Today I am sharing my family’s go-to baked beans recipe that has been in the family for decades – Anastasia’s Best-Ever Baked Beans! These are a must-have at family barbecues! Simple to make, so darn good.
Pork and beans with sauteed onions, molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, and bacon… a big ol’ dish of comfort.
Did I mention….bacon?!! These are the best stinkin’ baked beans!! My sister always gets asked for the recipe when she brings this side dish to parties and gatherings.
These make the perfect side dish for so many meals, potlucks, picnics and barbecues. Simple to make. So good. Sure to become a new favorite.
UPDATE: My friend, Marsha, aka The Better Baker, recently won PEOPLE’S CHOICE at her local Beans Day festival using this recipe! Head over to read her fun post!
—Read rave reviews from people that tried this recipe on Pinterest!—
Anastasia’s Best-Ever Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 5 cans of pork and beans (15 ounce cans – VanCamps’s Pork and Beans or similar)
- 2 medium or 1 large onion, chopped (yellow or sweet onion, not vidalia)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter (for sauteing onions)
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar (use less for less sweetness)
- 6 to 8 slices uncooked bacon, each cut in half or thirds
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees f. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix beans, sauteed onions, ketchup, mustard, molasses and brown sugar until blended well. Pour in prepared baking dish. Top with uncooked bacon in single layer (see photo above). Bake on middle rack of oven uncovered for 2-3 hours. Beans are ready when the top is dark and caramelized. Serve warm. Enjoy!
TIP – Make in Slow Cooker
These can also be thrown together and cooked in the slow cooker set on low for 6 to 8 hours as well. It won’t get that nice caramelize top, but it will still be delicious if you’re in a pinch for time. Be sure to saute the onions first.
BEANS FROM SCRATCH – If you want to make baked beans from scratch, head here for a great recipe – Boston Baked Beans – “A wonderful old-fashioned baked bean flavor. This recipe has served by family for 29 years and originally came from my mother-in-law. It tastes great served with fresh cornbread or biscuits and honey. Although you need to allow time for soaking and simmering the beans, this recipe is still quite easy.”
TIP – Make in Slow Cooker
These can also be thrown together and cooked in the slow cooker set on low for 6 to 8 hours as well. It won’t get that nice caramelize top, but it will still be delicious if you’re in a pinch for time. Be sure to saute the onions first.
BEANS FROM SCRATCH – If you want to make baked beans from scratch, head here for a great recipe – Boston Baked Beans – “A wonderful old-fashioned baked bean flavor. This recipe has served by family for 29 years and originally came from my mother-in-law. It tastes great served with fresh cornbread or biscuits and honey. Although you need to allow time for soaking and simmering the beans, this recipe is still quite easy.”
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!
I was to make these for a family picnic that will have approximately 40 guests. How many people would you say this recipe feeds? Trying to figure out how many cans of beans I’d need to get in order to make enough of this.thanks!
Can I make the day ahead and heat in slow cooker?
when I do my ribs on a rack, I put my cast iron beans under them to catch all the drippings, little extra in the beans
I make these yummy beans as well and add 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper with the onion and 2 TLB BBQ Sauce with the sauce part. They are AMAZING !
Try substituting a can of French’s fried onions for the sautéed onions. It’s fantastic!
THAT sounds like a great addition!
I made this recipe and it was a big hit with everyone. I'll never go back to my old recipe. This one's a keeper.
Looks amazing. Love the step by step photos!
We will need to make this for football games. Looks delicious!
I gotta try this recipe for my last cookout this summer!!!
I don't sauté the onions they'll cook through while baking. Plus I add a diced green pepper. Instead of ketchup and molasses I use my favorite bbq sauce. Dark brown sugar has molasses in it. Bacon? You can't use too much bacon!!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing. I have a barbecue to go to on Labor Day on Monday. How would the recipe be without the molasses? I heard molasses wasn't good for you.
