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My grandma’s calico beans recipe always has a place at our table. This hearty side dish combines canned beans, juicy ground beef, and crisp bacon in a sweet and smoky gravy. Make these beans in the oven or slow cooker the next time you have company!
Whenever I’m looking for a crowd-pleasing side dish, nothing hits the spot more than calico beans or slow cooker red beans and rice (another family favorite!).

These calico beans are my grandmother’s recipe. If there was ever a potluck or family gathering, it was almost guaranteed that these beans would make an appearance! This is one of those stick-to-your-ribs dishes that’s easy to make, and great to leave in the crockpot to keep warm. I love serving these savory calico beans as a side at summer barbecues. Brimming with ground beef, bacon, and onions, they’re also hearty enough to be a meal!
Why You’ll Love This Calico Beans Recipe
- Quick to prepare. Most of this recipe is hands-free. The ingredients take minutes to prep on the stovetop before they’re ready for the oven or slow cooker.
- Full of flavor. Calico beans are sweet and smoky, with savory beef, salty bacon, and a silky sauce sweetened with brown sugar. It’s pure comfort food!
- Versatile. This calico beans recipe is perfect for any occasion, any time of the year. It’s great as a side, as a meal, or even as a topping for a baked potato.
What Are Calico Beans?
You might know calico beans by their other names, “cowboy beans” or “trucker beans”. If not, this retro recipe is a colorful mashup of pork and beans combined with kidney beans and butter beans, with ground beef and bacon. Calico beans have a special place at my table since they’re always at our family get-togethers. They’re easy to prepare, a bit like chili, but without the Tex-Mex spice.
Recipe Ingredients
After all these years of making and eating cowboy beans, I’ve picked up most of my grandma’s tips and tricks. Here are some notes on what you’ll need. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list.
- Ground Beef – I like to use lean ground beef to keep the grease to a minimum.
- Onion – Any onion you’d like. Yellow, brown onions, or shallots all work here.
- Bacon – Cooked using your preferred method (the air fryer is quick and easy) and crumbled before you start.
- Pork and Beans – You’ll find canned pork and beans in the canned food aisle of most grocery stores.
- Canned Beans – A mix of beans gives these calico beans their “mottled” look. I use kidney beans and butter beans but feel free to substitute your favorite canned beans.
- Ketchup and Mustard – You can substitute ketchup with tomato paste if needed. Use any mustard you’d like, whether that’s yellow, whole-grain, or even Dijon mustard.
- Brown Sugar – Or granulated sugar, to give these beans a sweet flavor similar to traditional baked beans.
- Cider Vinegar – I like apple cider vinegar since the sweetness pairs nicely with the beans and bacon. Since you only need a small amount, feel free to use any type of vinegar you have on hand.
How to Make Grandma’s Calico Beans
Making calico beans takes only a few short steps. Follow along here, and check out the printable instructions in the recipe card.
- Cook the beef. Start by browning the beef and onions in a large skillet, and drain off the grease.
- Combine. Next, stir in the rest of the ingredients. If your skillet is oven-safe, pop the whole thing into the oven. If not, transfer the calico beans to a baking dish.
- Bake. Bake at 350ºF for 30-45 minutes until the beans are hot and bubbling.
Slow Cooker Method
To make your calico beans in the crock pot instead, after you’ve combined your ingredients in the skillet, pour the mixture into your slow cooker. Cook on Low for 2-3 hours. If I’m serving the same day, I like to leave the beans in on the Keep Warm setting until we’re ready to eat them.
Can I Make This Recipe Without Beef?
Yes. If you’d rather make these beans with another ground meat, swap out beef for ground chicken, turkey, or pork. You can also make vegetarian calico beans by trading the ground meat for lentils, chickpeas, crumbled tofu, or meatless mince.
Serving Suggestions
I’m always making calico beans for cookouts, family get-togethers, and holidays. They’re just as delicious in the summertime next to smoked ribs and corn on the cob as they are next to a roast turkey at Thanksgiving! For a cozy dinner in the colder months, we love calico beans spooned over baked or mashed potatoes with a side of broccoli or green peas.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover calico beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. You can reheat the beans quickly in a saucepan or the microwave.
- Freeze. These beans are good to freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating.
More Side Dish Ideas
Calico Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 28 oz can pork and beans
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
- 1 15 oz can butter beans (or lima beans)
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- In a large skillet brown ground beef and onion together, breaking apart until the beef is cooked and the onions are soft. Drain away any excess grease.
- Stir in all of the remaining ingredients until well combined.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- OR
- Pour mixture into a crockpot and heat on low for 2-3 hours, until hot and bubbly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Your recipe today reminds me that I haven’t made this in a long time and it’s one of my husband’s favorites! We’ve always called it Cowboy Beans. Adding bacon sounds like a perfect addition that I haven’t used, but it will be in there next time! Thank you!
These are without question the best baked beans I’ve ever made. They have so much zippy flavor!
Hands down the best beans I have ever made or had!
I tried your Calico Beans recipe for our family barbecue, and it was a huge success! The mix of beans and ground beef with that delicious sauce was perfect. Everyone asked for the recipe.
This was very easy to make and turned out so good! It had so much flavor! Perfect side dish!
Easy to prepare in either the oven or a slow cooker, it’s a comforting and flavorful dish perfect for any occasion.
This is the BEST bean recipe. It’s a whole meal by itself!