Traeger Honey BBQ Baked Beans
If you love baked beans, my Traeger Honey BBQ Baked Beans are about to become a regular on your BBQ schedule.
Smoked Honey BBQ Baked Beans
These homemade baked beans are sweet, smoky, and built just for cookouts where the side dish gets just as much attention as the main.
We start with a quick honey BBQ sauce made from tomato sauce, mustard, brown sugar, BBQ rub, apple cider vinegar, and dry hard cider, then they head to the smoker with white beans and bacon.
The Traeger does the rest, giving the sauce time to thicken and pick up a bit of smoke, the natural way. Keep that liquid smoke far away from me, please. If I was in charge, it would be illegal.
This is a great recipe for ribs, burgers, brisket, pulled pork, or any backyard meal where you need something hearty, simple, and crowd-friendly.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Big BBQ Flavor - Honey, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and BBQ rub create a rich sauce that tastes like it cooked much longer than it did.
- Easy Pellet Grill Side - The Traeger adds smoke and steady heat with very little hands-on work.
- Great For Feeding A Group - Beans are budget-friendly, filling, and easy to scale up for larger gatherings.
- Flexible Cook Time - Smoke until the sauce thickens to your liking, then thin it with more hard cider if needed.
- Bacon In Every Bite - Cooked crumbled bacon adds savory flavor and a little texture throughout the dish.
Try my original Smoked Baked Beans!
Recipe Shopping List
Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here's the list of items you'll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Tomato Sauce - Creates the base of the BBQ sauce and gives the beans body, acidity, and a smooth texture.
- Honey - Adds natural sweetness and helps the sauce turn glossy as it cooks down.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - Brings tang and balance, cutting through the sweetness from the honey and brown sugar.
- Yellow Mustard - Adds a mild sharp flavor that works well in BBQ sauces and baked bean recipes.
- Brown Sugar - Deepens the sweetness and gives the sauce a richer, more classic baked bean flavor.
- Dry Hard Apple Cider - Adds apple flavor, light acidity, and enough liquid to help the beans smoke without drying out.
- BBQ Rub - I usually use my OWYD Spicy Pork Rub or our Everything Rub in this. Both work great! If you don't have either of those (yet), you can use whatever your current favorite BBQ rub is.
- Onion - Optional, but adds some great flavor! Don't worry, they cook fully so there won't be distinct onion "crunch" for the "I pretend to hate onions" folks.
- Jalapeno - Also optional, but really tasty if you like your beans with a kick!
- White Beans - Mild, creamy beans that soak up sauce well. Navy beans, great northern beans, or cannellini beans all work.
- Bacon - Adds salty, smoky flavor and a hearty bite. Cook it crisp before stirring it into the beans.
How about Smoked Baked Beans with Brisket?
How To Make This Recipe
This is just the overview so you can see what you're actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you'll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Preheat The Traeger - Set your Traeger to 300°F and let it preheat fully.
- Mix The Sauce - Whisk together tomato sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, brown sugar, BBQ rub, and dry hard cider until smooth.
- Add Beans And Bacon - Gently stir in the drained white beans and cooked crumbled bacon.
- Transfer To A Grill-Safe Dish - Pour the mixture into an 8x8 high-sided grill-safe baking dish or another similar-sized pan.
- Smoke Until Thickened - Smoke for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Remove once the sauce has thickened. For a longer smoke, add more hard cider as needed to loosen the sauce.
Try my meaty Spicy Cowboy Beans!
Recipe FAQ
Yes. Mix the sauce, beans, and bacon, then cover and refrigerate the dish for up to 24 hours before smoking. Let the pan sit at room temperature for a short time before placing it on the Traeger so it heats more evenly.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The sauce will thicken after chilling, which is normal.
Reheat them in a covered pan on the stove over low heat, in the oven at 300°F, or back on the Traeger. Add a splash of hard cider, water, or apple juice if the sauce is too thick.
Yes. Navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, or a mix of beans all work well. Choose drained canned beans for the easiest prep.
Yes. Use apple juice, apple cider, chicken broth, or water instead. Apple juice will make the beans sweeter, so reduce the honey or brown sugar slightly if preferred.
Yes. Smoked sausage, pulled pork, brisket, diced ham, or extra bacon can be stirred in before smoking. Keep an eye on the sauce thickness and add more liquid as needed.
Yes. Use a spicy BBQ rub, add cayenne, stir in diced jalapeños, or mix in a spoonful of chipotle peppers in adobo for a smoky heat.
We love Dr. Pepper Baked Beans!
More Incredible BBQ Sides
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Traeger Honey BBQ Baked Beans
These homemade baked beans are everything you WISH came out of the can, but never actually does. Sweet, tangy, perfectly smoked, and easy to throw together, too.
Ingredients
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- ½ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup hard dry apple cider
- 1 tablespoon BBQ rub (suggestions below)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, sliced (optional)
- 3 cans white beans, drained
- ½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
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Instructions
- Preheat your Traeger to 300°F.
- Whisk together the tomato sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, BBQ rub, and hard cider until everything is combined.
- Gently stir in the drained beans and cooked bacon crumbles, and pour into a grill-safe baking dish. I used an 8x8 square high-sided piece of enameled stoneware.
- Smoke for 1.5-2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
- Remove from the smoker once the sauce has thickened. You can smoke them longer, if you'd like, just add additional hard cider as needed to thin out the sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 372Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 1042mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 4gSugar: 35gProtein: 17g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate. If you are tracking these things for medical purposes please consult an outside, trusted source. Thanks!
