Name: Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans
Prep time: 8 h
Cook time: 10 h
Total time: 18 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 cups of dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and boiled for 20 minutes; ½ cup brown sugar, packed; ¼ cup molasses; ½ cup of ketchup; 1 large yellow onion chopped; 8 slices of bacon, cut into one inch pieces; 2 teaspoons dry mustard; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves; 1 ½ teaspoons pink sea salt; 2 ½ cups of water

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Many of the crock pot recipes that I feature on my blog are a version of my mother’s favorite recipes. These slow cooker Boston baked beans are no exception!

I grew up eating my mother’s Boston baked beans on Saturday nights. She used to make her recipe on the stove but I’ve adapted her recipe for the crock pot and can verify that it’s just as delicious.

These Boston baked beans would be great to serve all year round. They would be a tasty side dish for a summer barbecue, a comforting side for a fall dinner, or a snack for National Bean Day.

Let’s dig out the crock pot and cook up a batch of one of my favorite comfort foods – Boston baked beans!

Slow cooker Boston baked beans ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make these crock pot Boston baked beans:

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3 cups of dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and boiled for 20 minutes
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup molasses
½ cup of ketchup
1 large yellow onion chopped
8 slices of bacon, cut into one inch pieces
2 teaspoons dry mustard
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ teaspoons pink sea salt
2 ½ cups of water

How to make crock pot Boston baked beans

Dried beans take a long time to cook and also need to be soaked. Start by inspecting your beans and removing any bits and pieces. I’ve even found bits of sticks and pebbles in mine!

Once they are inspected, add the dried beans to your slow cooker.

I placed mine in the crock pot the day before I wanted to cook them and covered them with water and just left them overnight.

If you are in more of a hurry, you can boil them in water on the stove top for two hours or so. I just find it easier to plan ahead and soak them overnight (or even the morning of the day before).

The longer they soak, the quicker the cooking will be!

The next day, boil the beans for 20 minutes. Then drain them.

TIP: Spray your crock pot with a non stick cooking spray such as Pam before you add the ingredients. The beans will be cooking for a long time and spraying before cooking will save a LOT of clean up later.

Once your crock pot is sprayed, add all of your ingredients and mix everything together. Now it is time to set the crock pot and forget about the dish for the rest of the day.

Cover the crock pot, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. If you are at home while the beans are cooking, you can stir the beans a few time during the cooking process.

This is not necessary but it does blend the flavors well and gives you a chance to see how tender the beans are becoming.

My beans were older, so I wanted to make sure they were tender enough. If yours are a new package of beans, you won’t need to worry about checking.

These beans are so full of flavor! If you have only ever eaten canned beans in the past, you won’t believe how great these slow cooker Boston beans taste.

I served my beans with some homemade buttermilk corn bread muffins. After all, you will need something to sop up the delicious liquid, won’t you?

This was such a nostalgic meal for me. The beans are rich and yummy with extra flavor from the bacon pieces. The sweetness of the molasses and brown sugar is comfort home cooking personified!

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Looking for an easy and delicious side dish to make for dinner? Try this recipe for these slow cooker baked beans on Recipes Just 4U! 👩‍🍳🫘 #BostonBakedBeans #SlowCookerBakedBeans #SlowCookerRecipe Share on X

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Yield: 8 servings of crock pot Boston baked beans