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Crockpot Baked Beans Recipe with Dry Beans

This Crockpot baked beans recipe is homemade using dry beans, and so much better than canned! They take longer than our Instant Pot baked beans but if you want a one pot side dish cooked all day this is the one for you. You’ll never buy them at the store again after trying these. 

crockpot baked beans

I wish I could describe just how good this Crockpot baked beans recipe from scratch is. If you could smell it now, you’d just know. Make them spicy or keep them sweet, just adjust to your liking until they are perfect for you. Find this and more on our Crockpot recipes page. (originally published 11/19, affiliate links present)

Crockpot Baked Beans with Dry Beans

Sweet and savory packed with bacon and brown sugar, they are WAY better than buying them at the store. I guarantee you’ll never buy canned again after having a few bites of these. Baked beans from scratch are a game changer. You can adjust how sweet they are with brown sugar or make them spicy with red pepper flakes.

You can use whatever type of dried beans you like for this, some use navy while others like Northern. The cook time is about the same for them all as long as you soak them overnight first. Then fold together the rest of the ingredients and let them get tender while you bbq or cook your main meal other ways.

FIRST – You should sign up for my free newsletter so you get new posts emailed to you twice a week and never miss out on anything! Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

  1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
  2. If you just want to serve a few appetizers you should get this one that sit side by side one another.
  3. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

crockpot

Slow Cooker Southern Baked Beans

Yes we have a lot of easy slow cooker recipes for dinner, but side dishes are the best!

  • Why?? Because you can keep them warm for hours during the holidays so everyone can eat, eat, eat all day long.

It’s handy when you’re going to a potluck too. Just cook these at home, lock the lid on your slow cooker and take it to your destination.

You won’t have to take room up in your hosts oven to warm it up, the pot will do all the work for you.

crockpot baked beans recipe

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

  1. Dry Northern beans – MUST be soaked for 12 hours the night before!
  2. Water to soak your beans
  3. Bacon
  4. Onion
  5. Tomato paste
  6. Brown sugar
  7. Molasses
  8. Water to add into the sauce

If you’d like to add some heat, chili powder is a good choice.

What beans are in baked beans?

Canned baked beans are used as a convenience food. Most commercially canned baked beans are made from haricot beans, otherwise known as navy beans in a sweet sauce.

  • Northern beans are used often too, that is what we chose for our crockpot baked beans from scratch.
slow cooker baked beans

Why are baked beans called baked?

Well, they were originally called this because the can was first filled with blanched beans, then the sauce, then the can was sealed with a lid and cooked.

  • Yes, canned baked beans are cooked inside the sealed can! The original recipe for Heinz beans was based on Boston beans, so they used to contain pork too.

In this case we are going to soak them first, and then cook them in our slow cooker for a better part of the day. This process will make them super tender, and with a TON of flavor as they cook in the sauce itself.

Can I put canned beans in a slow cooker?

  1. Yes, just drain and pour the canned beans into the slow cooker.
  2. Add the onion, brown sugar, tomato sauce, cooked crumbled bacon, etc.
  3. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 4- 6 hours.

Serve these beans with coleslaw or potato salad and cornbread.

easy crockpot baked beans with canned beans

Do you need to soak beans for the Crockpot?

Yes. Pre soaking dry beans beforehand is necessary. Most prefer this anyway because it’s better for digesting purposes. There are typically instructions for this on the back of each bag but you will want a minimum of 4 hours to up to 12. That means the best way to do this is submerge yours in a bowl and you can let them sit overnight.

Crockpot Baked Beans

Then in the morning you can whisk everything together well and start cooking. That way it will take a bit less time because they’ve soaked longer and will be ready when your Traeger chicken thighs are nice and tender so you can enjoy everything together.

We didn’t for this or our Crockpot black eyed peas recipe though.

crockpot-baked-beans-from-scratch

Easy Crockpot baked beans with canned beans

If you would like to make these faster just use canned pork and beans or a mix of a few canned beans like Northern and Pinto.

  • NO problem! Just start from step 3 in the recipe below and get going!
  • You will still want to cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat on your stovetop before adding. Then make your slow cooker baked beans from there, but decrease time to 4 -6 hours on low.
  • I will say that using dry beans is better as far as overall texture goes.

Canned will be much softer, but everyone has a preference so do what you think you’ll like best.

Additional add ins some people like:

  1. A bit of maple syrup
  2. Liquid smoke 
  3. Barbecue sauce
  4. Some like to add precooked ground beef instead of bacon
  5. I actually love 1/2 cup of feta on the side to sprinkle on top

Want to make Instant Pot baked beans in your pressure cooker instead? You can follow the link at the top of this post for these made in a fraction of the time.

instant pot baked beans

How long do homemade baked beans last?

