There was a time when I thought baked beans only came out of a can. And, since we did away with most pre-made, canned foods back when we started our real food pledge, that means I didn’t have baked beans for a LONG time! As it turns out…I really like and missed baked beans. So needless to say, I am glad to have them back in my life and am also glad to be able to introduce them to my kids (they both gave this recipe two thumbs up – whew!). These beans would be the perfect addition to any summer BBQ, cookout, or picnic, AND they are just as delicious leftover, so if you are entertaining make your day even easier by cooking these a day in advance. We are officially ready for summer—bring it on!
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
If served alongside other side dishes, this recipe will feed a small crowd.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups dried navy beans, (optional, but recommended: soak beans in water in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours and then drain)
- 8 oz bacon, cooked and diced (organic and/or local recommended)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, quartered
- 15 oz tomato sauce, plain
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper, black or red, to taste
- 3 1/2 cups water
Instructions
-
Place the beans, bacon, bell pepper, and onion in the bottom of a slow cooker. Set aside.
-
In a small bowl whisk together the tomato sauce, syrup, mustard, vinegar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Pour over top of bean mixture and then add 3 1/2 cups of water. Turn the slow cooker onto high and cook for 10 to 12 hours. Discard onion pieces and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
*To make this recipe Vegetarian, omit the bacon.
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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I just made this recipe and it is AMAZING! I did (by mistake) not realize some ingredients were supposed to be whisked first, so I just stirred things up really good in the crock pot before starting cooking. I also was leary about cooking on high for that long so I cooked on LOW for 12 hours. (Beans had been soaked in water for about 4 hours beforehand). Came out perfectly! Definitely a keeper, I will never buy canned baked beans again!
I made this exactly as written, but it was done after 7 hours on high. It was absolutely delicious! I served it over wild rice. Also, I read several comments expressing concern about canned tomatoes. I found organic, one-ingredient strained tomatoes in a jar and they worked perfectly.
Oops I forgot that I did change one thing. I used Applegate Organics turkey bacon instead of regular bacon :-)
Costco has a no nitrate smokes bacon, ham, and canadian (irish) bacon.
Is this a runny style baked bean or a thick style?
Hi. Take a look at the picture at the top of the page and decide if it looks like a good consistency for you.
Mine look soupy. And my fiancé feels they should be thicker. You can’t really tell by the picture much. But I can say this pictures mixture does look thicker than mine and I followed the recipe to the T.
Can I substitute a different bean for the navy beans?
Maybe great northern beans though we have not tried. :)
Can I freeze the leftovers?
You can.
What is the reason for putting the soaking beans in the fridge? I’ve never heard of this before.
Hi. It is to avoid the growth of mold.
Low temperature in the fridge lowers the activity of bacteria (so they don’t cause the fermentation) and still lets the beans to absorb the water. Anyway leaving them in room temperature for 6-8 hours should be safe, but definitely shouldn’t go over 12 hrs.
This may sound like a silly question, but I measured out the dried beans and soaked them overnight. The next morning they had swelled to twice their size! Do I use only half or all of them now? New to the dried bean game here!
No, you use them all. ;)
Thanks for the recipe! If I am making the veggie version do you think salt needs to be added? If so how much?
It’s not salt so much as umami/savory that you need. I make veg baked beans with molasses, but you could try soy sauce, steak sauce, maybe miso or something along that line.
I am allergic to tomatoes so can’t use the tomato sauce. Any suggestions for a substitution?
Many baked bean recipes use molasses but no tomato. I hope that helps.
The recipe says to cook on high for 10-12 hours? Did it mean to cook on low?
I’m wondering the same thing…
SO did you set on high? did it work out well?
No, high is correct. ;)
I did high and in 8 hrs they are burned and ruined : -( My house smells bad too. I’ve never had anything burn in the crockpot before. I’m going to try again on low. Was really looking forward to these. Also the prep time was longer than 5 minutes for me with cooking the bacon, dicing it up and then mixing all the ingredients.
Ann, did you end up cooking on high? if so, did it work out?
It did work and they were delicious!
Is the cook time the same if you don’t soak them beforehand?
Lisa soaks them first, typically and cooks for the full time.
