Grandma's Southern Baked Beans Recipe with Bacon + (Video) (2024)

You’ll love this easy southern baked beans recipe from my Grandma! These baked beans are a potluck and summer cookout favorite. The beans are sweet and smoky and loaded with bacon, and they only take minutes to prep.

While I love giving old recipes a new twist, some need no improvement. One bite and you’ll see why my Grandma Joyner’s Southern Baked Beans are so beloved in our family.

I make these baked beans exactly like my grandma did — down to using the same brand of canned beans! The recipe is super simple — just six ingredients — and it can be prepped in 15 minutes.

They are one of my favorite things to bring to a get-together. If you invite me to the cookout, chances are pretty good that I’ll bring Grandma’s baked beans or this Summer Vegetable Salad. For dessert, Mandarin Orange Salad is a always crowd pleaser. No wonder it’s a reader favorite.

For the main course, you can’t go wrong with hotdogs with all the toppings, especially this Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce or Fall-Off-the-Bone Pork Ribs.

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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This southern baked beans recipe with bacon is such an easy recipe to throw together for a cookout. It can easily be doubled or tripled, depending on how many people you need to feed.

The beans can be prepped ahead of time and baked just before you plan to serve them. Or you can go ahead and bake them and keep them warm in a Crock-Pot. You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker, cooking the beans for 3 to 4 hours on high or 6 to 7 hours on low.

This basic baked beans recipe doesn’t include any extras like sausage, ground beef or apples — just bacon and onions. But it doesn’t scrimp on flavor. You’ll love this sweet and tangy side dish.

Baked beans goes well with just about anything you might be grilling: hot dogs, ribs, hamburgers, steaks, pork or chicken. While they’re particularly well suited for summer cookouts and outdoor gatherings, you’ll find these beans will become a year-round, go-to side dish. I often serve this southern baked beans recipe with our holiday ham at Christmas and Easter.

Want to see a brief overview of the process before diving into the recipe? Watch my web story on how to make Grandma’s Baked Beans Recipe.

Ingredients

This baked beans recipe requires only six ingredients, most of which you probably have in your pantry or refrigerator.

• Canned Beans – My grandma always used Van Camp’s Pork and Beans in Tomato Sauce. (These canned white beans in tomato sauce have fewer seasonings and other ingredients than Van Camp’s canned baked beans and other baked beans brands.)
• Bacon – You can use either thick or thin slices of bacon. You want some fat on the bacon, as you’ll need the renderings to cook the onion.
• Onion – Use a white or yellow onion or a even sweet onion, like a Vidalia.
• Brown Sugar – I prefer light brown sugar, but you can use dark brown sugar if you prefer a stronger molasses flavor.
• Ketchup – I usually use Heinz Simply Tomato Ketchup because we prefer the flavor to other brands.
• Mustard – Regular yellow mustard is my go-to for this recipe.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Dice the bacon. Cook over medium heat in a Dutch oven until crisp.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan, reserving the drippings. Drain on paper towels.

Simmer onions in bacon grease, over medium heat, for about 5 minutes, until translucent.

Turn off the burner and add the canned beans, brown sugar, ketchup and yellow mustard to the pan with the sauteed onions.

Add the cooked, diced bacon to the bean mixture and stir to combine.

Bake, uncovered, at 300℉ degrees for 60 minutes.

Slow Cooker Method

These baked beans can also be cooked in a Crock-Pot.

1. If your slow cooker has a saute feature, saute the diced bacon over medium heat until crisp. Otherwise, use a frying pan or skillet.
2. When crisp, remove the bacon from the slow cooker or pan, reserving the drippings, and drain on paper towels.
3. Saute the onions in the bacon grease until translucent, about 5 minutes. If necessary, transfer the cooked onions to the slow cooker.
4. Add the canned beans, brown sugar, ketchup and yellow mustard to the slow cooker with the sauteed onions.
5. Add the cooked, diced bacon to the bean mixture and stir to combine.
6. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours.

📖 Variations & Substitutions

With Grandma’s Baked Beans, I’m a big believer that less is more in terms of flavor. But there are lots of different ways to make baked beans, and you may enjoy one of these substitutions or variations.

• Use more bacon or less, depending on your taste preference. You can also add full pieces of fried bacon to the top of the beans before cooking.
• Substitute spicy brown mustard for the regular yellow mustard.
• Use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar for a richer, more intense molasses flavor.
• Add slice smoked sausage to make the baked beans meatier.
• For BBQ baked beans, substitute barbecue sauce for half the ketchup in the recipe.
• If you like the flavor of molasses, you can add 1 or 2 Tablespoons to the baked beans.
• Add a chopped bell pepper and saute with the onions.

Storage

Store any leftover baked beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in a pan on the stovetop, in the microwave or in the oven at 300℉.

To freeze leftovers, allow beans to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container or freezer-safe bags. Seal and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop.

More Delicious Recipes

Try these other southern recipes, cookout favorites and family favorites:

• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Easy Southern Pimento Cheese
• Grandma’s Watermelon Rind Pickles
• 14-Day Sweet Pickles
• Southern Fried Squash
• Applesauce Pie

Pin This! Grandma’s Easy Southern Baked Beans Recipe

🎥 Recipe Card & Video