  • They will remain fresh and edible for at least five days when you store them in the refrigerator.

Always use an airtight container with leftovers. In the freezer they have the ability to last for as long as six whole months. Try baked potatoes for another great Crockpot side dish

For a printable recipe for Crock pot baked beans, see below. It has nutritional information on it as well like saturated fat, calories and such. It is calculated by the card itself so unsure of it’s accuracy but just enjoy it y’all!!

REMEMBER: You MUST soak the dry beans for 12 hours the day before cooking these on low for 6-8 hours! If you use canned beans you can skip this step.

Want to see a few of my favorite things that I am totally obsessed with?? Take a peek and see how many you might already have…twinsies!

Looking for more easy family recipes and tips? LIKE The Typical Mom Facebook page?

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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉

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crockpot baked beans from scratch
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5 from 4 votes

Crockpot Baked Beans Recipe

This Crockpot baked beans recipe is homemade using dry beans, and so much better than canned! You'll never buy them at the store again after trying these.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword bacon, baked beans, canned beans, crockpot, dry beans, homemade, slow cooker, sweet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Servings 12
Calories 293kcal
Author The Typical Mom

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Rinse dry beans to remove debris, soak in 6 cups of water for 12 hours. This is a must. If you use canned beans you can skip this step.
  • After this time drain water from beans in bowl.
  • Cook diced bacon on stovetop so fat renders down and it is somewhat crispy, add this into your crockpot on the bottom after draining oil out of pan.
  • Pour soaked beans on top in an even layer, then sprinkle diced onions on top of beans.
  • In a small bowl whisk together your 3 cups of water, tomato paste, brown sugar, and molasses until smooth. Pour this into your slow cooker, do not stir.
  • Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beans are as tender as you'd like.
  • Check at 6 hours for tenderness, taste, and add salt as needed.
  • Stir and serve.

Video

Nutrition Facts
Crockpot Baked Beans Recipe
Amount Per Serving (3 oz)
Calories 293 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 25mg8%
Sodium 384mg17%
Potassium 598mg17%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 22g24%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 230IU5%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 79mg8%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Recipe Rating




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Donna Rice Thomas

Friday 13th of October 2023

Dear Typical Mom: I tried your recipe, and I'm hoping you can help me fix it. I soaked the beans for 2 days! But, after cooking, they still came out slightly crunchy. Now, I had 24 Oz of bacon in the pot, so I added slightly more water and paste for extra saucey beans. After cooking 8 hours, the bans were still crunchy. So I added 1 cup more water, and put them back on on low. Still crunchy--- and the bacon is falling apart into soggy bits.

Any help on getting the beans tender at this point, or is it just ruined?

Rebecca

Sunday 12th of November 2023

@The Typical Mom, did you use distilled water? This helps a lot and make sure your dried beans aren’t too old.

The Typical Mom

Friday 13th of October 2023

There is no way that after 2 days of soaking and 8 hours of cooking they would be anything but almost mush at that point. Only guess I have is there is an issue with your slow cooker and it isn't working properly.

PickyReader

Tuesday 22nd of August 2023

I made these beans (from dry) without bacon for a vegetarian crowd and they were gobbled up and my kids are requesting more! Easy and delish!

The Typical Mom

Tuesday 22nd of August 2023

Oh yay!!

Kathleen

Friday 21st of July 2023

I tried making these today. Only with a few pieces of baconas my husband cannot have sodium. I put them on low in the Crock-Pot at 8:00 a.m. check them at 2:00 and the beans are still hard! I just turned it up to high and hope it turns out. Fingers crossed

Kathleen

Saturday 22nd of July 2023

@The Typical Mom, Hi, I did soak overnight, however they were still hard. Once I turned it on high they started softening up after a couple more hours. They were delicious! I did Google why the beans can be hard after soaking for 12 hours and cooking for six. And some responses that came up were if the water you used was hard it could have that effect. I have public water and I'm not sure if that's hard or soft. But luckily after those few extra hours on high it turned out just fine.

The Typical Mom

Friday 21st of July 2023

If you do not soak for 12 hours before you start this, as stated in the recipe, the timing will not be correct and yes they will not become tender in 6-8 hours.

Deana

Sunday 3rd of April 2022

If using canned beans, how many cans are used for this recipe?

Susan Nichols

Wednesday 26th of January 2022

Ive been using this recipe for a while now they are really good. Sometimes I add a tbsp of dry mustard powder as well and I always use half and half tomato paste and ketchup. I let them cook for 10 hours and I have never had to add any thickener.

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