Baked Beans Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to baked beans to make them taste better? ›

Cook up beef sausages with onion to create a super-flavorful base for your dressed up baked beans. Upgrade #3: All of the condiments! Maple syrup, molasses, ketchup, vinegar, mustard—basically throw every sweet, salty, tangy condiment you've got at those canned baked beans and you know they're going to taste delicious.

Remove the beans from the oven and stir in a splash of apple cider vinegar. This helps cut through the sweetness and intensity of the molasses. The apple cider baked beans will continue to thicken as they cool, so allow them to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Baked beans are a dish traditionally containing white common beans that are parboiled and then, in the US, baked in sauce at low temperature for a lengthy period. Canned baked beans are not baked, but are cooked through a steam process.

Dried beans typically have a moisture content of around 16%. However, as they age, moisture evaporates, giving pectin time to age and harden the skin. These beans can often take much longer to soften while soaking and cooking, up to twice the time!

Add Aromatics (and Some Salt)

We're talking onions, shallots, garlic, and chiles. Or maybe some fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, bay leaves, and thyme. This is where the flavor really starts to build. Salt the liquid again (lightly) after about an hour of simmering.

If the beans are too dry, add some hot water—or leftover bean-cooking water, if you still have some—until they're just saucy enough.

Bump up the flavor with tomato paste

Remember your old friend tomato paste? It's great to add into beans. Throw in a dollop or two to the aromatics once they've cooked, and sauté in the hot fat for a minute or two, just to cook out the tinny flavor. Harissa paste also works nicely for this.

The addition of baking soda to the cooking water does two things: It adds sodium ions that weaken the pectin as explained above, and more importantly, an alkaline environment causes the pectin molecules to break down into smaller molecules that greatly weakens the pectin causing the beans to soften much more rapidly.

To cut down on the gassy properties, you can add a little baking soda to your recipe. The baking soda helps break down some of the beans' natural gas-making sugars.

Back in 1969, the Bush family decided to share their secret recipe for Baked Beans. Tender navy beans are slow-cooked with specially cured bacon, fine brown sugar and the family signature blend of spices. It's easy to see why it's enjoyed by millions every year!

How do you make homemade baked beans softer? ›

Baking Soda – This will actually help soften the beans as they cook so they are just the right (not crunchy, but not mushy) texture. Bacon – Adding a couple slices of bacon brings a nice smokey flavor and a little texture to this recipe. Onion – I use yellow onion though white onion would work great too.

Use starches to thicken beans

Simply add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 cup of water or to the liquid from the baked beans (scoop it out into a separate bowl and let it cool first) and mix. Once the starch is thoroughly incorporated, pour the slurry into the baked beans dish and stir.

Drain most of the liquid, add some vinegar, a little hot sauce and a little salt and pepper. Don't buy "baked beans" just buy regular canned beans, black or pinto. Just warm them up and season with salt , pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Chile powder. Some rice will pair with them nicely.

I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls. Then, you mash the beans up directly in the pan and add just a little bit of vinegar at the end to really make the beans sing.

Oven-Roast Beans for Bacon-Like Bits

Use our recipe for Jordanian Roasted Chickpeas or toss 1½ cups cooked beans (any type except lentils) with 1 tablespoon chili powder, smoked paprika, or your favorite spice blend, then roast them at 400˚F on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 35 to 40 minutes until lightly browned.

Fry up a few slices of bacon, cook your onions in the bacon drippings, and rinse and drain your beans. Add the cooked onions and bacon. Cook the beans in either in the oven or the crockpot, until the flavors combine and your house smells amazing.

Balance Out the Flavors

If your dish is a little too sweet, try rounding out the sweetness by adding flavors or ingredients that are sour, bitter, or spicy. It may be obvious not to add more sweet ingredients, but you should also stay away from salty ones since they actually bring out the sweetness in food.