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These skillet baked beans with bacon are smoky, sweet, and wonderfully easy to make! Loaded with bits of bacon and tender navy beans swimming in a flavorful, caramelized sauce, this is the perfect side dish for your next BBQ.
We are deep into barbecue season, and that means I’m making lots of baked beans and homemade mac and cheese.
I’ve made Dutch oven baked beans more times than I can count, with ham hock and pinto beans.
This new recipe for baked beans in a cast iron skillet uses bacon and navy beans for a different flavor, and it takes half the time to make!
They go with anything and are truly the most delicious side dish for your 4th of July gatherings, weekend cookouts, or wholesome summer dinners.
Baked beans are really the perfect combination of savory and sweet. Brown sugar and molasses melt into the sauce with sautéed onion, bacon, and Worcestershire sauce for a wonderful depth of flavor.
Where some baked beans, especially the canned varieties, lean heavily into the sweet, this recipe brings in both for the richest and most flavorful side dish.
You’re going to love them, especially if you serve them alongside some pork baby back ribs or Dutch oven brisket!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 15 minute prep time: These beans are so quick to prepare; then all you have to do is pop them in the oven and relax!
- Hearty side dish: Baked beans with bacon make the perfect side for your next BBQ. They aren’t just delicious; they’re also filling! Nobody will go hungry with baked beans as part of the meal.
- Flavorful and tasty: You’ll never want to open a can of baked beans again after trying this homemade version. The flavor is so much richer and more complex, and you get actual pieces of bacon (rather than a faint hint of bacon flavor).
Ingredients
- Beans: Canned navy beans make this recipe simple and easy. Don’t drain them; we’ll be adding both the beans and the liquid to this recipe!
- Bacon: Bacon gives these beans lots of smoky, savory flavor, added texture, and extra protein. Learn how to cook the perfect cast iron bacon here if you need a refresher.
- Brown sugar: Along with the molasses and ketchup, this caramelizes in the oven and adds the perfect sweetness to the beans.
Find the full list of ingredients at the bottom of this post in the recipe card!
How to Make Skillet Baked Beans
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2. In a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon chunks until the fat renders and the edges brown, but the bacon is not yet crisp, about 6 to 7 minutes. Spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
Step 3. Add the onion and cook in the bacon fat until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 4. Turn off the heat. Stir in the navy beans, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, water, salt, and pepper until well combined.
Step 5. Move the skillet to the oven and bake until the sauce is thick and clings to the beans and the bacon on top is crisp, about 40 minutes. Stir once at the halfway mark.
Step 6. Let the beans rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. They thicken as they sit.
Tips + Notes
- Go by the texture, not the measurement: I don’t drain my beans, so the liquid they’re packed in is already doing some of the work. Once everything is stirred in, you want the sauce to be a little runny, but not soupy. I use ¼ cup of water, but if your beans are really runny out of the can, use a little less.
- Don’t skip the molasses: This is what gives them that deep, cooked-all-day taste. I’ve made them without it, and they just taste like sweet beans, so I never leave it out.
- Let them rest before you serve: The sauce looks a little thin right out of the oven, but give it about 10 minutes, and it thickens right up. I usually let mine sit while I get everything else on the table.
- Taste and adjust the salt: Plain beans are pretty mild to start, so I always taste at the end and add a little more salt if they need it.
What to Serve with Skillet Baked Beans
You probably don’t need any ideas for how to serve baked beans — I mean, they go with just about anything! That’s one of the things I love about this simple side dish. If you do need some inspiration, here are just a few of my favorite mains to serve them with:
- Dutch Oven Country-Style Ribs
- Pan Fried Pork Chops
- The Best Beef Brisket Burger
- Cast Iron Fried Chicken
- Braised Brisket
- Dutch Oven Pulled Pork
You really can’t go wrong with a batch of homemade baked beans. Bring them to your next cookout to enjoy with burgers and hot dogs, and you’ll have everyone asking for the recipe!
Recipe FAQs
Store leftover baked beans in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They can easily be reheated on the stove in a skillet or small saucepan. Just add a splash of water if they’re too thick and stir regularly to prevent sticking and burning.
Yes, you can; just cook them in water with salt until soft before continuing with the recipe. You’ll end up with beans that are similar to canned, and you can use the beans and liquid as the recipe instructs.
The sauce will thicken as they rest, so proceed with caution. If you are certain they need to be thickened after baking and resting, you can simmer them on the stove until thick. Be sure to stir them regularly so the sauce doesn’t burn onto the bottom of the pan.
The most common choice, and the one I used for this recipe, is navy beans. They are small, soft, and mild-flavored.
Sure! You could use cannellini/white kidney beans or pinto beans with similar results.
Related Recipes
- Vinegar Coleslaw Recipe
- Roasted Cheesy Bacon Butternut Squash
- Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes
- Cast Iron Skillet Green Beans
- Dutch Oven French Fries
If you tried this Skillet Baked Beans with Bacon recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Skillet Baked Beans with Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12- ounce thick-cut bacon cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8 slices)
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- Two 15.5-ounce cans navy beans undrained
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water* see notes below before using
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon chunks until the fat renders and the edges brown but the bacon is not yet crisp, about 6 to 7 minutes. Spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
- Add the onion and cook in the bacon fat until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the navy beans, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, water*, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Move the skillet to the oven and bake until the sauce is thick and clings to the beans and the bacon on top is crisp, about 40 minutes. Stir once at the halfway mark.
- Let the beans rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. They thicken as they sit.
Notes
- *Go by the texture, not the measurement: I don’t drain my beans, so the liquid they’re packed in is already doing some of the work. Once everything is stirred in, you want the sauce to be a little runny, but not soupy. I use ¼ cup of water, but if your beans are really runny out of the can, use a little less.
- Don’t skip the molasses: This is what gives them that deep, cooked-all-day taste. I’ve made them without it, and they just taste like sweet beans, so I never leave it out.
- Let them rest before you serve: The sauce looks a little thin right out of the oven, but give it about 10 minutes, and it thickens right up. I usually let mine sit while I get everything else on the table.
- Taste and adjust the salt: Plain beans are pretty mild to start, so I always taste at the end and add a little more salt if they need it.
