Root Beer Baked Beans – the best barbecue side dish! Beans with bacon, root beer, and barbecue sauce are baked until the sauce is thick and delicious.
Originally published June 2, 2014. Updated May 6, 2019.
You guys.
It almost feels like summer has arrived in Texas.
People have finally stopped asking if I’m cold in my Jeep. (I have a heater, y’all. And a boyfriend that makes me take his truck if it’s too cold. I’m fine.)
I mean, it’s still raining buckets 5 days a week but it’s finally warm enough for sundresses and sandals.
And I’m so ready for lake days and the waterpark and snow cones.
How To Make Root Beer Baked Beans
And because summer’s (mostly) here, I’m sharing one of my alltime favorite barbecue side dish recipes.
These are so easy, you aren’t even going to believe it.
They start with bacon and then you cook some onion in the bacon fat. The bacon and onion gets mixed with a couple cans of Pork and Beans, root beer, barbecue sauce, and a dash of hot sauce.
Then you just have to bake them for about 55 minutes. In that time, the sauce cooked down and gets thick and delicious.
The beans are sweet and a little spicy and they are definitely my favorite baked beans ever. If you are feeding a crowd, double the recipe, at least. They go fast!
More Barbecue Side Dish Recipes
Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad – a lighter version of the classic broccoli salad. Broccoli, crumbled bacon, almonds, red onion, and dried cranberries in a creamy, tangy dressing.
BBQ Bacon Wrapped Corn – corn on the cob brushed with barbecue sauce and wrapped in bacon before grilled.
Southwestern Cornbread Salad – layers of lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, red onion, cheese, and cornbread in a zesty dressing!
- 3 bacon slices
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 16-ounce cans pork and beans
- 1/2 cup root beer not diet
- 1/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
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Preheat oven to 400F.
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Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.
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Sauté diced onion in hot bacon drippings in skillet over high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir together onion, crumbled bacon, beans, and remaining ingredients in a lightly greased 1-quart baking dish.
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Bake beans, uncovered, for 55 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
I love baked beans! And yay for summer finally happening in Colorado. Baked beans are one of my favorite side dishes for a summer cook out too. That and macaroni salad :)I love that these are made in root beer! Pinned :)
I’m just starting to learn to work our grill because I’m tired of my husband burning our food. It’s true. Love these beans!!
I am a baked bean lover too! Cold out of the fridge? – give em’ to me all day long, yum! I love the idea of the root beer, sounds like a flavor that would work so well with baked beans.
I am a bit obsessed with root beer, to the point where I have a collection of all the different kinds of bottled root beer (over 100 and counting). Gotta try these beans.
Here is a little tip for you: Cover a baking sheet with sides with foil, place your bacon slices on it, Place the sheet in the oven, then turn it to 450 degrees. When the oven has preheated to 450 degrees, your bacon should be nice and crispy. If the bacon isn’t quite as crispy, leave it for a few more minutes, watching closely. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, lower the temp to desired temp, dice your bacon, pour the drippings into your skillet and saute your onions. This way your bacon will be nice and crispy and will not have shrunk to 1/2 it’s original size. This is the only way we cook bacon anymore. Got the idea from Pinterest.
Am going to try your Root Beer Beans next weekend! They sound SUPER yummy!
I saw this in our group and had to check them out. I LOVE baked beans with a sweet/spicy component and these sound perfect. Off to do errands and thinking a stop by A&W is a must!
BTW, I didn’t know you were in Colorado…we must connect! I’ve got a listing of Colorado bloggers on my site; I’ll add you to it.
I am making these today; I make my own BBQ sauce so will do that and then smoke the beans. Maybe you’ll smell them all the way down in the Springs!
I hope they turned out well! :)
We moved down to Texas last month. I’m still hoping the Army will tell us it was all a big mistake and we can go back to the Springs!
Loved them; added a few of my own have to’s (garlic and molasses) but the best part? I told my neighbor who was coming for a barbecue on Memorial Day that I was making baked beans. She said, ‘ What do you mean, like opening a can of beans and heating them?’ No, I add stuff to them…she had never done that!
Guess what? She really like the smoked chicken but her favorite thing of all I served at dinner? The baked beans…I would say we have a convert!
Nice recipe; I’ve heard of adding colas but I’m a root beer girl through and through so it never got me until I saw your recipe…thanks!
Could you please send me recipes for sugar beans,potatoes, queen cakes & simple cakes. I love cooking. Also if you have any other recipes I would love them. In box me.