We’re ringing in the season with a nostalgic recipe that just screams summer BBQ. Is there anything more festive than fresh, juicy watermelon, burgers and hot dogs on the grill, and a side of saucy baked beans?
I was craving this comforting side dish a couple of summers ago and let’s just say these homemade slow cooker baked beans did not disappoint. The boys and I gobbled them up for dinner and couldn’t help but go back for seconds. These baked beans are deliciously saucy and sweet, but not overly so, and have a kick of heat from my fav spicy BBQ sauce.
Yes, there’s savory bacon involved but yes, you can easily make them vegetarian! Skip the canned stuff and easily whip up these slow cooker baked beans all summer and for game day this fall. Enjoy!
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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.
More summer side dishes you’ll love
- Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Sesame Garlic Grilled Sweet Potato Fries with Yogurt Curry Dip
- Best Healthy Coleslaw Ever (no mayo!)
- Avocado Peach Tomato Salad with Dilly Tahini Dressing
- Tony’s Melt-In-Your-Mouth Grilled Brussels Sprouts
Get all of our summer recipes here!
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I hope you love these homemade slow cooker baked beans! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Homemade Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked bacon, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can northern white beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup spicy bbq sauce (or your favorite bbq sauce -- use a sweet one if you like sweeter baked beans)
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar (or sub coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon yellow mustard (or sub dijon)
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.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on July 1st, 2021, republished on June 28th, 2022, and republished on June 12th, 2024.
I would love to try this recipe as it sounds delicious, but what is the serving size? Is it one cup or half of a cup? I understand that it serves 10, but unless i actually make it the recipe and then measure out each of the 10 servings, I don’t know what the actual serving size is to begin with. My husband and I are lacto-vegetarians and, due to age, don’t always eat full servings of particular foods, so knowing the actual serving size helps me in planning a meal. However, cutting the recipe in half also sounds like a logical way to figure out the serving size. Thank you!
I don’t have the answer but it feels unfair to give it two stars when you just have a question regarding serving size. People base their selections a lot on reviews – I hope you’ll circle back and rate it fairly after you try it.
Hi, same question on serving size/slow cooker quart size. It is a little hard to plan ahead without some idea of the volume produced by a recipe, especially when using a tool such as slow cooker – which comes in a variety of standard sizes 😋 We are thinking we might want to double the recipe, as well, so any help on volume size would be great! Thanks!
The recipe as written served 6 adults as a side dish
Hi, Becky. A serving is about a heaping half cup of baked beans.
I am looking forward to making these for my husband – he “requires” baked beans for the 4th of July but he usually goes with the canned ones. I’ll report back!
Hahaha I love the way he thinks! Hope you guys enjoyed them 🙂
Delicious and so easy to make! I did not have a can of northern white beans so I used cannellini beans. Thanks for the recipe! (Just wondering what the time would be if using an InstantPot/pressure cooker?)
Great idea to use cannellini beans, glad you loved it! I haven’t tried it in an Instant Pot/pressure cooker, so not totally sure–I’d recommend googling an instant pot baked beans recipe to see how long other people suggest 🙂
Hi! I am still cooking for the holiday and these baked beans are on today’s menu. They are not quite done but I snuck a spoonful for a taste and yummy! Nice and smoky and tender. Followed the recipe, omitting the bacon. Thank you for this easy recipe!
Amazing! So happy they were delicious even without the bacon 🙂
These are the best baked beans I’ve ever had (not exaggerating)!! Brought them to a Fourth of July gathering and they were gone so quickly. I wished that I had doubled the recipe because I wanted leftovers. Definitely my new go-to baked beans recipe.
OMG I’m so happy to hear that, Madi!! Yay! Excited for you to make them again 🙂
I made these yesterday. They are so delicious! I used the sweet and spicy pineapple BBQ sauce from Trader Joe’s. I used 1/2 cup of coconut sugar, but I think they would be great with just 1/4 cup because I ended up adding a tablespoon of sriracha to balance the sweetness. So maybe start with less sugar and add more if you need it based on the sweetness of your ketchup and BBQ sauce. I LOVE that this recipe uses three types of beans for added nutritional variety. Another bomb recipe from Monique.
