Make canned baked beans even better! This recipe for Easy Ultimate Baked Beans will be your new favorite side dish this summer and all year long! I’m OBSESSED with this recipe!
How to Make Baked Beans: Easy Ultimate Baked Beans
I am so excited to share this recipe! I have never been the biggest fan of baked beans until my husband Parker made these for me a few years ago. WOW. These baked beans should be a side dish for every meal! And to make it even better, these are so easy to make! Just dump all the ingredients into an oven-safe dish, stir and bake for an hour! If you want to be really fancy you can do what BBQ restaurants do to make their beans incredible… use leftover brisket or pulled pork to help flavor the beans! We tend to eat all our pulled pork when we make it, so that’s why we use bacon in the recipe. These Easy Ultimate Baked Beans should be a staple side dish for your family this summer and all year long! Enjoy our recipe for the BEST baked beans ever!
Can You Make Baked Beans in a Slow Cooker?
Because all you’re doing for this recipe is combining the ingredients and letting them cook together to thicken and build flavor, you can easily make these baked beans in a slow cooker! Slow cooker meals can be great because if you run out of room in the oven or don’t want to bother making these an hour before the meal just put all the ingredients in a slow cooker, stir and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Stir occasionally! If you have a smoker and want to add that smokey flavor, cook for only an hour! No matter how you cook these Ultimate Easy Baked Beans they are truly amazing! Even my nephew who is the pickiest eater alive loved these beans!
How to Make Canned Beans Better?
I am always looking for ways to make store-bought foods better. The is the best and easiest way to make canned baked beans better! We like to use Bush’s Original Baked Beans. Adding bacon is a great way to instantly boost the flavor because let’s be honest…bacon makes just about everything better. The other ingredients added like the onion, brown sugar, mustard and garlic just help to deepen the flavors. Canned baked beans are very one note, they just taste like beans. But when you add all these other ingredients it turns into an explosion of flavor! Everyone will be begging you for the recipe when you should up to your next block party with these Easy Ultimate Baked Beans!
What Goes Well with Baked Beans?
Baked beans are always the perfect side dish for anything BBQ related! The dish is high in protein so it’s great to keep kids (and adults) full and happy. Bring this to your next potluck or neighborhood party! My husband and I will sometimes just make veggie kabobs and make these beans as the side, yum! Parker (my husband) loves to use a potato chip as a spoon when he eats these! But let me tell you, once you make these you will never go back to plain old baked beans because they’re just that good. You’ll be looking for excuses to make these baked beans with every meal.
Are you drooling yet? Luckily we still have some of these baked beans in the fridge so I can eat some right after I write this post!
This really is the best baked beans recipe ever. Like ever.

Easy Ultimate Baked Beans
Make canned beans even better with this AMAZING recipe for Slow Cooker BBQ Baked Beans! The perfect Summer side dish for any BBQ, potluck party, or get together.
Ingredients
- 1 28 oz can baked beans
- 6 slices cooked bacon chopped in 1/4 inch pieces
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a casserole dish, cast iron pan, or other oven safe dish. Add all the ingredients and stir until well incorporated.
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Bake for 1 hour, stirring halfway through.
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Serve.
Recipe Notes
If cooking in a slow cooker, cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8.
If we were to bake them in the oven, what temp would you recommend?
350 degrees! I’ll add that to the recipe right now!!
This is my 3rd time since December seems like every repass now that’s what’s requested
Hi Lizzy — Question about onions because the photo at the top with all the ingredients in a skillet shows purple onions and the recipe calls for yellow. The taste would definitely be different depending on the type of onions. What do you recommend?
Thanks!
Julia Bottita
So sorry about that mix up Julia! I have tried the recipe with both red and yellow onion and both are great but personally I prefer the red onion. Enjoy!
I also would like to know which type of onion you recommend as the recipe states yellow but the picture is of purple onions. Also, would it be possible to make this over a campfire? If so, what directions would you follow?
I fixed the recipe and everything should be correct now. You can use either onion but I prefer using red onion. Absolutely you can make this over a campfire and that would be delicious! Use a cast iron pan over charcoals or a dutch oven on charcoal or hung over the fire. The thing to watch out with on a campfire is too high of heat so be sure to stir more frequently. Since all the ingredients are cooked already you will be looking for your desired thickness. I would guess it would take about 30-60 minutes depending on the size and amount of coals you are cooking over. Best of luck and be sure to let me know if you have any other questions.
Your recipe indicates yellow onion, but your picture shows red onion, which one did you use?
