Who knew canned baked beans could taste this good? With a few simple upgrades, these Cowboy Baked Beans transform into a sweet, smoky, and slightly spicy delight topped with crispy bacon. Perfect for barbecues, potlucks, or a cozy weeknight dinner, this easy recipe is packed with flavor and sure to be a crowd-pleaser. As a home cook who’s made these beans countless times, I’m excited to share my best tips for making them your new favorite side dish!
I’ve been making these Cowboy Baked Beans for decades, and they’re always a hit! Whether it’s a summer barbecue, a potluck, or a holiday feast, these beans never fail to impress. It’s the kind of recipe that people ask for again and again, and I’m thrilled to hear from readers who say they’ve become a staple at their family gatherings too!
“The most flavorful, delicious baked beans EVER. My family and I love the molasses-based sauce and all of that tasty bacon! Another brilliant recipe from The Fresh Cooky!” ~ Eliza
As someone who’s spent years refining this recipe, I can promise you it’s as simple as it is delicious. I love starting with canned baked beans because it saves time, but the real magic happens with a few easy add-ins—barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and, of course, lots of crispy bacon. It’s that perfect balance of sweet, smoky, and a touch of spice that keeps everyone coming back for more.
I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!
Reasons to love this Cowboy Baked Beans Recipe
- Savory fusion: Cowboy baked beans with bacon combine smoky bacon and hearty beans for a rich and delicious flavor experience.
- Comfort Food: At it’s best! Because they are easy too!
- Versatile: Enjoy it as a side or main course; these beans with bacon are versatile and always satisfying.
I’ve had an ancient recipe for baked beans floating around my kitchen for decades, but when my friend featured Southern Style Baked Beans, I knew I had to dust off my recipe and introduce it to her recipe. Southern girl meets Western girl!
Cowboy Bean Recipe Ingredients
- Canned Pork & Beans | I chose B&M baked beans, because they are gluten-free and do not have high fructose corn syrup. But you choose whichever brand you love!
- Onion | gives it a lovely sweet bite!
- Bell Peppers | Use any color you like, I used yellow because it’s what I had, use green, red or orange too!
- Bacon | Would it be a Cowboy dish if it didn’t have crisp bacon on the top! Mmmmm!
- Tomato Sauce & Ketchup | These add depth, richness and definitely that rich tomato-y sauce flavor!
- Molasses | Again adds to the richness of the dish with a touch of sweet, helps balance out the acidity in the tomatoes.
- Apple Cider Vinegar | Gives it the perfect tang! You can certainly replace with another vinegar!
- Mustard | We used spicy brown AND yellow mustard!
- Worcestershire Sauce | I could seriously slather this on everything, well almost!
- Spices | Garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper! All-the-FLAVOR!
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
If you are looking some fabulous potluck or barbecue side dishes, try these fan faves: Corn Casserole (without Jiffy), keep the bacon going with this creamy Bacon Balsamic Macaroni Salad or my personal favorite; Asian Ramen Salad – this one’s all natural!
How to Make Cowboy Baked Beans
Step 1
In a large mixing bowl, I probably should have used larger than a 2 qt mixing bowl, but I managed somehow!
So combine all sauce ingredients in the larger mixing bowl and whisk well. Remember if making gluten-free make sure ketchup, vinegar, mustard, molasses and Worcestershire sauce are all gluten-free.
Open can(s) of beans (I still occasionally use an electric can opener) and pour beans over sauce, no draining, you want all those delectable juices.
Step 2
Toss in diced onion and bell pepper. I added about a half of a 15 oz can of tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Freeze the other half of the tomato sauce and use in my Spanish Rice, sometime when you are not making baked beans.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C). Pour baked beans into a casserole dish, I used my trusty Pyrex casserole dish because it fits into my trusty Pyrex carrier and I was taking these beans to a BBQ at a friends house.
But roughly any 9 x 13 casserole dish would work just fine, if you have a 12″ or larger cast iron skillet try that or go one better and try a nice hefty cast iron dutch oven! I bet you could even cook these over a campfire!!
Step 4
Here is where it gets fun or good or AMAZING! Dice a ½ lb of bacon into small (bite-ish sized) pieces and toss onto the top of the beans.
No need to make it pretty, but spread it out so that bacon gets crispy…cause I don’t like limp bacon!
That’s it, bake (uncovered) for 1 ½ – 2 hours — until the beans are a bubblin‘ and the bacon is crispy.
Step 5
At the end of the baking process, placed mine under the broiler, on the middle rack, for about 3 minutes to really crisp the bacon!
Stir it all together or leave that showy, crisp bacon on top! Now get out there, and make up these amazing beans for Father’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th or any BBQ, potluck, picnic or game day that calls for crazy good, Best Ever Cowboy Baked Beans.
Cowboy Beans Recipe Tips
- Low and Slow: Let the beans simmer in the oven to thicken the sauce and allow the flavors to develop.
- All About the Bacon: Sprinkle all the cooked bacon over the top before baking. This way, it gets nice and crispy, allowing that delicious bacon flavor to infuse every bite of the beans.
- Make Ahead: These beans get even better the next day, so feel free to prep them in advance for maximum flavor.
