Easy Stovetop Baked Beans

Use canned beans to cut down on time, while still making party-worthy baked beans on the stovetop. Richly flavored with molasses and brown sugar, these beans won’t disappoint.

By
Sally Vargas
Sally Vargas
Sally Vargas

Sally is the author of four cookbooks and is a regular correspondent for the Boston Globe Wednesday Food Section. She also is a food photographer.

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Updated March 02, 2022
Sally Vargas
Baked Beans on the Stovetop - baked beans in a pot with a wooden spoon
Sally Vargas

As an early experimental cook, I decided to make baked beans from scratch, a project that entails soaking dry beans overnight and then cooking them in a sweet, sticky broth for six to eight hours.

As good as they were (and they were really good!), I don’t want to turn on the oven for eight hours and hang around to stir them every once in a while. (Maybe next time I'll try cooking the beans in a pressure cooker!)

That’s what makes this stovetop recipe using canned beans so appealing. It tastes like they were made completely from scratch, but they are ready in forty minutes or less with very little hands-on time.

Easy Stovetop Baked Beans in a pot
Sally Vargas

Best Beans for Baked Beans

Navy beans are the bean of choice for New England-style baked beans. They are small and thus soak up a lot of sweet molasses goodness that is the hallmark of baked beans. You could also use Great Northern beans or another variety of small beans if you can’t find them, but the small pea beans (navy beans) are the most authentic for Boston-style baked beans.

How to Make Baked Beans - baked beans in a dish with a spoon
Sally Vargas

Make Ahead: Storing and Freezing

Once cooked, stovetop beans will keep for at least four days in the fridge. Be sure to tuck them away, well-covered with a lid, within two hours of cooking.

They can be frozen for up to six months, but the texture can become a little mushy. If you know ahead of time you will freeze the beans, reduce the cooking time by about 10 minutes so the beans are not too soft. Let them cool on the counter and then chill thoroughly in the fridge before transferring to freezer-safe containers and freezing. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.

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Easy Stovetop Baked Beans

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips

  • 1/2 peeled onion, stem intact

  • 4 (15-ounce) cans navy beans, rinsed and drained

  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

  • 3 tablespoons molasses

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup water

Method

  1. Cook the bacon:

    In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the bacon, turning often, for 5 minutes, or until browned. Pour off and discard about half the excess fat. Set aside about 1/4 cup bacon for garnish.

  2. Cook the beans:

    Add the onion half, drained beans, tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, mustard powder, bay leaf, salt, and water to the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

    Cover the pot and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thick. If your sauce doesn’t seem to be thickening to your liking, remove the lid for the final 5 minutes of cooking. Remove the onion half and bay leaf.

    Baked Beans on the Stovetop - baked beans in a pot with onion and bay leaf
    Sally Vargas
    How to Make Baked Beans - baked beans in a pot
    Sally Vargas
  3. To serve:

    Serve the beans from the pot, or transfer them to a bowl, and sprinkle the reserved bacon on top.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
476 Calories
12g Fat
67g Carbs
28g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 476
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 28mg 9%
Sodium 892mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 67g 24%
Dietary Fiber 23g 82%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 28g
Vitamin C 4mg 22%
Calcium 177mg 14%
Iron 6mg 34%
Potassium 1193mg 25%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.