My 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Delicious Baked Beans (It Works on Homemade or Canned)

I’m a sucker for baked beans. They instantly transport me back to fond memories of childhood cookouts, where my mom always served them with grilled burgers and hot dogs on sweltering summer evenings. As a kiddo, the sweet flavor of this dish really spoke to my palate.

While I love classic dishes like these stewed beans equally as much as an adult, nowadays I look for a little more nuance in my recipes. In turn, I’ve come up with some easy, flavorful ways to bring dishes to the next level—read on to discover my favorite 1-ingredient upgrade to baked beans.

My 1-Ingredient Upgrade to Baked Beans

To bring more intrigue to the dish, I love adding jarred pickled jalapeños to both store-bought and homemade baked beans. I dice them up (seeds and all) and add a small handful to a big batch of homemade beans or a couple cans of store-bought beans. Chopping these spicy, pickled gems helps the flavors spread evenly throughout the dish.

I find that adding pickled jalapeños brings the perfect amount of heat and acidity to classic baked beans, cutting through the sweet richness of the dish without overpowering it. (The latter, I’ve discovered, happens with the addition of fresh jalapeños). Plus, I always have jarred jalapeños sitting in my fridge, so this upgrade is an excellent way to ensure they don’t go to waste.

How to Add Jalapeños to Baked Beans

If you feel inspired to try this spicy upgrade, here are some tips for making sure your jazzed-up baked beans come out perfectly:

• Start Slow: If you’re sensitive to heat—or new to jarred pickled jalapeños—start with about 2 tablespoons of chopped peppers in your baked beans and give it a taste. You can always add more (I personally add anywhere from 1/4 to 1/3 cup to a big batch of homemade beans, or two to three cans of baked beans).
• Chop Wisely: The size of your dice matters. The bigger the dice, the greater the chance you’ll bite down on a big piece of jalapeño (which might be OK for some). A smaller dice will result in more uniform (and potentially milder) jalapeño flavor running throughout the dish.
• Don’t Waste the Brining Liquid: The jalapeño brine is nothing short of liquid gold! I like to add a sizable splash of this to my baked beans for even more briny spiciness.
• Omit the Seeds If You’re Sensitive to Spice: While it will take more prep work, you can cut down on the spice of your baked beans by omitting the peppers’ seeds.