Baked Beans From Scratch

Baked beans in a casserole dish with a wooden spoon.

Make baked beans from scratch for your next holiday dinner or family barbecue! Navy beans are simmered in a rich, sticky sauce made with molasses, brown sugar, and bacon.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3 30

Soaking Time 8

Total Time 11 45

Servings servings

Author Heather

Ingredients

16 ounces dried navy beans
8 slices bacon chopped
1 medium onion diced
8 ounces tomato sauce
8 ounces beef broth
¼ cup (53 g) brown sugar
¼ cup (60 g) molasses
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Dry bean prep

Add dry beans to a large stock pot and and cover with water 4 inches above the beans with extra room in the pan. Allow beans to soak on the counter top for 8 hours, or overnight.
Drain and rinse beans, return to pot, and cover with water 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 hour. Drain beans and set aside.

Baked beans

Preheat oven to 325℉.
Return pot to the stovetop over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan.
Add onions and cook until lightly browned around the edges and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Return the soaked beans and cooked bacon to the pan along with ½ cup of water and the remaining ingredients: tomato sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, molasses, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Pour bean mixture into a 9x13 pan and spread into an even layer.
Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours. If the pan is looking dry, add a splash of water and stir to combine.
Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes, or until sauce has thickened to your liking.
Remove from oven and serve warm.

Video

Notes

Using canned beans: Skip the dry bean prep section of the recipe and replace the soaked beans with four 15-ounce cans of drained and rinsed navy beans.
For sweeter baked beans: Double the listed brown sugar if you like sweet baked beans.
Make ahead: To make baked beans 1-2 days ahead of time, prepare the recipe as written. Before baking your casserole dish, cover and store in the refrigerator. On the day of serving, bake as directed above.
Leftovers: Leftover baked beans will keep for 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Baked beans can also be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw frozen baked beans, transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

Nutrition