Homemade Baked Beans Made In the Crock Pot

These homemade baked beans made in the Crock Pot (slow cooker) are Southern comfort food in a side dish.

We seem to have two seasons in the South – Summer, which takes up most of the year, and about 4 weeks of Winter. Being that we do get to enjoy being outside a lot, we also like to cook outside. Barbecues and grilling out is the love language of many Southerners.

One great side dish that goes well with so many grilled and smoked foods is baked beans. If you attend a cookout in the South, you are going to find baked beans. It’s practically a law.

How To Make Baked Beans in the Crock Pot

For this recipe, you need the following ingredients:

• 1 pound Great Northern beans dried
• 1 onion diced
• ½ cup molasses
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Soaking the Beans

If you have never used dried beans in the past, there is something that you must do before soaking them. You must look through the beans and check for small rocks or debris. They are a natural product and sometimes there will be little bits and pieces that made their way into the package.

The first thing that must be done is to soak the beans. There are two ways you can do this: 1) the overnight method where you soak them overnight covered with at least 2″ of water, or 2) a quick soak. To quick soak dried beans, boil them in water for 2 minutes. Remove them from the heat, cover, and let them soak for 1 hour.

After the beans have soaked overnight or quick soaked, drain them. Now it is time to cook the beans.

Cook the Beans

Cover the beans with 6 cups of water and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat to LOW, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Periodically check to make sure that the beans are covered with water. Add more, if needed. When they have finished cooking, drain the beans.

Making the Baked Beans

Next, put the beans in a slow cooker crock and begin adding the other ingredients. They will help to add flavor to this side dish. First, we have chopped onion.

Next, we have 4 ounces of chopped ham. If you don’t have ham, you can substitute bacon bits.

Molasses not only provides a touch of sweetness but also adds nutrients. One tablespoon of molasses supplies 13% of the RDA of manganese, 12% of magnesium, 11% of copper, 6% of each Vitamin B6, selenium, and potassium, as well as 5% of the RDA of iron. This recipe uses half a cup which is equal to 8 tablespoons.

There is a small amount of brown sugar in this recipe – 1/3 cup. Beans need a little sugar, y’all.

A teaspoon of dry mustard doesn’t seem like much, but it helps develop the flavor of the beans.

Some apple cider vinegar lends to a smidge of tanginess.

Stir it all together and add water. Cook at HIGH temperature for 4 hours.

Now if you like heat, feel free to add some chopped jalapeños to the mix before cooking the beans. For a touch of smokiness, add 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke.

One great thing about making these beans is that you control what ingredients go into the dish. Notice the ingredients in this recipe: Great Northern beans, onion, molasses, brown sugar, mustard, pepper, and apple cider vinegar. All common ingredients. All simple ingredients.