I make mine like this except I use grandma browns baked beans instead of pork & beans
I have been making this for years. But it seems like the can beans have more sauce than years ago, making the end result soupy. Should I start draining the canned beans?
I always drain the liquid out of the cans.
My family has been making these baked Baked bean for 4 generations and we call them the the Roberson Family Baked Beans.
Hi just wondering — No cover for the 3 hrs? And still juicy or is it a thick sauce?
The recipe sounds delicious, can't wait to try it :)!
I use this recipe adding a green pepperwhen sautéing the onion. I add a bit of cumin or chili powder red pepper flakes and some of a good barbecue sauce if I don't have molasses my extra pow comes from two tablespoons of bourbon…the alcohol burns off during the cooking so just the flavor remains….any recipe is a work in progress and everyone should say thanks and take no offense as tweeks are suggested. This is how perfection is achieved. No offense should be taken. Rageoninky
I use this recipe adding a green pepperwhen sautéing the onion. I add a bit of cumin or chili powder red pepper flakes and some of a good barbecue sauce if I don't have molasses my extra pow comes from two tablespoons of bourbon…the alcohol burns off during the cooking so just the flavor remains….any recipe is a work in progress and everyone should say thanks and take no offense as tweeks are suggested. This is how perfection is achieved. No offense should be taken. Rageoninky
Can't anyone accept a recipe just as it is and say thanks?
Imake the same that you have here with 2 additions hamburger and bell pepper
I add crushed pineapple instead of molasses
I made these tonight and the taste was good however,they were really runny. What did I do wrong?
I know it sounds weird but i throw in some crushed pineapple. If you like baked beans on the sweet side this will do it!
I love this recipe – now if there was only a way to de-fart the bean/onion combo!!
These look amazing I am wondering, it is just my husband and I would I be able to freeze leftovers?
This recipe sounds absolutely perfect for putting on the smoker a hour or so to give it a rich, sweet smokey flavour. Can't wait. Thank you 👍 😄
This is pretty much how we do it only with the addition of pineapple tidbits. Gives it an extra bit of flavor.
Sounds yummy to me. I’ve always used canned apple pie filling, just a different take on the fruit.
This sounds amazing and I will be trying this soon!
I use lots of dark brown sugar, green onions and bell pepper. No molasses but a sprinkling of garlic powder. And a shot or two of Chipotle Tabasco sauce.
do you drain the beans?
I do my beans like this but I always add apple cider vinegar too. Cuts some of the sweetness. It is wonderful!
This recipe sounds delish. What can be used to substitute for mustard? Allergies.
Sounds delish. I am not a cook. But I am going to give this a shot for our company pot luck. Thanks for sharing.
Worcestershire sauce, green bell pepper, and garlic are great flavor additions to this recipe.
Can you freeze these beans
I make a similar version. I dice a green pepper and add it. Instead of ketchup and molasses I use my favorite bbq sauce. Lots of bacon. Inside and on top!! But your version sounds just as good.
I use a little "liquid smoke" too – but be careful…. a little goes a long way.
Also – if you are having any BBQ with the meal – chop up a cup or so of
the (cooked) BBQ'd meat and mix in with the beans before baking. Yum.
I use a recipe similar to this one. I add a few drops of liquid
smoke for a little smokey taste, dark brown sugar but no molasses.
I make exact same recipe but also add a glue or 2 of dark rum,everything else remains the same.
LD, I don't see why you can't halve it, because that's what I plan on doing. I'll use 2 cans in an 8×8 baking dish, or a 1.5 to 2 quart casserole dish, and use roughly half of each of the other ingredients. And to make sure my hubby doesn't eat ALL the bacon, I'm going to fry it chopped with the onion (although I'll probably cut the bacon with kitchen scissors, as it's easier than cutting raw bacon).
I made these beans for our July 4th party, they were excellent, best we ever had. Had many requests for the recipe!
5 cans of beans are way to much for us. Can I half the recipe? Can't wait to try this.
5 cans of beans is way to much for us. Can we half the recipe? These sound so good.
