Cooking low and slow makes Crockpot Baked Beans extra tasty! Sweetened with molasses and maple syrup, these baked beans have just the right balance of sweet, savory, and tangy, while thick-cut bacon adds a hit of smoky flavor.
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Why You’ll Love This Homemade Crockpot Baked Beans Recipe
- Made From Scratch. A lot of recipes for slow cooker baked beans will have you dump canned baked beans into your crockpot with a few additions to doctor them up. This recipe for crockpot baked beans has you creating your own delectable sweet-and-savory sauce from scratch. It is so worth it.
- Easy Peasy. Even though you’re making these baked beans from scratch, the recipe is still simple as can be, with a list of ingredients that relies heavily on staples you likely already have in your kitchen or pantry.
- A Barbecue Must-Have. Can you even have a backyard cookout without a big pot of baked beans on the table?! Like my Boston Baked Beans and Easy Baked Beans, these crockpot baked beans are made for scooping and serving alongside hot dogs, hamburgers, and Grilled Chicken Breast.
How to Make Crockpot Baked Beans
The Ingredients
- Beans. While you can certainly switch things up with your own fave beans or keep it simple with a single variety, I like to use a can of white beans, a can of kidney beans, and a can of pinto beans. Using three different types of beans gives this recipe some visual interest and a combination of textures.
- Bacon. This adds another texture to the mix, along with some savory, smoky flavor.
- Onion and Garlic. An everyday yellow onion is perfect, but a sweet onion like Vidalia or Walla Walla would also work well.
- Chicken Broth. Using broth will infuse your crockpot baked beans with more flavor, but water is also fine.
- Ketchup. A staple in baked bean recipes, ketchup amps up that sweet-and-tangy factor.
- Molasses. Skip the blackstrap molasses—it’s too bitter for making baked beans.
- Maple Syrup. Not breakfast syrup! Not pancake syrup! We want the real deal here. A dark maple syrup is best because it has a more assertive maple flavor.
- Dijon Mustard. Mustard adds some sharpness and punch to give your baked bean sauce some complexity.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. A good crockpot baked bean recipe has a balance of tangy and sweet.
The Directions
- Dump in the Beans. Rinse them well and then add them all to the crockpot.
- Cook the Bacon. Add it to a Dutch oven over medium low heat and cook until the bacon is crispy and the fat renders. Transfer the bacon to the slow cooker.
- Sauté the Onion. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings and discard the rest. Cook the onion in the bacon fat with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour in the broth and deglaze the pot.
- Assemble. Transfer the onion mixture to the crockpot and stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Cook. Turn on the crockpot and cook the baked beans for 5 to 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high. Season to taste and ENJOY!
Leftover Ideas
Leftover crockpot baked beans are fantastic spooned over an Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato. You can also use them to make sandwiches—kind of like a meatless sloppy Joe. (Or add browned ground beef to the beans to make a legit sloppy Joe.)
What to Serve with Crockpot Baked Beans
- Grilled Foods. When you’re out in the yard grilling, hands-off crockpot baked beans are the perfect side dish! Serve these beans with Grilled Chicken Thighs, Grilled Pork Chops, or Grilled Corn.
- Burgers and Hot Dogs. A classic pairing! Try these beans with Turkey Burgers or Salmon Burgers.
- Backyard Barbecue Favorites. Healthy Potato Salad, BLT Pasta Salad, Fruit Salad, and Jalapeno Cornbread are all fantastic additions to any BBQ spread.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Skip the Pre-Cooking. This isn’t a dump-and-go recipe! You’ll need to cook the bacon first and then sauté the onion. While the onion can go in the slow cooker raw, I find the texture and flavor is much better when I take the extra time to sauté it on the stovetop first.
- Make Them Thicker. If you want your sauce thicker, you can mash some of the beans with the back of a spoon and then stir to combine. This releases the beans’ starches, which thickens the sauce.
- Cook Dried Beans First. Want to make crock pot baked beans with dried beans instead of canned? You can! You will need to cook the beans first, though. You can cook them on the stovetop or in the slow cooker, a la these Crock Pot Pinto Beans. If you’re using dried beans, you may want to stick with a single variety to avoid having to cook three separate batches of beans.
- Make Them Vegetarian. For vegetarian (or vegan) crockpot baked beans, you can simply skip the bacon or add a few drops of liquid smoke to replace some of that smoky flavor.
Crockpot Baked Beans
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 hours
Total: 5 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
With the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy, these made-from-scratch crockpot baked beans are always a hit. So easy too!
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Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, such as cannellini or Great Northern
- 1 (15-ounce) can dark or light red kidney beans
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans
- 6 ounces thick-cut bacon cut into 1/2-inch strips(about 6 strips)
- 1 medium onion diced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth or water
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses do not use blackstrap
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the beans, then transfer to a slow cooker. Heat a Dutch oven or similar pot over medium low. Add the bacon and saute until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to the slow cooker with the beans. Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon drippings from the pot.
- Add the onion, salt, and pepper to the pot. Saute over medium heat until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Let cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Pour in the chicken broth and stir to scrape up any bit stuck to the pan. Transfer to the slow cooker with the beans.
- To the slow cooker, add the ketchup, molasses, maple syrup, mustard, and vinegar. Stir to combine. Cook on low heat for 5 to 6 hours, or high heat for 3 to 4 hours, until the beans are hot and saucy. If you’d like them a little creamier, with the back of a spoon, lightly mash some of the beans, then stir to combine. Carefully taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Notes
- TO STORE: Let cool, store airtight, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Warm up leftover crockpot baked beans in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
- TO FREEZE: Transfer the beans to an airtight container or freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 8)Calories: 310kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 13gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 14mgPotassium: 822mgFiber: 8gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 50IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 4mg
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Definitely a keeper. I’ll double the recipe next time. I diced my bacon in larger pieces, knowing they shrink once cooked. I wanted to ensure larger bacon pieces in the end product and this worked perfectly! I serve these beans over brown rice with some grilled chicken for a complete and satisfying meal.
Glad you enjoyed it, Beatriz!
Y’all, these Crockpot Baked Beans are the taste of summer in a pot! Made them for our backyard barbecue last weekend, and they were a huge hit with everyone. The beans are super tender, and the sauce is like a flavor explosion – sweet, smoky, and a little tangy from the mustard. Thank you, Erin!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Jennifer!
These are AMAZING! I would have never thought to add molasses and apple cider vinegar but those additions are just so good. The aroma that fills our house while these beans are cooking is simply heavenly.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Charlotte!