Southern Baked Beans are a hearty side dish packed with flavorful beans and savory ground beef that are baked together in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. Perfect for potlucks!

clay pot of homemade baked beans; text overlay "Southern Baked Beans"

Southern Style Baked Beans

This recipe came to Granny from one of my cousins. From the email exchange, it looks like Granny had this dish at a family gathering and asked for the recipe. At some point, the recipe made it to mom, and she printed it out and put it in her recipe binder.

What caught my eye was that this baked bean recipe had ground beef in it. That was new to me. In addition, it had ketchup, mustard, onions. It sounded like a perfect cookout or potluck dish. I also love that this recipe does not have any liquid smoke in it. You get a nice smoky flavor from the bbq sauce, without any fake tasting additions.

While it’s so easy to grab canned baked beans, I promise this easy recipe is worth taking the time to make! It’s not quite a one pot dish, but it’s darn close! All you have to do is brown the beef, mix everything together, and bake. From start to finish this delicious side dish comes together in less than an hour. You’ll never go back to the canned stuff after this!

— Sara

What are Southern Baked Beans?

Southern baked beans are a blend of hearty beans, meat (either bacon or ground beef…or both), and a sweet barbecue sauce.

If you’re a fan of sweet and tangy Bush’s Baked Beans (or something similar) then you’re going to LOVE this recipe! Southern baked beans start with that delicious BBQ baked beans and add a generous helping of ground beef to the mix.

That’s what really caught my eye about this recipe the first time I saw it – I’d never had baked beans with ground beef! However, the addition of cooked ground beef also gave the beans a great texture and taste.

I have seen similar recipes with other ingredients like bacon. This one did not call for bacon and I really don’t think it needed it. The beans already have some pork flavor and the ground beef gives it that extra layer of flavor.

Another hallmark of Southern Baked beans are the sweetness, usually flavored by brown sugar or molasses. This sweetness brings together the tangy barbecue and savory beef into one mouthwatering dish.

This recipe is so easy! You mix all the ingredients in a bowl and put in a baking dish and bake for an hour. Then you have a zesty, sweet, and flavorful dish. Be sure and save this recipe for your next cookout or potluck dinner. It will be a hit!

scooping a spoonful of southern style baked beans out of a casserole dish

Ingredients

2 cans of pork and beans
½ cup chopped onions
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
½ pound ground chuck, cooked and crumbled

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Helpful Kitchen Tools

ingredients needed to make Southern style baked beans, with text labels

Instructions

To Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and heat a medium skillet over medium heat.

Coat the skillet with non-stick cooking spray or with your choice of cooking oil. Add ground beef to skillet and cook over medium high heat until browned. Remove from heat.
Add all ingredients, including the browned beef to a large bowl and stir to combine.
Scoop the baked bean mixture into an oven safe baking dish.
Bake for 30 – 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

4 step photo collage showing how to make homemade baked beans

Prep Tips

The ingredient list calls for 2 cans of pork and beans. Different brands may use different kinds of beans, but they will generally be white beans, pea beans, navy beans, etc. When shopping, look for something that is simply called “pork and beans” and without a lengthy ingredient list or added flavorings. We’re going to build our own sauce for this recipe, so you want to start with basic beans.
This recipe calls for a cup of ketchup. That might seem like a lot but after cooking, the beans don’t taste ketchup-y at all. It had a great mellow, almost barbecue flavor. Just trust me on this!
If you want some extra bacon flavor in your beans, try cooking the ground beef in bacon grease! You could also add a couple slices of bacon to the skillet and cook with the beef.
Like ’em spicy? Add a sprinkle of chili powder or black pepper to the mix!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Should You Serve Baked Beans With?

Baked beans are the perfect side dish for just about anything really! While typical cookout foods such as hamburgers, chicken, and hot dogs are a go-to, I’ve also served baked beans with stuffed salmon and the combination was amazing! Don’t worry about sticking to the “normal” options…baked beans are great to have anytime!

How Long Do Baked Beans Stay Good In The Fridge?

When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, baked beans will last up to a week. You can reheat them in the oven, or scoop into a skillet and warm slowly.

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