Transform Boring Baked Beans Into A Bold, Flavorful Side With One Ingredient

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You might already have your go-to secret ingredient to give even more flavor to baked beans, whether the dish is made from scratch or poured out of a can. The side dish is typically layered with sweet and tangy flavors from traditional ingredients like brown sugar and ketchup — but it often lacks spice. But you can easily give a bold, gently fiery kick to baked beans with some pickled jalapeños.

There are a few arguments as to why jalapeños should be in your next batch of baked beans. If you like spicy food, pickled jalapeños will do the job. However, the pickling process makes the spice a bit milder, which is ideal if you have a lower heat tolerance. Pickled jalapeños will also add acidity to your baked beans, which balances out the richness and sweetness of ingredients like brown sugar and molasses. Then there's the texture — because the pickled peppers add a slight crunch to contrast with the creamy legumes in the dish. Even better, you can pull off this hack with either homemade or store-bought pickled jalapeños, like these Jeff's Naturals on Amazon.

To add pickled jalapeños to a homemade batch of beans, start with a recipe like our slow-cooker baked beans. The first step is to remove them from the brine and chop them up. You can always save a few whole slices to use as a garnish before serving later on. As for that flavorful, spicy brine, use it in place of any vinegar in your recipe if you appreciate spice.

Now, you have two options when it comes to when to add the peppers to the dish. If you want the flavors to meld with the dish and don't care about the texture, then add them with the other ingredients before they go in the oven or on the stovetop. If the crunch factor is important to you, stir them in towards the end of the cooking process to maintain some of the texture. If you'd prefer to start with our already spicy baked beans recipe then add the jalapeños towards the end for a refreshing crunch, as there's already a lot of powerful spice in the recipe. 

There are some other ingredients that pair well with pickled jalapeños in your baked beans. Stir in chopped cilantro for a fresh, herby touch to balance the sweetness and spiciness of the dish. If your go-to recipe doesn't include bacon or ham hock, consider one of the two for some meaty umami to balance the acidic heat from the peppers. You also can't go wrong with your favorite hot sauce if the jalapeños don't provide enough spice on their own. And for another pepper to try, upgrade your baked beans with canned green chiles instead.