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Crock Pot Baked Beans

These Crock Pot Baked Beans are so easy to make and serve! Pork and Beans combined with brown sugar, mustard, BBQ sauce, onion and bacon.

A EASY CROCK POT BAKED BEAN RECIPE

We are huge baked bean lovers in my family. Whenever we grill out in the summer, we almost always have beans as a side. Now, I have a pretty fantastic (if I do say so myself) recipe for Southern Baked Beans. It is my favorite bean recipe to use. But I got quite a few emails from folks who like that recipe but wanted something that was a bit easier to make, didn’t involve so many ingredients and didn’t use the oven. While I love my oven baked Southern Beans, I also understand keeping things easy and not heating the house with the oven in the summer. So, this recipe was created. Just a few ingredients, and it is made in the crock pot!

A large serving bowl of Crock Pot Baked Beans with a spoon holding a scoop.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 

Can I make these thicker?

If you like thicker baked beans, that’s not always how they turn out when you use the Slow Cooker, but I have a solution that you can try. You could do a cornstarch slurry of like 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch whisked with 3 Tablespoons of water and add that to the beans, then turn on high and stir and it should thicken up some.
I have seen some people also recommend taking the lid off and cooking on high to let the excess moisture cook off. I don’t love that idea since it could cause the beans to start sticking to the bottom if you had a lot to cook off, but it is another option that you could try.
You could also try to drain one of the cans of pork and beans, but I feel like you’d lose some of the flavor. So, this would be a last ditch effort for me. I’d use the slurry first and then if that didn’t work, next time, maybe I’d try this option.

What beans should not be cooked in a slow cooker?

Some dry beans should not be cooked in a slow cooker because of a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin. Most slow cookers don’t get hot enough to boil (212F) the beans to kill this toxin, so it’s only recommended that you use cooked beans in crock pots. Other beans, like black beans, pinto beans, and chickpeas, can be cooked in a slow cooker without any issues. Since we are using cooked beans in this recipe, it’s totally safe.

Will beans disintegrate in the Slow Cooker?

Beans can hold up well in a slow cooker, stir to make sure they don’t keep sticking to bottom of the crockpot.

Can I make these with a smokier flavor?

Sure. I like them that way too. To get the different flavor profile, you need to alter the bbq sauce choice. I’d recommend to choose a hickory barbecue sauce. This is my first choice. If I don’t have a good bbq sauce to use then I would add a dash of liquid smoke, but I prefer to use the sauce first.

How long does it take to warm up baked beans in the Slow Cooker?

This can vary depending on the starting temps of your beans. You can reheat them on low for about 4 hours, or on high for about 2. I’d be careful with the high time though, be sure to stir often so they don’t burn or stick.

How to store leftover beans?

Leftover beans need to cool to room temperature before you can transfer them to an airtight container. Place the container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can freeze them for up to 4-5 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating.

How to reheat the beans?

If you don’t want to use the CrockPot to reheat leftovers as shared above, you can reheat them in the oven in a baking dish, on the stovetop in a saucepan, or in a microwave safe container in the microwave.

A spoon holding a scoop of Crock Pot Baked Beans over the rest of them.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • pork and beans
  • diced onion
  • barbecue sauce– this is the key to adding the most flavor. So, use a brand that you love.
  • brown sugar– I used light brown sugar, but you can use dark brown sugar if you want more molasses flavor. Both options are very, very good.
  • yellow mustard– That little bit of mustard is nothing you can actually taste but provides a depth of flavor.
  • cooked bacon
Pork and beans, onion, barbecue sauce, yellow mustard, light brown sugar, and bacon.

HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT BAKED BEANS:

Mix all ingredients (except for bacon) in a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Pork and beans, diced onion, brown sugar, mustard, and barbecue sauce all go in. Give it all a good stir.

A crockpot with pork and beans, mustard, brown sugar, diced onion, and bbq sauce and a stirred slow cooker with it all.

Cover and cook on low for 3-5 hours, stirring gently a couple of times during cooking. Right before serving, stir in cooked bacon (if using).

Cooked baked beans in a slow cooker and bacon being added to baked beans in a slow cooker.

Serve and enjoy your baked beans!

A spoon getting a scoop of Crock Pot Baked Beans.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

A spoon holding a scoop of Crock Pot Baked Beans over the Slow Cooker.

Crock Pot Baked Beans

These Crock Pot Baked Beans are so easy to make and serve! Pork and Beans combined with brown sugar, mustard, BBQ sauce, onion and bacon.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients (except for bacon) in a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
    A crock pot with pork and beans, mustard, diced onion, brown sugar, mustard, and bbq sauce.
  • Give the mixture a good stir.
    A stirred crock pot with baked beans.
  • Cover and cook on low for 3-5 hours.
    Stir baked beans ingredients in a Slow Cooker.
  • Stir the beans gently a couple of times during cooking.
  • Right before serving, stir in cooked bacon (if using).
    Bacon being added to a crock pot insert filled with baked beans.

Notes

  • Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 10g | Sodium: 1161mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 15g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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14 Comments

  1. can you drain one of the cans of beans for a more firmer baked bean dish ?

    Thank You in advance on this .

    Al

  2. Yum! Yum! Yum! These sound wonderful. You know, having a hubby whose name is BEAN, I have to keep finding special recipes for them,=) and this one sounds like a real winner. Adding it to my 'to try' list…great summer dish!

  3. this is almost the same way I make mine! I saute the onion in a small amount of the bacon fat and I use the brand of beans that comes in the jar, they are a little less soupy and a little firmer. They are always a big hit at our church picnic or family bar-b-ques. We also bring a carved watermelon basket full of melon balls and asst. berries. Both dishes just fly off the serving table.

  4. I looooove baked beans, but I even love them more as this is a slow cooker recipe. Definitely trying!

  5. Hi Brandie! The recipe looks yummy and sounds delicious! How can it not be, using Sweet Baby Ray's? Thanks for sharing! Blessings from Bama!

  6. I love baked bean too. It is a good option if want to have an easy meal. Just some minced beef or pork and onions cook with baked bean, stir in one or two eggs. Serve with pasta or rice, it is so nice. Sometimes, I serve baked bean with fried eggs or omelet too, it also taste really good. 🙂