This Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans recipe is everything baked beans should be: thick, saucy, savory with a touch of sweet. Come see how I made the classic Boston Baked Beans recipe easier by making it in the slow cooker!
I wanted to post this baked beans recipe earlier in the summer for you folks, but I ended up needing to test it a few times to make sure I had it just right. I adapted this recipe from Cook’s Country, and the first time I made the recipe it came out too sticky and definitely not saucy enough for my taste. I love my Boston Bakes Beans thick but still saucy so I tinkered with the boiling water amount added to the slow cooker. The original recipe called for 2 cups, but that wasn’t enough in my opinion. I then tested batches with 3 and 4 cups of boiling water, and 3 cups were the clear winner-the beans were thick, saucy, and tender.
Next, I played with the sweetness. My family and I prefer slightly sweeter baked beans so I increased the molasses and sugar slightly, and added a touch of maple syrup. After all of the testing and adaptations, I can now say with confidence that this is the best baked beans recipe out there!
This homemade baked beans recipe is SO much better than canned baked beans from the grocery store. Plus their incredible aroma will waft through your house something fierce!
Cook’s Note – Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans Recipe
- You can double this baked beans recipe, just make sure you use a large slow cooker with a capacity of at least 6.5 quarts.
- The maple syrup is completely optional in this recipe. I know it’s not authentic, but I love my baked beans with a little shot of maple syrup. Try it, I think you’ll like it, too!
- Traditional Boston Baked Beans recipes use salt pork. I opted for bacon because that is what’s readily available in stores near me. If you use salt pork, use a 4-ounce chunk and remove the rind. Follow these directions instead of in step 2:
- While beans are boiling in Dutch oven, score fatty side of salt pork and cut into 2 pieces. Place scored side down in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook until fat is rendered, 8-10 minutes. Turn salt pork over, add onion, and cook until lightly browned about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker. At the end of cooking remove rind, shred (removing any fat), and return to slow cooker.
- Using the aluminum foil on top of the beans ensures that the heat stays at the bottom of the slow cooker and in the beans themselves instead of the heat rising to the lid. DO NOT SKIP THE FOIL! If you do you run the risk of your beans not softening.
- I like to cook these beans on low as the directions indicate below, but you can cook them on high for 5-6 hours.
Disclosure: This post for Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans Recipe includes affiliate links.
Cook’s Tools & Ingredients – Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans Recipe
ONE YEAR AGO: S’mores Cookie Bites
TWO YEARS AGO: Butterscotch Toffee Cheesecake Dip
THREE YEARS AGO: Baked Peaches with Oat Crumble Topping
Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound navy beans picked over and soaked in cold water for 8 to 12 hours
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 ounces thick sliced bacon
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1/3 cup mild molasses + 2 additional tablespoons
- 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 cups boiling water
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup optional
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Turn slow cooker on high to preheat. Drain beans and pour them into large Dutch oven along with 8 cups water, baking soda, and bay leaves. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, and use a slotted spoon to skim foam off of the top. Boil 15 minutes.
- While beans cook, chop bacon into 2-inch pieces, and in large non-stick skillet sauté bacon and onion over medium-high heat until fat is rendered from bacon and edges of onion begin to brown slightly about 7-8 minutes. Place bacon and onion in slow cooker. Stir in 1/3 cup molasses, brown sugar, and boiling water.
- Once beans are done boiling, drain beans and transfer to slow cooker, discarding bay leaves. Give everything a good stir and place aluminum foil directly on the surface of beans, then cover slow cooker with lid. Set slow cooker to LOW and cook until beans are creamy and tender 10-12 hours.
- Turn off slow cooker and remove the lid and discard aluminum foil. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons molasses, maple syrup (optional), mustard, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover slow cooker lid and let beans sit until sauce has slightly thickened about 15-20 minutes. Serve.
Nutrition
Makes 12 side dish servings.
Related Recipes:
Restaurant Style Refried Beans Recipe
Crock Pot Green Chile Pinto Beans
Green Chile White Queso Dip {Queso Blanco}
Deb B
I would LOVE to try this but unfortunately we can not use the foil in our family. Bummer! Anyone have any suggestions for an alternative?
Jillian
Hi Deb, you can still make the recipe as is, you just will need to increase the cooking time by a couple/few hours. I would say start checking the beans around 12 hours.
Vaneesa
You could use parchment paper instead.
Ann Pierce
I just made this baked bean recipe for my daughter’s 4th birthday party, delicious! This recipe is a keeper, thank you for a delicious recipe
Jillian
Yay, SO glad you liked it!
Diane
these baked beans are so good and the recipe was so easy to follow. Only thing that I did different was baking them in my Cast Iron Dutch oven in the oven at 250 instead of the slow cooker. By doing it this way it only took 5 hrs. I will not be buying the canned baked beans again.