I have made a similar version but I add chopped thin sliced deli meat beef in the beans and still cover with bacon. Wonder flavor. I am always asked to bring to dinners been fixing them is the crock pot for about the past year due to amount needed.
This makes about 12 healthy servings.
This makes about 12 healthy servings.
How many does it serve? Rough guess?
I love this recipe, but instead of frying onions, I use the Lipton's dry onion soup package, and I add a can of kidney beans. Kids, though, seem to prefer it without the "touch" beans! My son used to call this "cowboy beans"!!!
Just wondering if you could use B&M baked beans? I love these because they're a nice firm bean. What do you think?
Hi Mary, just a follow up. I doubled your recipe (without the pork) and baked in my cast iron dutch oven. They turned out great! Served at my daughter's graduation party yesterday and they were a hit. Thank you!
Hi Laura – Yes, a cast iron dutch oven will work! Have a wonderful weekend!
Anonymous – One can of pork & beans beans has 3.5 servings and the recipe calls for 5 cans of pork & beans (makes 17.5 servings). I would say the recipe makes 12 healthy servings.
Thank you!
How many servings to this recipe?
This sounds great! I'm serving vegetarians so I will have to omit the pork. Do you think this would work in a cast iron dutch oven? ~Laura
Got a similar recipe from my mother in law nearly 50 years ago. Instead of putting the bacon on top, I chop it and fry with the onions, and I don't use the molasses. Rave reviews every time! I think I'll try them this way and see which my family likes better. Thanks!
That's how I make mine too..no molasses
Me too, they are so good……
Maybe I missed it but how many servings does this recipe yield?
how manoy people does this recipe serve?
I make mine this way but also add red pepper for that extra wow. Great recipe
I make mine this way but also add red pepper for that extra wow. Great recipe
My rec. For beans for years…Onions are left out depending on crowd or I add minced onion
I have made baked beans this way for years. I also use kielbasa sausage (I boil it for 10 minutes first).
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No, Anonymous – you do not drain the beans.
Do you drain the beans?
I make these as well. I fry chopped bacon with the onion and drain and add in beans. Everything else the same. So yummy.
I made this dish this passed weekend for a family get-together and it was a big hit!
I made this dish this passed weekend for a family get-together and it was a big hit!
I have been making my beans similar to these for years, I add 1-2 tbs. chili powder and 1/2 cup of b-b-que sauce
I have been making a version of this recipe for a while now. I love baked beans!
Thanks so much for sharing!
I've been making these beans since I was a kid. My family added a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce as well.
Thank you, I will be making these baked beans soon!
I to have been making this baked been recipe forever, since the 1970's. I have made a few changes. fry the bacon (chopped) with the onions and hamburger. I use dry mustard instead of jar mustard. I add a little vinegar for the tang. Lastly I add a can of baby butter beans and a can of kidney beans.
That's a totally different recipe from hers.
I have been looking for a great baked beans recipe this looks like the one can't wait to make this. Thanks for sharing
This is the recipe I have used for years, with Campbell's pork & beans (they don't get as mushy). For a kick, I add chopped jalapeno! Great side for dinner, also great topper for a hot dog.
WOW! This looks divine. I'm always interested in bean recipes because I fill a roaster and serve to folks on the street at a local festival during the summer. This just may be the one I make this year. '-} I can almost taste it. YUMMMM!
Yes you can, Anonymous!
Can I make this the night before and bake in the morning? Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Funny you should ask< Susan. I love Vidalia onions and yes they are a sweet onion. My sister specifically said when she first gave me the recipe not to use Vidalia because it doesn't add as much flavor to the beans as a yellow or other sweet onions. But you can use it if you like, it just won't add as much flavor. She actually likes yellow best.
You ingredient list says "yellow or sweet onion, not vidalia" …… why not vidalia? Isn't that a sweet onion?
Thanks for posting, our family uses very similar as well. My aunt ads sliced green olives with pimento, love that bit of saltiness in there!