These homemade, from-scratch Amish Baked Beans are just like Grandma’s old-fashioned baked beans. They’re delicious during the summer for backyard cookouts and barbecues, but they’re also perfect for those chilly days when it’s nice to have a little extra heat from cooking something delicious in the oven.
These are baked beans made from scratch. I start with dried beans and slow cook them for hours until they are perfectly tender and bathed in a rich and hearty sauce that is just a little smoky and a little sweet. Although it takes more time than starting with canned beans, most of the time spent is hands-off, and the result is so delicious it makes it worth the extra time. And if you love bean recipes, check out my recipe for Kielbasa and 15 Soup and White Bean Turkey Pumpkin Chili.
If you’re wondering what makes these homemade baked beans Amish, it’s simply because my recipe is (slightly) adapted from a recipe found in a little printed booklet of old Amish recipes that I have in my cookbook collection (it’s dated 1980 so it’s definitely in a vintage recipe). So I’m giving credit where it is due by calling these Amish Baked Beans. And also, being originally from PA, I can tell you that when it comes to hearty comfort food, the Amish are experts. This is the kind of recipe that you can trust is stick-to-your-ribs home cooking.
I like to serve my beans alongside any kind of smoked or roasted meat. They are also delicious with burgers, meatloaf, or braised sausages. But truly, these beans are so hearty, you could skip the meat altogether and eat them with some crusty bread or brown bread, and some greens like spinach or Swiss chard. You can even dress them up a little with a dollop of homemade chow-chow or a drizzle of maple syrup.
Ingredients for Amish Baked Beans:
The ingredients for these from-scratch baked beans are simple:
Dried Navy Beans or Great Northern Beans – I use dried beans in this recipe. Don’t be tempted to use canned beans here because dried beans make these baked beans extra rich and creamy. Typically I use dried navy or great Northern beans, but if you can find cranberry beans, they are delicious in this recipe.
Bacon – Use your favorite bacon. For vegetarian beans, omit the bacon and use a bit of liquid smoke, or substitute with veggie bacon.
Yellow Onion – Any onion is fine, but I typically use a regular yellow onion.
Molasses – You can use light, dark, or blackstrap molasses. Light molasses will give your beans a sweeter flavor. Dark molasses and blackstrap molasses are less sweet and more savory.
Brown sugar – Use either light or dark brown sugar. I like the rich flavor of dark brown sugar.
Ketchup – Use whatever type of ketchup you prefer. For me, it’s Heinz.
Dry mustard – This is a dry, ground mustard seed. But if you don’t have any, simply substitute prepared mustard.
Apple Cider Vinegar – I prefer the fruity flavor of apple cider vinegar. I don’t recommend white vinegar for this recipe.
Tips for making Amish Baked Beans:
- I find that my enameled cast iron Dutch oven is the perfect vessel for baking these beans. However, if you don’t own a Dutch oven, you can cook the beans, brown the onions and bacon in any large pot, and then transfer the whole mixture to a baking or casserole dish to bake in the oven.
- This recipe takes about 4 hours in the oven, but the baking time might be a little more or less due to factors such as the age of the dried beans, the variety of beans, the hardness of your water, and how hot your oven runs. I like to check my beans every hour or so just to see how they are coming along, and to add a little more water or reserved cooking liquid if they are looking dry. I like to keep the beans looking nice and saucy for most of their time in the oven.
- Towards the end of the baking time, when the beans have been in the oven for about 3 hours, I set the lid slightly ajar on the pot, so that the liquid reduces down to a rich, thick sauce. If your beans are already reduced, you can just leave the lid fully on the pot.
- The baked beans are finished after about 4 hours in the oven, or whenever they are tender and the sauce is rich and thick. You will just need to use your judgment and decide when they are done to your liking.
If you try this recipe for Amish Homemade Baked Beans, I hope you love it. And follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram so you don’t miss a post.
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PrintAmish Baked Beans
- Total Time: 15 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 Servings 1x
Description
These homemade, from-scratch Amish Baked Beans are just like Grandma’s old-fashioned baked beans. Dried beans are slow-cooked in the oven until they’re perfectly tender and bathed in a savory and lightly sweet sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried navy beans, great northern beans, or cranberry beans
- 6 cups water (plus water for soaking)
- 1/2 pound bacon, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups liquid reserved from cooking beans
Instructions
- Place dried beans into a shallow pan and sort through them, picking out any broken beans, stones, or other debris. Pour sorted beans into a colander and rinse under cold running water.
- Place rinsed beans into a large bowl and cover with 2-3 inches of cold water. Cover bowl and allow beans to soak overnight.
- After an overnight soak, drain beans and add them along with 6 cups of water to a Dutch oven or other large, oven-safe pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer beans for 30 minutes, or until beans are just barely tender. Drain beans through a colander set over a large bowl to reserve cooking liquid. Set drained beans and cooking liquid aside.
- To the same pot, add onions and bacon. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft and bacon is lightly crisp. Return the beans to the pot with the onions and bacon along with the remaining ingredients. Stir in 3 cups of reserved cooking liquid (if you don’t have 3 cups of cooking liquid, add enough water to make up the difference.).
- Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid (or transfer to a baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil) and bake for 4 hours at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Check occasionally and add more water if necessary to keep beans moist. If after 3 hours the beans look too soupy, remove the lid slightly to allow steam to escape and continue to bake for 1 hour, or until reduced to your desired consistency.
- Taste before serving and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Inactive Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 3 hours
27 Comments
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March 10, 2025 at 11:50 pm[…] Amish Black Beans […]
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July 8, 2024 at 5:09 pm[…] Amish Baked Beans […]
Michele
July 2, 2024 at 5:44 pmThis recipe is great as written. I have made several times.
I’m curious if anyone has tried cooking in a pressure cooker or combination pressure cooker then oven? Would love to shorten the amount of time cooking in the hot weather, if possible.
Melissa
July 7, 2024 at 7:51 pmI would probably pressure cook the beans separately, then add the rest of the ingredients and proceed to bake in the oven for an hour or so. Hope this helps!
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Michele Van Reet
August 1, 2023 at 3:31 amI made this recipe substituting maple syrup for the molasses. It was perfection and I am making another round for camping.
Tammy finden
July 29, 2023 at 9:25 pmWondering if this recipe can be pressure canned? Maybe tripling everything for more pint jars
Melissa
August 10, 2023 at 3:08 pmI’m really not sure as I haven’t tried it. If you try it, come back and let us know how they turned out.
Kirtika saha
April 18, 2023 at 6:07 amDamn! It’s looks so delicious and yummy recipe. I will definitely try this home. Thanks for sharing us.
Barbara Mitchem
April 12, 2023 at 10:04 pmThis was my first try at making baked beans from scratch. They were perfect! Even though I read the recipe wrong and baked them for 3 hours instead of 4! I know now that extra hour will only enhance that lovely flavor more! Thank you for a great easy recipe! Loved these!
Melissa
April 26, 2023 at 8:38 pmI so happy you liked the recipe! Thanks for letting me know!