Recipes

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/slow-cooker-baked-beans/

How are baked beans traditionally made?

Traditional, old fashioned baked beans recipes typically involve soaking dried beans overnight until they’re tender, then bringing them to a simmer in a large pot with a sweet and savory sauce, and finally, baking them right in the oven. Everyone’s “sauce” is a bit different and many include apple cider vinegar or even apple juice as well.

We’re skipping the bake portion of the recipe and making the entire recipe right in the slow cooker for ease!

Everything you’ll need to make slow cooker baked beans

Trust me when I say these homemade baked beans are the BEST you’ll ever taste. Deliciously saucy, sweet and a little spicy if you’d like. Here’s what you’ll need to make them from scratch:

Bacon: I love the savory element that bacon adds to the baked beans.
Veggies: we’re also cooking down some onion and garlic for extra flavor.
Beans: the three beans I like to use are pinto beans, kidney beans and northern white beans. Feel free to use any combination you’d like, including black beans. Many baked beans recipes use navy beans!
Sauce: that sweet & spicy flavor comes from ketchup, BBQ sauce (I love this spicy kind to balance the sweetness), Worcestershire sauce and some yellow mustard (or dijon).
Sweetness: add some extra sweetness with dark brown sugar and a little molasses.

Customize your baked beans

These crockpot baked beans are super easy to customize to your taste preference and what you have on hand:

Add more beans. If you like more beans than sauce, feel free to add another can of beans! As I mentioned, you can use any beans you’d like.
Choose your sweetener. I find that dark brown sugar gives the baked beans the best rich flavor, but light brown sugar and coconut sugar will also work. You can also use a sweeter BBQ sauce if you want extra sweetness.
Make them vegetarian. Simply skip the bacon to keep these slow cooker baked beans vegetarian.

Make the best homemade baked beans right in your slow cooker

This is truly the best, no-fuss way to make perfect baked beans. Plus, you can keep your house cooler by keeping the stove off in the summer!

Cook your bacon. Start by dicing up your bacon and cooking it until it’s nice and crispy.
Cook the onion & garlic. Next, drain most of the grease from the same pan and cook down that onion and garlic until they’re slightly golden. Set those aside with the bacon.
Add it all to your slow cooker. Finally, add all of the beans, sauces, sugar, bacon, onion & garlic mixture to your slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7. Done!

Amazing ways to serve baked beans

These easy baked beans make the perfect summer side dish as-is, but it doesn’t stop there.

Scoop them over delicious nachos or add them to quesadillas and burritos.
Use them as a dip with some melted cheese on top.
Serve them with chicken sausage, grilled chicken or your fav burger recipe at your next BBQ!
Baked beans + homemade cornbread? Match made in heaven.

Storing tips

In the fridge: store any leftover baked beans in airtight bags or containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop and give them a stir.
In the freezer: yes, you can freeze these slow cooker baked beans! Let them cool completely, then transfer them to freezer-safe bags or containers. Freeze the beans for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the beans thaw in the refrigerator before heating them on the stovetop.