any plain “Bush’s “Grillin’ Beans,’ at my super center market, just 3 flavors of Grilling beans, and am confused as which to use.
Which do you use?
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I made these tonight for Easter lunch tomorrow. They are delicious! I didn’t have any molasses (thought I did), but it didn’t matter. I used ALL the black pepper and added a dash of cayenne. We like all things spicy. Also added just a splash of ACV. I will definitely make these again and I will buy some molasses. I need to see what that does.
why not just add more bbq sauce. you basically made a bbq sauce using mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, pepper, paprika, ketchup.
why not just add more bbq sauce. you basically made a bbq sauce using mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, pepper, paprika, ketchup.
This recipe is amazing! Everyone comments on how good they are. I add fresh jalapeno slices on top before the final bake to add a bit more kick!
Few Questions;
In the picture above I see red onion and red peppers in the mix but not listed in your recipe. Also which Bush’s Grillin Beans did you use for this? They have variety of flavors.
Rather than bake, seems you could place everything on the slow cooker after cooking everything on the stove?
These look amazing ! Making them now for a barbecue tomorrow. If they reheat well can I just bake them tonight to cut down on oven time tomorrow? Instead of assembling now and baking tomorrow
We’re barbecuing for Father’s Day,and this will be on the menu.