So happy you loved them, Lisa! That pineapple BBQ sauce sounds amazing! And thanks for the note about the sugar 🙂
Best baked beans ever! No bacon since I am veg. I will never make beans another way – just as you said, why heat up the kitchen leaving the stove on for hours? This is genius. I cooked beans from dry the day before and was ready to go. Thank you!
Oh I’m SO happy to hear you loved these, Lori! Excited for you to make these again!!
I was scrolling through your site a few days back and this one for sure caught my eye. I loved baked beans and although the sugar was a bit high for my liking (I took it down a touch) it was still amazing! Thank you for taking me back to my childhood with this treat! Delicious!
Hi, Griff! So happy that you enjoyed these 🙂 Totally fine to reduce the sugar a bit!
I will definitely be making this. I hope they can be canned after they are done
Yes, and that’s a GREAT idea! Hope you love them 🙂
Currently in the crockpot and can’t wait to dig in. Smells beyond amazing. First time ever making homemade baked beans. Thank you for your amazing content and recipes
Made the recipe to a T. DELICIOUS! Definitely a keeper.
Yay!! So happy you loved these, Marisa!
Yum!! This will be my go-to baked bean recipe from now on! Everyone in the family liked it!
Woohooo! So happy everyone enjoyed them!
Good recipe, but way to sweet. I added 1/4 balsamic vinegar to cut the sweetness. Took them to a party and got many compliments.
Glad everyone enjoyed it! Totally fine to reduce the sugar next time 🙂
Absolutely amazing! I used turkey bacon successfully and have used a variety of beans based on what I have available (cannelini, black beans, etc.) – it all works! I cook it on high the full 6-7 hours and also added a can of crushed pineapple (to a double recipe) last time, which made it taste identical to the “calico beans” my sweet grandpa used to make. Could not be more happy with this recipe! Thank you!
Ooooh crushed pineapple–how fun! Happy to hear you’re loving this one, Hillary!
HI , I used beef bacon instead of pork bacon and at the end added a little water , this was good , will use again
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I diced my bacon in larger pieces, knowing they shrink once cooked – I wanted to ensure larger bacon pieces in the end product and this worked perfectly! Also only had light brown sugar on hand, but it still turned out delicious. Not too sweet, and MUCH less sugary than a store bought canned baked bean. Especially with the ease of being able to cook in the crockpot- this will definitely become a staple recipe for me & the family!
Omggggg so good!! Def making again.
YAY, happy you loved these!
It’s kind of funny to get compliments for baked beans over and over again at a cookout, but I’ll take it! These were a big crowd pleaser. Thanks!
Ahh that’s amazing! So glad everyone loved them 🙂
Definitely a keeper. I’ll double the recipe next time, as there’s no way I’d be able to get 10 servings from it as made. Like some commenters here, I’m not a fan of sweetness in my baked beans, so I left out the sugar altogether, went light on the molasses, and doubled up on Dijon mustard. Rather than dice raw bacon, I cooked mine into nice crisp strips and them simply crumbled it. Delicious ladled onto a baked sweet potato!
These were awesome! The flavor was perfect, slightly sweet & savory. I slow cooked over night 9pm-7am & they turned out fine (add 1 cup water because they get THICK on low all night!) Will definitely make again & everyone said how delicious they were. A+
Made these for a bbq graduation party. Several folks took home to go and asked for the recipe. Delicious and so easy.
Nice!! So glad you all loved them!
So I was super happy with the taste but the consistency not so much it wasn’t saucy at all it turned into like the stick goulash stuff again it tasted great but how can I make the Saucier there’s no water added to it at all
Oh, that’s strange! You made it in a slow cooker (not on the stove)? I haven’t had that issue but you could try adding some water 🙂
Hi! Excited to make these. Do you think it would be okay if I put everything in the crockpot the night before, stored it in the fridge over night, and then plugged in the crock pot the next day? Thanks!
