21 Baked Beans Recipes for Your Next Potluck
Updated: Jan. 05, 2022Sweet, smoky, sausage-y, barbecued, meatless or packed with bacon and beef, here's your go-to collection of baked beans recipes to tote to your next potluck! Each recipe serves 8 or more.
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New England Baked Beans
For a potluck or picnic, you can’t beat this classic side that starts with a pound of dried beans. Molasses and maple syrup give it a slight sweetness. —Pat Medeiros, Tiverton, Rhode Island
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Sweet and Spicy Baked Beans
This recipe is a hit with guests and family. It's sweet, simple and delicious, and someone always asks for the recipe. —Elliot Wesen, Arlington, Texas
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Slow-Cooker BBQ Baked Beans
I was under a doctor’s orders to reduce the amount of sodium I was eating, but I just couldn't part with some of my favorite foods. After many experiments, I came up with this potluck favorite—and now everyone's happy! —Sherrel Hendrix, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
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Root Beer Apple Baked Beans
All nine men in our family love roughing it outdoors. My beans with bacon and apples is a "must " to keep their outdoor energy going. —Nancy Heishman, Las Vegas, Nevada
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Party Time Beans
A friend brought this colorful bean dish to my house for a church circle potluck dinner. As soon as I tasted the slightly sweet slow-cooked beans, I had to have the recipe. I've served the beans and shared the recipe many times since. —Jean Cantner, Boston, Virginia
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Western-Style Beef and Beans
This hearty, crowd-pleasing dish doesn't take long to make but tastes as if it simmered all day. With bread and a salad, it's an entree. —Jolene Lopez, Wichita, Kansas
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Slow-Cooked Bean Medley
I often change the variety of beans in this classic recipe, using whatever I have on hand to total the five cans called for. The sauce makes any combination delicious! It's a gluten-free side dish that's popular with just about everyone. —Peggy Gwillim, Strasbourg, Saskatchewan
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Slow-Cooker Potluck Beans
It was the morning of our family potluck and I still needed something to take. I threw together this recipe while drinking my morning coffee. By the end of the gathering, the beans were all gone and someone had even washed the slow cooker for me! —Mary Anne Thygesen, Portland, Oregon
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Sweet & Hot Baked Beans
Baked beans belong at a barbecue. They're sweet with heat when you add pineapple and jalapenos. — Robin Haas, Cranston, Rhode Island
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Best Ever Beans and Sausage
When my wife asks what she should make for a gathering, she's always told to bring this—and a couple of copies of the recipe! — Robert Saulnier, Clarksburg, Massachusetts
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Fourth of July Baked Beans
We always choose this family recipe for July Fourth or any picnic because it's a meaty twist on everyday baked beans and it has a nice sweetness. —Wendy Hodorowski, Bellaire, Ohio
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Tangy Baked Seven Beans
Everyone needs a go-to side dish for school events, picnics and potlucks. Here's mine. Freeze leftovers for future outings. —Rod Lundwall, Tooele, Utah
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Spicy Chuck Wagon Beans
Baked beans don't get any easier! All you have to do is open some cans, chop an onion, and add a dash (or two) of hot sauce. They'll simmer to perfection in minutes.—James Schend, Deputy Food Editor
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Baked Beans with Pineapple
This marvelous recipe is a staple at our neighborhood's annual barbecue. —J. Hindson, Victoria, British Columbia
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Chuck Wagon Beans with Sausage
I followed the lead of cooks of Old West cattle ranges to come up with these savory beans. Sweet and smoky, they’re made extra hearty by the addition of sausage. —Nancy Moore, Bucklin, Kansas
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Smoky Baked Beans
They’ll be standing in line for this saucy bean recipe full of campfire flavor. A variation on colorful calico beans, it'll make a delightful side dish with many of your favorite entrees. —Lynne German, Cumming, Georgia
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Hearty Beans with Beef
My husband raved about this sweet bean dish after tasting it at a party, so I knew I had to get the recipe. It's perfect for get-togethers because you can mix it up a day early and toss it in the slow cooker a few hours before your guests arrive. —Jan Biehl, Leesburg, Indiana
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Sweet N Sour Beans
This recipe is popular on both sides of the border. It came from a friend in Alaska, then traveled with me to old Mexico, where I lived for 5 years, and is now a potluck favorite in my Arkansas community. It's easy to keep the beans warm and serve from a slow cooker. -Barbara Short, Mena, Arkansas
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Three-Bean Baked Beans
I got this recipe from my aunt and made a couple of changes to suit our tastes. With ground beef and bacon mixed in, these satisfying beans are a big hit at backyard barbecues and church picnics. I'm always asked to bring my special beans. —Julie Currington, Gahanna, Ohio
Originally Published: June 12, 2019
