Baked Beans

By Sam Sifton

Updated May 21, 2026

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
About 6½ hours, plus at least 6 hours’ soaking time
Rating
4(2,517)
Comments
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Proper Boston baked beans would have salt pork instead of the bacon. James Beard cooked them with ribs. The key is to use the little white pea beans known as navy beans, and to allow time to do most of the work. (Or to cheat: Canned white beans make fantastic baked beans in about an hour. If you use them, you'll need four 15-ounce cans. Drain and then follow the directions from step 2 on to the end. Please understand that you’ll need much less water and much less time to get them where you want them to be.) The combination of molasses and dry mustard is a taste as old as America itself, and takes well to both ham and soft brown bread.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 2 cups navy beans

  • Salt

  • ½ pound slab bacon, cut into cubes

  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

  • ⅓ cup molasses

  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard

  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

44 grams carbs; 19 milligrams cholesterol; 336 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 253 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 13 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Soak beans in a large bowl of water for 6 hours or overnight. Drain beans and put them in a large oven-safe pot with a heavy bottom and a tightfitting lid. Add 1 teaspoon salt and enough cool water to cover 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the beans are just tender, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Drain and remove beans.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Bring a kettle full of water to a boil on the stove. Return the heavy-bottomed pot to the stove and turn the heat to medium high. Cook the bacon in the bottom of the pot until it begins to brown, then turn off the heat and add the chopped onion and, on top of it, the beans. Mix together molasses, mustard and black pepper, and add the mixture to the pot. Pour in enough boiling water to cover beans, put the lid on and bake, occasionally adding more water to keep beans covered, until they are tender but not falling apart, 4 to 5 hours.

  3. Step 3

    Remove beans from oven, uncover, stir and season with salt. With the lid off, return pot to oven and let beans finish cooking, uncovered and without additional water, until the sauce has thickened and the top is deeply crusty, about 45 minutes more.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,517 user ratings
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Comments

JW

LIne the bean pot with about four slices of salt pork. Use most of a bottle of ketcup and at least 1/2 cup of molasses and mix into the soaked beans. Submerge a halved onion into the beans. Bake at low heat most of the day--or cook in a slow cooker. Stir up the salt pork once the beans begin to soften and turn brown. You won't need any extra salt, but some fresh ground pepper is always nice. This is the way my grandmother made baked beans for many, many years.

Myokyo

Delicious beans! I could not, on account of being from Quebec and it being cabane a sucre time, resist adding a hint of maple syrup...Also, after everything was together, I cooked in a slow cooker on low for 5 hours after which I switched to an uncovered baking dish for about 2 hours.

Beverly Miller

I have come to the conclusion that considering the time to cook baked beans, I'd just as soon use B&M canned, with some molasses, onion, and catsup mixed in, then baked for about a half-hour. But these beans come as close to worth the time and trouble as any other recipe I've ever tried. I did add a little more molasses at the end. And I too found that more time was needed than 45 minutes to get a crusty top. (OK. What happened was that I inadvertently let it go for an hour before checking.)

Jim

In reading the comments I understand that there are easier and faster ways to enjoy baked beans. However, if you’re concerned about highly processed foods, chemical substitutes for natural ingredients, and consider old fashion cooking providing better nutrient absorption, then taking the time and perhaps canning a larger batch pays for itself in better health.

Wes Van Winkle

I've made this recipe several times now and it always turns out great. I usually double the recipe and use both a meaty chunk of salt pork, cubed, and about 3/4 of a pound of thick cut smoked bacon. I use great northern beans and make it in a large oval cast iron cocotte, bake for four hours with the lid on at 250, then finish the last hour with the lid off at 350 to reduce the liquid. Perfect every time.

George

this did not turn out the way I hoped. it took forever to get that liquid reduced and the beans blew out when it was finally done. we had no choice but to eat the mush after all that time passed. the mush tasted fine, but I won't make this again.

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