Maple Bacon Baked Beans

4.15 from 7 votes
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These completely homemade Maple Bacon Baked Beans are like nothing you’ve ever tried before! Sweet and tangy, topped with bacon and a little bit of spice. Don’t miss the surprise star – ROOT BEER!

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Pot of homemade maple bacon baked beans.

These definitely are not canned baked beans. They’re not even semi-homemade baked beans. These are the real deal – complete homemade baked beans goodness. They are sweet, tangy, and utterly addictive. And, topped with bacon, so ya know, basically they’re as good as it gets. 

Why You’ll Love This Baked Beans Recipe

  • Great For a Crowd: Whenever I’m invited to a picnic or potluck, this is the dish I’m asked to bring. It’s become a bit of a specialty of mine because of some of the major modifications I’ve made. For starters, I use maple syrup and root beer instead of molasses. I realize this might sound completely bonkers, but I bet you’ll be a convert once you’ve given it a shot. 
  • Amazing Flavor: Root beer and tomato paste? I see you raising your eyebrows already. But, don’t worry – you’re going to like where this is going. The flavor in these baked beans is OUT OF THIS WORLD.
  • Super Easy: While this may not be the quickest recipe on our site, it’s a lot of hands off time. So knock out the prep, and enjoy a glass of wine or a cold root beer while it bakes!

What You’ll Need

  • Bacon
  • Onion and Garlic
  • Tomato Paste
  • Root Beer: Trust me on this – it makes the recipe!
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Maple Syrup
  • Mustard: I like both dijon or brown mustard in these baked beans.
  • Cannellini Beans
  • Seasoning: Red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and some fresh parsley.
pot of baked beans topped with bacon

How to Make Baked Beans With Bacon

With just a few quick steps, you’ll be ready to enjoy these tasty baked beans with bacon! Check out the recipe card at the end of this post for exact amounts.

  1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 400˚F.
  2. Bacon: Place the bacon in an oven-safe dutch oven or large high-sided oven-safe skillet. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon slices until they are crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  3. Add: Add the diced onion to the bacon grease in the skillet and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, then stir and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Combine: Slowly whisk in the root beer, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil. Gently stir in the beans, and then crumble the previously cooked bacon and add half to the pot. 
  5. Stir and Simmer: Slowly stir the mixture and season it with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
  6. Bake: Transfer the beans to the preheated oven and bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until thickened.
  7. Serve: Let the beans cool for about 5 minutes and then top them with the remaining bacon. Garnish with red pepper flakes and parsley. Serve.
scooping out baked beans from a pot

Tips and Tricks

  • Don’t Dump the Bacon Grease: I know a lot of recipes encourage it, but that grease adds a ton of flavor to the sauce. Definitely saute those onions and garlic in it for even more flavor. 
  • Just Add Root Beer: The rootbeer adds both flavor and sweetness to the sauce and mimics that richness of Boston baked beans that we all grew up with. The better quality the root beer, the better it will make your baked beans. 
  • Maple Not Molasses: I prefer my baked beans with pure maple syrup, not molasses. This swap really enhances the flavor. 

What to Serve With Homemade Baked Beans

Baked beans definitely aren’t a meal in themselves. They are traditionally a picnic or potluck side dish. To make it a complete meal, you can cook up some hot dogs right in with your beans, just add them before baking, then serve alongside a salad. 

Baked beans are a great side to serve with ham, pork chops or ribs. At your next BBQ, serve them alongside hamburgers (or a Philly cheesesteak burger!) and hot dogs with potato or macaroni salad. My kids also love these with a big helping of mashed potatoes. Yes that is technically two side dishes for a meal but they gobble it up so why not?

pot of baked beans topped with bacon

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

  • If you bring this to a potluck, BBQ, or picnic, I can guarantee you will not have any leftovers. It’s just not possible. If by some crazy chance, you do have leftovers – you can easily store them. Simply let them cool completely, cover your baking dish or move the beans into an airtight container and place them in your refrigerator for 4 days.
  • To freeze, spoon the cooled beans into a freezer-safe zip-top bag, label it, and use them at any point over the next 2 months. 
  • When you’re ready to reheat your baked beans with bacon, let them come to room temperature, then place them in a baking dish and put them in your oven at 400˚F until they’re warm. You may need to thin things out with a bit of water.