Hi, there! Sorry if I’m late with this response. But I think that should be fine! 🙂
Excellent favor. Easy to follow recipe. My family and friends have asked me for the recipe. Definitely a crowd pleaser.
Probably the best bbq beans I’ve ever had.
I had never made baked beans before- we had a family gathering and I made these. The slow cooker beans were a hit! I did add 1 1/2 Tablespoon o apple cider vinegar to the mix. Everyone said the recipe is “a keeper”!
SO happy you made these, Mary! And glad to hear they were a hit 🙂
Update-my sister said her husband said these were the best baked beans he ever had. I sent her the link to the recipe.I made them for a family reunion last year…double recipe-wiped out!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that!
You have some lovely ideas on your site, some that are not so obvious too which is great for inspiration.
Do keep it up.
This recipe looks great and I am going to try it. Is there any reason why I couldn’t cook dried beans in my instant pot first and then use them instead of canned?
Nope! That should work fine!
can this be cooked in an oven ?
I think i made it before almost positive it was this recipe in one and it was delicious 5 stars
Since forever, I have been making traditional Boston Baked Beans for all family events and holidays. I made your recipe for my husband and these are now his favorite. I will be testing this recipe on my family for Christmas Eve. It may become their new favorite way to make baked beans. Will let you know.
I like these better than chili! Cannot stop eating them by the bowl!
I am soo excited to have found this recipe!!! I’ll get back to you after I’ve made these yummy looking baked beans!!
I really want to make these soon but wondering if there is a substitute for the molasses?
This was a great recipe and the first time I ever tried making home made Baked Beans.. Thank you for the recipe!!
My 2 son-in-laws are the cooks in their families. I made these for a get together. They both said these were the best beans they have had, pretty high praise. They are not very saucy though. Everyone has their own preferences on that. Maybe I’m cooking them too long?
So happy they were a hit! Try reducing the time a bit and let me know if they get extra saucy 🙂
I have never made beans before, but did for a family BBQ and everyone ate them up- they were very easy to make.
Thank you so much for this recipie.
Yum! So glad this recipe is a hit for the world family.
These beans were a hit and I was asked for the recipe. The host was amazed at how good they turned out without the traditional baking required for real “baked” beans..
Yay! I am so glad this recipe is a hit, Erica!
Recipe sounds great! I don’t have a slow cooker. How could I adapt this recipe?
BEST baked bean recipe! Easy and truly delicious!
Yes! Seriously one of my favorite summer side dishes, glad to hear you’re enjoying this one! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! The best baked beans I’ve ever had.
WOO! This is the best, glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out great for you!
If you don’t have a slow cooker how can this recipe best be adapted?
The first time I posted this question it got deleted. So odd. The second attempt has been ignored. No worries! I found a better recipe on someone else’s site.
Hi Perri – sorry for the delay! We get 100s of questions each day and really do our best to get to all of them but some of them get through the cracks and/or mistakes can happen. So glad you found another recipe that you loved! If you end up trying this one out, add everything (your cooked bacon and onion, sauces, etc.) to a large pot on the stove and simmer together for 45 minutes to an hour until they’re nice and thick.
Best baked beans!! Making again tonight!
Ahh yay! Excited you’re loving this recipe!
This recipe is very tasty, and the guests enjoyed them. However, the beans are not saucy, despite what the author commented. I suggest that you use two cans of beans, rather than three,if you like some sauce in your beans. I used the high setting for one batch and the low setting for another, thinking that, using high, that might have caused the recipe to thicken. However, it made no difference.
These were a hit at my office potluck. Simple recipe that’s easy to tweak for your tastes. Will definitely make these again
So happy to hear that!
