Slow Cooker Ham and Beans Recipe

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.

with Ham Hocks

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.

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.

How Long to Cook Pinto Beans in Crock Pot

Don’t rush this, you want pinto beans in Crockpot to be super tender and the meat to fall off the bone. Aim for 8 hours for soaked 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.

• Use leftover pressure cooker ham works too that you made the night before for this, ham hocks are even better.

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.

Variation

You could use other legumes like if you start with slow cooker mayocoba beans or Great Northern instead. They all have a pretty mild flavor. You can soak overnight to lessen the time or just rinse and throw them right in. In the case that you used canned then you would just need a few hours on low and would want to use diced up pre-cooked meat.

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.

Ingredient Tips

1. Ham Hock and beans is our favorite way to add meat but you could dice up ham steak or use leftovers after the holidays
2. Bag of beans, dried pinto or Great Northern beans found at local grocery store
3. Broth, I used beef broth but chicken or vegetable broth would work, either are better than water that doesn’t offer any flavor.
4. Onions diced or sliced are optional but a cheap way to add texture and flavor to this dish as well as some carrots and celery could be added too cut into large chunks
5. Salt and pepper are just the most basic seasonings but you will definitely want to salt quite a bit when using dry (and no meat) or else it will be rather plain.
6. Bay leaf is optional but adds a great flavor.

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.

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 can you make this faster?

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.