Smokey and sweet with a subtle kick from bourbon whisky, these stove-top baked beans will taste like you spent all day cooking. The trick is using canned beans and just the right flavor combination of seasonings to give these beans an authentic baked bean taste.
You are going to love these baked beans! First for the flavor and then for the ease of cooking. This would be the perfect dish to take to a BBQ or potluck event (double it). Even if you find out about it the morning of, there will still be time to make this delicious baked bean dish. And everybody will be impressed!
For some other great dishes you can make and take to your next event:
- Purple Cabbage Slaw with Miso Dressing
- Red Wine Vinegar Coleslaw with Peanuts
- Asian Inspired Pasta Salad with Peanuts
- Easy Vegan Italian Pasta Salad
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Ingredients needed to make Easy Bourbon Baked Beans
- onions
- bell peppers
- garlic
- oil, light tasting like avocado oil
- Bourbon Whisky
- 2 cans of white beans (undrained)
- brown sugar
- tomato paste
- molasses
- Worcestershire sauce (vegan)
- apple cider vinegar
- yellow mustard
- liquid smoke
- smoked paprika
- salt
- optional add-ons
- pickled jalapeno peppers
- “meat” of choice like Beyond Sausage or Lite Life Bacon or my own Tofu Bacon Bits
How to make delicious easy stove-top baked beans
After you have chopped the vegetables, heat the oil in a very large heavy-duty non-stick saucepan. Add the vegetables and saute for 5-7 minutes or until the edges have just started to brown. Watch so that the garlic doesn’t start to burn.
I like to use a really large pan for a couple of reasons. A larger pan will provide a more spacious bottom surface to saute the vegetables in a shallow layer so that they will evenly cook. Also, once you start to simmer, using a larger pan gives you a better surface-to-air ratio so that the liquid will evaporate just right.
After the vegetables have started to soften and just brown around the edges, add in the bourbon whisky and stir the bottom of the pan to get any little brown bits.
Next, add the undrained beans as well as the other ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil.
Finally, turn down and gently boil/simmer for about 45 minutes. About half the liquid will reduce and the sauce will thicken some.
Serving suggestions
This recipe serves four which is enough for a small family. If you are going to make it and take it then consider doubling the recipe – or even more.
The bourbon may not cook out enough. Even if the recipe cooks for an hour, you will still have 25% of the alcohol remaining. This article from Idaho State University explains it well. If you take these baked beans to an event, you are obligated to label them as containing alcohol. A simple place card with the title “Bourbon Baked Beans” near the dish should do the trick.
Some fun add-ons
You can cook and crumble your favorite smokey-flavored “meat” on top. I like to crumble and cook a link of the Beyond Sausage spicy. You can also cook and crumble some vegan bacon on top. I like Lite Life.
I have this really fabulous Tofu Bacon Bits recipe that would be amazing!
This is my favorite topping – pickled sliced jalapenos. It’s optional but I think necessary (my family disagrees which is why I’m calling it “optional).
The printable recipe card for stove-top baked beans with bourbon
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Easy Stove Top Bourbon Baked Beans
Equipment
- stove top
- large heavy duty non-stick sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper (any color) chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 Tablespoons oil such as avocado oil
- ¼ cup Bourbon whisky
- 2 15 ounce cans white beans undrained
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce vegan
- ½ Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Chop the onions, garlic, and peppers. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy duty non-stick saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, and peppers to the pan and saute on medium/high for about 5-7 minutes until the vegetables have begun to brown a little around the edges. Watch the garlic though so that it doesn't burn.
- Add in the bourbon whisky and stir around, scraping the bottom of the pan, to deglaze any little brown bits from the bottom of the pan
- Add in the undrained beans, brown sugar, tomato paste, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, and salt. Stir until well combined
- Bring to a boil while stirring.
- Turn the heat down to low/med and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's thick and saucy and the flavors have melded well.