Have you ever considered making homemade baked beans in a slow cooker? It’s much easier than you might think, and the flavor beats store-bought canned beans every time.
When I was a child, baked beans were a staple at summer picnics. If the grill was on, you could count on baked beans alongside a classic potato salad. Back then I avoided them — they were overly sweet and often too mushy for my taste.
Everything changed when a friend offered me a spoonful of her slow cooker baked beans. I expected the familiar canned flavor, but instead they were rich, balanced and far from mushy. I loved them and immediately asked for her method.
She didn’t have a strict recipe — just a list of typical ingredients. I experimented and refined her approach until I had a dependable, delicious slow cooker baked beans recipe that I now use for picnics and weeknight sides.
Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe
Start with 1 pound of dry navy beans — they’re white before cooking, even though the finished dish looks darker. Great northern beans work well as an alternative.
Sort, rinse and soak the beans overnight. If you forget, follow the quick-soak directions on the package (about an hour). Drain the beans and add them to the slow cooker.
Cook the bacon just until browned but not overly crisp. Drain, let cool, and cut into small pieces. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease to use in the sauce. Dice a medium onion and half a green pepper — these vegetables add subtle depth to the beans.
Homemade Baked Bean Sauce
Combine the remaining sauce ingredients (except the water) to create a balanced, flavorful sauce. This recipe blends sweet and savory elements for the best homemade baked beans: brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, stone-ground mustard, maple syrup, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Stir the beans, diced onion and pepper, and the sauce together in the slow cooker. Add the cooked bacon, reserved bacon grease and 2 cups of water, then stir to combine.
Cook on HIGH for 6–8 hours or on LOW for 10–12 hours, depending on your slow cooker. The longer cook time allows the beans to absorb flavors and become tender. For reference, a 6-quart programmable Crock-Pot took about 7 hours on HIGH to reach the ideal texture.
When the beans are tender, stir and let the pot sit uncovered for 20–30 minutes to thicken the sauce. Taste and adjust salt or pepper if needed. Leftovers freeze well and make a convenient pre-made side dish for busy days.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry great northern or navy beans
- 6–8 slices thick-cut bacon (or ham/smoked turkey)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 green pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup stone ground mustard
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Sort and soak the beans according to package directions, then drain.
- In a skillet, cook bacon until just browned but not overly crispy. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Cool and chop the bacon into small pieces.
- Place beans, onion, green pepper, brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, mustard, maple syrup, garlic powder, salt and pepper into the slow cooker and stir.
- Add the water, bacon and reserved bacon grease and stir again.
- Cook on LOW 10–12 hours or on HIGH 6–8 hours, until beans are tender.
- When tender, stir and leave the lid off for 20–30 minutes to thicken the sauce before serving.
Notes
All slow cookers heat differently; cooking times may vary by make and model.
Recipe provided by Make Your Meals.
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Thick, flavorful baked beans made from dried beans and slowly cooked for an easy, satisfying side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry great northern or navy beans
- 6-8 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 green pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup stone ground mustard
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Sort and soak the beans according to package directions and drain.
- Cook the bacon until just done, reserve 2 tablespoons of grease, then chop the bacon.
- Add beans, onion, green pepper and sauce ingredients to the slow cooker and stir.
- Stir in water, bacon and bacon grease.
- Cook on LOW 10–12 hours or HIGH 6–8 hours until beans are tender.
- Stir and let sit uncovered 20–30 minutes to thicken before serving.
Notes
*All slow cookers cook at different rates, so times may vary.
Recipe provided by Make Your Meals.
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