These Southern Baked Beans are made from scratch, with a sweet and savory barbecue sauce and lots of delicious mix-ins like peppers, onions, bacon, and ground beef. It's a perfect side dish for a summer BBQ or big family holidays!
I'm a huge fan of making homemade baked beans for the best flavor and texture. Using either dried beans or canned white beans, you can impress a huge crowd with a big pan of these barbecue baked beans! They cook up easily, whether on the stove or in the oven.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $1.03
- Total Cost (about 10 servings): $10.31
- Those Other Guys: $18.99 per pan
Ingredients
- White Beans - Baked beans are typically made from navy beans. If you want to make from dried beans, grab a bag of navy beans. If you're looking to use canned white beans, cannellini or great northern will also work.
- Ground Beef & Bacon - Southern baked beans typically have either ground beef or bacon (or both!) mixed inside. Feel free to sub in turkey for a lighter dish.
- Tomato Paste - For some acidity and a deep tomato flavor.
- Pepper and Onions - We're going to cook these down before creating the homemade barbecue sauce.
- Spice Mix - Salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika are classic seasonings that create a delicious pan of baked beans.
- Other Sauce Ingredients - Items like BBQ sauce, molasses, brown sugar, and Worcestershire provide the sweet and smoky sauce we're looking for. Apple cider vinegar and hot sauce create acidity to break through all of the rich flavors. And a little yellow mustard provides balance too!
Variations and Substitutions
Vegetarian Baked Beans: Want to keep things meatless? Simply omit the ground beef and bacon, and switch to a vegan Worcestershire sauce (or liquid smoke).
Sweet Heat Baked Beans: Add some extra spice with a hint of cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes.
Frank and Beans: Instead of bacon, add chopped smoked sausage to the pan. I love to sear or grill it for extra flavor!
No-Beef Baked Beans: Use turkey bacon and ground turkey instead of beef.
How to Make BBQ Baked Beans from Scratch
Step 1: To begin, cook down your ground beef and bacon in a Dutch oven until browned.
Use a slotted spoon to set aside the meat, leaving a little bit of the grease in the pot.
Step 2: Sauté chopped onion and green bell pepper in the bacon grease until soft.
Add in some tomato paste, and continue stirring until it's darkened in color.
Step 3: Next, pour in the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir well until a beautiful barbecue sauce forms.
Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350°F here.
Step 4: Finally, stir together the sauce, ground beef and bacon, and white beans in a baking pan.
Bake covered for 30 minutes, and uncovered for another 20. Serve hot.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Use canned if short on time. The instructions below show both options - making the beans from dried beans, or using canned white beans. If making from dry, check out my article on how to soak dried beans.
- Chop your veggies and meat evenly. Because the beans themselves are small, you don't want large pieces of onion or ground beef in the pan! Make sure everything is diced small and evenly.
- Making in bulk? Use disposable aluminum pans. This recipe can be easily doubled for a large holiday crowd or for cookouts. When I'm making larger portions, I like to use the oven-baked method and cook everything in aluminum pans. This allows for easy transport and cleanup.
Recipe FAQs
I say yes! A lot of baked bean recipes use the actual cans of baked beans - but with that, you can't control the flavor profile, sugar, or salt content.
Using canned white beans just saves the small step of cooking the beans from dry.
Yep, these freeze well. Simply divide into smaller portions and store in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 4 months.
When you're ready to eat, let defrost in the refrigerator overnight. You can then heat them up on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Most people love baked beans warm.
This recipe is great for outdoor cookouts, because you don't have to keep the pan cool over ice. If the pan's temperature goes from hot to just warm or room-temp, it's still safe to eat. You can also easily reheat in the microwave to get a piping hot plate.
Other BBQ Cookout Recipes You'll Crave!
If you tried this Southern Baked Beans Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Southern Baked Beans
Equipment
- Chef's Knife
- Dutch Oven with Lid
- Slotted Spoon
- Wooden Spoon
- Can Opener
- Ceramic Baking Dish (optional)
Ingredients
Cooked Navy Beans (if using canned, skip to next section)
- 8 ounces dry navy beans (soaked)
- 3 cups water (for boiling)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Baked Beans
- 4 strips beef bacon
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ count yellow onion
- 1 count green bell pepper
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup water
- 30 ounces cooked navy beans (or canned white beans, drained)
Instructions
Cooking Beans from Dry (If using canned beans, skip to next section)
- Start by soaking your dried beans in water overnight, or use the "quick-soak" method. Check out my blog post on different ways to soak black beans.8 ounces dry navy beans
- To a large pot, add the soaked and drained navy beans, water, and salt.3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt
- Let the pot come to a rolling boil, then turn the heat to low and cover the pot.
- Simmer for about 25 minutes, until the beans are soft enough to easily mash with your fingers. Drain the liquid and set the beans aside.
Southern Baked Beans
- Slice up your beef bacon, yellow onion, and green bell pepper into small pieces.
- Add the chopped bacon and ground beef to a Dutch oven. Cook on medium heat until the meat is no longer pink.4 strips beef bacon, ½ pound ground beef
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and set it aside, but leave a little of the grease in the pot.
- Sauté the chopped vegetables in that same pot until soft.½ count yellow onion, 1 count green bell pepper
- Add the tomato paste, and cook down for a few more minutes.3 ounces tomato paste
- Pour in the remaining sauce ingredients. Turn the heat to low and stir well.¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup molasses, ½ cup barbecue sauce, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons hot sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 cup water
Stovetop Method
- Pour the cooked beans into the sauce. Cover the pot, and cook on low for 30 - 40 minutes. The sauce should thicken up.30 ounces cooked navy beans
Oven Baked Method
- Add the cooked beans into a baking pan.30 ounces cooked navy beans
- Pour the sauce over them, and stir well until combined.
- Cover the pan, and bake at 350℉ for 30 minutes covered. Remove the lid, and bake for another 20 minutes. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think!