Try this baked beans recipe from scratch using dried beans and other ingredients for a delicious homemade side dish everyone will love.
Sometimes it's fun to make a dish from scratch. I have always used canned beans to make baked beans. There are tons of varieties on the market and occasionally I will add a few extra ingredients but recently I decided to try making baked beans from scratch.
Making Baked Beans from Scratch
It starts with dried beans.
First, you soak them in water overnight.
Note: the beans will soak up the water so make sure you soak them in a large bowl.
Tip from a reader: To help keep the beans from giving you gas, add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or a teaspoon of baking soda to the water you soak your beans in.
You could also use pinto beans, great northern beans, or kidney beans.
Then you need to simmer the soaked beans for an hour or more on the stove.
Tip from a reader: Be sure the beans are as soft as you want them before adding the other ingredients
Next comes the seasoning. I used pre-cooked bacon. It's less messy but it still has enough bacon grease and flavor when you cook it.
Saute the bacon and onions and then add all the other goodies such as brown sugar, honey, ketchup, and spices. You can change this part up to suit your taste. Some people add molasses or extra heat to the sauce.
Toss in the beans and bake for several hours. Yes, you could use a slow cooker at this point. In fact, I plan on doing just that the next time I make these. Instead I let my beans bake in the oven for 3 hours. You can check them at 1.5 or 2 hours to see if the beans are soft and tender but mine ended up taking 3 hours.
Also, if the mixture seems dry feel free to add a little extra water.
They were very tasty and just the way we like them. Also, it was nice knowing that they were made from scratch.
More Great Side Dish Recipes
Baked Beans Recipe from Scratch
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried navy beans 16 oz bag soaked in water overnight
- 7-9 pieces of precooked bacon chopped
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Drain the beans that have soaked overnight and place them in a large pot. Cover with fresh water and simmer for 1 hour.
- While the beans are simmering saute the bacon and onions in a Dutch oven until the onions are soft and translucent about 5 minutes.
- Add ketchup, brown sugar, honey, mustard, vinegar, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Drain the beans after an hour and add them to the Dutch oven mixture.
- Add 3 cups of water or more until it covers the beans.
- Stir, cover with a lid and bake in a 375 degree oven for 3-4 hours until the beans are soft.
- Serve immediately or store in a well-sealed container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Vivian Oaks
I've made baked beans from scratch all the time when my kids were growing up. Even now I will occasionally do it, rather than just open a can. 🙂 A tip to help keep the beans from giving you gas is to add either a Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, or a teaspoon of baking soda to the water you soak your beans in. Always be sure the beans are as soft as you want them before adding the other ingredients, since adding any kind of sugar to the beans will stop that process - they won't get any softer! 🙂 (Years of practice and learning!!) 🙂
Patti Estep
Great tips Vivian. Thanks for sharing!