Southern style Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon in a thick, rich, glossy sauce with a perfect balance of sweet and a hint of tang. An essential side for a blow out BBQ or Southern feast – think pulled pork, barbecue chicken, sticky ribs, Fried Chicken, sweet juicy corn, coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni salad and cornbread. Swoooooon!!
Southern Baked Beans
Southern Baked Beans are like the bolder, brasher big sister of our Aussie baked beans. Whereas our beans are known as a breakfast staple, with its translucent, shiny tomato sauce, the Southern version is a a side dish that’s packed with big, bold southern flavours.
The sauce is glossy, it’s sweet, it’s savoury, and even though it’s “just” a side dish, no one could overlook it on a table laden with food!
Here it is pictured with a side of Coleslaw, Pulled Pork and crusty Artisan bread (it’s unbelievably quick and easy, no knead. Though….. cornbread would be much more on theme on this plate!)
What goes in Southern Baked Beans
You’ll find a lot of recipes are based around store bought canned baked beans – sauce and all. I really just prefer making it from scratch – you can control the flavour yourself, you know what goes in it, and all that usual jazz. 🙂
So here’s what you need to make these Southern Baked Beans.
Just a note on a few of the ingredients:
-
Beans – I usually make this with red kidney beans, just something I picked up from Ina Garten’s baked beans recipe. Flavour wise it doesn’t really make a difference what beans you use because the sauce flavour is so strong. So feel free to use navy beans (haricot) which is the more common type of beans used in Southern Baked Beans, pinto, cannellini or any other small to medium beans of choice;
-
Molasses – adds colour, gloss and flavour. Easy substitute: golden syrup!
-
Tomato passata – this is just plain, pure, pureed tomato. If you’re in the US, it’s sometimes labelled “tomato puree” instead. More information on tomato passata here.
How to make baked beans
It’s probably thoroughly not in the spirit of baked beans to NOT bake it! But it starts on the stove with the browning of the bacon, so I just find it easier to leave it on the stove.
But you can bake it if you prefer! It can also be slow cooked – directions included in the recipe.
I know baked beans are traditionally served as a side in the states, but in all honesty, the sauce of this Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon is so good, with such much kapow flavours, I’m happy to slurp it up just like this: in a big bowl with some corn bread to slop up all that sauce. (Try the muffin version too, they’re fabulous!)
Or even as breakfast. I promise there is a couple of pieces of (burnt) toast under that very generous serving of baked beans! Try it with a fried or poached egg, or even scrambled eggs!
Big Barbecue Feast!
And of course, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t suggest a load of dishes for a big barbecue feast. Here are some barbecue favourites that demand a side of baked beans!!
I know I keep going on and on about giant BBQ feasts, but of course baked beans are a brilliant side dish for normal meals too. 😂 It will keep in the fridge for days, so you can keep bringing it out over and over again… who can get sick of these baked beans?? – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon (Southern)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 150g/ 5 oz bacon , chopped
- 1 medium onion , finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced (or 1 1/2 tsp garlic paste)
- 3 x 400g / 14oz cans red kidney or other beans, drained and rinsed (Note 1)
- 3/4 cup ketchup (Note 2)
- 3/4 cup tomato passata / US tomato puree (Note 3)
- 1/4 cup molasses (Note 4)
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tsp mustard powder (or 1 tbsp Dijon or American mustard)
- 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3/4 tsp EACH salt & pepper , plus more to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil over high heat (can skip oil if bacon is super fatty). Add bacon and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add onion and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes until onion and bacon are golden.
- Add remaining ingredients. Stir, bring to simmer, then place lid on.
- Then either turn down heat to medium low (simmering gently) and cook on the stove for 1 hour, stirring every now and then so the bottom doesn't catch. OR bake at 160°C/325°F for 60 minutes.
- SLOW COOKER option: Reduce water to 1/4 cup, transfer to slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low.
- The sauce should be thickened (cook with lid off for a bit if not thick enough) and glossy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste at the end. See notes for serving suggestions!
Recipe Notes:
- 1 can = 1 3/4 cups beans once drained
- Recipe calls for 3 cans = 5 1/4 cups beans
- 1 cup dried beans = 2 3/4 cups cooked
- So you will need 2 cups dried beans (2 x 2.75 = 5 1/2 cups cooked beans)
Nutrition Information:
Originally published June 2017, updated June 2020 with fresh new photos, brand new video!
