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Level up your beans by making Baked Beans from Scratch!! Soaked navy beans are combined with a simple mixture of brown sugar, vinegar and smoky bacon then simmered together until perfectly tender and oh-so-delicious!
One of the most popular blog posts here on Dance Around the Kitchen is the Best Ever Baked Beans. They are truly SO good.
However, sometimes I get asked if baked beans could be made from scratch, using dried beans instead of canned beans. And after some trial and error, the answer is a resounding YES! Though it takes a little more time to prepare, they’re worth it and make for the perfect side dish!!!!
Why I Love Baked Beans from Scratch
- They’re CHEAP! Buying dried beans is much less expensive than canned beans.
- The beans have texture. They’re not hard and crunchy, but they do have a little bit of a texture, which I love.
- The addition of the brown sugar and bacon is SO good. It brings tons of flavor to the beans.
- They’re a side dish that goes with a variety of meals – hot dogs, burgers, meatloaf, casseroles, etc.
- It’s fun to see the process of how baked beans are made! Before this little experiment, I had never seen beans go from dry to cooked so it was a really neat, fascinating process…with an absolutely delicious result!!
Ingredients Needed (Amounts in Recipe Card Below)
- Dry Beans – I use dry navy beans for this recipe. You could also use dried pinto beans – they’re a little more earthy in flavor and slightly larger than classic navy beans. You could also opt for great northern beans (another type of small white beans).
- Salt – I like to add the salt when boiling the beans to get some flavor into them.
- Baking Soda – This will actually help soften the beans as they cook so they are just the right (not crunchy, but not mushy) texture.
- Bacon – Adding a couple slices of bacon brings a nice smokey flavor and a little texture to this recipe.
- Onion – I use yellow onion though white onion would work great too.
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will work great. It gives the recipe a sweeter flavor and we love!
- Ketchup – You could use tomato sauce instead.
- Maple Syrup – I like the depth of flavor pure maple syrup brings to this recipe!
- Apple Cider Vinegar – You could also use white vinegar.
How to Prepare Beans
The biggest difference between using canned baked beans and making old fashioned baked beans is time it takes to prepare the dried beans. Though yes, it takes some time, but the end result is super delicious baked beans!!
To do so, you’ll soak the beans in water overnight. The beans will begin to soften, but will still have some bite to them. The next day, you’ll drain the water and add fresh water.
You’ll stir in the salt and baking soda (baking soda softens the beans – isn’t science cool?!), bring them to a boil, then let them simmer for an hour. Be careful not to let the water boil over as the beans will give off a foamy liquid. It’s totally normal, but you don’t want to make your stovetop a mess! Just give them a stir and turn the heat down a bit.
Next you’ll drain the beans. However, save the liquid!!!! The reserved cooking liquid will be used in the next step.
Now it’s time to cook the bacon and onion. Cook them in a skillet until the bacon is crisp and the onions are tender.
The rest of the recipe is really quite simple! You’ll add the remaining ingredients, including some of the extra liquid, then cover the beans and bake them.
NOTE: If you notice that the beans are beginning to look a bit dry, simply add a splash or two more of the reserved liquid.
Optional Add-Ins
Feel free to make it your own!! Add a few drops of liquid smoke, a little chili powder, some spicy barbecue sauce, cooked ground beef, diced green pepper, etc! There are so many different ways to make them – I think you’ll love it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You’ll follow the instructions until you pour the bean mixture into a baking dish. Instead of a baking dish, pour them into a Crock Pot. Cook them on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
They’re typically in the aisle with a variety of cans of beans, different types of rice and sometimes even pasta. They’re usually stored in clear bags.
Let them cool off a bit then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing them as it’ll make the beans really soft and mushy.
Other Side Dishes I Love
- Calico Beans
- Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Cornbread Pudding
- Sweet Macaroni Salad
- Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Homemade Dinner Rolls
Baked Beans from Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry navy beans
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 slices bacon diced
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups reserved bean liquid*
Instructions
Prepare the Beans
- Pour the dry navy beans into a large pot and cover them with cold water. Be sure to have a few inches of water covering the beans as they'll soak up quite a bit. Cover the beans and let them soak for 12 hours or overnight.1 pound dry navy beans
- Drain the beans. Cover them with fresh water, covering them with an extra 1-2 inches of water on top. Stir in the salt and the baking soda.2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Bring the pot of beans to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Let them simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour.
- Drain the beans, reserving the water for later.
Mix and Bake
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat, add the diced bacon.8 slices bacon
- Cook for a few minutes then add the diced onion.1 cup diced yellow onion
- Cook until the bacon is crisp and the onions are translucent.
- Stir in the drained beans, brown sugar, ketchup, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and 1 1/2 cups of the reserved liquid (you may need to add more later).1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 1/2 cups reserved bean liquid*
- Pour the bean mixture into a baking dish and cover tightly with foil. (Or simply cover the Dutch oven with a lid)
- Bake for 1 hour then give the beans a stir. If it's beginning to look dry, you can add a little more of the reserved bean water.
