Easy Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Author: Heather Scholten · Posted: May 28, 2025 · Updated: Jun 06, 2025
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There’s something comforting about a bowl of sweet-savory homemade baked beans, especially when they’ve been bubbling away all day, perfuming the house with smoky BBQ goodness. But let’s be real: most weeknights, we don’t have hours to babysit a Dutch oven in the oven. Enter Easy Slow Cooker Baked Beans – my semi-homemade recipe that starts with canned baked beans and gets a serious glow-up from fresh onion, green bell pepper, some savory flavor from Worcestershire, tangy yellow mustard, your favorite BBQ sauce, and a hint of sweetness from brown sugar. Ten minutes of prep, four hours of hands-off simmering, and you’ve got a crowd-pleasing easy recipe that tastes like you cooked it from scratch.
Whether you’re planning your next cookout, potluck at the office, or a lazy Memorial Day backyard BBQ, this crock pot baked beans recipe checks every box: minimal effort, maximum flavor, and easily doubled for a hungry crowd. Keep reading for the foolproof method, some sneaky flavor tips, and all the storage intel you’ll need.
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Cook’s Notes
- Set-and-forget convenience. Everything goes in the slow cooker (crock pot), freeing you up to handle the grill, toss a salad, or kick your feet up with a cold beverage.
- Semi-homemade magic. Starting with canned baked beans cuts hours off the cook time, yet the fresh veggies and pantry upgrades make it taste 100% from scratch.
- Flavor flexibility. Swap the green pepper for 1 medium minced jalapeño if you crave heat, or experiment with maple syrup in place of brown sugar for breakfast-brunch vibes.
- Feeds a crowd. Two cans stretch to about twelve generous servings, perfect for potlucks or game day spreads.
- Budget-friendly. Beans are naturally economical, and the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples you probably already have.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This easy slow cooker baked beans recipe is super simple and is a great way to take store-bought baked beans to the next level.
- 4 (15-ounce) cans baked beans, undrained
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
- ½ cup BBQ sauce (choose a smoky or spicy variety you love or use homemade BBQ sauce)
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard or dijon mustard works great too
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
Optional but delish: 4 strips of thick-cut bacon (regular or turkey bacon) or salt pork, cooked crisp and crumbled (stir the cooked bacon in at the end).
Find the printable recipe card with exact measurements and step-by-step instructions below.
Substitutes & Variations
- Brown Sugar – use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. You can also experiment with maple syrup or agave. You can also use white sugar with 2 tsp molasses as a substitute for brown sugar.
- Barbecue Sauce – use whatever BBQ sauce you prefer or omit and substitute 1/4 tsp of liquid smoke.
- Baked in the Oven - if you’d rather bake in the oven, preheat oven to 350ºF. Add the ingredients to a baking dish and cook uncovered for 45 minutes. Stir and bake for 30 minutes more.
- Spices – add 2 tsp of garlic powder or 2 cloves of minced fresh garlic for a little extra flavor.
Special Equipment Needed
Easy Instructions
- Cut the veggies. Finely chop the onion and green bell pepper. Keeping the pieces small helps them melt into the sauce while still lending a gentle crunch.
- Dump & stir. Add the canned beans (liquid and all) to your slow cooker. Add in the onion, bell pepper, and the remaining ingredients (BBQ sauce, yellow mustard, Worcestershire, and brown sugar) and give it a good stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Set it & forget it. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 6–8 hours (or HIGH for 3–4). Give the beans a quick stir halfway through if you happen to be nearby, but it’s not mandatory.
- Finish it off. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper or extra BBQ sauce if you like it sweeter. For a smoky bite, stir in the crumbled bacon slices just before serving.
- Serve hot. Ladle into bowls or serve alongside ribs, hot dogs, burgers, or grilled chicken. Don’t be surprised when folks ask for seconds (and the recipe).
What to Serve with the Best Baked Beans
Tips for Storing & Reheating
- Refrigerate: Cool beans to room temp, transfer to a airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Portion into freezer-safe bags or sealed container, leaving a little headspace, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or extra BBQ sauce to loosen if needed.
- Meal-prep win: These beans taste even better the next day, so make them ahead and simply reheat before serving.
FAQs
You can, however you’ll need to soak and par-cook them first, then add extra liquid, seasoning and increase the slow-cook time dramatically. For true ease, canned baked beans are the easiest way to make this recipe.
Choose a sauce that mirrors the flavor profile you love, smoky, spicy, or sweet. A Kansas City-style sauce gives a molasses richness, while a Carolina mustard-based sauce adds extra tang.
Not at all! These beans are naturally vegetarian. Bacon just adds a smoky punch, but you can mimic that vibe with a 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke.
Absolutely. Use an 8-quart slow cooker, double every ingredient, and extend the cooking time by about 30 minutes to ensure everything heats through to make a big batch of this bean recipe.
More Recipes We Love
Here are some other recipes that are family favorites.
- Maple-Brown Sugar Breakfast Sausage
- Slow Cooker Meatball Subs
- Arborio Veggie Burgers
- Dark Cherry Pie
- Green Bean Mushroom Gratin
Easy Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Equipment
- Slow Cooker Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 56 oz Baked Beans, such as Bush's, any flavor from 2-28oz or 4 -15oz cans
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
- ⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
Instructions
- Finely chop the yellow onion and green bell pepper. Keeping the pieces small helps them melt into the sauce while still lending a gentle crunch.
- Add the canned beans (liquid and all) to your slow cooker. Add in the minced yellow onion, bell pepper, and the remaining ingredients (BBQ sauce, yellow mustard, Worcestershire, and brown sugar) and give it a good stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Cover and cook on LOW setting for 6–8 hours (or HIGH for 3–4). Give the beans a quick stir halfway.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper or extra BBQ sauce if you like it sweeter. If using, stir in the crumbled bacon slices just before serving.
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Recipe Nutrition
* Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
The next time you need fuss-free side dishes for that family dinner that steals the show, pull out the slow cooker and a few pantry staples. Easy slow cooker baked beans proves you don’t have to choose between convenience and classic flavor, say hello to your new potluck MVP!
Recipe By:
Co-Founder at Spiceology | More About Heather…
Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.