Our Favorite Baked Beans

This dish is the perfect side for summer parties and always a crowd-pleaser! I usually make a double batch, but it’s still one of the first dishes to disappear.

Baked beans are the perfect side dish for spare ribs, pulled pork, grilled chicken, and so much more. Over the years, I’ve tried countless recipes—even making them from scratch with raw beans. After plenty of tweaking and experimenting, I finally landed on a version that everyone in our family really loves. Baked beans are traditionally made with navy beans, but I like using pinto beans. Feel free to swap in navy beans, Great Northern beans, or whatever kind you prefer. This is just the way we like it! 👍

I made these baked beans every year for our Labor Day campout at the Skagit River in Washington. Even now, they bring back those sweet memories. It was such a special way to end summer and start the school year. Our girls still say those campouts were some of their favorite childhood memories.

Serve 8~10

---

Ingredients

• 3 16-oz pinto beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 onion, chopped (about 2C)

• 5~6 strips of bacon, cut into about 2’ length

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2C brown sugar

• 2/3C ketchup

• 1/4C apple cider vinegar

• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tsp yellow mustard

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool. Once cooled, crumble into small pieces.

   

2. Reserve about 1 tbsp bacon grease in the pan and discard the rest. Add the onion and garlic, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Once cooled a bit, mix the beans, crumbled bacon, and cooked onion together in a large bowl.

   

3. In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Add this mixture to the beans and stir until well combined. Pour the bean mixture into a small Dutch oven or baking dish. Bake for 40~45 minutes.

   

---

Disclaimer Note: We're all about sharing here! But please credit recipes and photos if you choose to send these along. Thank you!