These crock pot baked beans are so much better than anything from a can. They’re saucy, slightly sweet, and have the best smoky finish.
This Isn’t Your Usual Baked Beans Recipe
This recipe isn’t your usual “pour a can of baked beans into a dish and squeeze in some ketchup and mustard.”
Honestly, if canned baked beans need that much help, why not just start with unseasoned beans and make a quick homemade sauce? It doesn’t take long, and the flavor is incredible.
- I love that these baked beans start with real bacon and onions for a deep, savory base that canned beans just can’t touch.
- The homemade sauce is rich with molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, and a splash of liquid smoke, so every bite is sweet, tangy, and perfectly smoky.
- Using a mix of beans gives the dish extra texture and keeps it from tasting flat, plus it looks beautiful on the table.
- It all simmers away in the slow cooker, filling the kitchen with the best cozy smell and leaving me free to prep the rest of dinner.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bacon: Adds smoky, salty flavor and richness. Cook it until crispy for the best texture. You can use thick-cut bacon for extra heartiness or turkey bacon if you prefer.
- Onion: Sautéed in the bacon drippings to build a flavorful base. Yellow or white onions work best, but you can use sweet onions for a milder taste.
- Kidney beans, black beans, cannellini or navy beans, pinto beans: A hearty mix that gives these baked beans depth, color, and texture. Drain them well before adding. You can use all of one type if needed or substitute with great northern beans.
- Dark brown sugar: Sweetens the sauce and adds a rich molasses flavor. Light brown sugar can be used for a slightly milder taste.
- Ketchup: Brings tang and a bit of sweetness to the sauce. You can also use tomato sauce plus a teaspoon of extra sugar if you are out of ketchup.
- Molasses: Deepens the sweetness and gives that classic baked bean taste. Use unsulphured molasses for the best flavor.
- Tomato paste: Thickens the sauce and intensifies the tomato base. If needed, use double the amount of tomato sauce and simmer slightly longer.
- Water: Helps loosen the sauce so it coats the beans evenly.
- Yellow mustard: Adds a mild sharpness that balances the sweetness. Dijon mustard can be used for a little extra tang.
- White vinegar: Brightens the sauce and cuts through the richness. Apple cider vinegar is a good alternative.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds savory depth and a touch of umami. Soy sauce can be used if you don’t have Worcestershire.
- Salt and ground pepper: Enhance all the other flavors. Adjust to taste after cooking.
- Hickory liquid smoke: Infuses the beans with a subtle smoky flavor that makes them taste like they were cooked over a campfire. Use more or less depending on how smoky you like it.
How to Make Crock Pot Baked Beans
Preparation
Chop the bacon and onion. Drain the kidney beans, black beans, cannellini (or navy) beans, and pinto beans. Set out your crock pot or Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting.
Step 1 – Cook the Bacon
In a skillet or the Instant Pot on sauté mode, cook the chopped bacon until crispy. Transfer the bacon and grease to a paper towel to drain.
Step 2 – Sauté the Onion
Return a small amount of bacon grease to the pan and sauté the chopped onion until translucent. Turn off the heat.
Step 3 – Combine the Beans
Place the drained kidney, black, cannellini (or navy), and pinto beans into the inner pot of your crock pot or Instant Pot.
Step 4 – Make the Sauce
In a bowl, whisk together the dark brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, tomato paste, water, yellow mustard, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and hickory liquid smoke until smooth.
Step 5 – Mix Everything Together
Pour the sauce over the beans. Add in the sautéed onions and crispy bacon. Stir until everything is well combined.
Step 6 – Slow Cook the Beans
Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, or HIGH for 3 hours in a standard crock pot.(If using an Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting, cook on normal heat for about 4 hours.) Stir occasionally during cooking.
Step 7 – Serve
Serve the baked beans hot as a hearty side dish. They pair beautifully with biscuits, fresh veggies, or fruit.
Lynette’s Tip
I recommend stirring the beans a few times while they cook to help the sauce coat everything evenly.
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Crockpot Baked Beans
Ingredients
Beans
- 6 oz. bacon chopped
- 1 1/3 Cup onion chopped
- 15 oz. kidney beans
- 15 oz. black beans
- 15 oz. cannellini or navy beans
- 45 oz. pinto beans
Sauce
- 1/2 Cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup ketchup
- 1/4 Cup molasses
- 3 oz. tomato paste
- 1/4 Cup water
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons hickory liquid smoke
Instructions
Beans Prep
- In a frying pan, saute the chopped bacon until crispy. Pour out the bacon and grease onto a paper towel and set aside.
- Using any remaining bacon grease, saute the chopped onion until translucent. Then turn off the heat.
- Drain each of the kidney, black, and cannellini beans and the pinto beans. Place your drained beans into your crock pot.
Sauce
- Mix together the brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, tomato paste, water, yellow mustard, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, ground pepper, and hickory-infused liquid smoke.
- Slowly pour the sauce over the beans, add in the crispy bacon and stir until combined.
- Cover and cook on LOW in your slow cooker for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours. Stir a few times in between.
Notes
Variations and Substitutions:
- Add Peppers: Stir in chopped bell peppers or a diced jalapeño when you sauté the onions to give the beans a mild sweetness or a little heat.
- Use Maple Syrup: Swap the molasses for pure maple syrup for a lighter, slightly sweeter flavor that still blends well with the brown sugar.
- Change the Mustard: Try Dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard for a sharper, tangier taste.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs
This recipe starts with plain canned beans and builds flavor with a homemade sauce. It’s not just opening a can and squirting in ketchup and mustard. Making your own sauce takes very little extra time and gives the beans a rich, deep flavor you won’t get from pre-seasoned cans.
Yes. Use the slow cook setting on your Instant Pot and set it to normal temperature for about 4 hours. You can also sauté the bacon and onions directly in the pot using the sauté function.
Liquid smoke gives these beans a subtle, smoky depth. If you don’t have it, the beans will still be delicious, just without that smoky note. You could add a little smoked paprika as a backup.
When finished, the sauce should be thick and the flavors well combined. Give it a stir a few times during cooking to help everything blend.
