Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)

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I called Mom for advice before attempting these slow cooker baked beans.

Baked beans and homemade bread were a Saturday supper tradition when she was growing up in Maine.

Designed for low and slow cooking, baked beans and the slow cooker seem like a match made in heaven.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (1)

WW Slow Cooker Baked Beans

But she confirmed, what I already knew: Neither my grandmother nor she had ever used a slow cooker to make baked beans. They always cooked them in a traditional ceramic bean pot (affiliate link) in the oven.

Then I asked about ingredients. Nana used just salt pork, dry mustard and molasses. Mom liked a little chopped onion added. And definitely no brown sugar or ketchup.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2)

Ceramic Bean Pot (affiliate link)

After hanging up with her, I opened up How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food (affiliate link) for a little more guidance on quick soaking and ingredient amounts.

I got a late start with these slow cooker baked beans. They had only been cooking for about six hours when I was ready for bed and they were still hours from done. I spent several minutes contemplating the alternatives, then flipped the crockpot to warm and let them cook all night.

I woke up to discover perfectly tender slow cooker baked beans in an incredibly rich dark brown sauce, just like Mom used to make in her bean pot!

We enjoyed these slow cooker baked beans for supper with cole slaw, chicken apple sausages and still warm slow cooker whole wheat bread. And then I had them again on toast for breakfast.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (3)

Old-Fashioned Slow Cooker Baked Beans

Rod and I thought they were perfect, but they were a little heavy on the molasses for Mom.

How Many Calories and WW Points in these Crock Pot Baked Beans?

According to my calculations each serving has 175 calories and:

5 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!

If you like slow cooker baked beans you might also like these Weight Watchers friendly recipes featuring beans: Italian Slow Cooker Pork and White Bean Stew,Easy Baked Bean Soup,Favorite Black Bean Soup Recipes, Skinny Slow Cooker Creole White Beans and Chicken, Slow Cooker Moroccan Baked Beans, Slow Cooker White Beans, Slow Cooker Caribbean Black Beans, Crock Pot White Beans and Shrimp

Are You Ready To Slow Cook Yourself Slim?

If you've made these low fat Crock Pot Baked Beans, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (4)

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4.34 from 12 votes

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

New England Style Slow Cooker Baked Beans, cook up hearty, satisfying and delicious.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time12 hours hrs

Total Time12 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings (adjustable): 14

Calories: 175

Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried navy pea or other white beans, washed and picked over
  • 4 ounces salt pork, cut into 3 or 3 slices
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard or 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with water by an inch or two and let soak overnight. Alternatively as a quick soak method, place the beans in a large saucepan. Cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Bring to a boil and let boil for about 2 minutes. Then turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 1 - 2 hours.

  • Ideal slow cooker size: 4-Quart.

  • Place the pieces of salt pork in the bottom of the crock pot.

  • Drain the beans and add to the crock pot.

  • Mix together the molasses and mustard and stir into the beans.

  • Cover with boiling water until it is above the bean level by 1 inch.

  • Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours, until the beans are very tender.

  • After about 6 hours, taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt, pepper, molasses and/or mustard to taste.

  • Discard the salt pork.

Recipe Notes

Serving size: ½ cup

Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.

5 *SmartPoints (Green plan)

2 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)

2 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)

4 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

Amount Per Serving (1 /2 cup)

Calories 175Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 5g20%

Protein 10g20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crock pot baked beans, new england style baked beans, slow cooked baked beans

Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!

Source: How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food (affiliate link) by Mark Bittman.

*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.

More Recipes with Beans for Weight Watchers

  • Skinny Slow Cooker Chicken and Pinto Bean Tostadas
  • Cauliflower Rice and Beans
  • Weight Watchers Slow Cooker 2-Bean Burritos
  • Slow Cooker Bean Barley Soup
  • CrockPot Refried Beans

Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (8)Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.

A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.

She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.

A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.

More about Martha McKinnon

This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!

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Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)

FAQs

What beans should not be cooked in a slow cooker? ›

Turns out cooking dried red kidney beans and cannellini beans in your slow cooker can make you sick. Find out how to eliminate the toxin that can make you ill and how to safely prepare and cook these commonly used legumes.

