Easy Baked Beans

These easy baked beans are hearty enough to eat as a meal and make a great dish for potlucks. This recipe starts with canned beans for a dish that’s easy to make but tastes like it simmered all day long!

July 4th may be over, but there’s still plenty of summer left and that means plenty of cookouts still to come.

Uncle Jake’s easy baked beans are pretty much a must for any cookout around here. I always keep the ingredients for them on hand because they are a huge hit any time I take them to a potluck! 

If you’re looking for homemade flavor—savory, sweet, and tangy—without all of the effort, you’ve come to the right place.

Homemade baked beans using canned beans

Here in the Midwest, it’s not really a potluck without two sides: macaroni salad and baked beans.

Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what protein is being served as the main dish. Grilled pork chops? Hot dogs? Cheeseburgers?  As long as you’ve got a plate full of carbs and beans, you’re set.

Don’t forget a veggie pizza appetizer and a piece of pineapple cake for dessert!

Us Midwesterners really know how to party.

That being said…homemade baked beans are kind of a hassle to make from scratch. Remembering to soak dried beans overnight and then cooking them for hours?

No thanks.

This recipe for easy baked beans is really more my style. I still consider them homemade but they start with canned beans so they don’t take forever to make.

I suppose some people might consider these to be “doctored up” baked beans. But I choose to call them homemade because they do take more effort than just heating up a can of pork and beans. You with me?

Even though most people eat baked beans as a side dish, this recipe is hearty enough to serve as a main dish alongside a salad and some crusty bread or bisquick biscuits. Hey, don’t knock it ‘til ya try it!

Making these easy baked beans

These easy baked beans use simple pantry ingredients and have very little hands-on time. You can even prep them ahead of time if you’re getting ready to host a big party or cookout!

Ingredients you’ll need

I suggest keeping the ingredients for these baked beans on hand all summer long so you can throw them together for any last-minute get-togethers. You will need:

• ½ pound diced bacon
• ½ pound ground beef
• 1 large diced onion 
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup barbecue sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons molasses
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
• 2 (28-ounce) cans Bush’s Original baked beans

I know, I know. We’re starting with canned baked beans. But I promise that we’re gonna dress them up enough that no one will ever guess you didn’t make everything from scratch.

I also like to add a can of kidney beans for a little bit of flavor and texture variation. If you don’t like kidney beans, navy beans or cannellini beans would work well, too.

One of the best ways to bulk up a batch of baked beans is to add some bacon and ground beef. I love using both for tons of flavor.

If you don’t eat pork, omit the bacon and use a full pound of ground beef. Make sure to use cans of vegetarian baked beans as well, since the original baked beans contain pork.

I typically use yellow mustard in these beans, but you can swap it for dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, or your personal favorite.

Crushed red pepper flakes add a bit of a kick to the beans, but feel free to leave it out if you prefer.

Making this recipe

Grab a large skillet. If you have an oven-safe skillet, use that to keep from needing to transfer the beans to a baking dish later.

Brown the bacon and ground beef with the diced onion. 

While that cooks, mix up a tangy and sweet sauce with the ketchup, barbecue sauce, molasses, sugars, mustard and spices. This sauce is what really makes these easy baked beans amazing!

Once the meat is browned, drain off the excess fat and return the meat mixture to the skillet. Add in the sauce you just mixed along with the beans. Stir to combine.

If you did not use an oven-safe skillet, transfer the beans to a baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

When the dish comes out of the oven, it’ll be hot and bubbly with some caramelized spots on top and around the edges.

Those spots where the sugars in the sauce caramelize? That’s where the magic is at!

Make-ahead and storage tips

If you’re prepping ahead of time for a big party, you can easily make these baked beans ahead of time.

Assemble the beans as written in the recipe. Once the meat, sauce, and beans are combined, transfer the bean mixture to an airtight container or disposable baking pan. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

When you’re ready to bake, let the beans sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, then bake as directed. 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to a month.