Grilling season is upon us and what better side dish than these Homemade Baked Beans! An easy and tasty recipe that will become your new summer favorite.

Baked Beans are one of those side dishes that we love to go with a lot of things. Growing up my mom always liked to buy Capitan Ken’s and that’s what we were used to.

But I’m more of a do it yourself kind of gal and I promise you, you will fall in love with this Homemade Baked Bean recipe! It is packed full of flavor and do I even have to mention bacon??

When we go to potlucks or picnics during the spring and summer months, this is one of our go-to dishes that we bring. Everyone seems to love them and they are easy so it’s the best of both worlds.

I’m really a summer person, and I really like to be social so we do a lot of bonfires and cookouts where people will bring their favorite dishes.

You can never go wrong with a good side dish, sometimes they are my favorite part out of the whole cookout meal! I mean there is so much variety, I just can’t get enough.

These Homemade Baked Beans are one of those dishes that we regularly make and everyone loves. But I mean I’ve always been lover of baked beans so you will have to make these and tell me for yourself!

Some of our other favorite side dishes for grilling and cookouts include Potato Salad, Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs and Macaroni Salad.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Easy ingredients make this a breeze to whip up.
Started in the dutch oven and finished in the conventional one, so you know they’re tender.
Goes with so many recipes as the perfect versatile side dish recipe.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)

Bacon
Onion
Green bell pepper
Pork and beans
Apple cider vinegar
Spicy brown mustard
Honey
Bbq sauce
Molasses
Garlic powder

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BAKED BEANS, STEP BY STEP:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Place a dutch oven over medium heat, and add the bacon, stirring occasionally, until about halfway cooked with no color on it, which usually takes about 8 minutes. Take out the bacon and place on a plate and save the bacon fat in the pan.
Add in the diced onion and bell pepper to the pan, and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
Add the cans of pork and beans, vinegar, mustard, honey, bbq sauce, molasses, and garlic powder. Stir to combine it all. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally and then remove from the heat.
Pour the bean mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with bacon strips.
Bake, uncovered, for 2 to 2 and a half hours until the bacon starts to brown on top and the beans will thicken slightly. Serve and enjoy immediately.

WHAT BEANS ARE USED FOR BAKED BEANS?

This question is actually left up to the recipe creator themselves. You can use a variety of different beans to make Homemade Baked Beans.

You can use dried or canned, we like canned for convenience reasons. But regarding the type of beans you can use Great Northern, Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, Cannellini Beans, etc.

For this recipe, we used the pork and beans, they seem to be the most common among other recipes, but you can use any canned baked beans that you like, just make sure you add the same amount to keep the recipe ratios correct.

I say just play around with different kinds of beans and you will eventually find what you love. And we have always loved pork and beans so it has stuck!

WHAT DO HOMEMADE BAKED BEANS GO WITH?

The list of things and recipes you can serve Homemade Baked Beans with is endless. But if you’re looking for ideas, some of our favorite recipes to serve this with include:

WHAT KIND OF BACON SHOULD I USE?

I used regular bacon, not thick cut, you can use thick cut but it may produce more bacon fat during the first step. You can leave it or take some out, your preference.

CAN I LEAVE THE ONIONS AND PEPPERS OUT?

I know some people are not a fan of one or either of these things so yes they can be left out of this recipe, but I do suggest adding 1 teaspoon of onion powder if you are not using onions.

HOW TO STORE:

These should keep covered in an airtight container or ziptop bag in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

These can also be frozen, place cooled beans in a freezer container making sure to leave some room for expansion as they will expand while freezing. These will keep frozen for up to 3 months.

To defrost, let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat I suggest reheating in a skillet on the stove, you may need to add a little water to loosen them up.

You can also use a microwave to reheat them but I feel like the stove does the best at heating them and bringing them back to the original texture.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Use your favorite premade bbq sauce or homemade sauce.
The longer they sit once they cool down the thicker they will become.
You can serve them in a warm crockpot for get-togethers to keep them warm.
Want to add a little kick, we like to add diced jalapeño from time to time.
If you want to be even quicker on cooking time, use real bacon bits instead of cooking and frying your own bacon.
These can be frozen! Refer to my instructions above on how to freeze these beans.

If you want a fun and easy grilling and cookout side dish that everyone loves then you absolutely have to try these Homemade Baked Beans!

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

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Homemade Baked Beans