Cowboy Beans Add Ins
Looking to put your own spin on these Cowboy Baked Beans? Here are some popular add-ins that take this recipe to new heights:
- Ground Beef or Sausage: Browned ground beef or sausage adds a hearty, meaty element, making these beans even more filling.
- Sauté Onions & Peppers: Add a few tablespoons of olive oil or butter to a skillet and sauté the onions and bell peppers for richer flavor.
- Jalapeños: For a kick of heat, dice up a jalapeño (or two) and mix it in for some spice!
- Maple Syrup: Don’t have or want to use molasses? Add 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup for a richer sweetness that isn’t overpowering.
- Liquid Smoke: Add a couple of splashes of liquid smoke to bring that “cooked over a campfire” vibe.
- BBQ Sauce Variations: Try different barbecue sauces like spicy, honey, or hickory for a unique flavor twist.
Cowboy Baked Beans FAQs
If you need to prep your beans the night before or the morning of your event, simply prep your beans directly, and only hold off on putting the bacon on until just prior to baking. When ready to bake, remove from fridge and let sit on counter for 1 hour, add your diced bacon while preheating your oven and bake as directed.
Do not freeze unbaked beans; doing so changes their texture and taste. However, if you must freeze them, bake them first, cool them, and then freeze them.
Allow them to cool completely, then place them in a BPA Free freezer container. Careful to leave about ½ – ¾ inch of room at the top for expansion when frozen. This Recipe for Cowboy Baked Beans are good up to 6 months frozen. Thaw overnight in the fridge, transfer to an oven-safe baking dish, and reheat in the 250-300°F oven until bubbly (about 30-45 minutes) or toss in crockpot on low until warmed.
I reheated these in a cast iron baking dish the next day for dinner. They were just.as.good!
How to store Cowboy Baked Beans
This Cowboy Baked Beans recipe keep well as leftovers (if you have any), but unless you plan on eating them within a few days it’s best to freeze them in dinner sized portions! I love these 2-cup Souper Cubes.
What to Serve with Cowboy Baked Beans
These baked beans would be so great with these Smashburgers with grilled onions, and a side salad, like this Wedge Salad and finish with these Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Great Barbecue and Potluck Dishes:
- Easy Asian Pork Tenderloin
- Corn Pudding Casserole (so good!)
- Shish Kebabs
- Oven Baked Barbecue Beef Brisket
- Juicy Hamburger (using Bison, Beef, Chicken or Turkey) aka, best burgers ever!
- Coconut Lime Chicken
And for potluck or barbecue desserts…
- Award Winning Key Lime Pie
- Easy Chocolate Loaf or Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Nothing Bundt Cake
- Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake or Chocolate Shortcake
- Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies (amazing!! Check out all the reviews)
- Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (the reason the blog was started!)
More from The Fresh Cooky
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Equipment
- Lodge 5 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven.
Ingredients
For the Beans
- 2 28 ounce cans baked beans I used B&M original baked beans
- ½ large sweet onion diced (Vidalia or other sweet onion is fine)
- 1 large bell pepper finely diced (I used yellow, use whatever color you like)
- ½ lb bacon uncooked, chopped into pieces (I prefer uncured, nitrate, nitrite free)
- 8 oz tomato sauce 1 cup or ½ -15 oz can. I used organic
- 1 cup Ketchup I used organic
- ½ cup molasses unsulphured
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or replace with white vinegar
- ⅛ cup spicy brown mustard heaping
- ⅛ cup yellow mustard heaping (making with only yellow mustard increase to rounded ⅓ cup)
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Dash Cayenne Pepper more if you like heat
- Pinch Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper a couple of grinds of fresh pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C). Add all of the sauce ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine, whisking if needed.8 oz tomato sauce, 1 cup Ketchup, ½ cup molasses, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ⅛ cup spicy brown mustard, ⅛ cup yellow mustard, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, Dash Cayenne Pepper, Pinch Kosher Salt, Black Pepper
- Add pork and beans (undrained), above sauce, and diced onion and bell pepper. Using a large spoon or spatula stir to combine beans with sauce.2 28 ounce cans baked beans, ½ large sweet onion, 1 large bell pepper
- Pour into a 9×13 casserole baking dish. Dice a ½ lb of bacon into small (bite-ish sized) pieces and toss onto the top of the beans. No need to make it pretty, but spread it out so that the bacon gets crispy.½ lb bacon
- Bake uncovered for 1 ½ – 2 hours until bubbly and bacon is crispy. If crisper bacon is desired, with beans on middle rack, broil for 2-3 minutes until desired crispness is reached. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Jules
This recipe was such a hit! I’m making it again for company this weekend!
So glad you loved it Jules!! Thank you!
Joyce
This dish looked so good had to try it and I was not disappointed it’s delicious.
Thank you so much, so glad you loved them!
Mark A Pilarowski
Delicious every time
Thank you so much Mark, so appreciate your kind word!
Nikki Lee
These are so very tasty! I love making these in the fall and roasted hot dogs over the fire. The family loves it.
Thank you! Perfect with hot dogs!
Chad
Wow!!!!!!
Agreed!!