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!
Hey Nagi! Obsessed with your recipes! Could I make these the night before and heat up on the stovetop or is it best to make these fresh?
You could definitely make them ahead of time!
How do you become addicted to baked beans? You make this recipe! Wow! I never follow a recipe to the letter so I added 1 tsp. Liquid smoke but that’s it! Think I’ll reduce the cayenne next time (it wasn’t too spicy, I just want the “sweet” to come through more)
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Jackie!
I’m making mine with dried baby beans….do you recommend soaking overnight??? Would that omit simmering them and cooling them twice??
I’ve tried with dried beans soaked overnight and then cooked them for 1 hr and they become really soft. I didn’t proceed with making the full recipe because I think they would have just too mushy. Will try again using the same day method and see how I go. What do you think Nagi?
Easy and delicious – thanks Nagi!
I’m so happy you loved them Julie!
I’m going away, overnight with a friend. We are having a special breakfast in the mountains. So I cooked these beans today. What a winner. Absolutely delicious, great they can be frozen too. What a delicious addition to anything. Thankyou for the lovely recipe. I added some smoky bacon bbq sauce too, as I didn’t have much bacon. Delicious Regardless☺️
Thanks so much for the awesome feedback Belinda!
Great recipe.
If anyone is sitting on the fence, go for it. This one is also very adaptable if you don’t have exactly what is listed above. My personal twist is to add corn in with the beans. Adds a nice splash of colour and crunch. I hesitated at the amount of vinegar listed, but I’m glad I didn’t use less because it was perfect.
I hope the other recipes are as good as thins one cause I’ll be coming back for more
I’m Albertan, living in Wales. The UK takes their baked beans seriously, and my Welsh partner concurs, these are some of the best baked beans we’ve ever had! I’m so glad I stumbled across your blog, I can’t wait to try out more of your recipes.
Thanks so much Chels!
As an American Southerner, I can tell you you should use white beans, not red kidney. We do usually serve as a side but you can also slice beef Frank’s and mix them in. Great for kids I use ketchup and brown sugar when I make mine. Yum.
Thanks Tali – I find the recipe works well with both red kidney and other beans!
What could I expect by substituting tomato passata with tomato puree? I doubt passata is available in my location.
Thanks,
Where do you live?? Passata is called puree in the US 🙂
Terrific and Delicious .. .and I don’t even like beans, but I took SECONDS on this. My husband made this… Thank you, Nagi for another terrific recipe!!!
🙌🏻 🙌🏻 LOVE hearing that! Thanks for letting me know Brooke! N x
Dynamite recipe……….has all the right things. Thank you for sharing it!
That’s terrific to hear Pat! So glad you enjoyed this! N x
I’m making it Sunday and it sounds like my thing. thanks in advance.
Hi Nagi,
I was raised in North Carolina USA (American South) and your recipe is really close to authentic Southern American Baked Beans. The only significant difference is we always use brown sugar and not molasses.
Another person commented how her Texan husband (Texas USA) uses ham hocks. Texans are geographically in the American South, but ask any Texan where they’re from and they will ALWAYS say Texas- not the south. Texas is almost its own country within The USA.
Kyle
LOVE hearing that Kyle!! N x
Clarification- Texas baked beans are very different from Southern baked beans.
Lots of flavour and very rich but using the molasses was a bit too strong and overpowering. Will make this again but use a mix of golden syrup and molasses.
Love to know how that goes Nat! N xx
My batch came out a little too vinegary…is there a fix?
Hi Lisa! Sorry to hear that. Definitely should not be! Try adding more sugar 🙂
Nagi, what would you substitute if you went to the cupboard and discovered that you didn’t have any tomato sauce in your cupboard? 🙂 I know I could get inventive (which I may try!) but thought I’d ask whether you had any ideas!
Thanks!
Mary-Rose
HI Mary-Rose! Hmm, let me see the recipe.. OK, for this one, I would use more tomato passata, or I would mix tomato paste + water to make it a tomato sauce consistency. Then regardless of which of those I used, I would increase all of the flavourings (salt, pepper, mustauce, W sauce etc etc) by maybe 50%, or just under. You might also need to add a touch of extra sugar, but I’d wait until towards the end and taste test. Even if you subbed with canned crushed tomato, this is still going to be super tasty so don’t stress too much! N xx
Hi Nagi!
Many ,many years ago I lived in Holland for a year with my Mums cousin and her Texan husband. Beans were very much a staple made pretty much as you describe except that during the cooking process a ham hock simmered away in the sauce. Do you think I should try it that way with your recipe? Should I skip the bacon in that case?
Love your recipes!
Awwww YUM to ham hock in beans! If you do that, you probably won’t need the bacon – or at least much less – because ham hock adds so much flavour! N x
Hi Nagi, I would like to make this recipe for 50 people. How should I convert?
Hi Emma! Hover your cursor over servings and move that slider up to 50 🙂
Hi Nagi
This recipe looks fantastic and i plan on setting it off in the slow cooker tonight. Do you think it would be ok cooking for 8 hours overnight though? 6 hours means going to be very late or getting up very early 🙂
Thanks
Brian
Hi Brian! Am pretty sure 8 hours will be fine, beans aren’t that fragile 🙂 Otherwise, if you have a 6 hour timer, it will stay warm for a few hours in the slow cooker even without a warm setting (which mine has, very handy!).
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’m from the Southern US, live in Brazil. It’s a little difficult to find recipes that don’t rely on the canned “pork and beans”.
Recipe request: The original Heinz BBQ sauce. The one that is a little runny, and has a little spice/heat to it.
We don’t have it here either! That’s why I make mine from scratch 🙂 Oooh, I will pick up a bottle when I next need BBQ Sauce and compare it to my BBQ sauce, let’s see what I can do! N x
Hi Nagi! If I could only find small good quality red beans, can I go ahead & use the full 16 oz pound bag? I’d hate to leave a random 1/4 cup of small red beans lying around. I’m a bean person & that would be a waste to me.?? I also figured that since the beans are smaller, I might need to use the full amount.
Thank you!?
Hi Adriana! For sure 🙂 If it’s not “soupy” enough, just top up with some extra water. N xx
Thank you so much for your response! Im going to try this today with turkey bacon & well see how it turns out.☺ i had a childhood love for baked beans, but now that i avoid pork like the plague i havent eaten much lately…Never even thought about just subtsituting the pork for beef or turkey. Lol
Thanks for always posting the food i am craving!????