More Easy Side Dishes

4.15 from 7 votes

Homemade Maple Bacon Baked Beans

These completely homemade Maple Bacon Baked Beans are like nothing you’ve ever tried before! Sweet and tangy, topped with bacon and a spicy bite. Don’t miss the surprise star – ROOT BEER!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Resting Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients 

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 cups root beer
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard or brown mustard
  • 4 cans (15-ounces each) cannellini beans, well rinsed and drained
  • salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • red pepper flakes, for garnish
  • chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
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Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400˚F.
  • Place bacon in an oven-safe dutch oven or large high-sided oven-safe skillet; set skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon slices to a crisp.
  • Remove bacon from skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  • Add diced onion to the bacon grease in the skillet and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat.
  • Stir in garlic and continue to cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add tomato paste; stir and cook for 1 minute.
  • Slowly whisk in root beer, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and mustard. Bring mixture to a boil.
  • Gently stir in beans.
  • Crumble previously cooked bacon and add half of the crumbled bacon to the pot.
  • Slowly stir mixture and season with salt and pepper; reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Transfer beans to the preheated oven and bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until thickened.
  • Remove from oven; let stand 5 to 8 minutes to cool slightly.
  • Top with remaining bacon.
  • Garnish with red pepper flakes and parsley.
  • Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 603mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

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20 Comments

  1. Sara Welch says:

    5 stars
    What a great side dish and practical these days, too! Excited to enjoy these with dinner tonight!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      THANK YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

    2. Katerina Petrovska says:

      I hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂

  2. Amanda says:

    5 stars
    The best baked bean recipe I have ever tried!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      I am so happy you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂

    2. Katerina Petrovska says:

      Thank YOU! I am very happy you enjoyed it! 🙂

  3. Cathy says:

    Maple bacon is the BEST combo, and perfect with baked beans!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      Thank YOU! 🙂

  4. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says:

    5 stars
    These Maple Bacon Baked Beans are mouth watering!

  5. Allyson Zea says:

    5 stars
    This is perfect for getting ready for summer grilling!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      Thank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

  6. Toni says:

    5 stars
    I loved it! Glad I have all the ingredients in my pantry! It was a huge hit!

    1. Katerina Petrovska says:

      I am very happy you enjoyed it! Thank YOU, Toni! 🙂

  7. Amber says:

    Can you make this recipe ahead of time?
    Looking forward tot eying it, just wondering how far I advance I can make it.
    Thank you!

    1. Katerina says:

      Hi!
      So, you will want to refrigerate the beans about 2 to 3 hours after cooking them. In the fridge, the beans should be good for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.

  8. Jean Barkas says:

    Hi Katerina,
    I was wondering if your baked beans recipe could be done in a slow cooker? I live in Las Vegas and it’s getting really hot here and I don’t want to turn the oven on. Thank you for sharing your recipe can’t wait to try it.

    1. Katerina says:

      Hi!
      Yep, the beans can be cooked in a slow cooker, but you’ll still want to follow steps 1 to 9. Then, transfer the entire mixture to the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for about 2 hours, or LOW for 3.5 to 4 hours.

  9. Bri says:

    1 star
    Inedible recipe. I followed recipe exactly as written and used a high quality root beer. Just awful taste and nothing could fix it. We dumped out everything. Such a bummer.

  10. Sandra says:

    3 stars
    Was not a fan of the root beer taste. But aside from that it turned out okay. I liked the bacon grease, garlic and onion flavors.

    1. Katerina says:

      Thanks for your feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed the bacon grease, garlic, and onion flavors. Maybe trying a different soda next time might suit your taste better. 😊