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!

If you’re looking for a simple yet delicious recipe that’s perfect for any meal, baked beans are the way to go! We love it with hamburgers, grilled chicken, ribs, and more! This classic dish is a crowd-pleaser that’s easy to make and can be customized to your taste.

Baked beans topped with crispy slices of bacon in a cast iron dutch oven // addapinch.com

How to Make Baked Beans Recipe

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

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

Cast iron dutch oven with cooked Southern Baked Beans topped with crispy bacon // addapinch.com
  • Beans – Use canned navy beans or soaked dried beans.
  • Bacon – My recipe included diced bacon in the baked beans and then strips of bacon on top of the beans.
  • Garlic – Use 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced, or substitute with 1 teaspoon of Stone House Seasoning.
  • Onion – Dice and include 1/2 of a medium sweet onion. If you do not care for onions, omit them. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder instead of fresh onion if you prefer.
  • Worcestershire sauce – Use Coconut Aminos if sensitive to soy.
  • Unsulphured molasses – Adds a deep, smokey flavor to the cooked beans.
  • Dark brown sugar – Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar. I prefer the richness of dark brown sugar in my baked beans, but you can use either. You’ll use brown sugar mixed in the recipe and a little sprinkled on top. You can also use brown coconut sugar as a replacement for brown sugar for a lower glycemic option.
  • Ketchup – Use 1/4 cup of ketchup in this recipe
  • Yellow mustard – I have found that yellow mustard helps to round out the flavor in the baked beans.
Dark stock pot filled with Baked Beans topped with slices of bacon  // addapinch.com

Oven-Baked Beans

  • 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 the deep dish you plan to serve from or leave in a 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 for about 5 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

  • 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, molasses, dark brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard. Stir to combine well.
  • Cook on a low setting for 6-7 hours or on a 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 them 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.

Storage Tips

To make ahead. Cook and allow to cool. Wrap well or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To freeze. 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!

Southern Baked Beans Recipe

4.94 from 48 votes
Southern Baked Beans Recipe – This recipe makes the perfect side dish for so many meals! These easy baked beans are a family favorite!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients 

  • 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. 

Nutrition

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

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Southern Baked Beans Recipe - This recipe makes the perfect side dish for so many meals! This easy baked beans recipe will become a favorite! // addapinch.com

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

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




160 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Great recipe! Would pre-soaking dry beans be helpful? I dont know how much liquid is in a can of beans. But, I will try them both ways and fiddle with the slow cooker method if need be. Thank you for the recipe.

    1. Patrick, if you use dried beans make sure they are soaked thoroughly, then drained before following the recipe. One cup of dried beans should equal the 2 16-ounce cans of navy beans. You may need to cook the baked beans a little longer than the recipe instructions if using dried beans; just make sure the beans are tender.

  2. 5 stars
    Question: I just put these into the slow cooker. The sauce is so good and so is the smell. I am pretty sure these are going to be enjoyed by our crew tomorrow. Thank you!

    1. Thanks, Marcy. I love these beans cooked in the slow cooker, too. I hope your crew love them, too.

  3. Are the beans drained or undrained . And can I use dark Karo instead of molasses? Please ans.ASAP. TY

    1. Marilyn, the brand of beans I use is very thick, so I don’t have to drain them as there is no extra liquid to speak of. I would suggest if there is a lot of extra liquid in your beans, you may want to drain some of it off. I haven’t tried this recipe with dark Karo so I can’t tell you from experience how it would be. I hope you enjoy!

  4. 5 stars
    Made these with canned northern beans.
    Wow, I brought this to a potluck cookout and they were the first dish to disappear.

  5. I am going to try this Recipe this weekend with my ham I could not find Canned navy beans so I I am using dried. How much water should I use if I am doubling the recipe for these dried beans and should I drain them before I use them. Also if I am going to double the recipe do I double the amount of bacon as well

    1. As I listed in the post, Carole, if you use dried beans make sure they are soaked thoroughly, then drained before following the recipe. One cup of dried beans should equal the 2 16-ounce cans of navy beans. I would double the bacon if you double the recipe. You may need to cook the baked beans a little longer than the recipe instructions; just make sure the beans are tender.

  6. Hi! I am planning to make this on Monday our Canadian Thanksgiving. Do I drain and rince the canned beans

    1. Joyce, the brand I use is very thick and does not have extra liquid, but if yours has a lot of added liquid you may want to drain. I don’t rinse them, either. I hope you enjoy!

    1. Lisa, sorry you missed it but it is in Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325ºF. I hope you enjoy these beans.

    1. Marge, you would need about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of dried beans for the 2 cans of beans in the recipe. Hope this helps.