• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crunchy Creamy Sweet

Easy Recipes for Busy Parents

  • All Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • Asian
  • Dinner
  • Instant Pot
  • Dessert
  • About Us
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About Me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    You are here: Crunchy Creamy Sweet / Side Dish / Slow Cooker Baked Beans

    Slow Cooker Baked Beans

    Published: May 21, 2019 · Modified: Mar 10, 2020 by Anna 35 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Sharing is caring!

    4745 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Slow Cooker Baked Beans - comfort food classic made easy in the slow cooker with dried beans (no cans!). Use a leftover ham bone or bacon for best flavor. This recipe is a family favorite! 

    We love serving these beans with grilled chicken, pulled pork and a side of coleslaw.

    Baked beans in white bowl.

    I can now officially say that I used every last bit of our Christmas ham. We enjoyed a hefty part of it for our holiday dinner, the leftovers got chopped and mixed in to make this delicious chowder and I even froze some for a breakfast casserole this weekend. The ham bone had a lot of meat on it and I knew I would use it to make something fantastic. What better dish than baked beans! In a slow cooker, because they are the best cooked slow.

    If you are looking for real comfort food to warm up your soul - these baked beans are soft, rich in flavor thanks to the sweet and tangy sauce with chunks of meat or bacon. Pure comfort food!

    Ingredients:

    • great Northern beans
    • ham bone with meat OR thick-cut bacon
    • onion
    • brown sugar
    • molasses
    • tomato sauce
    • ketchup
    • BBQ sauce
    • water
    • salt, pepper

    What if I don't have a ham bone?

    If you don't have a ham bone, no worries! You can use bacon slices (the thick cut would be great!) or leftover pork roast chunks would work great too! I haven't tried it with raw meat so I can't say how would that affect the final dish. You need enough liquid for the beans to soak up but not too much because we are not making soup here.

    How to make baked beans in a slow cooker?

    • Start by soaking beans (most packages have directions).
    • Add all ingredients to slow cooker, set timer to 4 hours (on HIGH setting) or 6 hours (on LOW setting).
    • Stir beans and let sit for 30 minutes.
    • Remove bone, take off the meat and stir it into beans.
    Overhead shot of beans in sauce and meaty ham bone in slow cooker.

    What beans are best to make this dish?

    For this recipe, I used one pound of dry great northern beans that were soaked. You can do that two ways (most packages have the instructions on them): overnight soak or quick soak. I have used both methods and had great results each time. To rapid soak the beans, simply place them in a large pot with enough water. Bring to boil and let cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the pot. Let sit for 1 hr. Drain the beans and use in this recipe.

    More slow cooker recipes:

    • Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
    • Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
    • Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

    If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out!

    Baked beans with ham bone in slow cooker.

    Slow Cooker Baked Beans

    Author: Anna
    Comfort food classic made easy in the slow cooker with dried beans (no cans!). Use a leftover ham bone or bacon for best flavor. This recipe is a family favorite! 
    4.82 from 16 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 6 hrs
    Total Time 6 hrs 10 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 7 servings
    Calories 225 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 lb dry great northern or navy beans
    • 1 medium onion chopped
    • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1/3 cup molasses
    • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
    • 1/4 cup ketchup
    • 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 2.5 cups water
    • 2 lbs meaty ham bone

    Instructions
     

    • Soak beans according to package directions.
    • In a slow cooker, place beans, chopped onion, brown sugar, molasses, tomato sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, salt and pepper. Stir well. Add water and stir again.
    • Add ham bone or bacon and stir.
    • Set slow cooker on low and cook for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.
    • When done, stir the mixture and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes with lid slightly open.
    • To freeze, cool beans completely, then place in Ziploc bags.

    Notes

    The prep time does not include soaking the beans.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 6g | Sodium: 722mg | Potassium: 703mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 2.8mg
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment with rating below!

    This post was originally published on December 30th, 2015 and updated on May 21st, 2019.

    More Side Dish Recipes

    • Leftover Stuffing Muffins
    • How to Freeze Rice
    • How to Cook Rice on the Stove
    • Easy Smashed Potatoes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Sheila says

      November 15, 2022 at 12:24 pm

      Anyone know how long to make this recipe in an Instant Pot?

      Reply
    2. Karen says

      April 15, 2022 at 1:53 pm

      5 stars
      Made these ahead of time and I'm really glad I did. The only thing I changed from this recipe was the soaking and cook times. Day 1 at 7 am I dumped 2 lbs of dry great northern beans in a pot of cold tap water and went to work. At 7 pm I drained the water off, warm water rinsed the beans for about 2 minutes and then started a 30 minute hot tap water soak while I got all the other ingredients together (including a ham bone with some meat from a few nights before) and prepped my crock pot (add 2 cups of boiling water and let sit about 20 minutes on high. Dump out the water and dry the hot crock pot. Spray with non stick spray) I dumped everything into the preheated crock pot and set on low and let it go overnight (about 12 to 13 hours). A little after 8 am the second morning, I dumped the cooked beans into a pan, pulled out the ham bone, covered the pan with foil and let sit at room temperature until we left for a small family gathering at 2 pm. Popped it into a steam table pan upon arrival and by 3 pm everyone wanted the recipe.

