‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond’s Perfectly Baked Beans Recipe Is a Fourth of July Staple

Ree Drummond’s baked beans recipe is perfect for a Fourth of July gathering or any summer barbecue. The Pioneer Woman star’s make-ahead dish is always a crowd-pleaser and comes together effortlessly.

Ree Drummond loves making baked beans for their Fourth of July party

Drummond made her perfectly baked beans recipe on an episode of The Pioneer Woman dedicated to dishes for their annual party. “I love the Fourth of July and I love our annual Fourth of July party,” she said. “We invite all our friends and family, a bunch of people we know from church. And we just kind of provide the basics and then see how it unfolds from there.”

She continued, “I always do a lot of cooking ahead of time. Earlier today I whipped up perfect baked beans. I cannot imagine Fourth of July without them.”

Drummond added, “I can’t remember a Fourth of July when I didn’t whip up a huge batch of baked beans.”

How to make Ree Drummond’s baked beans recipe

Drummond started by cooking diced pieces of bacon in a big pot then added diced onions, green bell peppers, and red bell peppers.

She also added jalapenos. “If you’re a little concerned about the spice sensitivity of your guests, you can just add half the jalapeno,” Drummond said. “Another thing you can do if you’re concerned about the heat is you can scrape the seeds out of the jalapenos. That takes away a little of that ‘ouch’ brow-sweat heat.”

The Food Network host shared that it’s easy to switch up the dish and still have great results. “I love baked beans because you can really make them your own,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever made them exactly the same year after year. I always kind of throw in a little of this and a little of that.”

Drummond added canned pork and beans to the pot and stirred everything together. “This is a really easy recipe. The hardest thing about it is opening all the cans,” she joked.

She added barbecue sauce, white vinegar, yellow mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, and canned chipotle peppers, stirred everything well, and poured the beans into a baking dish. “I love making things early in the day on the Fourth because then I can just sort of enjoy life and not stress at the last minute,” she said.

Drummond added an extra layer of bacon on top of the beans before baking them in a 325 degree Fahrenheit oven for 2 hours. “As the beans cook, the bacon cooks very, very slowly,” she explained. “The flavor seeps into the beans.”

The full recipe is available on the Food Network website.

‘The Pioneer Woman’ star’s baked beans earn rave reviews

Based on the reviews left on the Food Network site, Drummond’s baked beans recipe is a hit. “These baked beans are easily the best I’ve ever had,” one reviewer shared. “Make in advance and reheat for best results. They are even better reheated when they’ve had a chance to thicken up.”

Another person noted, “This recipe is off the chain. This recipe is better than what my granny used to make.”

One reviewer raved, “These are fantastic! I’ve been making them for several years now and love them every time.”