Jillian
Diane, I am SO glad these worded for you in the oven. Thanks for letting me know, I know this will come in handy for other readers!
Suzanne
Can you use kidney beans – makingng them for my husbad, who is the cook in the family and from Boston, and says he prefers kidney beans
Jillian
Hi Suzanne, I have never used kidney beans myself for this recipe so I’m not sure. If you give it a go, let me know how it turns out for you!
Val
I’ve used kidney beans as well, and it was fabulous, if you like kidney beans
Jillian
Yum, I bet it’s delicious!
Charlie
Hi Jillian. You have a real winner here. After returning from a short New England getaway last week I came home ready to make some beans. But it’s been so hot and humid here lately I didn’t feel like dragging out the old bean pot and firing the oven up all day long. So I looked for a slow cooker recipe and luckily found yours. I made them according to your recipe with just two minor changes. I added a dash of ground cloves and I used the water that I boiled the beans in to replace the three cups of boiled water. Cooked them for 12 hours on low and they came out nice and soft, silky, smooth, and saucy. Now I’ve been making beans in that old bean pot for over 40 years and people have always told me my recipe was one of the best. But when my wife told me tonight these were the best beans I’ve ever made I realized it’s probably time to retire that old bean pot recipe. These beans are fantastic! I certainly will be making them again. Thanks for sharing with us.
Jillian
Charlie, I am thrilled you loved these beans! Thanks for stopping by!
Carolynn
Thank you for this awesome recipe! Next time, I’ll have to make a double batch as 3 of us devoured 2/3 in one sitting. Have you ever tried canning this recipe? There is a very similar recipe in the Ball canning book – without the vinegar and maple syrup and using dry mustard instead of Dijon, but the whole cooking process and times are different.
Jillian
I’ve never tried canning this recipe, sorry.
Carolynn
Oops, forgot the rating. 5 stars for sure!
Jillian
Thank you!
Davey
I think that maple syrup is indeed authentic. If you look at old Maine recipes, maple syrup is often used. I think it’s preferable to plain brown sugar because it adds a lot of flavor other than just sweetness.
Growing up I always hated baked beans because they were sweet and gloopy. I never realized how different home made beans are.
Jillian
I personally love real maple syrup in my beans and that’s how I make mine every time. And I agree, homemade beans are SOOOOOOO much better than the canned variety.
mary
How many servings, as a side dish, does this recipe make?
Jillian
This recipe makes 12 side dish servings.
BonJon
Can you tell us, please, what size crockpot you use for this recipe?
Back 40 years ago, crockpots were just 4 quart. Would mine work for this?
Jillian
The crockpot that I use is a 6.5 quart pot. This recipe should work in your slow cooker.
BonJon
I can use this recipe as a starting point. My beans were done in less than 6 hours, but I forgot to start the timer when they first boiled, so they may have boiled a tad longer, and they soaked 12 hours. These are WAY to sweet and bland for my tastes, but the texture reminds me of beans when I went to college in Boston. Next time I’ll leave out the brown sugar, maybe add some BBQ sauce. Thank you so much for the technique – ridiculously easy! And for anyone who needs to know, this recipe fit in a 4 quart slow cooker. I also did not get 12 servings (1/2 cup servings), more like 8.
Kristy
What’s the baking soda for?
Jillian
Great question, the baking soda helps to soften the beans as they cook in the slow cooker. Sometimes beans don’t soften easily or evenly in the slow cooker, so that little bit of added baking soda helps to soften the beans.
Kat
So good! I only made baked beans once years ago and they were awful! Decided to try again and I picked your recipe because you put in a ton of research to get them right. You really did get them right. I followed the recipe to the teaspoon. Perfect beans! Thank you!
Jillian
Yay, I’m so glad you loved this recipe!
Sue
I have canned baked beans. I use small jars, 1/2 pint and 1 pint. Put hot beans into sterilized, hot jars leaving an inch at the top. put lids on and screw down. Process in boiling water for 80-90 minutes.
Note: I use beans that are not quite cooked as the processing finishes it for me. It produces softer beans if fully cooked before canning.
Good recipe but a little sweet 🙂
Jillian
Hi Sue, thanks for including the canning instructions. I’ll have to give it a try the next time I make these!
deb
can use use jarred northern beans and put bake soda right in crock with rest of ing. to soften or should I not?
Jillian
I wouldn’t because canned/jarred beans are already soft.
Kj
Question: do you put the fat from the bacon into the slow cooker with the beans?
Jillian
Hi KJ, it’s all a matter of taste. I personally drain off the fat by transferring the bacon and onions to a paper towel-lined plate before placing them into the slow cooker.