      Reply
    3. Dave says

      December 09, 2021 at 12:27 am

      Next time you make these try adding 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke. It just gives it a slight campfire flavor. This recipe for is great!

      Reply
    4. Laura says

      April 20, 2021 at 9:40 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic! I cooked the onion with a little lean bacon first, but followed everything otherwise. I did have a ham bone. I was really worried about only 2.5 cups of water (the bean bag indicated 6 cups), but it came out perfect. First time I've ever made beans. Wish I thought to make some corn bread before we were ready to eat (but there's lots of leftovers). Excellent!!

      Reply
    5. Love2cook says

      April 09, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      5 stars
      These taste amazing. I did notice (like other reviews) that the beans needed longer cooking time. I did mine on high for 7 hours. I added 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to the slow cooker with my beans. Also, I did not add the ketchup or tomato sauce until the last hour of cooking. (Once the beans were mostly tender)

      Reply
    6. Tina says

      January 02, 2021 at 11:55 am

      I want to love these beans followed exactly but after six hours on low beans are still crunchy so now I put them on high. I guess we will see....I did soak the beans overnight

      Reply
      • katherine says

        January 19, 2021 at 8:52 pm

        mine did the same. it was disappointing.

        Reply
    7. Jen Morgan says

      December 31, 2020 at 5:46 pm

      4 stars
      My whole family loved this, and my kids are picky. They are used to having Campbell's pork n'beans. I used my leftover hambone and did not presoak, just used about 8 cups of water and the hambone in the crockpot low for 8 hours. No problem with the beans being crunchy at all. I drained them saving the broth. Put together the sauce in a pot: sauteeing the onion in butter first, adding salt, pepper, and then the rest of the ingredients. Brought to a simmer then stirred in the beans and ham. Totally excellent.

      Reply
      • Anna says

        January 01, 2021 at 5:12 pm

        Fantastic! I am so glad the beans were a hit! Thank you, Jen!

        Reply
    8. Donnalee says

      December 28, 2020 at 5:19 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe worked perfectly for me. Quick soaked the navy beans and then slowcooked 6 hours on low temp.
      The combination of ingredients resulted in an exceptional flavour.
      I did not add the acid ingredients ( tomatoe based items) until the last 30 minutes as I always had issues with undercooked beans and I read recommendations that indicated not to cook beans with tomatoes and it works for me.

      Reply
      • Anna says

        January 01, 2021 at 5:19 pm

        Thank you so much, Donnalee! I am so glad the beans were a hit!

        Reply
    9. Scott says

      August 02, 2020 at 3:22 pm

      4 stars
      The recipe is delicious. I used sausage as my meat and that works well too.
      The only problem, like some others have noted, is the cook times listed. The first time I cooked with the instructions it took all day on low and weren’t ready in time. This time, I started it on high. 7 hours later on high = perfect!

      Reply
    10. Nicole says

      June 21, 2020 at 6:57 am

      4 stars
      SO delicious. I only had bacon, so used that with the fat trimmed off. This is a sweet recipe, which I didn't mind; I might play with less sugar and molasses next time though.

      I used great northern beans, soaked overnight, and after 5 hours on high they were still very crunchy. The review saying she cooked it 12 hours probably would have been my experience too. Short on time, I threw it in the Instant Pot to finish and that worked great, because the crock pot had caramelized the sugars by 5 hours in, and the IP finished the rest.

      I want to try again, but if I start it in the Instant Pot, the flavors won't caramelize the same way. Any advice, or do you have an Instant Pot baked bean recipe you like? Thanks for this tasty and simple recipe anyway!

      Reply
    11. Cheryl says

      April 17, 2020 at 3:13 pm

      What if I don't have molasses ? Any suggestions for a substitute ?

      Reply
      • Anna says

        April 18, 2020 at 5:46 pm

        Hi Cheryl! You can use more BBQ sauce or brown sugar.

        Reply
    12. janet says

      January 05, 2020 at 1:30 am

      5 stars
      this recipe is perfect, exactly what I was looking for. Used navy beans, and a leftover ham bone. Used tomato paste instead of sauce, added a little extra water. It probably cooked for 12 hours and was absolutely perfect!

      Reply
      • Anna says

        January 05, 2020 at 5:30 pm

        That's wonderful, Janet! Thank you so much!