We had a little technical hiccup with the recipe that was inserted in the post. It should be fixed now! I use the red onion in this recipe. Thanks!
Great Recipe! I’ve been making this recipe for 50 years (I use Bush’s now – no Bush’s then – just pork and beans) Sometimes I add Hamburger or some crushed pineapple or some barbecue sauce or all….and dry spices, like garlic, lemon pepper, etc. But the basic recipe is just like yours! And of course I always have to bring MY baked beans.
This is super close to our family recipe too! Everyone always raves about our famous beans. We use mustard powder instead of yellow mustard, and bbq instead of ketchup. Super yummy!!
IS THE BACON COOKED BEFORE ASSEMBLING THE INGREDIENTS?
This is basically our family recipe with a few small changes. We never cook the bacon
Wow, that’s almost my mother’s recipe! She always added cut up green pepper too!
Ultimate no very good yes.
Hint keep the expensive baked beans for another occasion, I used the least expensive baked beads I could find and it worked fine.
So easy and turned out great.
Shoul it bevbe TWO cans of beans if it serves 12?
I want to make these for a tailgater. If I make them as recipe states then refrigerate over night, can I just reheat them on a grill the next day? Thanks!
That was way too much mustard for the recipe. All I could taste was mustard. I will cut it in half next time I make it.
Agreed. Just made them for a Father’s Day cookout and the mustard is WAY too overpowering. Wish I would’ve read your comment beforehand and cut back on it.
Made this as receipe was written.
Great beans, perfect as a side to BBQ meat.
So, we doubled the recipe. Four tbsp of minced garlic……if you’re worried about vampires, no need after this. Aside from that, it was gooooood
My mom’s basic recipe but she added a can of butter beans n kidney beans with extra “fixins” so they weren’t dry! Hers was a tweak on my grandma’s! They are awesome!
Look yummy! One of my favorite Baked Beans, nice to see your recipe, easy to follow, will cook this for family this weekend. Thanks you!
How many does his serve? I’m needing to serve 50 for a cookout
So baked beans are already packed with sugar and then you add ketchup which is more sugary then molasses and brown sugar. Think I’ll pass.
Your page is impossible to read with all your add
Covered or uncovered?
Sorry but I am wondering if 1/4 cup of mustard was the wrong measurement? We have another recipe which calls for 2 teaspoons of mustard. Thank you.
This dish was awesome! I used turkey bacon instead of regular…and mustard powder instead of regular.. The bean base was Bush’s barbecue baked beans. I forgot the garlic.. Still..this dish was amazing.
The only recipe for baked beans I ever use! I make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon. Bake for about 50 mins and it’s perfect.
Made this for funeral dinner now whenever someone dies family ask for these bake beans
Baked beans, seriously? Yes, it’s surprisingly delicious! It may take longer time for the preparation to serving but tell you, all worth it. I never tasted and cooked beans like this before. A good addition to my easy yet tasty weekend recipe.
I haven’t prepared baked beans in ages. And now you reminded me just how much I love this simple dish. I love your recipe. Sounds so delicious… it looks fab too! Will give it a try.
Absolutely delicious! Never made baked beans before. So happy I found your recipe. I will be making this again. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Best baked beans recipe I have found. Everyone loved it. I cut down half the molasses and brown sugar and it still came out great. Thank You!
Our family has been making these beans for decades. Our recipe is slightly different – only about 2 tbsp mustard, no molasses and what really puts it over the top – about 1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke! Our favorite cookout beans!
The information you share gives me more knowledge. I am very grateful for that. paper io 2
Hesitate to make this because of leftover molasses. Any suggestions to use it up? Or can I substitute the molasses with something else
Have you ever made ahead of time and freezes them?
I’m OBSESSED with this recipe!
So delicious. I like these food. It’s will a new dish in my menu. Thank you for sharing!
Great Recipe!
The food looked so delicious and so wonderful, I really wanted to enjoy such delicious food. Thank you for sharing the recipe. fireboy and watergirl
The cakes are so fresh, the recipe you made is so great and you have really clever hands, I really like the way you decorate them.
I don’t know why this recipe says 2 TABLESPOONS of minced garlic for one can, the amount of mustard and ketchup. But this is the most disgusting baked beans I’ve ever had and that includes from the can! I should have trusted my gut and gone with the simple molasses, brown sugar, and can baked beans Like my mom always did. I can not say enough how much people should not use this recipe!!
This is the most incredible baked beans I have ever had. There is nothing to compare to it.
I make these often… These are super yummy!