Homemade baked beans are so easy to make and taste so much better than store bought! Learn how to make baked beans from scratch for a delicious Southern side that is loaded with flavor.
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Baked beans are a classic Southern side that I so enjoy making! They are super simple to make and most of the time is totally hands off leaving you free to get on with preparing the rest of the feast!
These beans are so rich in flavor and they taste so much better than canned. The results are out of this world! I add ground turkey to my beans but feel free to leave it meatless or sub the turkey for ground beef or bacon.
These baked beans are perfect to serve alongside pulled pork sandwiches and perfect to enjoy as part of a hearty breakfast or brunch.
How To Make Homemade Baked Beans
- Place beans, water, and bbq seasoning in a pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes, then naturally release. Remove beans and liquid from the pressure cooker and set both aside.
- Remove beans and liquid from the pressure cooker and set both aside.
- Place a heavy bottom dutch oven pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and ground turkey and brown. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until they have softened.
- Turn off the heat and add brown sugar, molasses, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, beans and bean liquid, and salt to the pot and stir. Cover pot.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.
- After an hour, remove pot and stir. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and return beans to oven uncovered.
- Bake for about 20 minutes more. Remove and serve.
What are the best beans to use?
I like to use Navy beans, also known as haricot beans for this dish. They are a smaller white bean and they have a mild, delicate flavor. You can use Great Northern or Cannellini beans which are larger in size but have a similar taste and texture.
Can you use canned beans?
These homemade baked beans are made from scratch, so that means that we cooked the beans from dried. I used my pressure cooker to cook them quickly, you can cook them on the stovetop but this is a much longer process.
Beans cooked at home from dried taste so much better than canned beans. In comparison, canned beans can taste slightly metallic, salty and they can also be quite mushy. If you are really in a pinch, you can use canned, just rinse them really well before adding to the pot.
Can you make them ahead of time?
Yes! Baked beans are a great make ahead dish, perfect for meal prep or if you are planning the as part of a larger feast.
- Refrigerate: Let the beans cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep well for 3 to 5 days.
- Freezer: Place the cooled beans in a freezer safe container and they will keep for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen beans in the fridge overnight.
Reheat the beans in a pot on the stovetop on a low heat. If beans are too thick after refrigerating, add a little liquid to make them syrupy again.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- The baked beans will absorb additional liquid as they cool.
- If reheating beans after chilling, add about 1-2 tablespoon of liquid to keep them liquidy.
More Easy Side Dishes
Homemade Baked Beans (from Scratch)
Ingredients
- ½ lb dry navy beans about 1 and ⅓ cup
- 3 cups water
- 1 ½ Tablespoon bbq seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- ½ lb ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Place beans, water, and bbq seasoning in a pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes, then naturally release. Remove beans and liquid from the pressure cooker and set both aside.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place a heavy bottom dutch oven pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and ground turkey and brown. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until they have softened. Turn off the heat and add brown sugar, molasses, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, beans and bean liquid, and salt to the pot and stir. Cover pot.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. After an hour, remove pot and stir. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and return beans to oven uncovered. Bake for about 20 minutes more. Remove and serve.
Video
Notes
- Beans will absorb additional liquid as they cool.
- If reheating beans after chilling, add about 1-2 tablespoon of liquid to keep them liquidy.
