Aunt Patti’s BBQ Baked Beans
Nothing says summer and big fun potlucks with family and friends like a large, deliciously smoky helping of Aunt Patti’s BBQ Baked Beans!
Get ready to tuck that napkin in like a bib and enjoy the best savory and easy-to-make BBQ Baked Beans you’ve ever had! Using simple ingredients, these rich and flavorful BBQ baked beans come together using baked beans, bacon, onion, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, mustard, and ketchup, for a potluck staple that everyone will devour.
What’s a BBQ without baked beans?
We all know by now that you have to have BBQ Beans at the cookout. And the potluck. And the pool party. And every summer event. I used to look up a different baked bean recipe every time I wanted to make them until I learned Aunt Patti’s recipe. Aunt Patti knows what she’s talking about!
These BBQ Baked Beans are so good every time I make them and I never have the chance to take home leftovers, every bean disappears. A little tangy, a little sweet, and wonderfully smoky, I crave these beans all summer long. I love being able to bake them in the oven so I can focus on the grill or making other dishes, it makes everything so much easier. I usually make two batches, one with bacon and one without. That way my vegetarian friends and family can enjoy them too, and those disappear just as fast!
Other Recipes to Serve with Aunt Patti’s BBQ Baked Beans
- If you’re not sure what to have with these BBQ Baked Beans I have the perfect suggestion: Grilled Ribs! You can be grilling while baking and end up with the most incredible meal!
- Grill up your favorite vegetables and bring fresh summer flavors to the potluck with Grilled Veggie Kabobs.
Ingredients
Pantry Items: This recipe starts with a couple of cans of baked beans and some brown sugar. Using pre-cooked baked beans makes this a quick and easy recipe. If you prefer to make your baked beans from scratch you absolutely can, they’ll just need to cook all day.
Veggies: I love sweet onion in baked beans. They give that little extra flavor that’s a must!
Condiments: Grab some ketchup, yellow mustard, and your favorite barbecue sauce. I use KC Masterpiece bbq sauce if I don’t have any of my favorite sweet & tangy barbecue sauce in the fridge.
Refrigerated Item: We’re adding a lot of bacon to these beans! However, if you want to make this recipe vegetarian, then skip the bacon, grab some vegetarian baked beans, and proceed as directed.
How to Make Aunt Patti’s BBQ Baked Beans
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Combine all of the ingredients in a large 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish.
STEP TWO: Cover the dish with foil and bake the BBQ baked beans for 30 minutes until they’re bubbling. Then remove from the oven and let the beans sit for about 5 minutes before serving. (So you don’t melt the roof of your mouth.)
Tips for Success
- Since you will be using your favorite BBQ sauce for this recipe, you can make these BBQ Baked Beans sweet, sassy, spicy, or tangy, it all depends on what you like! The same goes for the type of baked beans you choose; original, brown sugar, sweet heat, maple flavor, whichever type is your favorite will be a hit in this dish.
- Sometimes I like to sauté the onions for a couple of minutes in the grease from frying the bacon. This gives the onions a great flavor and sweetens them a bit.
- You can use regular or thick-cut bacon for these BBQ Baked Beans, just be sure to cook the bacon until it is nice and crispy as it will soften in the oven a bit when cooking with the beans. Also, you can totally leave the bacon out for those who don’t eat bacon and still enjoy amazing baked beans.
Can I cook baked beans on the grill?
Yes! Mix all of your ingredients together and instead of placing them in a baking dish, use a deep cast-iron skillet. Once your grill is finished preheating and you’re ready to grill, place the cast-iron skillet filled with the baked bean on the grill and cook for 15-20 minutes. This is a good option if you have plenty of space on your grill but usually, it’s filled with other goodies like burgers, ribs, and veggies so Aunt Patti’s Baked BBQ Beans are perfect for the oven!
Are BBQ Baked Beans good for you?
Baked beans contain a good amount of protein and fiber, which makes them a pretty nutritious side dish! They are also full of other vitamins and overall can help keep your digestive tract healthy. They are filling and can help keep food moving along in your system when you enjoy heavier foods like burgers and ribs.
More Delicious Potluck Must Haves:
- Easy BLT Pasta Salad
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs
- Grilled Honey Lime Chicken
- 7 Layer Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
*This post originally posted on 04/26/2014.
Aunt Patti’s BBQ Baked Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 56 ounces canned baked beans (two 28oz cans)
- 1 pound bacon cooked crispy and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small sweet onion peeled and chopped
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup yellow mustard
- ½ cup ketchup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Combine all the ingredients in a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes until bubbling.
- Remove from the oven a let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
How do you cook the bacon?
Hey Rindi! I like to cook my bacon just on the stove top in a skillet. Or you could make a bigger batch in the oven.
Made them for the first time last year. This is it for me. I’ll never need another.
Awesome!
Have you ever made these in a crockpot? I want to take some to work and the only way to warm them is in a crockpot. If I precook and refrigerate how long do you think it would take to reheat in crockpot?
You know I haven’t, but I don’t see why it couldn’t be done. I would say just be sure to precook the bacon otherwise the texture will be off. As for warming through, if you’ve already precooked everything it would really depend on your crockpot, if I had to guess I would say about 45 minutes to an hour on high or an hour and a half on low. As long as you’re gently stirring everything should stand up pretty well.
I was just wondering if you could freeze the leftovers for more meals at a later date. I’m wanted to make individual meals for myself, because I’m on a low carb lifestyle and my roommate doesn’t always eat some of the things I do. This recipe sounds awesome and I can’t wait to try it! Please get back to me as soon as you can. Thank you.
Shouldn’t be a problem.
Do you use cans of Pork ‘n Beans or cans of Baked Beans like Bush’s? Thank you.
I use baked beans like Bush’s in this recipe.
Can you replace the bacon with chopped beef?
Absolutely!
Since we’re staying away from food in cans (due to lead in the cans), I was disappointed to see that this recipe starts with canned beans. (Although the recipe sounds very yummy!!) Perhaps another recipe might feature the entire process from soaking the dried beans through to baking. Thanks!!!
We do have a recipe, Nell for baked beans made from dried beans, Homemade Baked Beans
I like these but if you search on Pinterest you will find many recipes with dried beans. This one is great for last minute girls like me. PINTREST-something for everyone!
Ohhh boooo!
Us oldfolks would all be dead if that was an issue!
Please don’t raise a bunch of scardy cat children!
These beans are making me crave a picnic! They look delicious!
Is there a certain type of BBQ sauce that you used?
I used KC Masterpiece but you can use your favorite.