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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.
Can you use salt pork instead of bacon & what would you do with the salt pork?
Hi Brian – I’ve never cooked with salt pork before, so I’m not sure! If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out! ~Kelsey
Yes my mother law used salt pork for her recipe
I make mine with 6 oz of chopped salt pork, just add with the other ingredients
Came out as described. Recipe was easy to follow. I liked the taste but I probably won’t make again since there’s so much sugar in them!
Hi Katherine – You could certainly decrease the sugar, if desired! 🙂
Perfect recipe! Straightforward, easy to execute, and so flavorful!
I love baked beans, and miss them since I’ve become diabetic, so I was excited when I saw this classic recipe.
I substituted the brown sugar for Swerve Brown Sugar Replacement, and the ketchup for BBQ sauce I made with the same Swerve, and it came out perfect first time. I now cook them at least once a week!
Thanks!
Trivia makes a lower sugar replacement for brown sugar. Available most places.
These are on point! Made for the first time and tweaked it a bit. Used peppered bacon, bell pepper, a mixture of dry beans I had on hand and white vinegar. They are perfect! Perfect texture, taste and had people asking for my recipe! I just smiled and said it’s a secret. Lol….. I will be making this for future church functions and family gatherings! Thank you!!!!
Morning Kelsey, would like to make this weekend but not wanting to start oven with this heat. Do you think cooking in crockpot on high would work but how long? Judy
Hi Judy – I’ve never done this, but I think it should work alright. I’d love to know if you give it a try!
1. Soak the beans overnight.
2. Add the beans to a crockpot along with fresh water, baking soda and salt. I’d cook them on high for 2 hours and see if they’re soft. If not, continue to cook longer.
3. Drain the beans (though you’ll want to save the liquid for the next part).
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the beans and heat up in the crockpot (low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, though every slow cooker is different!), stirring occasionally.
Hope this helps!!! ~Kelsey
Easy to make and amazing taste. I add some hot pepper flakes to give it a kick. Everything went and everyone loved it.
So happy to hear!!! ~Kelsey
I give this a 5 because the end product was great and I’ll give you a tip if your beans end up hard. I followed the recipe to the tee. It has a great flavor so don’t deviate from the actual ingredients. However, after one hour on the stove (after soaking the beans overnight) and two hours in the oven, the beans were still a bit hard. I ended up putting them in a pot on the stove and simmering them for an hour or so, but guess what? I added V8! Maybe a cup and a half or so. They came out FABULOUS! Enjoy!
I want to try these, but I need them to be without any meat. Can I just eliminate the bacon or do I need to substitute it with something else?
Hi Ruth, to be completely honest, I’ve never tried them without! 🙂 If you give it a try, I’d love to know how they turn out! ~Kelsey
Are these able to be canned? I’d so how long? And in a pressure canner?
Hi Rachel – I’ve never canned these (or any baked beans for that matter) so I’m not sure. ~Kelsey
I’ve make them all the time with no bacon.
Perfect recipe! Straightforward, easy to execute, and so flavorful!
I love baked beans, and miss them since I’ve become diabetic, so I was excited when I saw this classic recipe.
I substituted the brown sugar for Swerve Brown Sugar Replacement, and the ketchup for BBQ sauce I made with the same Swerve, and it came out perfect first time. I now cook them at least once a week!
Thanks!
I followed the recipe to a T after about 90min I took the foil off their still in the oven after 3hrs. I have tasted them great taste. The beans are still a bit crunchy, I will definitely try again. Also pass this recipe to my granddaughters.
Hi Denise – You could try simmering them for longer before adding the other ingredients if you want them a bit softer! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed these and are passing the recipe off to grandkids! ~Kelsey
Can you process these beans? Canning them for another day? Get them to the point of placing in the oven but instead put it in pint jars and pressure can it?
Hi Mary – I honestly don’t have much experience with canning so I’m not sure! ~Kelsey
Making these for the family soon. One of my nephews is allergic to mustard so this recipe looks to be great all.
Thanks
Can this be cooked in a slow cooker ?
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
Hi Rachel! We don’t eat pork so I added 2 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke to get that yummy smoky flavor instead. I added it along with the ketchup and vinegar. One of my family members does not like her beans to be too sweet so we added a little salt and about a Tbsp of Dijon mustard to cut the sweet a little, then she was happy with it. In the future I will probably cut the sugar in half. Other than that this is a great recipe. We’re serving it tonight with turkey hot dogs and homemade mac ‘n cheese. Thanks!
Tip for salting dried beans. Heavily salt the soaking water with your dried beans. The after soaking rinse the beans as normal and cook without salt in the pot. The beans will be salty and the non-salted water will allow your beans to soften. Salted water hardens the beans shell while cooking. So salting in the soaking water solves the hardening of the beans.
Ridiculous! This was my first time making from scratch beans, and I’ll be honest in saying it’ll be hard to beat them! I do a lot of cooking on my Traeger, and I save leftover meats in the freezer. So I added some diced brisket, chunks of my home made bacon, some pulled pork and ground beef. Took it to the next level of awesomeness. Might try adding a minced habanero just for a slight bit of heat. Not looking to burn things to the ground inside my mouth…just a slight “attention getter”.
YUM! Sounds like some deliciously meaty baked beans! ~Kelsey
These were way too sweet, even though I cut the brown sugar in half. I doubled the apple cider vinegar and that helped. I also added a teaspoon of asian garlic chili sauce.
Definitely way too sweet, but certainly tasty. I’d start with half the brown sugar and molasses. Add more if it isn’t sweet enough for your liking. Easier to add sugars than remove them.
So delicious! I used monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar, and tomato sauce instead of ketchup (and some of the water), and it is so good! Yum, thanks! 🙂
So happy you enjoyed it, Elizabeth! 🙂 ~Kelsey
From a Neighbourly Baker:
I made those today, and they turned out great! My sister is vegetarian so I didn’t add any pork. I also added about 2 tsp of Yellow Mustard, and I replaced the ketchup with Diana BBQ Sauce and instead of maple syrup I added honey garlic sauce instead. I also added fresh cracked pepper. Thank
You so much for the recipe/inspiration! We are about t have those over a double baked potatoes with butter, onions, salt/pepper, shredded cheese, and then topped with these beans! Served with salad! Yum! Thanks again!
I have not tried this recipe yet. But the ingredients and recipe just seem to be what I’m looking for. I will give it a rating after I make the baked beans. J
Curious to hear what you think!! I hope you love them! 🙂