How do you thicken baked beans in a slow cooker? ›

One way is to simmer the beans uncovered for a bit longer, allowing some liquid to evaporate and naturally thicken the sauce. Alternatively, you can create a slurry by mixing equal parts cold water, cornstarch, or flour. Stir the slurry into the baked beans and cook for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens.

How long to soak beans before slow cooker? ›

Add water to cover beans by 3 to 4 inches. Let beans soak overnight or 6 hours covered on the counter. Use colander to drain and rinse beans before cooking. Place soaked beans in crock pot.

How long can canned beans be in the crockpot? ›

Drain and rinse your white beans and kidney beans add to the crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients and then stir well. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Which beans are not good for the kidneys? ›

Control of phosphorus often is difficult for kidney failure patients. High-phosphorus foods to eliminate include: Beans (red, black, and white) Black-eyed peas.

Why are my beans still hard after slow cooking? ›

Dried beans typically have a moisture content of around 16%. However, as they age, moisture evaporates, giving pectin time to age and harden the skin. These beans can often take much longer to soften while soaking and cooking, up to twice the time!

How to make bush's baked beans thicker? ›

Simply add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 cup of water or to the liquid from the baked beans (scoop it out into a separate bowl and let it cool first) and mix. Once the starch is thoroughly incorporated, pour the slurry into the baked beans dish and stir.

How do you make baked beans more watery? ›

If the baked beans stiffen up in the fridge overnight, feel free to thin out with a bit of tomato sauce, even vegetable stock or water as you re-warm it over medium-low on the stove top. If you want more sauce right from the beginning, just increase the amount of BBQ sauce and tomato sauce or ketchup.

How do you thicken baked beans without molasses? ›

Regular flour can be used as well, but the beans will need to be cooked longer. Other starches like potato or arrowroot starch, tapioca flour, or xanthan gum can also be used to thicken the sauce without affecting the flavor [2].

Can I leave beans in the crockpot overnight? ›

Start the pinto beans in the morning, and they'll be ready by dinner. If you are comfortable leaving your slow cooker plugged in, you can even cook them overnight.

Is it better to cook beans on low or high? ›

Cook low and slow—patience is key. To cook on the stove, bring the pot of beans (soaked or unsoaked, with olive oil, salt, and any seasonings plus 2 to 3 inches of liquid covering them) to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat so that your beans are barely but steadily simmering and cover with the lid.

What happens if you don't pre soak beans? ›

If you don't have time to presoak, don't sweat it– your beans will still be tender and delicious. However, there is one exception: if you're starting with old beans that have suffered moisture loss (Primary Beans defines as beans older than 2 years from harvest), a presoak may help you achieve evenly cooked beans.

Can you cook beans straight from the can? ›

Pour the beans directly into the pot and season for how you plan to use them. Allow it to simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue to stir and heat beans until they reach the desired temperature and consistency, about 5-10 minutes.

Is a slow cooker good for beans? ›

The key to tender, not-mushy beans is to cook them at the barest simmer, which means they're perfect candidates for the slow cooker.

Why are my canned beans hard after cooking? ›

The calcium and magnesium bond with the cell walls of the beans, causing them to harden. If your water is particularly hard, no matter how long you cook the beans, they might retain the tough, chewy texture. If you don't want to pay for a water softener, salt can be a good solution.

Why it is not recommended to slow cook kidney beans? ›

Slowly heating raw kidney beans in a slow cooker may increase the toxicity of the beans. Studies have found slow cookers do not reach a high enough temperature to destroy the harmful bacteria in undercooked beans. The PHA toxin is destroyed at 212°F when cooked for at least 10 minutes.

What are the symptoms of red kidney bean poisoning? ›

nausea and vomiting, followed by diarrhoea and sometimes abdominal pain; recovery is usually rapid.

What foods should not go in a slow cooker? ›

10 Foods You Should Never Make in a Slow Cooker
  1. Raw Meat.
  2. Seafood.
  3. Pasta.
  4. Rice.
  5. Delicate Vegetables.
  6. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts.
  7. Dairy.
  8. Wine and Other Liquor.
Jan 19, 2024

Are canned kidney beans safe in slow cooker? ›

To be safe, consumers should boil the beans for at least 30 minutes to ensure that the product reaches sufficient temperature, for a sufficient amount of time, to completely destroy the toxin. Slow cookers should not be used to cook the beans or dishes that contain them.

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