Mom’s homestyle Oven Baked Beans are simply savory and delicious. They’re sweet, tangy, and loaded with bacon—the perfect BBQ side dish!
My mom’s oven baked beans are so gooood! They’re super easy to prep and the rest is done in the oven. For a complete summer meal pair with BBQ Ribs and Corn on the Cob!
Mom’s Baked Beans
I don’t know about you, but there are definitely certain things I love eating during the summer. For me it’s fresh fruit, grilled meat & veggies, macaroni salad, potato salad and baked beans!
My mom’s beans are something we grew up eating a lot, usually hot but sometimes cold (she’d pack up a container and we’d take it with us on the lake). I always looked forward to a big serving of them.
Speaking of serving size, this recipe yields a big bowl of beans! I’m talking it could easily feed 8-12 people. For our little family that’s quite a bit, but hey, the more leftovers the merrier 🙂
We always make a full batch and eat them as a side with dinner for the rest of the week… and it’s always a good idea! If you want to scale it down a bit just check out the NOTES at the bottom of the recipe, ’cause I’ve got you covered!
How to Make Baked Beans
PREP. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
BACON. Set a large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set on a paper towel lined plate.
COMBINE. In a large Dutch-oven or casserole dish, add the diced bell pepper and onion along with the pork & beans, chili sauce (or BBQ sauce), brown sugar and pepper. Crumble the bacon over top, then stir to combine.
BAKE. Place in the oven and bake for 1 ½ – 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer you cook the beans, the thicker they’ll get. Do know that as they cool they’ll thicken too. Remove from the oven, stir then let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Note: The longer you cook the oven baked beans the thicker they get because more water will evaporate and the mixture will naturally thicken. To thin out the beans you will want to add more water, chili sauce, or chicken broth.
Storing Tips + Variations
They should last for about 5 days STORED in an airtight container in the fridge.
To REHEAT you may or may not have to add some extra liquid when reheating the baked beans because they tend to dry out. Reheat in the oven, on the stove, or in the crockpot until they are warmed through.
FREEZE the beans in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw the beans overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes or so.
Additions/Variations:
- For more spice add small diced jalapenos, hot sauce, or use a spicy chili sauce
- To make beans sweeter then you should up the amount of brown sugar you add, you can increase it to a ½ cup if you want.
- For a vegetarian version use vegetarian beans, instead of pork and beans, and omit the bacon.
- Consider adding a ½ to 1 Tablespoon of liquid smoke for a smokier taste.
- To make in an instant pot follow a similar process to make instant pot baked beans as you would use for instant pot pinto beans, except you are going to want to use bbq sauce and bacon as you cook them.
Other side dishes for a BBQ:
Oven Baked Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-5 strips bacon
- 1/2 green bell pepper - seeded and diced
- 1/2 small yellow onion - diced
- 1 (53 oz.) can pork and beans
- 1/4 cup Heinz Chili Sauce - OR your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set on a paper towel lined plate.
- In a large Dutch-oven or casserole dish, add the diced bell pepper and onion along with the pork & beans, chili sauce (or BBQ sauce), brown sugar and pepper. Crumble the bacon over top, then stir to combine. Place in the oven and bake for 1 ½ – 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer you cook the beans, the thicker they'll get. Do know that as they cool they'll thicken too. Remove from the oven, stir then let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Maybe it was meant to be 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke. 1/2 cup would be way overboard. That stuff can kill a batch of jerky. Use sparingly!
Hi Bob,
You are correct, we have updated it to be 1/2 to 1 Tablespoon of liquid smoke.
Oh my, this is something I could eat with every meal!! They are easy to make & always gone within minutes! It seems like everyone loves them!
We make these all summer long as a side dish for our BBQs. I love homemade baked beans. So much better than store bought!