Best Baked Bean Recipe With Maple Syrup

These baked beans have a touch of sweetness from the maple syrup, a touch of salty from the bacon and some richness from a bit of molasses. These have a lovely balance of flavours.

Maple baked beans make a perfect side dish for an Easter dinner, as it pairs beautifully with ham. They are also great for summer BBQs!

Making baked beans from dried beans takes a little extra time, but it’s so worth it. I’ve got you covered with all my best tips for making baked beans, so you can be sure your baked beans are perfect.

Simple Maple Baked Beans Recipe: How To Make It

Dried Navy Beans – also known as pea beans, these are easily found in the dried bean section of most grocery stores. I always buy a fresh bag of beans for baked beans.

Navy beans are not the same as Great Northern Beans, despite their somewhat similar appearance. Navy beans are the bean of choice for baked beans, in my opinion and I highly recommend using navy beans over Great Norther Beans. That said, in a pinch, Great Northern Beans will work, though with some difference in flavour and texture.

Maple Syrup – there really isn’t a substitute for real maple syrup, so if you really want to enjoy maple baked beans at their best, spring for the real thing. You will need one cup of maple syrup. Grade B or Amber syrup has the richest maple flavour, but Grade A is fine, too.

The Best Baked Beans From Scratch

Bacon – adds a great salty note to the baked beans and is recommended unless you want a vegetarian dish, in which case you can omit the bacon and increase the added salt accordingly.

Molasses – I recommend “Fancy” molasses, for the nicest flavour. Cooking molasses will work in a pinch, but Blackstrap molasses is probably too strong a flavour.

Dried Mustard – this is the powdered mustard. If you don’t have powdered mustard, you can substitute with regular, yellow Prepared mustard as noted in the Recipe Card.

Simple Baked Beans Recipe

Beans get mushy when the skin of the bean is cracked or crushed, allowing moisture to get inside the bean, so here are ways to avoid that …

Making ahead – These baked beans can be made ahead, refrigerated and served reheated later in the day or the next day.

Storing – Store cooked baked beans in the refrigerator. For longer storage, they can also be frozen, but only after they have been baked.

Sugar Free Maple Baked Beans In Less Than An Hour Vegan Too!

Reheating – Refrigerated or frozen baked beans can be reheated in the oven. For refrigerated beans remove from the refrigerator a bit ahead to take the chill off, then place COVERED (with lid or foil) into a 350F oven, until warmed through (about 20-25 minutes). If beans seem thick, add a splash of water and use a fork to gently distribute it through the beans to loosen. Avoid vigorous stirring, which could crush the beans and make them mushy.

Frozen baked beans can be re-heated in the oven from frozen. Allow 35-40 minutes of oven time to reheat. Once the beans are starting to heat and are no longer frozen, you can add a splash of water to the beans, if necessary, to thin them out a bit. If beans seem watery at all after freezing and reheating, simply leave in the oven uncovered for a few minutes and the excess liquid will cook off.

As these are maple baked beans, the “maple” comes from real maple syrup. I understand that it can be expensive in places. Don’t reach for the maple flavoured syrup, as you really don’t want to use a cup of it in your beans. Instead, you could replace part (1/4-1/2 cup) of the maple syrup with brown sugar, mixed with water. Mix 1/4 cup hot water with 1/3 cup brown sugar to replace 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Double that to replace 1/2 cup of the maple syrup. Obviously this substitution will result in less maple flavour in the finished beans.

Vegetarian Baked Beans

Maybe. I have never tried it. I always use the oven, as these are “baked” beans, after all :) This recipe may work in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, but you might be better to seek out a recipe specifically developed for the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

If you are looking to free up oven space, consider doing the baked beans ahead. They keep well in the fridge and re-heat nicely. Also, as these beans bake at 325F, you can bake them alongside a ham, for example, that can cook at the same temperature.

This recipe is specifically written for starting with dried beans. As canned beans are pre-cooked, the long oven cooking time of this recipe would be too long for canned beans. You can certainly experiment with the same ingredients and a shorter cooking time, but I can’t offer much advice as I haven’t tried it myself.

Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans

Most often, it happens because the beans weren’t simmered long enough at the start of the process. The beans need to be simmered until tender before going into the oven, as they will not soften much in the oven, even with the long baking time. Be sure to taste taste the beans to be sure.

Yes! It’s really a matter of personal taste. Experiment by adding a bit more to start, maybe an extra Tablespoon or so and going from there. You’ll want to try to keep a nice balance and avoid over-powering the maple flavour with the stronger flavoured molasses.

Maple baked beans are sweeter than regular baked beans, but the added bacon, creates a lovely sweet/salty balance. If the finished beans taste a touch too sweet for your taste, stir in a bit more salt, at the end or alternately, add a little less maple syrup at the end.

Canadian Maple Baked Beans [vegan]

Maple baked beans are a perfect side dish for ham, especially for Easter. Baked beans of any sort are always at home for a BBQ, alongside hamburgers, ribs or sausage. Finally, I love to use leftover baked beans warmed and spooned over toast for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.

Sure! Add a bit with the maple/molasses mixture at the start of cooking. Don’t get too heavy-handed though, as you’ll still want a nice balance of flavours. Start with just a splash. Always remember that flavours concentrate through long cooking.

The beans are “tender” when they have an even texture through to the centre of the bean. When they are undercooked, they have a soft outside, but when you bite into them, they are a bit chalky or raw-ish tasting in the middle. Once they have an even texture, they are done.

Bush's Maple And Cured Bacon Baked Beans, 28 Oz Can

Note that the beans won’t be as “soft” as finished baked beans at this point. That magic happens in the oven. You just need them to be tender after the simmering, and that generally happens after 45-55 minutes or simmering.

I’ve included lots of tips on making baked beans above this recipe card, so be sure to scroll up and have a read, so you can be sure your baked beans are perfect!

Serving: 1 serving , Calories: 292 kcal , Carbohydrates: 54 g , Protein: 11 g , Fat: 4 g , Saturated Fat: 1 g , Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g , Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g , Trans Fat: 1 g , Cholesterol: 6 mg , Sodium: 299 mg , Potassium: 719 mg , Fiber: 10 g , Sugar: 28 g , Vitamin A: 3 IU , Vitamin C: 1 mg , Calcium: 116 mg , Iron: 3 mg

Southern Brown Sugar Baked Beans

Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!Homemade baked beans can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch or supper -throughout the year. This recipe for Quebec maple baked beans is truly that versatile. Also provided in this recipe are cooking guidelines so that these baked beans can easily be made in your slow-cooker or oven. Make a batch of these great-tasting baked beans today!

I was raised in Montreal’s Italian neighborhood – tomatoes growing in small backyard gardens, Sunday lunches lasting an entire afternoon; those sorts of things were commonplace.

But growing up in Montreal also meant that I had the privilege of being exposed to so many wonderful French Canadian food traditions, such as this recipe for Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans Boston Baked Beans

But these baked beans can easily be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch or supper and throughout the year. They make one of the best side dishes, especially when served alongside this finger-licking recipe for Bar-B-Barn Ribs.

This easy-baked beans recipe is so versatile that it can be easily adapted for your meatless Monday lineup. I have also provided you with cooking guidelines so that it can easily be made in your slow-cooker or oven.

When preparing any recipe for baked beans, you will immediately notice that the prep time is minimal compared to the idle time and that it all starts with a good soak.

Sprague Sugarbush Baked Beans Maple Syrup At Natura Market

Regarding the issue of soaking your dry