We found this much too rich & sweet. No one had seconds, so there’s a lot left over. I left the brown sugar out and used a spicy BBQ sauce. Everthing else was as written. I cooked it on high for 4 hours. I hate wasting food, so I’m going to add another can of beans, and water to see if that helps. I won’t make this again though, there are other baked bean recipes out there.
Sorry to hear that! The beans definitely shouldn’t have been too sweet if you omitted the brown sugar entirely. Were your ketchup or BBQ sauce particularly sweet?
Made this in my instant pot and worked out perfectly! I sautéed everything on the stove first then threw it all in the instant pot, cooked it for 12 minutes, quick release and perfection!
Love that!
This recipe is delicious! It fills a regular crockpot perfectly. Made a couple substitutes. Used steak sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce and lima beans instead of northern white. (Always have lima beans in baked beans, delicious.)
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
I followed the recipe exactly and used Stubbs original bbq sauce for it and it turned out absolutely delicious. My husband went nuts for them. Thank you for this recipe, it’s definitely a keeper.
So happy to hear that!!
My beans came out dry. What did I do wrong?
Otherwise it tastes good but dry. There is hardly any sauce. 😢
So strange! Did you follow the recipe exactly? Because they’re cooked slowly in all of the sauce they should turn out nice and tender.
I’m plant based, so I’ve tried many baked bean recipes. This is by far the best I’ve tried, and it’s very easy. I use these beans in various ways other than as a side dish– for example, I put them in a tortilla along with other veggies and avocado slices, and I use them for snacks. Wonderful recipe, thank you!
So happy to hear that! I’m glad you found this one 🙂
I loved this recipe! The flavors were amazing! A chefs kiss to Ambitious Kitchen
So glad you enjoyed!
This is the bak d beans recipe I’ve been searching for! I served these for the 4th of July and even my 8 year old niece loved these ‘cow it beans’! I added an extra Xtra can of kidney beans to make sure we had enough for my crowd. Leftovers were even better!
Fantastic recipe! What is the best way to reheat these beans if I make them for bbq picnic and cook day before?
Feel free to reheat on the stovetop, or place them back in your slow cooker and turn to the “warm” setting!
Is this very spicy?
Hi! This is not spicy 🙂
Beans were delicious! I think I will substitute a “softer” bean for the kidney beans as they were a bit tough unlike the rest of the beans used in the recipe
If I were to triple the recipe, would the cook time need to be increased? I assume. Also, main question what size slow cooker would I need? Thank you.
Soak beans in teaspoon of baking soda and water overnight. Drain and boil for 5 minutes. Then add everything cover beans with water. And enjoy
My father in-law loved these beans he took left overs it’s a win 5 stars lol. I followed the recipe. Cooked on low for an extra hour or 2. Because the beans tasted better with a longer cook. So good thank you
So happy to hear that!
I’ve made these about 4 times now and they are fantastic! I add a little more brown sugar and some sweet sauce to them to spice them up a bit. So yummy!
These are the Best!!! The longer I cook them the more savory they are. If I wanted to try to feed about 20 folks, what would you go up on? Just double it? These are soooooo good! Even my Mom says, dad wants those beans, not mine. Thank you!!!!
Love that!! Feel free to double the recipe 🙂
Made exactly as the recipe was written. Very dry, little sauce. Disappointed. But the flavour was great and it was easy!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it’s a hit with the family!
We double the batch then freeze in single serve blocks for last minute simple defrosting for hungry kids 🙂
Love that!!
I live in the UK and I just made this recipe today. The beans tasted very good, but molasses is hard to find here and I had to substitute with honey, so it came out a little sweet. I made this recipe in a 6.5 litre slow cooker. I think that’s around 5.7 quarts. I could have easily fit x3 qty of this recipe in there, maybe even x4. Serving size is a bit tricky to work out. I ended up with x4 cups, so 10 servings would work out at a slightly heaped 1/3 cup each. Or approx. 6.5 tablespoons per serving. You might need to keep an eye on it if cooking on low, mine was done in 5.5 hours. I think they might have dried out, or burned if left for 7 hours. As the other posts here are old, this info probably won’t help them, but I figure it might help someone else in the future. 😃
Thanks for your notes on this! Honey does tend to burn more easily, too, which could’ve been the culprit (and it’s very sweet).
