Step up your bean game by making Baked Beans from Scratch!! Soaked navy beans are mixed with a simple sauce made of brown sugar, vinegar, and smoky bacon, and then the whole thing is simmered until the beans are soft and oh-so-delicious!
What Are the Best Baked Beans Ever? is one of the most-read blog posts on Dance Around the Kitchen. They are truly SO good.
But people do ask me if I can make baked beans from scratch with dried beans instead of canned beans. We found that the answer is a resounding YES! They take a little longer to make, but they’re worth it because they’re the best side dish ever!!!!
Baked beans are a beloved comfort food for many people across the globe With their rich, smoky flavors and soft, creamy texture, baked beans make for a warm, satisfying meal any time of day But have you ever wondered exactly what ingredients baked beans are made from? What gives them their distinctive sweet and savory taste?
In this article, I’ll walk you through the main components that go into a pot of delicious baked beans and explain what each ingredient contributes. Understanding what’s in baked beans will not only satisfy your curiosity but also help you customize and improve recipes to your taste. So let’s dive in and demystify this pantry staple!
The Main Event: Beans
The star of the show in any baked beans recipe is of course the beans! But what specific variety of bean is best for baking into this cozy dish?
The most traditional choice is navy beans also known as pea beans or Boston beans. These small oval white beans have a mild taste and a creamy texture that makes them perfect for absorbing the flavors of the sauce. Navy beans are used in about 70% of baked bean recipes.
Other beans like pinto beans, Great Northern beans, or even kidney beans can also be used. However, each type brings a slightly different taste, texture, and color to the final dish.
No matter what beans you choose, it’s important to soak them overnight before baking to rehydrate them. Canned beans can be used for convenience, but dried beans make the creamiest and fullest-bodied baked beans.
Sweeteners – The Key to Baked Beans’ Signature Flavor
What gives baked beans their characteristic sweetness and brown color? The key ingredients are sugar and molasses!
Granulated white sugar adds a background sweetness while molasses brings a rich, almost caramel-like flavor and dark hue. Molasses is used in about 60% of baked bean recipes.
Brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or corn syrup can also be used, but molasses is most traditional. Just a few tablespoons adds wonderful depth of flavor. The combination of sugar and molasses gives baked beans both pronounced sweetness and complexity.
Savoriness Comes from Tomatoes and Smoked Pork
To balance out the sweetness, baked beans also need some savory umami flavors. These primarily come from tomatoes and smoked or cured pork products like bacon, ham, or salt pork.
Tomatoes provide a tangy, acidic character through tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, or tomato paste. Beans soaked in a tomato-based liquid better absorb the surrounding flavors.
And the smoky, salty taste of cured pork complements the sweetened beans fabulously. Bacon, ham, pork belly, or other smoked meats are included in about 80% of baked bean dishes.
Vegetarian versions will leave out the pork and use mushrooms, soy sauce, miso, or liquid smoke to replicate that savory flavor instead.
aromatics and Seasonings Add Depth
The final flavor layer in baked beans comes from aromatics like onion and garlic, along with dried herbs and spices.
Onions lend a touch of sweetness and sulfur, while garlic adds a welcome zing. Classic seasonings like mustard powder, paprika, nutmeg, cinnamon, or cloves also help round out the taste.
Pepper and Worcestershire or hot sauce can provide a subtle heat. Mix and match herbs, spices, and aromatics to put your personal spin on the flavor.
The Sauce Binds Everything Together
All of these components need a sauce to unify them into rich, delicious baked beans. Most recipes use a tomato base seasoned with brown sugar or molasses.
Water, stock, juice, beer, cider, or soda can help thin out the sauce to the ideal creamy consistency as the beans bake. Too thin, and the sauce will be watery. Too thick, and it won’t adequately coat each bean.
A properly thickened sauce will cling to the beans and turn glossy, sticky, and caramelized with a several-hour bake. It provides the luscious texture we love in baked beans.
Putting It All Together
- Beans – typically navy beans, soaked and cooked until tender
- Sweeteners – brown sugar, molasses, honey for flavor
- Savory ingredients – cured pork and tomatoes for umami depth
- Aromatics – onions, garlic, mustard, etc. to round out flavor
- A thickened sauce – to unify all ingredients into a cohesive dish
The exact proportions and types of ingredients can be adjusted based on regional or family traditions. But these basic components work together to create the distinctive sweet, smoky, and savory satisfaction that we recognize as baked beans.
So the next time you enjoy a piping hot spoonful, you’ll know exactly what makes them so delicious! Understanding what goes into baked beans allows you to tweak and improve recipes to suit your taste. Now put that knowledge to work and whip up a batch of your perfect baked beans.
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Ingredients Needed (Amounts in Recipe Card Below)
- Dry Beans—For this recipe, I use dry navy beans. You could also use dried pinto beans, which taste a little more earthy and are a bit bigger than regular navy beans. You could also choose great northern beans, which are another kind of small white beans.
- Salt—I like to add salt to the beans when I boil them to make them taste better.
- Add baking soda to the beans before you cook them. This will help them get the right texture—not crunchy, not mushy.
- Bacon: Adding a few slices of bacon gives this recipe a nice smokey flavor and some bite.
- Onion—I like to use yellow onion, but white onion would also work well.
- Brown Sugar—Either light or dark brown sugar will work. It gives the recipe a sweeter flavor and we love!.
- Ketchup – You could use tomato sauce instead.
- Maple Syrup—I like how this recipe tastes better with pure maple syrup added to it.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – You could also use white vinegar.
How to Prepare Beans
The time it takes to prepare the dried beans is the main difference between canned baked beans and old-fashioned baked beans. Though yes, it takes some time, but the end result is super delicious baked beans!!.
To do so, you’ll soak the beans in water overnight. The beans will begin to soften, but will still have some bite to them. The next day, you’ll drain the water and add fresh water.
The baking soda softens the beans, which is pretty cool, and you’ll stir them in. Then you’ll bring them to a boil and let them simmer for an hour. Be careful not to let the water boil over as the beans will give off a foamy liquid. It’s okay, but don’t mess up the stove! Just stir them and lower the heat a bit.
Next you’ll drain the beans. However, save the liquid!!!! The reserved cooking liquid will be used in the next step.
Now it’s time to cook the bacon and onion. Cook them in a skillet until the bacon is crisp and the onions are tender.
The rest of the recipe is very easy. Just add the rest of the ingredients, along with some of the extra liquid, cover the beans, and bake them.
NOTE: If the beans start to look a little dry, just add a splash or two more of the liquid you set aside.
You can change it up by adding things like chili powder, a few drops of liquid smoke, cooked ground beef, diced green pepper, and more! There are a lot of ways to make them, and I think you’ll love them all!
Yes! You’ll follow the instructions until you pour the bean mixture into a baking dish. Instead of a baking dish, pour them into a Crock Pot. Cook them on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
In most stores, they’re in the aisle with different kinds of rice, beans, and sometimes even pasta. They’re usually stored in clear bags.
Let them cool down a bit, then put them in the fridge in a container that won’t let air in. You can do this for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing them as it’ll make the beans really soft and mushy.
This is how your Baked Beans are made | Catalyst
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