Slow Cooker Baked Beans are chock-full of bacon and beef, sweetened with molasses and then slowly cooked until thick and sweet.
If you’ve been reading this blog for long at all, you might notice that I very rarely name anything “the best.”
There are many foods that we love and that we make over and over, but for something to be labeled the best, I feel like it needs to be a “wow” food.
You might be thinking that these are just baked beans, how amazing can they be, right? Well, they are pretty darn amazing as it turns out.
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Our friend, Tony, brought these beans to a barbecue at our house two years ago and they blew me away.
These beans are so tasty, so full of meat, so sweet and hearty, I might have “accidentally” tucked a container of Tony’s leftovers deep into my fridge and then forgotten to give them to him at the end of the night.
Later, I asked him if he’d please send me the recipe and lucky for all of us, he was happy to share it.
Best Baked Beans Recipe
We have made these beans so many times since then, I couldn’t possibly keep count. I’ve served them with Beer and Garlic Grilled Chicken, Memphis Style Dry Ribs, Garlic and Paprika Rubbed Steaks, and just about any other main dish you can imagine.
These baked beans are fantastic as a side dish, but honestly, I could happily just eat the beans on their own. This recipe really is outstanding and these truly are the BEST baked beans ever! Thanks again, Tony!
To make one of my all-time favorite meals, combine Sweet and Tangy Pulled Pork and Memphis Coleslaw with these beans for BBQ Sundaes!
How to Choose a Slow Cooker
Slow cookers or crockpots are an appliance of which I have more than one. If you are an avid slow cooker user like I am, you might understand the need for more than one. So, let’s talk about my favorites:
First up is this 6-quart slow cooker that has a locking lid. These crockpots are fantastic for transporting foods. Mine has gone everywhere from church potlucks to barbecues, game nights to Thanksgiving dinner. However, fair warning, these slow cookers run crazy hot. Low is closer to a boil than a simmer, the warm setting actually simmers. So trust me when I say HIGH is high.
My everyday slow cooker is this 8-quart Crockpot. It’s my go-to appliance for cooking large roasts and big batches of chili. Fun fact: did you know that a full 4-quart cooker, actually cooks more slowly than a half-full 8-quart cooker?
For just cooking a few pounds of chicken to shred for enchiladas or other smaller recipes, this 3-quart version is perfect.
Thanksgiving has become a breeze since I have mastered how to hold all of the side dishes using these medium-sized round slow cookers.
If you aren’t a fan of the idea of keeping more than one slow cooker in the house, these CrockPockets are a game-changer when it comes to preparing and holding multiple dishes at the same time. They slide into a standard 6-quart crockpot, dividing it into two sections that are perfect for serving different side dishes or keeping taco fillings warm for parties.
Kitchen Tip: I use this slow cooker to make this recipe.
Crockpot Baked Beans Recipe
- Drain all the beans, except for one can of Pork & Beans.
- Combine the ground beef, bacon, kidney beans, white beans, Pork & Beans, onions, brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, and yellow mustard in the crockpot.
- Heat on HIGH for at least 4 hours or on LOW for 8 hours.
The BEST Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef cooked, crumbled, and drained
- 1 pound bacon cooked
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
- 3 14 ounce cans kidney beans
- 3 14 ounce cans white beans
- 3 14 ounce cans Pork & Beans
- 3 small onions about 2 cups worth chopped 1/2″ or smaller
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
Instructions
- Drain all the beans, except for one can of Pork & Beans. Combine all ingredients in the crockpot and heat on HIGH for at least 4 hours or on LOW for 8 hours. Enjoy!
{originally published 5/20/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 6/15/21}
Here are a few more side dish recipes you might like:
Coleslaw Pasta Salad by Barefeet In The Kitchen
Basil and Mint Melon Salad by The Noshery
Ranch Potato Salad with Bacon and Eggs by Barefeet In The Kitchen
Lynn says
Made these with vegetarian baked beans and zero meat and they were delicious!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that they were delicious that way, Lynn!
Brenda Ballinger says
I want to make these tonight but I am unsure of which white beans to use, Great Northern, white kidney beans or cannoli? Thank you.
Mary Younkin says
Any of those will work nicely, Brenda. I typically use Great Northern.
Janelle says
There’s no t enough liquid? Did we miss a step to add water or another liquid? They’re going to burn if we leave them like this?!
Mary Younkin says
There should be plenty of liquid in this recipe, Janelle. By any chance, did you drain the last can of beans? If so, you’re right, you’ll need additional liquid. I’d add a can of tomato sauce to help with that.
Laura says
I’m confused. U said to drain the beans in the recipe? So do we or don’t we?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, all of the beans except for one can of pork and beans need to be drained, Laura.
Malia says
Will this fit in a 6 quart slow cooker?
Mary Younkin says
This should fill it almost to the top, Malia.
S. Sabie says
What to do exactly with the bacon is not fully explained. Going to assume that the bacon is cut into 1-1/2 inc pieces bofore cooking it?
Mary Younkin says
The bacon is cooked and then crumbled or roughly chopped. It is added to the beans that way, as illustrated in the video. I will add a note to the recipe. Thanks!
Bob says
I’ve made this recipe 3x now and i’m always the one scrambling to keep a small bowl for the next day because my guests have already spoken for what’s left. I’ve tried many recipes for baked beans but nothing touches this one!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you love these beans as much as we do, Bob!
Susan Davies says
Your video shows pinto beans and is a bit different than your posted recipe. Which is correct? I did choose to follow the printed recipe because I had to choose one. They are cooking no now, but I would like to know which is correct???
Mary Younkin says
oh my goodness! You’re the first person to ever catch that mistake on the video. It’s mislabeled. Where it says pinto beans, that is actually the drained cans of pork and beans. If you followed the recipe as written, it will turn out perfectly.
Larry says
Recipe sounds very easy but delicious and they look great.
Jo says
I’m based in New Zealand, and I can’t find “pork and beans” (limited supermarket choice!) – can you explain what goes into them? Is it pork sausage? Any particular kind of beans? And what weight would they be drained, so that I can make my own? And how much liquid to compensate for the one can that doesn’t get drained? (Packaging never seems to tell you the weight of the stuff that you have to throw away!)
I’m also a bit confused by the bacon – is this streaky bacon, shoulder, a great big wodge of bacon? And how is it cooked (chopped up and fried, baked, slow cooked etc.)? What happens afterwards? Your comment below says to look at the video and that you’d add a comment to the recipe notes, but there isn’t a video on the page, and the recipe just says “1 pound bacon cooked”, and then to add all the ingredients to the slow cooker. If it is a great big wodge of bacon, does it go in as a lump into the slow cooker and is then shredded afterwards?
Thanks!
Jo says
Oooh – just found the video (for some reason it only came up as a still photo the first time I loaded the page!) So please ignore the video / bacon question!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad it was helpful, Jo!
Heather says
Amazing recipe! Our family devoured them. Can you freeze leftovers?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, they freeze beautifully.
Janet says
Just wondered – do I have to make this with ground beef? I’ve never had baked beans with beef in them – we usually serve them as a side dish with a meat main course. Would I have to replace the ground beef with anything else? Thank you! These sound really delicious!
Mary Younkin says
Feel free to skip the beef, Janet. We enjoy it.
Doral Allen says
You mention a video of you making this recipe, but there is no video anywhere on https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/best-slow-cooker-baked-beans-recipe/ that I can find. Where is the video? On YouTube?
Mary Younkin says
I’m guessing that you have ads blocked or an ad blocker running on your machine. The video window is often identified as advertising. There is definitely a recipe video on this page.