Calico Beans

Grandma’s calico beans bake up sweet, smoky, and loaded with ground beef, bacon, and four kinds of beans in a thick, tangy sauce. It’s the dish that disappears first at every cookout and pulls double duty as an easy weeknight supper!

Before You Get Started

A few quick notes before you brown the beef. These are the details that make the difference between good calico beans and the ones people ask about all night:

• Don’t drain the pork and beans. That sauce is doing the heavy lifting on consistency and flavor. Drain the other three cans, but keep the pork and beans sauce intact.
• Cover, then uncover. Foil for the first 25 minutes traps moisture so the beans soften. Take it off for the last 20 to let the sauce thicken into something rich, not soupy.
• Brown the bacon with the beef. Cooking them together saves a step and lets the bacon fat season the beef.

→ What Are Calico Beans? Calico beans (also called cowboy beans) are a hearty baked bean dish built on a mix of different beans, ground beef, bacon, and a sweet-tangy sauce. The name comes from the patchwork look of the finished dish: kidney, navy, lima, and pork and beans all in one pan, each holding its own color and shape.

How to Make Calico Beans

This recipe comes together with about 15 minutes of hands-on prep, then the oven does the rest. Here’s how it goes:

Step 1: Brown the Beef, Bacon, and Onion

In a large Dutch oven or skillet, brown 1 pound of ground beef, ¼ pound of chopped bacon, and 1 diced yellow onion over medium-high heat until the meat is no longer pink. 

Drain off the excess grease.

⇢ Want a smoky twist? Swap the bacon for diced smoked sausage. You’ll get a slightly different flavor profile but the same satisfying richness.

Step 2: Add the Beans

Stir in one can of pork and beans (with the sauce), one can of kidney beans (drained), one can of navy beans (drained), and one can of lima beans (drained).

⇢ Bean swaps work great here. Black beans, great Northern beans, butter beans, or pinto beans can stand in for any of these. The dish is forgiving, so use what you have.

Step 3: Whisk Together the Sauce

In a medium bowl, whisk ½ cup ketchup, ½ cup packed light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon yellow mustard until smooth.

⇢ Want more depth? Swap some of the ketchup for barbecue sauce, or stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. A teaspoon of chili powder also adds a nice savory note.

Step 4: Combine and Transfer to the Baking Dish

Stir the sauce into the bean mixture. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste, then transfer everything to a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Step 5: Bake Covered, then Uncovered

Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes, or until the beans are hot and bubbly and the sauce has thickened.

⇢ Prefer the slow cooker? It works beautifully, though the beans will be a little soupier. See the recipe card notes below for the full slow cooker method.

Serving Suggestions

Calico beans straddle the line between main dish and side. Hearty enough to be supper with a good piece of cornbread, but right at home alongside burgers and ribs at a cookout.

Make it a main:

• Southern cornbread
• Cast iron cornbread
• 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits
• Traditional coleslaw

Serve it as a cookout side:

• Grilled hamburgers
• Slow cooker pulled pork
• Dr. Pepper pulled pork
• Hot dogs or grilled bratwurst

Storage & Reheating

Make Ahead. Assemble the calico beans up to 24 hours before baking, cover, and refrigerate. Let the dish sit on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes before it goes in the oven, otherwise you’ll need to add baking time.

Store. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Freeze. Let the beans cool completely, then transfer to airtight containers or freezer bags. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheat. Cover the dish and warm in a 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until heated through. Individual portions go in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you drain the beans for calico beans?

Drain and rinse the kidney beans, navy beans, and lima beans before adding them to the pot. Keep the pork and beans in their sauce. That sauce thickens the dish as it bakes and you don’t want to lose it down the drain.

What kind of beans go in calico beans?

The classic mix is pork and beans, kidney beans, navy beans, and lima or butter beans. The whole point is a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, so feel free to swap in black beans, great Northern beans, or pinto beans. Use what’s in your pantry.

Can I make calico beans in the slow cooker?

Yes. Brown the beef, bacon, and onion on the stovetop first, then transfer everything to a slow cooker with the beans and sauce. Cook on HIGH for 1 to 2 hours or LOW for 3 to 4 hours, leaving the lid off the last 30 minutes so the sauce can thicken.

The Crock Pot version is a little soupier than the oven version, but just as flavorful.

Why are my calico beans too soupy?

The sauce thickens as it bakes uncovered and continues to firm up as the dish rests. If they still look loose after the full bake time, leave them in another 5 to 10 minutes uncovered. The sauce should bubble around the edges and coat the back of a spoon.

More Easy Cookout Sides

• Southern Macaroni Salad
• Southern-Style Potato Salad
• Broccoli Salad (with Bacon)
• Old-Fashioned Cornbread Salad 
• Franks and Beans