Is there a sub for molasses? Thanks!
Not that I’ve tested and loved, sorry!
Absolutely delicious. I made the recipe as is, only adding in a bit of red pepper flakes as I only had a sweet bbq sauce. I would cook it longer next time but it’s the only change I would make. Thanks for this great easy recipe that only includes pantry staples.
Love it! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Great, easy recipe! Did not change a thing. No leftovers!
So happy to hear that!
Made this and it was a huge hit! Everybody loved them. Is there a liquid you could recommend adding just a bit of when it starts getting a little thicker over time? It’s so flavorful I thought about adding just a touch of water but I’m not sure.
So glad these were a hit! Hmm I’d suggest trying some chicken broth – let me know how it goes if you do 🙂
This recipe sounds amazing, I have soaked a large batch of pinto beans, do I need to alter the cooking with time for these beans?
I use all canned beans in this recipe, so you should be able to make it as is with your soaked pinto beans!
Rave reviews from friends – Memorial Day side item. This recipe is a keeper!
So happy to hear that!
These taste like candy and not in a good way, I think the brown sugar is probably unnecessary considering the sugar from the molasses, ketchup, and BBQ sauce are going to be sweet enough. I feel like I just wasted 3 cans of beans and 4 hours making this bean dessert that is way way too sweet, despite using a BBQ sauce that’s not very sweet on its own.
Sorry to hear that! It does depend on the sweetness of your BBQ sauce – I use a low sugar one and find these to be perfectly sweet with the sugar and molasses added. Feel free to omit both next time!
SO GOOD. The best baked beans I’ve ever had. We omitted the molasses and used coconut sugar – they were still plenty sweet for me & my husband who has a major sweet tooth. Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe – we will be enjoying these forever!
Amazing! Glad they were a hit!
Made this recipe for the Fourth of July. I definitely used bacon for the greese to sauté the onions and garlic, and then crumbed it up into the beans while they cooked. I didn’t have a spicy BBQ sauce so I used Sweet Baby Ray’s original and added some chipotle and roastes garlic seasoning. I also used one extra can of white beans. It was fantastic! Everyone loved it and wanted to take leftovers home. Great recipe! Thanks for posting it, I will definitely make it again.
Love that! Glad it was a hit!
Fantastic recipe! Best baked beans ever!!!! I like to use 2 cans of pinto beans and 1 can of great white northern. They were much creamier than the kidney beans
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed!
I need to travel with these beans to a luncheon. Would it be possible to bake them in the oven and then keep them warm in the crockpot? The recipe sounds delicious! Thank you.
That should work!
I’ve made these multiple times and they’re a hit! Can this be done in an instant pot to reduce the time on busy days?
So happy to hear that! I actually don’t own an Instant Pot, so I’m not 100% sure what the instructions would be.
Can I add ground beef to this recipe.
I haven’t tested it, but I don’t see why not!
Best baked beans I’ve ever tasted.
So happy to hear that!
This recipe was a big hit at our family get together! Definitely a keeper! We cooked the bacon on the saute mode in my instant pot then used the slow cook mode for the rest of the recipe. Thank you!
I’m so glad! Such a great side 🙂
Your slow cooker may vary but it was apparent from the ingredients that there is not nearly enough liquid in this to survive six hours in the slow cooker. Besides, there’s not nearly enough sauce and it’s fairly tasteless. I would recommend tripling all sauce ingredients, leave the liquid from the cans and add about 1½ cups of water. Sampling this was I went along, I also ended up adding about 1½T of hot sauce. Check every two hours to get the stickiness desired — not too wet and not too dry.