These Crock Pot Baked Beans are a great side dish for your next barbecue. Enjoy them with BBQ pork, ribs, burgers, hot dogs, and more! The beauty of crockpot baked beans lies in their customizability.
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Why this Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe is a Keeper
These baked beans are made with sweet and spicy ingredients, such as molasses and chili peppers. Make a large batch easily in the crock pot and use them for get-togethers or as a side dish with a weeknight dinner.
- Easy Ingredients: All of the ingredients for Boston baked beans in the instant pot or slow cooker can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Family Friendly: These beans make a great side for family dinners, potlucks, barbecues, and more.
- Adaptable: Add your favorite flavors to this baked bean recipe, or serve them as a topping for hot dogs, barbecue sandwiches, pork and beans, or burgers. If you’re short on time, you can make instant pot beans and cook on high pressure.
If you love baked beans and are looking for more bean dishes like this recipe, try these: Restaurant Style Black Beans, Almost Famous Chili, and Bacon Glazed Baked Beans.
What Kind of Beans are Baked Beans Made With?
Heinz Baked Beans are a common brand of canned baked beans, famously enjoyed in the UK. These canned beans are soaked in tomato sauce, which helps enhance their flavor. You can use a container of beans to make this recipe, or soak some dried beans instead.
Ingredient Notes to Make Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Great Northern Beans: These large, pale beans are most commonly used to make baked beans. However, you can use a different variety if you’d prefer.
- Molasses: Molasses is sticky and sweet, and will help bind your beans together while adding flavor.
- Bacon: Cooked bacon will give your beans some texture. You can use turkey bacon too.
- BBQ Sauce: Make this classic recipe with brown sugar, onion and light brown sugar.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Easy Crock Pot Baked Beans Side Dish
- Honey: Use honey instead of molasses to make the slow cooker beans a bit lighter.
- Vegan Bacon: For a vegan option, use a plant-based bacon substitute.
- Hot Sauce: Add a few drops of hot sauce for some extra heat.
- Instant Pot Baked Beans Recipe: If you’re short on time, this is a great instant pot recipe that you can easily pressure cook in the instant pot instead of the crock pot or slow cooker. You can also use a pressure cooker on high pressure to reduce the cooking time.
- Making Baked Beans from Scratch: Use dried beans instead of canned beans to make this recipe. Soak the beans overnight first in order to cook the dry beans. Then, cook the soaked beans following the recipe.
Special Equipment Needed for Homemade Slow Cooker Baked Beans Using a Slow Cooker
- Crock Pot: Leave the beans in the crock pot for an hour, and come back later to a slow cook flavorful, tender side dish.
- Instant Pot: If you want to save time, you can add the beans to the instant pot instead of a crock pot. For the best instant pot baked beans, use a 6-quart instant pot and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes, then use the pressure release or let the pressure release naturally; you’ll want to release any remaining pressure for about 10 minutes.
BBQ Pork and Beans Pro Tip
For thicker baked beans, you can mash a portion of the beans with a potato masher during the last hour of cooking. This will release some starches and create a thicker sauce.
How to Make Crockpot Baked Beans made with Bacon
Cooking baked beans is easy and uses simple ingredients to get you a great side dish. This recipe can be made with dry beans and water, or if you want to cook beans without soaking, you can use canned beans instead.
These are the basic steps to make this great baked bean recipe that’s a family favorite. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Cook the Bacon and Save Bacon Fat
Preheat oven to 350°F and cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels; reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings. Chop bacon and add to a large bowl.
2. Add Beans, Brown Sugar, Onion and Mix Ingredients for this Easy Side Dish Recipe
Add the beans, onion, ketchup, beer, molasses, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl and whisk until combined. Stir in chipotle chilies.
3. Cook the Beans
Transfer bean mixture to the crock pot. Cook beans at the bottom of the pot for 60 minutes on low heat, or until the beans are cooked and the sauce thickens.
Crock Pot Baked Bean Recipe FAQs
Store this easy recipe for crockpot baked beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
You can reheat the best baked beans ever in a saucepan on the stove until warmed through.
If you don’t have a crockpot, you can also bake the beans in a 9×13 baking dish in the same amount of time.
Expert Tips and Recipe Notes for Making the Best Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Beans: Feel free to use different varieties of beans, not just great northern beans. Use pinto beans, dried navy beans, kidney beans, lima beans, white beans or your favorite variety. If using dried beans, soak the beans in water first.
- Maple Syrup: Some maple syrup can add sweetness to these slow cooker baked beans, or you can substitute the dark brown sugar for syrup.
- Vinegar: A splash of vinegar or apple cider vinegar cuts through the sweetness of the sauce and adds a touch of brightness to this great recipe.
- Double Recipe: Double the recipe so you can use the leftover baked beans any time you want an easy side dish. Or use the homemade baked beans for a large family cookout.
What to Serve with Crock Pot Baked Beans
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Crock Pot Baked Beans
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Ingredients
- 4 Bacon Slices
- 1 cup Onion, chopped
- 1 cup Ketchup
- ½ cup Dark Beer
- ½ cup Molasses
- ¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
- 1 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2-3 teaspoons Canned Chipotle Chilies, minced
- 45 ounces Great Northern Beans, drained
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.
- Drain bacon on paper towels; reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings.
- Chop bacon and add to a large bowl.
- Add onion, ketchup, beer, molasses, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl and whisk until combined.
- Stir in chipotle chilies and add drained beans.
- Transfer beans to the crock pot.
- Cook beans for 60 minutes until sauce thickens.
Christina’s Notes
- Beans: Feel free to use different varieties of beans, not just great northern beans. Use pinto beans, dried navy beans, kidney beans, or your favorite variety. If using dried beans, soak the beans in water first.
- Maple Syrup: Some maple syrup can add sweetness, or you can substitute the brown sugar for syrup.
- Vinegar: A splash of vinegar or apple cider vinegar cuts through the sweetness of the sauce and adds a touch of brightness.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.