Best Southern Baked Beans Recipe!

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4.86 from 48 votes
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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 425ยบ 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

4.86 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
  • ยฝ medium sweet onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ยผ cup unsulphured molasses
  • ยผ cup dark brown sugar
  • ยผ 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 325ยบ 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 425ยบ 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.ย 
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 350ยบF oven for 15 – 20 minutes until heated throughout.ย 
Vegetarian/ Vegan:
To make these baked beans vegetarian and vegan friendly, simply omit the bacon from the recipe as well as the optional topping.ย 

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.

4.86 from 48 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Review




168 Comments

  1. Jacki says:

    5 stars
    I really liked the way these turned out. They have really good flavor. They are sort of tangy and sweet and really rich. This recipe does not make a lot though. We only got about 3 cups of beans out of it. Next time I will double the recipe. Thanks

  2. Christopher says:

    5 stars
    Bacon and brown sugar! That looks so delicious… especially while camping. There’s nothing better than a meal outdoors.

  3. Gaby says:

    Love this!! And with the baconโ€ฆmmm!!!

  4. kim littleton says:

    Question – any suggestions for substitutions for the molasses? It’s not something I generally keep on my shelf.

    Thanks.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Hi Kim!
      Yes, you can use maple syrup or honey in place of the molasses. It will change the flavor a bit from the flavor of the beans with the molasses. Hope you are having a great summer! xo

    2. halina says:

      I was out too and used agave . Or you can do honey

  5. Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes) says:

    These will be on my summer menu list! They are absolutely fantastic!!

  6. Julie M Maiers says:

    This sound like baked beans that I would really enjoy but what is unsulphured molasses?

  7. Jillian says:

    5 stars
    These were so good! My husband said they were the best he’s ever had. I added in a small amount of liquid smoke to add even more flavor. Yum!

  8. Mehgan says:

    5 stars
    Hi,
    I have made these before and found them to be the EPITOME of what baked beans should be. I want to make them again. Unfortunately, I only have White Kidney beans at home (and two babies so I don’t want to rush out to the store to buy navy beans.) Do you think it will turn out if I use them instead? Seriously though, best beans ever!!!

  9. John Dusek says:

    5 stars
    I found this recipe a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t wait to try it. I made it last night and OMG everyone raved about it. Now I am making it to take on vacation to serve with my smoked brisket! I love your site!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them, John! Now I’m craving smoked brisket!!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. rebecca says:

    Wanted to make southern bake beans in oven in Bean Pot, how long would I cook, at what temp, and if liq. gets low just add a little water? Sorry so many questions, been really wanting to try out Bean pot my mom passed on to me and this recipe looks wonderful ! I’m using soaked beans