Crock Pot Baked Beans

These crock pot baked beans are a combination of tender beans, bacon and a sweet and savory sauce, all simmered together in the slow cooker. A super quick and easy side dish that’s perfect for any barbecue or summer gathering.

I do a lot of entertaining during the warmer weather months, and some of the recipes that are always on my menu include grilled corn on the cob, creamy broccoli slaw, and these delicious baked beans. They’re great for feeding a crowd, and the slow cooker does all the work!

Baked beans are a classic dish for good reason – that combination of smoky beans, bacon and savory sauce just can’t be beat. My version of crock pot baked beans can be prepared in just minutes, the hardest part is waiting for the slow cooker to do its magic!

How do you make crock pot baked beans?

To make crock pot baked beans, you want to first cook up some bacon on the stove. Remove the bacon from the pan and most of the bacon fat and cook some onions with salt and pepper in that same pan. Get out a slow cooker and place beans, onions, mustard, brown sugar, molasses, ketchup and apple cider vinegar in that cooker. You want to add most of the bacon to that slow cooker, reserving a little for garnish. After the beans are done, serve them garnished with bacon and a little chopped parsley.

Tips for crock pot baked beans

• For this recipe, you want to use canned beans like canned pork and beans. I use pork and beans because they’re packed in tomato sauce which forms the flavor base for the recipe.
• The best way to cut bacon into the small pieces needed for baked beans is to use kitchen shears. It is easier to cut bacon with kitchen shears than a knife.
• Once your bacon and onions are cooked, you can assemble all your ingredients and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours before you plan to plan to cook them in the slow cooker. You can assemble your ingredients in the morning and cook them in the afternoon.

Can you freeze slow cooker baked beans?

You can freeze baked beans for up to 3 months. To reheat the beans allow them to thaw in the refrigerator and pan cook them on the stove over low heat.

Baked Bean Flavor Variations

While I love the sweet and savory flavor of traditional baked beans, you can also include other fun flavors to suit your tastes.

• Spicy: Add hot sauce to the beans for some extra heat. You can use your favorite hot sauce. Even a simple pepper sauce like Tabasco will add a nice flavor.
• Maple: If you don’t like the unique flavor of molasses or you want your beans to be a little sweeter, use maple syrup instead of molasses.
• Beans: You can use different types of canned beans for different flavors and textures. For a bean with a creamy texture and less sweetness, use navy beans. If you want a larger bean with a nuttier flavor that stays intact during cooking, try great northern beans. You can also use cannellini beans with great results.
• Meat: You can use different types of pork to flavor the beans such as salt pork or diced ham. If you don’t want pork, you can try ground beef for a cowboy style baked beans.

Oven Baked Beans

If you want to make these beans in an oven, simply preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Cook up the bacon and onions in a pan the same way as in this recipe. Stir together the beans, onions, mustard, brown sugar, molasses, ketchup and apple cider vinegar and most of the bacon in the pan and when combined place the mixture into a baking dish. Bake the beans for 2 hours until they are thickened. Take the beans out of the oven. Garnish them with the remaining bacon and a little chopped parsley.

You will love making these beans in the slow cooker – it’s a hassle free way to get delicious results with minimal effort.

More great side dishes

• Fried Corn with Bacon
• Broccoli Slaw
• Sauteed Mushrooms in Garlic Butter
• Tomato Salad
• Roasted Green Beans