More bean recipes
Life of Dozer
In case you missed the Life of Dozer video on Monday – Dozer’s analysis of deconstructed Gado Gado at a glance:
And Life of Dozer from the original publication date:
First sunrise back in Sydney with Mr D after arriving home from my trip to Japan. 🙂 Even though his boarder reported no signs of separation anxiety or even a fleeting moment of forlornness that would indicate that he missed me in the slightest (😤), I was greeted with sufficient enthusiasm to think otherwise!
Hello Nagi,
Im in Australia and I adapted/ modified this recipe for pressure canning. It worked an absolute treat. The first time ever I have strayed from your recipes on the first go, but the sauce is great for the hubby though I switched the Cayenne for liquid smoke….
🍺
Forlorning over the fact that this dog has a much more glamorous life than I will ever have.
Comforting myself with these beans.
It’s all good except for the canned beans.
Hi Mike – the dried bean option is there in Note 1 of the recipe! I make it both ways depending on how much time I have! N x
This is about the tenth time cooking what can only be described as a very tasty dish. No one tires of eating this in the family….
Love this recipe! My friends, family, and coworkers all enjoy it. Thank you! I do have a question – I feel I am doing something wrong – either in the beans I buy or when I add ingredients. I have made several wonderful batches but a few of them came out with slightly crunchy beans – as if they were not cooked prior (but they are from a can) or maybe as if they absorbed too much salt..? What are your thoughts? I have mostly used a Dutch oven for this and have also tried the oven method as well, using the times provided. Tried adding even more time on low to see if that would help. My only substitution is the tomato purée – if I can’t find it, I use tomato sauce. Does anything stand out that could cause me to have firmer beans? I have read where the quality of bean could be a factor and if using too much salt/when you add it, could also be a factor. Would love your thoughts – I love love this recipe! Thank you!
Have made this multiple times and is the best. I always use maple syrup. Is also awesome with kransky as bacon substitute
YUM!!! Sounds great Connor!! N x
6 stars
YEP… 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Just cooked this… Sooo easy. The house smells great!
awww MAN!! wen i clicked on this blog site and saw her face??….as we say in the south of of USA . this lady can burn !! check out her brown butter fish dinner ….soo good!! i made it multiple times
I made this to take to a barbecue, and they were a huuuuge hit! Someone who doesn’t normally care for baked beans even said he loved them. They are indeed so very delicious!! Thank you!
YUM!!! This recipe is so delicious and freezes easily for the most gourmet weekend breakfasts. I’ll be cooking again and again and again!
Well, this recipe has me shaking my head in awe!
Beans this way are an absolute taste fess! I’m still getting tingles of taste coming in well after eating them. 12 out of 10!
I also had them with ciabatta toast which was another win
Nagi I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this delicious recipe and so many more, I migrated to Australia a few years ago and your recipes are helping me feel part of this place that I now call home, my husband and my 2 year old son enjoys them too.
Baked beans where easy to make and very tasty.
Cooked 2 cans of kidney beans with the same amount of other ingredients. Hubby then put everything in a cast iron pan and into the smoker for 3 hours. It came out Texas delicious.
So very good and easy to make. on the sweet side but not to bad, next time I won’t put so much molasses . Made in crockpot .
I used this recipe base to make my own version of baked beans because I liked the majority of the ingredients used! Just no ketchup or Worcestershire sauce because I need to buy some. I tired great northern beans last time and they turned out great. Making some now with navy beans and adding bell pepper and celery to it. I know they’ll be great!
Hi Nagi.
Planning to make this for the family but my wife is a pescatarian. What would you recommend substituting the bacon for? Was considering using anchovies? Thanks
Hi Sharief, anchovies would be a great sub for that salty umami flavour! N x
First time ever making or trying home made baked beans. They are awesome. Made with the cornbread muffins. They are awesome. Every recipe on here is a winner. I’ve never come across a flop or something that has even tasted remotely bad. 10/10
Was hunting around for a good camping dinner to feed 12 people and these beans with the pork, slaw and bread will be the perfect all rounder for kids and adults. Bonus is it can all be cooked before we leave.
Another excellent recipe Nagi! Thoughts on adding a bit of liquid smoke, or finishing in a smoker instead of stove top or oven?
Oh dear Deborah green….
don’t comment unless you have tried the recipe, no one needs your negativity.
Thanks so much for the support Jo 🙂 – I accept all forms of feedback but it’s not really helpful if someone comments without even trying the recipe!
Can you can this? Would you pressure cook or water bath?
I haven’t tried sorry Diana, I’d love to know though! N x