The best baked beans are the perfect balance of sweet and savory. And the best canned baked beans capture that homemade-by-the-fire taste so you don’t have to do any actual cooking.

But what makes for the best canned baked beans? Here’s what we look for in our canned baked beans: good quality, first and foremost. And texture is paramount. Baked beans should be slightly firm, but rich, buttery, and creamy in the middle. Baked beans should never be grainy, which several brands we tried unfortunately were. Also, the sauce that comes in the can should be a balance of sweet and tangy. Extra notes of smokiness were a bonus—especially if the beans were marketed as BBQ baked beans. We, of course, hoped for good seasoning. And while bacon isn’t a must, if you advertise baked beans with bacon, don’t be stingy with it. 

After multiple taste tests, we found some exceptional canned baked beans—including the best baked beans with bacon, BBQ baked beans, vegetarian baked beans, and more. Keep reading for our full ranking, which we recently updated with a can of classic BBQ baked beans, some spicy baked beans, and an old standby that nearly took the number one spot. 

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Best Spicy Baked Beans

These are some of the best baked beans we tried because they give you exactly what they promise: sweet and heat! The sugary taste coats your tongue and then the spicy kick comes in at the end. I think it’s a great variation on the classic baked bean. If regular baked beans are too saccharine for you, these are a great option. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Honey Baked Beans

These honey baked beans are spicy, spicy, spicy—but there’s also a lot of honey, honey, honey. The beans themselves are creamy and plump. And the sauce isn’t too syrupy. But it’s definitely very hot honey forward—good hot honey, too, with a wildflower honey flavor. You really have to want that spicy honey flavor. But if you are the type of person who always has a bottle of hot honey on the table (such a fun personality trait), these are the best canned baked beans for you. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Serious Bean

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Sweet

I’m not exactly sure what a “grilling bean” is, but I now know that I love it! The Bush’s “Grilling Bean” line of baked beans are all tasty, but these are one of the tastiest in the group. You don’t get much bourbon, but I think the bourbon is more about the vibe than the flavor. The sweet and savory flavors are perfectly balanced. The beans themselves are perfectly cooked. The person eating them (me or you) is perfect. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Vegetarian

Amy’s makes the best vegetarian baked beans we tried in our baked bean taste test. It’s very tomato-forward but there’s some sweetness, too. Plus, the bean quality is excellent. Amy’s uses white beans that are a bit smaller than your classic baked beans. They kind of clump up together, sticking to each other with sweet tomatoey goo. I thought these were absolutely delicious, and if you ask me, you don’t need bacon for baked beans to work. The best vegetarian baked beans can shine without the meat. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Classic BBQ

You might have already noticed that Bush’s dominates this list of the best canned baked beans. What can we say, they know how to bake a bean! And Bush’s BBQ Baked Beans are no exception. They’re not particularly nuanced like other BBQ baked beans on this list, but that’s what I like about them. They essentially taste like classic canned baked beans mixed with sweet and tangy BBQ sauce—the kind you dip chicken nuggets into. They’re really sticky and I think they’d be the best baked beans on this list to pair with barbecued meats like smoked sausages or pulled pork. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Bacon Baked Beans

These canned baked beans with bacon actually have some big chunks of bacon in the mix, which made them stand out because some of the other cans of baked beans with bacon skimped on the meat. Bush’s Maple & Cured Bacon Baked Beans are almost like a full English breakfast in a can, with an American edge. You get the tomato, the beans, the bacon—all that’s missing in an egg, some toast, and a double-decker bus (sorry, coach). Like all of Bush’s baked bean products, these are deliciously sweet and the beans are tender. The maple flavor is great, with a molasses-like quality that permeates every bite. These are some of the best canned baked beans, especially if you’re not into frying your own bacon. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Smoky

The Southern Pit BBQ Grillin’ Beans are the best baked beans in Bush’s “Grillin’ Bean” line. Unlike other baked beans, these are more savory than sweet. Plus, you get this great smoky flavor like they were really cooked on a charcoal grill. They’re soft and creamy beans with a zesty flavor, and plenty of sauciness. — Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Kroger

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best Nostalgic Flavor

When I think of baked beans, this is what I imagine. These canned baked beans will bring you back to childhood. They’re sweet. They’re gloopy. The beans are creamy. The sauce is tomatoey. There are no frills when it comes to these canned baked beans and sometimes that’s exactly what you need. Cut up some hot dogs, turn on some cartoons, and kick back like the manchild you are. —Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Bush’s is synonymous with baked beans for a reason; they just understand the flavor and aesthetic. Bush’s Brown Sugar Hickory beans carry the quintessential baked bean taste—sweet, tangy, and a little tomatoey. The addition of smokiness goes a long way, and the hickory adds a nice, standout complexity. The beans themselves are creamy and buttery, just like we want. When it comes to baked beans, Bush’s understands, more than anybody else, that sweetness is the move. These have the most pronounced sugary taste of the bunch, and that’s why they’re the best canned baked beans. This is what the best baked beans are supposed to taste like. — Danny Palumbo

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other baked beans we tried: Great Value Baked Beans, Great Value Maple and Cured Bacon, Bush’s Original, Trader Joe’s Baked Beans, Bush’s Country Style, Dakota’s Pride Original, Dakota’s Pride Maple, Dakota’s Pride Country Style, Whole Foods 365, B&M Original Baked Beans, Heinz Vegetarian Baked Beans in Rich Tomato Sauce, Walnut Acres, Walnut Acres Brown Sugar & Onion, Bush’s Zero Sugar, Bush’s Steakhouse Grilling Beans, Serious Bean Dr Pepper Sweet & Sassy, Serious Bean Carolina Gold BBQ, Kroger Pork and Beans, Bush’s Honey Baked Beans, Kroger Country Style Baked Beans, Van Camp’s Original Baked Beans, Van Camp’s Pork and Beans, Bean Vivo Smoky BBQ Pinto Beans, Bean Vivo Brown Sugar Baked Beans

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