Barbecue Baked Beans

Above view of a serving bowl of bbq baked beans, a striped towel, and a small dish of brown sugar.

There’s nothing quite like homemade, and these Barbecue Baked Beans will stand out among all your other cookout sides. The flavors are bold and smooth at the same time. White beans simmer slowly in the sauce you’ll make from scratch. It will have everyone asking for more!

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Rest Time10

Total Time1 20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 163kcal

Author: Tristin - Home Cooked Harvest

Ingredients

2-3 slices bacon raw
1/4 cup yellow onion very finely diced
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup bbq sauce
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons mustard
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 15-ounce cans navy or great northern beans drained and rinsed

Instructions

In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, drain off most of the bacon drippings, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
Add the diced onion to the bacon drippings and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Stir in the ketchup, BBQ sauce, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and water. Stir until the brown sugar has dissolved and the sauce is smooth.
Gently fold in the drained beans and the crumbled cooked bacon. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes, uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling gently, not a hard boil.
If the sauce becomes thicker than you'd like, stir in another 2-4 tablespoons of water. If you want it thicker, simmer a few minutes longer.
Remove from the heat and let the beans rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Change the beans. Use pinto, black beans, or a combination of your favorite canned beans.
Make them spicy. Add diced jalapeno, chipotle peppers, or a pinch of cayenne for a spicy kick.
Vegetarian - make the beans vegetarian by leaving the bacon out. Saute the onions in olive oil instead.
Any leftover beans will last 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

Nutrition