This is my easy smoky BBQ beans recipe that’s the perfect side for your barbecue. Infused with rich, smoky flavours, these beans are what make any BBQ unforgettable. Whether you make them on the BBQ or on the hob (stovetop), they work delicious!
These smoky and slightly spicy BBQ beans are just so tasty! Now that there’s some sun in the sky we can’t not have a BBQ dinner at every opportunity, and this is the PERFECT side dish.
📋 What do we need?
Mixed Beans – This is just a pre-made mix of Red Kidney, Pinto, Haricot, Borlotti, and Canellini Beans. This just adds a little bit of variety in flavour and texture but you can use any bean blend you like!
Bacon Lardons – You can substitute this for diced pancetta or chopped up streaky bacon.
Cajun Seasoning – This can be found at larger supermarkets in the herbs and seasonings section.
How to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- First we fry up the bacon until the fat starts to render off. Then remove the bacon from the pan and fry diced onions in that lovely bacon fat.
- Add in garlic, the beans and mix in the seasoning, then turn down the heat to low and stir everything together.
- Leave it to simmer for 5-10 minutes so the beans heat through and soften, then stir in the crispy bacon lardons and serve with your favourite BBQ dishes!
Pro Tip
You don’t have to cook them on the hob (stovetop). If you’ve got the barbecue going, cook them on the barbecue in a barbecue-safe pan.
That lovely smoky flavour combined with the slight sweetness of the beans is just divine!
🍽️ What to serve it with
These BBQ beans go fantastic on any BBQ table alongside the main meat, such as:
Super simple to whip up and is so worth it!
🍲 More fantastic BBQ sides
Is it just me that gets just as excited by the sides at a BBQ as the main event? I love it when Chris makes these BBQ beans but I also really enjoy serving up these:
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BBQ Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 200 g (7 oz) bacon lardons (or diced pancetta)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 400 g (14 oz) tin of baked beans
- 400 g (14 oz) tin of mixed beans (I like to use the mixed beans in chilli sauce for this)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Add the oil into a frying pan or medium sized saucepan over a medium-high heat.1 tbsp oil
- Add the bacon lardons and fry stirring often until they are golden and crispy, this should take 5 minutes.200 g (7 oz) bacon lardons
- Remove the bacon from the pan and place in a bowl lined with kitchen paper and put to one side for later.
- Place the diced onion in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften.1 medium onion, finely diced
- Add in the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds stirring continuously.2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- Add in the baked beans, mixed beans, smoked paprika, Cajun spice, black pepper and salt.400 g (14 oz) tin of baked beans, 400 g (14 oz) tin of mixed beans, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt
- Turn down the heat to low and stir everything together until fully combined.
- Simmer for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally until the beans are cooked through and slightly softened.
- Just before serving stir in the cooked bacon and heat through for another minute (NOTE 1)
- Serve alongside your favourite BBQ food.
Notes
Note 1
We only add a little salt as there’s already salt in the bacon and beans. However, you can give it a taste just before serving and add a little more salt to suit your preferences.Ingredient Swaps
You can swap out the bacon lardons for diced pancetta, and mixed beans with any type of bean blend you like! (I like to incorporate kidney beans for some variance in texture)Can I make these ahead?
Yes, you can make these ahead to refrigerate. Just follow the recipe through as you would normally, then quickly cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, just heat through in a pan/skillet and make sure it’s bubbling and hot throughout before serving.How to scale up and scale down this recipe.
This recipe can be doubled up for a crowd or halved for two people, sticking to the same ingredient ratios.Nutritional information is approximate, per serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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