How to make canned baked beans taste homemade
Do you know how to make canned baked beans taste homemade? It’s one of the easiest adjustments to a store bought side dish you can make and a secret you can keep or share–no one will ever know.
This feels wickedly unfair. Because it’s not really a recipe to me–but I know what the reality is:
I’m not making baked beans from scratch and neither are you.
But we can make those canned baked means taste more like homemade and fool your guests without a lot of fuss. In fact, I do it with only three simple ingredients and a few minutes in the oven.
What you’ll need
I used ketchup, mustard and brown sugar in these canned baked beans–but you could also add a dab of barbecue sauce if you wanted to– and the bacon on the top is totally optional as well. I just think it makes things look and taste like your sneaky side dish never saw the inside of a can.
What’s the best brand of canned baked beans?
I have always been a fan of Bush’s Homestyle baked beans. There are lots of great brands on the market but I seem to get the most compliments on this recipe when I use Bush’s.
Sometimes I’ll even blend a can of Homestyle with one of their “Grillin'” brand beans.
How to cook canned baked beans
That’s simple. You can use any oven proof dish you like and mix your canned baked beans, mustard, ketchup and brown sugar right in there. Then bake until they are hot all the way through and bubbling around the edges.
As they cook the baked beans will thicken and get a little sticky crust around the edges–that makes them look like they’ve had ages in the oven doing their thing.
Can baked beans be cooked on the stove?
You can heat them just in a pot on the stove, but–meh–not as good. You won’t get the slow cooked look or flavor the beans take on when they dry out and caramelize a bit in the oven.
And you can’t add bacon to the top when you cook them stovetop. I think the flavor is still basically the same though, so if you’re pressed for time it will work.
But if you have time, do give them 20 minutes in the oven and it will be worth it.
Do I need to top baked beans with bacon?
The bacon is totally optional. Over the years some readers have expressed a bit of frustration with the fact that the bacon doesn’t really crisp up much while cooking and a lot of the rendered fat ends up in the beans.
If you want to add bacon, you could cook it about halfway first, then put it on top or stir in chopped cooked bacon before baking to prevent a grease slick on top.
How to keep baked beans warm or make them ahead
I don’t think most people mind to eat baked beans that are room temperature. We seem to do a lot of that in the South–but if you want to keep yours really hot, bake them until boiling or really, really bubbling then transfer the whole pan (very carefully!) into an insulated tote.
I have used this Temp-Tations brand insulated tote for decades and food is still hot or cold inside it for 8 hours or longer.
I’ve never found anything that compares.
Your beans don’t have any ingredients that make it risky to leave them out unrefrigerated, so if you want to bake them and then serve them a couple of hours later at room temperature that’s also fine.
How to make great canned baked beans in a slow cooker
This is a perfect slow cooker recipe. Just multiply the recipe as many times as needed to feed your crowd and add everything to your slow cooker. Stir it together and heat everything on low for an hour or two.
You will need at least a double or triple version of this recipe for standard 7-quart slow cooker. Anything less will be too thin and could burn.
Storing leftover baked beans
Leftover baked beans will store in your in an air tight container in your fridge for about a week or so. Just rewarm them stove top or in the microwave.
What to serve with canned baked beans
The sky is the limit here–but grilled food and summer treats should always be on hand when you have baked beans.
That means trying some of these favorites:
- Vinegar bbq chicken
- Tangy broccoli salad
- Homemade lemonade
- Grilled baby back ribs
- Charred Caesar salads
How to make canned baked beans taste homemade
Ingredients
- 1 28 ounce can baked beans I like Bush’s Homestyle
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 slices bacon optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375
- In a 9-inch oven proof skillet or 2.5 quart baking dish, mix the beans, brown sugar, mustard and ketchup.
- Top with the bacon slices if you are using it and bake until bubbling around the edges and hot in the center–about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.
Used this with Bush’s vegetarian beans for my cookout. I tripled the recipe. I sat down to eat and they were gone! Everyone raved about them.
Yay Lynette!!!! I’m so glad to hear that! –Rachel
Fry up some sausage and add it too!! It’s great!
Thanks, this saved my memorial day!!!
So glad to hear it!
I’ve been using Bush beans for about 20 plus years. I add brown sugar, sometimes I add a bit of white sugar, mustard, ketchup, chopped onions and sometimes when I have the time I’ll also add a little bit of finely chopped green peppers. Believe it or not, I got this secret from my sister in law and her beans were the best I’ve ever had!! The bacon is optional. I just put a few strips on the top of my baked beans.
I either use the Bush Baked Beans with Brown Sugar Or Maple then add pre cooked Bacon crumbled up (I cook my bacon ahead of time so that it is nice and crispy) 8-10 slices, a chopped yellow onion, Worstershire Sauce, mustard, Ketchup and Dark Brown sugar to taste. Stir it all together and cook you can do it in the oven or in the microwave takes about as long except you do not have to wait for the oven to warm up once it starts bubbling and getting a little crusty on the sides I take it out. Everyone raves about how good they are.
I diced up the uncooked bacon threw it in with everything else and baked it all together yummy I never liked baked beans until now thanks
Haha! That works Linda! It’s just a little dress up on the canned stuff, but it still helps I think. Glad you liked them. –Rachel
These were fantastic! Thank you so much. Will never make them any other way!
Glad to hear it!
Tried it. Tasted like beans with ketchup and mustard in it.
This has made me laugh Mike. Don’t forget the brown sugar! The tasted like beans with ketchup, mustard and brown sugar.You can put lipstick on a pig and it’s still a pig. There are only so many miracles you can perform on a can of baked beans. –Rachel
do you cook the bacon first?
If you want the bacon to be crispier you can cook it part way then put it on your beans if you want to Robin or you can just put it on uncooked and bake it. You can leave it on to serve or take it off if you don’t want to eat it as soft as pictured. (I take it off.) –Rachel
Love cheater baked beans, have been making them since the 60’s after a friend, mother, wife, who sadly ended up committing suicide, let me in on her secret for the cheater baked beans she’d made for us when visiting their goat farm for a campfire barbeque. First introduction to fresh goats milk for us too, which surprisingly my children loved.
Different than your interesting take on cheater baked beans ( find the ketchup addition on yours rather interesting so will give that a try next time I make.
No real measurements from my friend actually, simply go by taste via amount making at the time, but her secret which I still make to this day was additions of dehydrated chopped onion flakes, ( she made her own, I use health food store brand or Kirkland ) Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, molasses but never so much it will overwhelm, & dark brown or demerara sugar, not too much, not too little. Lovely if you’d like to add a bit of spice to your cheater baked beans.
I’m so glad I’m not alone on this Jocelyn! Apparently this is every good cook’s secret!!! –Rachel