        Reply
    13. Carter says

      December 01, 2019 at 12:30 pm

      Is it tomato paste or sauce, it’s unclear to me?

      Reply
    14. Pam Kohart says

      November 18, 2019 at 3:53 pm

      5 stars
      I am going to try them this way because I like the idea of ham with beans. But when I was growing up, my mom always used thick cut bacon and lots of sweet onion chopped. That's what I do now when my family requests this dish for cookouts and such. But I have learned to double the amount of bacon. Why? Because there are always the people who walk by the dish on the table and pick the pieces of bacon out they see at the top! My daughter is the guilty party in our family. Instead of giving her the dickens, I just put extra bacon in it, and everyone is happy! Sounds like a great recipe!

      Reply
      • Joan says

        April 02, 2021 at 11:35 pm

        I use brown sugar. No molasses. They turn out great.I also use bacon and bite size chunks of pork. Everyone loves my beans.

        Reply
    15. Patricia Ward says

      July 04, 2019 at 6:47 am

      I don't have tomato paste. Can I use canned tomatoes?

      Reply
      • Anna says

        July 04, 2019 at 11:36 am

        Hi Patricia! I don't think that will work. Use ketchup instead. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    16. Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      April 18, 2017 at 11:21 pm

      Hi Meleah! That's strange. Six hours should be enough to cook the beans. Are you using ham? Were the beans older? How does the mixture look?

      Reply
      • Angela says

        April 10, 2018 at 7:03 pm

        Hi,
        The same thing is happening to me . I started it out on low and when I realized they weren't going to be done I put it on high. I am not overly upset, the plan was to freeze most of it. Still looking forward to tasting them. I did check the date on the package of beans just in case and that was fine. They soaked at least 8 hours ( I don't remember exactly when I started soaking them)

        Reply
        • Lorena says

          April 13, 2020 at 11:40 pm

          I too had very undercooked beans. I had them on low for 4hrs then high for another 4hrs, back to low another 4hrs and now at the 12 hr Mark they are still crunchy. I will leave overnight on low and see. I soaked my beans overnight initially, did not cook them. I would also recommend some dry mustard powder. But that’s my taste.

          Lorena in Ontario.

          Reply
        • Christen says

          April 17, 2020 at 10:36 am

          if you add a little baking soda to your soaking water next time, it'll ensure your beans get soft.

          Reply
    17. Jackie says

      January 25, 2016 at 9:17 pm

      Hi Anna

      Can I use smoked ham hocks in this recipe.

      Reply
      • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

        January 25, 2016 at 10:01 pm

        Hi Jackie! I haven't used ham hocks but I do think it should be just fine. Definitely let me know how it goes! Thank you!

        Reply
    18. Nutmeg Nanny says

      January 03, 2016 at 10:24 pm

      5 stars
      LOVE the look of these baked beans. I love when they are packed full of smoked meats. I load my beans up with bacon...yum!

      Reply
    19. Cathy Trochelman says

      January 02, 2016 at 10:41 pm

      5 stars
      These are the best looking baked beans EVER!!!

      Reply
    20. Katerina says

      December 30, 2015 at 11:54 pm

      5 stars
      MMMM! I can almost smell this amazingness! Sounds so wonderful!

      Reply
    21. Sharon says

      December 30, 2015 at 9:43 pm

      5 stars
      Great use for the ham bone! I always make mine with salt pork but I'll have to try it this way the next time I've got a bone to use 🙂

      Reply
    22. Des says

      December 30, 2015 at 8:39 pm

      5 stars
      Love that you can make these in the slow cooker! They look wonderful and comforting!

      Reply
    23. Michelle says

      December 30, 2015 at 7:01 pm

      5 stars
      Using a ham bone gives recipes so much flavor! I'm looking forward to trying this!

      Reply
    24. Kristyn says

      December 30, 2015 at 3:23 pm

      5 stars
      These look perfect! Such great comfort food, I'll have to try them out!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Crunchy Creamy Sweet Anna

    Hi, I'm Anna! Thank you for stopping by! Here you will find easy and delicious recipes for busy people. My recipes are made with everyday ingredients and all of them are family approved!

    More about me →

    Easy Dinners

    • Quick Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls Recipe
    • Easy Sesame Chicken Recipe
    • Creamy Garlic Chicken
    • Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe
    • Creamy Mushroom Garlic Chicken
    • Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole

    Popular Recipes

    • Air Fryer Shrimp
    • Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Recipe
    • Thai Peanut Noodles Recipe
    • Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe
    • BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
    • KFC Coleslaw Copycat Recipe

    Featured in

    Logos of publications like yahoo, Parade magazine, MSN.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Crunchy Creamy Sweet All rights reserved.

    © Copyright 2023 - Crunchy Creamy Sweet - Privacy Policy