- Bake another 30 minutes, stir the beans and remove the foil.
- Bake for 30 more minutes (the beans will thicken).
- Stir and serve warm.
Bacon doesn’t want to crisp cooking it with the onions.
Hi Carol – Cook the bacon for a few minutes before adding the bacon. That’ll give the bacon a head start! Hope that helps. ~Kelsey
Can you cook these in a crockpot?
Yes! You’ll follow the instructions until you pour the bean mixture into a baking dish. Instead of a baking dish, pour them into a Crock Pot. Cook them on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. ~Kelsey
Are these able to be canned?
Hello, I haven’t canned these (and honestly don’t do much canning so I’m not much help there!) 🙂
Great recipe. I did bake them longer to get them tender, but not mushy. Very happy with them, and will make again.
So happy to hear that, Linda. Glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 ~Kelsey
Thank you for this recipe. How can I store this and for how long please?
Let the beans cool for a bit then store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Delicious! I made these and everyone devoured them.
So happy to hear, Kim! Your review is SO appreciated! 🙂 ~Kelsey
I don’t have apple cider vinegar can I use regular vinegar.
You can – I’d decrease the amount to 1 tablespoon (as it’s more acidic than apple cider vinegar). Hope you enjoy them!! ~Kelsey
Hi Joy – The recipe notes that there are 14 (1/2 cup) servings, so it’s 1/14 of the recipe in the nutrition label as well.
I’m making these tomorrow. I just had my gallbladder removed about 8 hours ago so a minor tweak to my diet is in order. I had some mixed beans laying around and I’m soaking them now. I’ll use onion, garlic, peppers, molasses, paprika, herbs from the garden and see how it goes without the bacon. Great chance to use-up an old bag of beans. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Hi Greg – I hope they turned out great for you!! ~Kelsey
Can this recipe be cooked in a crockpot? If so, what’s the process?
Yes! You’ll follow the instructions until you pour the bean mixture into a baking dish. Instead of a baking dish, pour them into a Crock Pot. Cook them on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Delish gotta make bigger pot!
In lieu of bacon, I’ve successfully substituted chipotle peppers in adobo to get that smoky note and add a bit of zip to the beans. For the recipe you listed I used 2-3 chipotles finely chopped along with a tablespoon of adobo sauce. Adjust to taste. Great basic recipe!
I made this recipe but it’s very liquidly how can I fix that? I can’t use flour or cornstarch due to allergies. I added the amount of bean water that was suggested and I think it was too much.
Hi Sydney – You could drain some of the liquid out if you’d like….or cook it down a bit more to thicken it! ~Kelsey
Put them in a CrockPot and cook on high for several hours to reduce to a nice syrupy consistency that we all love with baked beans. If you want to also bake them, take them out of the slow cooker an hour or two earlier.
You don’t specify the beans in the “bean mixture” until they magically appear. 😉
There are two parts to the instructions. Preparing the beans is in the first part of the instructions! Hope that helps! ~Kelsey
Thanks! Yeah, one can glean when to add the beans at the end, but if you look carefully, you don’t mention that directly. 🙂
Ahhhhh I see what you mean now. Thanks for pointing that out! Just fixed it! 🙂 ~Kelsey
These baked beans are such a rich balance of savory and sweet. My family and friends absolutely love them! I will definitely be making these again and again. Thank you!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review – it makes my day reading great reviews like this! 🙂 ~Kelsey
Boiling for an hour after soaking overnight is way too long beans are too soft!Delicious recipe. Because of the tenderness of the beans, I only baked a half an hour uncovered.
Good recipe, tastes almost like how i doctor up the canned beans. I am canning half to see how that goes. It’s just my husband & I, we cannot eat a pound of beans before they go bad. Definitely something I could do for a group.
Hi Kim – I’d love to hear how the canning went! Glad you enjoyed them! ~Kelsey
Wowzer! I have been doctoring canned baked beans my whole life. Believe me you, that is a long time. It never dawned on me I could make homemade baked beans, until today when I didn’t have any in the cabinet. I always have dried beans around. This is wonderful!
Don’t change a thing. I also really appreciare the completeness of the recipe card. I’ve been dancing around the kitchen even longer than I’ve been cooking in it.
I’m SO happy to hear this!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review – I appreciate it so much! ~Kelsey
You should never add salt to beans until they have been cooked tender. Adding salt before cooking any dried beans makes them tough.
Hi Don – It’s actually quite the opposite! Here’s an article that shares some science on the topic. ~Kelsey
absolutely delicious. I added a little wash ya sister sauce and used a shallot instead of a onion. Great depth of flavor and a big hit today. Ty again
So happy to hear!!!
wayyy to much sugar for me and I like sweet things! This was just too sugary.
When I make this next time, I plan to only add a 1/4 cup of brown sugar, some molasses for a bit of richness and some chili powder to balance the sweetness of this.
I grew up in Massachusetts, my grandmothers recipe doesn’t have this amount of sugar in her recipe.
Other than the sugar the flavor was great and would be better with not as much.