Homemade Slow Cooker Baked Beans
User Reviews
4.9
Homemade Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Description
The recipe starts by cooking diced bacon until crisp, then using the rendered fat to sauté onions and garlic until softened and lightly golden. This base is combined with rinsed pinto, kidney, and northern beans in a slow cooker, along with a sauce made from ketchup, molasses, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and mustard. Simmering on low or high heat for several hours allows flavors to deepen and blend, producing tender beans and a thickened, flavorful sauce.
The final dish features a sweet yet smoky profile, with a balance between the sugary molasses and brown sugar and the savory bacon and mustard. Texturally, the beans remain whole and tender, coated in a sauce that clings well. The use of multiple bean varieties adds depth and visual interest.
These baked beans are a hearty side suitable for barbecues, potlucks, or comforting meals alongside main dishes. The recipe accepts variations in spice level by choosing different BBQ sauces and allows for altering the sweetness intensity.
Options include skipping bacon for a vegetarian version, substituting beans, and adjusting sugar types. The use of dark brown sugar is noted for stronger flavor, but alternatives also work. Choosing a sweeter or spicier BBQ sauce can shift the flavor profile to personal preference.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Bacon uncooked, diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pinto beans canned (15 ounce), rinsed and drained
- 1 Kidney Beans rinsed and drained, 15 ounce can
- 1 northern white beans canned (15 ounce), rinsed and drained
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce spicy or your favorite; use a sweet one if you like sweeter baked beans
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed, or sub coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon yellow mustard or sub dijon mustard
Instructions
- Cook your bacon: add diced bacon to a large skillet or pan and place over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy and golden brown. If the pan starts to smoke at any point, simply lower the heat. I always cook my bacon on medium low heat. Once bacon is done, blot with a paper towel to absorb excess grease. Allow bacon to cool.
- Drain the bacon grease, leaving a little on the bottom of the pan and add in the diced onion, cooking for 5-8 minutes or until they are slightly golden. During the last minute of cooking, add in your garlic and cook for 1 min. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add the drained and rinsed pinto, kidney and northern beans to the slow cooker, then add in the bacon and onion/garlic. Next add in the ketchup, molasses, bbq sauce, brown sugar, worcestershire and yellow mustard. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
Notes
- Skip bacon for a vegetarian version.
- Any bean types can be swapped or added; black beans also work well.
- Dark brown sugar adds more flavor but light brown or coconut sugar are fine substitutes.
- Sweetness can be adjusted with the choice of BBQ sauce (spicy or sweet).
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 238 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving (based on 10) | |
| Calories | 238cal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 48.2g | 16% |
| Protein | 10.6g | 21% |
| Fat | 2.7g | 4% |
| Saturated Fat | 0.9g | 5% |
| Fiber | 24.4g | 98% |
| Sugar | 19.7g | 39% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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