Why are tinned beans a no no, but pre made tomato sauce ok?
Hi there. Other readers have used can beans. You might find them overly soft after slow cooking that long.
Wondering about the canned tomato sauce vs canned beans. Do you make your own sauce?
Hi. Sometimes but usually use a sauce from a jar or tetra-pak. I, personally, no longer use canned tomato anything unless I know there is a bpa-free liner.
Do you think I can pressure can this recipe?
Hi Helen. Not sure. We’ve only done a little canning.
Wow thanks for recipe :D usefull!
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Hi, just wondering if it’s ok that this looks really dry in the crock pot? I’m concerned about the beans that aren’t covered in sauce…
Hello. We can’t answer recipe questions in real time, sorry. The beans should not have been dry. How did they turn out?
Hi, Amy, They were great! I will definitely make more sauce next time, though.
Thank you for this recipe! I made this today for a party and it turned out great! I actually made 5 cups of beans with two cans of organic tomato sauce and 3 1/2 cups of water and it turned out fine. Plenty of liquid. It tasted just like the canned ones but with cleaner ingredients. I diced the onions and left it in. Tastes just fine with it.
It’s in the crock pot now for dinner tomorrow night! Going to make it with corn bread and grilled chicken breast. I may make a salad too.
Thank you for this recipe!! I didn’t have maple syrup so I just used 1/2 cup of brown sugar and the results were nothing short of amazing. My husband says they are the best beans he has ever had.
Can these be frozen and warmed later. Would love to make a big batch and freeze for camping season.
Yes!
I can’t find navy beans. Can I substitute?
Great northern beans are a good sub. :)
Add little (organic, hippy) hotdogs and this is a great dinner.
I grew up with homemade baked beans and had no idea they came in a can or that they could be made with tomatoes before I moved to the UK for 9 months! My dad used to soak the beans saturday morning, place them in a covered roasting dish with water, onion, bay leaves, mustard powder, brown sugar and molasses (really makes things interesting!) and cover the beans with a layer of bacon! they would cook at 200F all night and we would have them with eggs and toast on sunday morning! MMM! Baked beans to me are definately breakfast!
That said, I found the tomato-ey baked beans from england which they also eat on buttered toast for breakfast a nice savory change to the one i had as a child and have been yearning for them since. The cans are definately not clean eating so i will definately try this recipe! Thanks!
I know exactly what you mean about the baked beans in the U.K.! They are so different from the ones we have in America! But so good on toast :)
Your baked beans looks so great. Can i cook this dish on low? If yes, how long will it take?
Hello Lita. We have not tried cooking these on low for a longer time.
Love the baked beans!
Could you add a ham hock in with the beans in the Crock-Pot? The full 10 hours?
You could. That’s how my grandmother used to make them. :)
I had eliminated all forms of sugar which includes maple syrup and molasses for almost a year with tremendous improvements to my health.
Can you think of anything that I coold use as a substitute and still have the beans taste good
Hi. You could leave the syrup out or add significantly less.
I made these a few nights ago and they were amazing! So much more flavorful than canned baked beans… now, whenever I eat those, all I can taste is sugar! This really does make a lot of beans, so it would be perfect for a summer barbecue if a crowd is over! I loved having them on a cold winter day with some pork tenderloin and a refreshing salad on the side :)
About how many people does this feed? Looking forward to making this over the weekend!
Hi there. I’ve served it as a side for 8-10.
Have you ever done this in the instant pot? Would you still soak the beans if you do them in the instant pot? How long? Thank you!!
Hi there. We have not. This might help if you want no soak instructions: https://temeculablogs.com/no-soak-instant-pot-baked-beans/.
My family is crazy over these beans. I am going to try them in the instant pot on the 4th of July. I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Made these for today, July 4th! They were outstanding. I soaked for 6 hours, started my crock pot at midnight. It was perfect! Thank you!
Excellent recipe! The disaster is mine – slow-cooker recipes are usually so easy, I merely skim the instructions. So, I missed the part where you add 3 1/2 cups of water. Stupid mistake, I know, but I was in a hurry, and the resulting concrete was really fun to clean up. I would recommend adding the water to the ingredient list, rather than just burying it in the instructions!