Cooking with Coke and Dr Pepper is a time-honored Southern thing. I have hand-written recipes from my grandmother and church cookbooks that include Georgia and Texas-based carbonated beverages in every sort of recipe from savory to sweet. So it makes sense that when someone decided to sell Dr Pepper Baked Beans in a can, that company would be located in the South.
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Serious Bean Co., the maker of Sweet and A Bit Sassy Dr Pepper Baked Beans, is based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. They introduced their line of canned baked beans earlier this year and so far, while it looks like the product has been selling well, there's also a pretty big divide in its reviews. People either love or hate these Dr. Pepper baked beans.
The comments range from the enthusiastic on Serious Bean's Instagram page ("Just found your Dr. Pepper Baked Beans and man they are a winner. ? my new favorite") to the not-so-enthusiastic customer review on The Junk Food Aisle's Instagram post ("I bought 2 cans of the Dr. Pepper flavor a few months ago. I still have 1 can left"). One person even mentioned that the beans wound up in the trash can, though another said they were pretty good.
Serious Bean Co. was founded by Matt Brown and Trey Taylor with a goal of creating unique baked bean flavors and having some fun. Taylor told AL.com that, "We honestly believe that a can of beans pairs well with nearly every meal, but we need better options with better ingredients and flavors. We don't want people to miss out on the brilliance of the canned bean."
Serious Bean Co. has four baked bean flavors, the Dr. Pepper Baked Beans, Buckin' Buffalo, Chipotle Tomato, and Cracked Pepper. Right now, it looks like Walmart is the only retail location for the beans.
It has a strong Dr Pepper flavor and tastes like cherries. I wasn't a fan, but if you like sweet beans and are an adventurous foodie, this bbq side dish is for you!
Ingredients include: Prepared white beans, water, sugar, brown sugar, tomato paste, vinegar, fructose, less than 2% of: Sea salt, black pepper, dehydrated garlic, chili pepper, spices, natural flavors, salt, molasses, citric acid, maltodextrin.
If you can't find the canned baked beans and want to try them as a summer side dish at your end-of-season Labor Day barbecue or for upcoming game day parties, there are some good Dr. Pepper baked bean recipes online. This recipe by Sugar and Soul uses Dr Pepper, ketchup, molasses, Worchestershire sauce, and light brown sugar. It's the perfect side and baked beans recipe whether you are grilling or enjoying food from the crockpot.
If baked beans aren't your thing, but you want to try Dr. Pepper in food, you're in luck. There's Dr Pepper Cotton Candy or Dr Pepper pulled pork done in the slow cooker.
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