Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe!

This Southern Baked Beans Recipe makes the best baked beans! It’s a perfect side dish for so many meals and a family favorite recipe for years! So savory, scrumptious and easy to make!

When you plan fun cookouts, summer get togethers, and potlucks during the year, baked beans are often a favorite dish to include. The best I’ve ever tasted are my Southern Baked Beans with this family favorite recipe.

These baked beans go perfectly with so many favorite dishes like pulled pork, grilled chicken, hamburgers, ribs, and everything in between. They are a regular around here and it is definitely a recipe you want to keep in your arsenal!

Baked Beans Recipe

Rich, smokey and oh so delicious, my recipe comes together quickly and then bakes slow so that all those flavors just meld perfectly together!

Baked Beans Ingredients

• Beans – canned navy beans or soaked dried beans
• Bacon – omit for vegan
• Garlic
• Sweet onion
• Worcestershire sauce
• Unsulphured molasses
• Dark brown sugar
• Ketchup
• Yellow mustard

How to Make Baked Beans in Oven

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

While the oven preheats, pour your navy beans into a medium stockpot set over medium heat.

In a medium skillet, add diced bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook until the bacon is crisp and the onion is tender. Then, remove from the heat and add to the navy beans. Add Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and yellow mustard and stir to combine well. Pour into deep dish you plan to serve from or leave in stockpot. Finally, top with the optional (but highly recommended!) bacon and sprinkle the top with brown sugar.

Place into the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Increase temperature to 425º F for 10 minutes to crisp bacon. Remove from oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving.

How to Make Baked Beans in Slow Cooker

Add your navy beans to the slow cooker and set aside.

In a medium skillet, cook your diced bacon, onion, and garlic until the bacon is crisp and the onion and garlic are tender. Add to the slow cooker. Add Worcestershire sauce (or coconut aminos if sensitive to soy), molasses, dark brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard. Stir to combine well.

Cook on low setting for 6-7 hours or on high setting for 3-4 hours. If your baked beans are not as thick as you would like, remove the lid to the slow cooker about 30 to 45 minutes before serving and allow to continue cooking until thickened. If too thick, you can stir in water a few tablespoons at a time until it reaches the desired thickness.

Optional: top with baked bacon strips before serving.

How to Make Ahead, Store and Freeze Baked Beans

Make Ahead to Store

To make ahead, simply cook and allow to cool. Then wrap well or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Make Ahead to Freeze

To freeze baked beans, cook and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat and serve.

So, here’s my Southern Baked Beans recipe. Get ready to make it often!

4.84 from 42 votes

Southern Baked Beans Recipe

Side Dish — 1 hr

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 55 mins

Servings 10 servings

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Author Robyn Stone

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Southern Baked Beans Recipe – This recipe makes the perfect side dish for so many meals! These easy baked beans are a family favorite!

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 (16-ounce cans) navy beans
• ▢ 3 strips bacon diced
• ▢ 1-2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ ½ medium sweet onion diced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
• ▢ ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup ketchup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

For the Top of Baked Beans (optional):

• ▢ 2 slices bacon halved
• ▢ 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 325º F.
• Pour navy beans into medium stockpot.
• In a medium skillet, add diced bacon, onion, and garlic. Cook until bacon is crisp and onion is tender. Remove from heat and add to navy beans.
• Add Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and yellow mustard. Stir to combine well. Pour into deep dish you plan to serve from or leave in stockpot. Top with bacon and sprinkle top with brown sugar.
• Place in oven and bake 45 minutes. Increase temperature to 425º F for 10 minutes to crisp bacon. Remove from oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

• Add navy beans to a slow cooker.
• Cook bacon, onion, and garlic in a medium skillet until the bacon is crisp and the onion and garlic are tender. Add to the navy beans in the slow cooker.
• Add Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and yellow mustard. Stir to combine well.
• Cook on LOW setting for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH setting for 3 to 4 hours. If the baked beans are too thin, remove the lid to the slow cooker for the last 30 to 45 minutes of cook time until the beans have thickened to desired consistency. If too thick, stir in water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Top with optional baked bacon for serving.

Notes

Make-Ahead:
Store baked beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Freezer Friendly:
Allow the baked beans to cool. Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat in a 350ºF oven for 15 – 20 minutes until heated throughout. 

Vegetarian/ Vegan:
To make these baked beans vegetarian and vegan friendly, simply omit the bacon from the recipe as well as the optional topping. 

Nutritional Information

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 184mg | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.6mg

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2013.