You can make canned baked beans taste like you made them from scratch with just a few ingredients you may already have on hand. This Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans recipe is quick and easy. It goes great with my BBQ Chicken Thighs.
“The first baked beans I’ve made in 50 years of marriage that my husband has really loved!”
Canned baked beans are a pantry staple for many of us. They’re shelf-stable, budget-friendly, and ready in minutes. But let’s be honest – straight out of the can, they’re often bland and mushy. However, with just a few simple ingredients and techniques, you can easily make canned baked beans taste just like they came straight from your oven.
As a busy mom trying to put dinner on the table quickly, I rely on canned beans a lot. But my family always turned up their noses when I served plain old baked beans. I decided to start doctoring them up and now canned beans have become one of my family’s favorite sides! The beans wind up rich saucey, and packed with flavor.
Here are my tips for transforming canned baked beans from ho-hum to homemade tasting:
Add Sweetness
Most canned baked beans have a flavor dominated by salty tomato sauce. To balance it out, I add sweetness. Molasses is traditional, but brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey also work. Just a teaspoon or two stirred in per can really enhances the flavor. It cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and makes the beans taste richer.
Amp Up the Flavor with Spices and Herbs
Out-of-the-can baked beans tend to be one-note in flavor. With the addition of some basic spices and herbs, you can make them really sing. I always add a pinch of pepper to add some heat. Then layer on other spices like chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder or dried minced onion. Chopped fresh herbs like rosemary, oregano, basil or sage also infuse lots of flavor.
Saute Some Aromatics
Chopped onion and garlic sauteed in a little oil or butter is a quick way to add a depth of flavor Cook until translucent, then stir the onion-garlic mixture into the beans Caramelized onions and crisped bacon bits also make tasty additions.
Toss in Extras
Stir in any extras you have on hand to make your baked beans unique. Diced ham, crumbled sausage, chopped bell pepper, shredded carrot, corn kernels, and cubed potato are all tasty add-ins. You can also top your beans with breadcrumbs, crushed crackers or fried shallots before baking for some crunch.
Adjust the Sauce
The sauce in canned baked beans tends to be thin, boring and one-note. I typically add tomato paste and chicken or vegetable broth to make it thicker and more complex. Worcestershire sauce and vinegar balance out the sweetness. Let it simmer so the flavors meld.
Bake Them
Pour your doctored up beans into a casserole dish. Bake at 375°F for 30-45 minutes to allow the flavors to further develop. The sauce will thicken and the beans will become melt-in-your-mouth tender. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top for some color.
Customize Them
Once you get the basic method down, adapt the beans to suit your taste. Some ideas:
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BBQ Beans – Stir in BBQ sauce and chopped brisket. Top with shredded cheddar.
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Cowboy Beans – Toss in chili, ground beef and bacon.
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Greek Beans – Add oregano, feta and olives.
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Cajun Beans – Stir in cajun seasoning, andouille sausage and peppers.
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Breakfast Beans – Mix in ham, scrambled eggs and cheese.
My Family’s Favorite Doctored Up Baked Bean Recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 (15 oz) cans baked beans
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1⁄4 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper
- 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
Instructions
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Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft.
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Add garlic-onion mixture to a medium pot along with the baked beans, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, bacon and vinegar.
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Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow flavors to blend.
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Pour into a casserole dish and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.
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Remove from oven, garnish with extra crumbled bacon if desired. Enjoy!
With just a few extra ingredients and a quick simmer on the stovetop and in the oven, boring canned beans are transformed into a restaurant-worthy side dish. Even my bean-hating kids will gobble these up! I like to make a big batch on the weekend. The leftover beans keep well in the fridge all week long to enjoy in lunches and quick dinners.
What’s your favorite way to jazz up canned baked beans? I’m always looking for new flavor combinations to try. No matter how you spice them up, homemade tasting beans are just minutes away with these easy doctoring up tips. You’ll never look at plain old canned beans the same way again.
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
Short on time or just don’t want to go to the trouble of making baked beans from scratch?
Prepare this recipe ahead of time for important events like graduations, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, summer barbecues, potlucks, and even the holidays!
Many people like canned baked beans but don’t think they taste like home-cooked beans. My Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans are an easy way to make them taste like you made them from scratch! This is the best canned baked beans recipe that has hundreds of four- and five-star reviews.
You can use simple ingredients you may already have to make canned baked beans taste even better. No one will ever guess you started with a store-bought convenience item!
This baked beans recipe with canned beans is:
- Easy!
- inexpensive because you don’t need many extra ingredients—just good, flavorful ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
- Completely make-ahead.
- A sure crowd-pleaser!
How to make Canned Baked Beans Taste Homemade:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this baked beans recipe, along with how to prep the ingredients. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
- Can Baked Beans: Use canned baked beans that are “original” or have a simple flavor. Stay away from ones that taste like hickory smoke, maple, or other flavors. They won’t go well with these other ingredients and might even overpower them.
- Bacon: Pick your favorite brand, but stay away from flavored bacon.
- Mustard: For this baked beans recipe, I like spicy brown mustard best, but Dijon or yellow mustard will also work.
- Molasses: Some readers have said that maple syrup worked well instead of molasses. You’ll taste more like maple, which I like if you don’t mind and don’t want to mess up the flavors by adding flavored bacon, beans, etc.
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Start with four 16. 5-ounce or two 28-ounce cans of Bush’s original recipe baked beans
- Put the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate after cooking it until it’s crispy. Reserve the bacon drippings.
- Cook the onion in the reserved drippings until it’s softened.
- Combine everything in a 4-quart baking dish. Save a little bacon to sprinkle over the top.
- DO IT AHEAD: You can put the beans together up to two days ahead of time. Refrigerate covered until needed.
- Leave the lid off and bake for an hour, or until the beans are hot, bubbling, and the top is caramelized. Yessssss……. like this!.
- Garnish with the reserved bacon…
- And let everyone dig in!
- So easy and they’ll be the hit of your get-together!
- You can use a slow cooker if you’d rather make these baked beans that way. However, the top won’t get caramelized. As one reader suggested, put a tea towel on top of the slow cooker to soak up the steam and keep the beans from getting too watery. On LOW, cook for 5 to 6 hours or 3 to 3 hours. 5 hours on HIGH.
First, ensure the beans didn’t sit out too long at your gathering. Two hours at room temperature is the max. Longer than that and you’re flirting with a foodborne illness.
If you have leftovers, put them in the fridge or freeze them in an airtight container for up to two months.
FREEZER-FRIENDLY: Freeze them in an airtight container for two to three months for later use. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave and bake as directed.
How to make canned Baked Beans taste HOMEMADE!! | Tanny Cooks
FAQ
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