If you’re a busy mom who needs an easy meal to make when you’re running errands all day, this slow cooker ham and beans with ham hocks recipe is the best way to cook dry soaked pinto beans you’ll ever make.

We’d all love to have family meals each day. Sometimes that means we need a dinner that cooks by itself all day. That is where this Crockpot ham and beans recipe comes into play. It’s one of our favorite crockpot recipes. (affiliate links present)

Ham Hock and Beans in Slow Cooker

This. Is. Me. I have three girls who are all in school. Did I mention, THREE different schools?? One does drive herself luckily, and I work full time from home. Needless to say we are very busy so Crockpot meals are my go to for eating healthy and eating together as a family at the end of the day.

It used to be hard cooking from scratch, until this “magical pot” came along in my life. Now cooking dry beans in slow cooker is so easy, adding some meat in there takes it from good to amazing.

If you have never used ham hocks or pork shank they have a TON of flavor to them especially if they have been smoked. There really isn’t a need for much seasoning if you use one or two of these babies. It’s also a great Crock pot leftover ham recipe if you want to just throw in what you have after the holidays.

How Long to Cook Pinto Beans and Ham Hocks in Slow Cooker

Don’t rush this, you want everything to be super tender and the meat to fall off the bone. Aim for 8 hours for soaked pinto or if you are using canned beans it is closer to 3 hrs. I like to start from scratch because it is healthier and I can throw it in in the morning so the timing is perfect once dinner arrives.

I will admit, I am a very busy mom but have been focusing lately on taking the time to focus on our family time. Our children are getting older and we are at the point now where we are counting down the number of summers we have left. Using a pressure cooker or slow cook pot like this makes it easier to eat together more often.

If you are in the same boat I would highly suggest using this more. You can literally throw everything in there in the morning and not touch it all day long.

When you are all back from your busy days it will be there perfectly tender to enjoy. Then you can discuss your day, together. You’ll look back on this and treasure it for sure.

We highly value family dinners and try to get it done at least 2-3 times each week.
You could start with canned beans if you only had a few hours on hand.
Use leftover pressure cooker ham works too that you made the night before for this, ham hocks are even better.

Slow Cooker Recipe for Pinto Beans Soaked

The timing won’t matter whether you use hocks, sliced ham steak or precooked leftover ham inside there. You still need a while to soak and slow cook the pinto beans, though, meaning overnight. You can make it without soaking but it would need to be on high instead and doesn’t turn out as good. Period.

Another option is to make this starting with slow cooker mayocoba beans or Northern beans instead. They all have a pretty mild flavor. You can soak overnight to lessen the time or just rinse and throw them right in.

Beans and Ham Hocks

When I married my husband we talked about making dinner together a priority. I will admit at the beginning when we had 3 girls with 2 under the age of 2. I was overwhelmed and it didn’t happen often. The older they got the easier it became. But the running around on a daily basis didn’t end.

I needed to find a way to cook a healthy delicious meal when I was gone all day long. That is when I really started creating slow cooker recipes!

It. Was. A. Lifesaver!! This made it possible for me to prepare the ingredients, throw everything in, turn it on in the morning. Then I would know when everyone was done with their homework we could just serve it up. I needed that, we needed that, and I felt the difference the more often we had family dinner nights together.

Slow Cooker Ham and Beans Ingredients

Ham bone – ham hocks, or use leftover diced ham after the holidays
Bag of beans
1. dried beans, pinto or Northern beans found at local grocery store
2. rinsed beans
Broth – I used beef broth
Onion
1. carrots and celery could be added too cut into large chunks
Seasonings
Bay leaf is optional

And if you’re having a really busy day we also have instructions to make Instant Pot ham and beans here as well. Both are winners.

How to Cook Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup with Dry Beans

If using dry beans put them in a bowl with 4 cups of water and leave them overnight to soak. (can use drained canned beans but I think dry turns out better)
Slice or dice your onion.
Put your ham hock in the center of your slow cooker. Drain your soaked beans and pour those around your ham hock.
Separate pieces of cut onion and sprinkle around ham hock on top of beans.
Sprinkle minced garlic and seasonings around, on top of onions. Then pour your chicken broth into your crockpot and close your lid.
Set on low for 6 – 8 hours for dry soaked beans (until they’re tender)
After 6 hours (7 if you want beans softer), remove bones from ham hock and shred ham in pot (it will fall apart when you use tongs on it.
- I do not recommend cooking on high for this at all. They need time to get tender.
Stir and serve!

To make this into more of a soup recipe you would just add more broth and there you go. This would be an easy transition to make . Use the same ingredients as listed below. You might want to add some sliced vegetables like carrots and celery halfway thru for this to make it heartier.

with canned beans

Pinto was used here but Great Northern beans is great too. If you instead use drained canned beans it will only take 2-3 hours, I don’t recommend hours on high. White beans take less time than darker varieties. If you don’t add meat at all I would add salt and pepper to give it more flavor.

how to make fast

Want to make this quicker? Use your pressure cooker like our 15 bean soup in Instant Pot, or put canned beans in a Dutch Oven and cook 1 hour on medium high covered until tender!

I personally like using dry beans to adjust with a seasoning packet or the right amount salt for us. It is another choice though. In this post is a video showing you how to make this easy recipe with leftover ham.

A white bowl filled with a hearty slow cooker ham and beans, featuring chunks of meat, diced celery, and white beans, garnished with chopped green onions. A blue and white patterned cloth is in the background.

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