Even my picky eater likes these homemade baked beans. They’re easy to make because the recipe is made using canned beans. They’re a comforting side, and your whole family will love them. And a bonus: homemade baked beans reheat well and can be sent to school in a Thermos in a packed lunch.

A turquoise pot filled with homemade baked beans. The beans are visible in different colors and sizes, including red, black, and white. The dish appears hearty and well-cooked, sitting on a wooden surface.

It’s that time of year when, if you’re like me, you’ve been tired of packing lunches for a while now. And we’ve got about 5 months of school left. So, you might also be looking for something new and SIMPLE to add to your lunch list. I know I am!

As a registered dietitian and mom, I’m always looking for new, simple, and satisfying lunch ideas. Leftovers that reheat well are a go-to for me when packing lunches.

Ingredients for homemade baked beans

An assortment of food items to make homemade baked beans on a wooden surface. Includes cans of crushed tomatoes, baked beans, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, a jar of mustard, a jar of molasses, an apple cider vinegar bottle, a yellow onion, garlic cloves, and a bag of brown sugar.

A note on this photo: I don’t always buy organic beans. This is what I happened to buy this time. Sometimes I buy non-organic. It often comes down to what I grab off the shelves. I also buy different brands of canned beans.

Onion
Garlic
Tomato paste
Dry mustard
Dark brown or light brown sugar
Molasses
Apple cider vinegar
Canned baked beans
Canned black beans
Canned white beans
Canned kidney beans
Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Steps to make the recipe

Chop the onion and garlic. Add olive oil to a Dutch oven placed over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan and sauteé for 5-7 minutes.
While the garlic and onion are cooking, gather together the rest of the ingredients.
Add all the ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat under the beans.
Place a lid on the pan and put them in a 350°F oven for 1 ½ hours. Stir twice during the hour and a half.
Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Take the lid off and allow the beans to cool for a bit before serving.

What to eat with baked beans

The possibilities are endless. Here are some of the foods we love to eat with baked beans. What’s your favorite food to eat with baked beans?

Serve homemade baked beans with hot dogs and a salad.
Baked beans are great with Italian sausages, rice, and broccoli.
Baked beans and rice make a hearty vegetarian entreé with one of these simple veggie sides.
Chicken tenders or chicken nuggets, homemade baked beans, and your favorite cooked frozen veggies.

Do you want to simplify packing lunches? Try making a Master Lunch List.

What do I mean by a lunch list? Anna and I are both fans of keeping a list of all the lunch items we pack. We call it our Master Lunch List. We write out all the entrees, sides and fruit and veggie ideas we pack.

When we can’t think of anything to pack, or we’re doing our weekly meal planning we can refer to our list for ideas. And we periodically add new items to the list – like the Easy Baked Beans recipe in this post!

Another tip to streamline packing lunches

Another way we like to streamline packing lunches is to plan ahead and make 1-2 dinners with enough for leftovers. For example, I’ll make a bigger batch of pasta with pesto and send the leftovers for lunch the next day or 2.

Or, I’ll cook something I can use for lunches while I’m cooking dinner. I might make my easy black beans, or white bean, kale, and sausage soup to use for lunches and snacks while I’m cooking something else for dinner, especially on a weekend when I have some extra time.

What to do with leftover Dutch oven baked beans

Recently, I’ve rediscovered that leftover homemade baked beans as an easy packed lunch entrée. I used to send heated, canned baked beans for my older daughter when she was in elementary school, but for some unknown reason, I stopped.

If you’re wondering what to do with leftover baked beans, they reheat well, so can be used as a sides for lots of meals and heated and sent in a Thermos for lunch as mentioned.

A colorful pot of brown sugar baked beans sits on a rustic surface. Beside it, there is a small jar filled with homemade baked beans. The jar has a blue lid placed nearby.

Frequently asked questions

Can you freeze baked beans?

Definitely! Make a double batch and freeze them in a freezer-safe, air-tight container.

How to thaw and reheat baked beans

Thaw baked beans in the refrigerator overnight. You can also thaw them in the microwave according to your microwave instructions.

To reheat baked beans, place them in a pan on the stove and bring them to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Alternately, you can reheat them in your microwave.

What to serve with baked beans

Sometimes, I make a double batch of homemade baked beans and freeze some to thaw and serve during a hectic week. Brown sugar baked beans work well served on their own or over rice.

They also work well as a side dish for many meals, like grilled chicken or pork, BBQ chicken, or even baked Dijon salmon. Baked beans are also a staple at summer barbeques.

A packed lunch featuring a container of brown sugar baked beans with a spoon inside, a container of baby carrots and snap peas next to a small tub of organic applesauce, a section with Oreo cookies, and a piece of flatbread. In the background, there is a larger pot homemade baked beans

Learning to like homemade baked beans

Caroline, my 15-year-old, has always LOVED these beans. Ellie, my 12-year-old, never ate these until just recently. We were at my in-laws, and Ellie mentioned how much she loved the beans and asked if I’d please make them to put in lunches. Hooray!

She’s been exposed to these beans since she was a baby (make these beans for toddlers too), and had never liked them. Just this morning, out of curiosity, I asked Ellie about the beans.

She said, “Oh, I had baked beans at sleepaway camp this past summer, and they were great! So when we had homemade baked beans at Nana and PopPop’s, I tried them and loved them even more than the ones at camp.”

Hearing this was somewhat of a relief, because it’s evidence that I’m raising her to be able to make do with what’s available. It’s also a reminder to “just keep offering!”

When I asked what Ellie was in the mood for in her lunches this week, she said “baked beans!” Great–because I made three batches this week testing this recipe!

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