Boston Baked Beans

Boston Baked Beans are made with navy beans that are cooked low and slow in the oven in a rich, sweet sauce made with molasses, brown sugar, and maple syrup.

Classic Boston Baked Beans

Today we’re sharing our own ‘secret family recipe’ for Boston Baked Beans. This is a recipe that Jack has perfected over the years, and it’s so much better than any canned baked beans you can buy.

Boston Baked Beans are one of those dishes that I never really liked – until I ate Jack’s recipe! Sure, I ate canned baked beans on occasion, and I just never understood what the fuss was all about.

But Jack’s Boston Baked Beans are tender and delicious – and the sauce is rich and sweet thanks to a combination of salt pork, onion, molasses, brown sugar, and maple syrup. The sauce gets an even more amazing depth of flavor from Dijon mustard, ketchup, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce and a hint of vinegar.

• The combination of flavors in this recipe is deep, rich, and so delicious!
• Although this recipe takes some time to make – first to soak the beans, then to cook in the oven – it’s mostly hands-off time so you can go about your day while the beans do their thing.
• This dish is great for neighborhood potlucks and barbecues, as well as game day parties, or any other occasion.
• This recipe makes a big pot of beans – so you can feed a hungry crowd, or enjoy leftovers at another meal.

• Navy Beans – The success or failure of this recipe all comes down to the quality of the dried beans you buy! Unfortunately, you won’t know how fresh those dried navy beans that have been sitting in a bag on a supermarket shelf really are. We have made this recipe countless times – and always buy dried beans that are sold in bulk from a reputable market. There, they are loose in barrel or bucket, and you can portion and weigh out however much you need. These cook up into a nice, perfectly tender bean. The bagged beans may take longer to cook and could require more water to get to the right consistency. It is worth it to buy quality for this recipe.
• Salt Pork – Look for fatty salt pork with little or no visible meat.
• Yellow Onion
• Molasses – Choose unsulfured molasses. We used Grandma’s brand.
• Pure Maple Syrup – Avoid imitation or sugar free maple syrup for this recipe.
• Dijon Mustard
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Dry Mustard – We are fans of Colman’s Mustard Powder.
• Brown Sugar
• Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Water – The amount of water you use to cook the beans will vary based on the freshness of your navy beans.
• Ketchup
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Kosher Salt

1. Sort through the dry beans and dispose of any foreign matter like small pebbles or sticks.
2. Place the dry beans in a bowl or container and cover with three quarts of tap water. Let sit out at room temperature overnight or at least for 12 hours.
3. Drain the beans and rinse under cold water. Drain again and set aside.
4. Sauté salt pork to brown in Dutch oven. Add onions and cook.
5. Add drained beans, molasses, maple syrup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, brown sugar, black pepper, garlic powder and two cups of water.
6. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven for 90 minutes.
7. Stir the beans, adding in the ketchup, vinegar, and salt along with another cup of water only if needed and continue to cook for 90 more minutes. Reduce oven temperature and add more water if needed and cook for another 60 minutes. Stir, check the water level, adding a little if needed. Or if too loose, simmer on low heat on the stovetop to desired consistency.

Serving Suggestions

Boston baked beans go great with a fish cakes and coleslaw dinner, or make Franks and Beans and serve with Boston Brown Bread – a dark, slightly sweet bread made with or without raisins.

• What make Boston Baked Beans different from other baked bean recipes? The addition of molasses to the sauce is typically what differentiates Boston Baked Beans from the other recipes that add brown sugar and corn syrup.
• Can I make Boston Baked Beans in the slow cooker? We’ve never tried doing so ourselves but one of our readers has with good results. Please scroll through the comments below to see their cooking method. You can definitely cook the beans ahead of time in the oven according to the recipe, then keep warm in the slow cooker.
• It is possible to use canned beans in this recipe? You can, but the cooking time will be much less. Note that the deep flavors of the sauce won’t develop as much when cooking for a shorter amount of time.

• Can I can these baked beans? We’ve never tried canning these beans ourselves, but one of our readers has – see in the comments below. Please note that safe canning practices require a sufficient amount of acidity in the recipe to ensure that the food is preserved during the canning process. We have never tested the acidity level of this recipe, so we cannot verify if this recipe is safe to can.
• How do I store any leftovers? Store refrigerated in a covered container for up to four days.
• How do I reheat the leftovers? You can microwave individual portions or reheat in the saucepan on the stove, stirring frequently to warm through.

This Boston Baked Beans recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in May 2015. We’ve updated the post with additional cooking tips and new photos, but the delicious recipe remains the same.

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