Crock Pot Baked Beans with Bacon Recipe

Published: Mar 21, 2023 by slowcookedeats

The best ever crock pot baked beans with bacon and cheese. Fabulous flavor, easy to make - full of smoky bacon and melted cheese - you'll love this baked beans recipe! This recipe is hugely popular at potlucks and backyard bbq's!

A black oval crock pot with baked beans, bacon, and cheese.

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Why You'll Love This Crock Pot Baked Beans Recipe
Ingredients For Crock Pot Baked Beans with Bacon and Cheese
How To Make Baked Beans with Bacon in Crock Pot
What To Serve with Crock Pot Bacon Beans
Variations
Slow Cooker Tips
FAQ's
📖 The recipe.
More Crock Pot Side Dishes
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💬 What readers are saying.

Why You'll Love This Crock Pot Baked Beans Recipe

Fabulous flavor. Seriously. There is the perfect combination of salty, sweet, smoky, and even slightly tangy - the texture from the beans, onion, bacon, and cheese is perfection.

Easy to make. Cook the bacon, saute the vegetables for a few minutes to give them a head start, or jump it all in. Right before serving, add the cheese.

Perfect for meal prepping and for freezing! Assemble the beans ahead, eat what you can then freeze the rest. It freezes and reheats well!

Ingredients For Crock Pot Baked Beans with Bacon and Cheese

Here are the ingredients you will need to make these cheesy crock pot baked beans with bacon:

Ingredients needed for making crock pot baked beans with bacon on a white board.

Onion: use a white or yellow onion.
Green Bell Pepper
Ketchup
Worcestershire Sauce
Canned Pork and Beans: be sure not to drain any of the sauce.
Canned Chili Beans: same, use the beans and the sauce - there is a ton of flavor in chili beans.
Brown Sugar
Bacon: I used a hickory smoked bacon to add a smoky flavor to the beans.
Barbecue Sauce: use any favorite sweeter barbecue sauce, (for test purposes, I used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ Sauce)
Cheddar Cheese
Kidney Beans: drain and rinse the beans. Dark or light kidney beans may be used.
Lima Beans: drain and rinse the beans. Butter beans make a great substitution too!

For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!

How To Make Baked Beans with Bacon in Crock Pot

Here's how to make this easy crock pot baked beans recipe:

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Set aside. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.

Adding onion and green pepper to a black oval crock pot.

2. Optional: cook the onion and bell pepper in the bacon fat until a little color is achieved and the onions have started to soften. Add vegetables and bacon fat to the slow cooker.

Adding the ingredients and covering the black crock pot with a lid.

3. Add all ingredients to the crockpot except the cheese cubes. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours - or until the onions soften (note: if you didn't soften in a skillet, they will take a few hours longer).

Adding cheese and then serving crock pot baked beans.

4. About 30 minutes before serving stir in the cheese cubes.

Hint: you can skip the step of cooking the onion and peppers, but be sure to add a couple of hours extra for the onions to cook.

What To Serve with Crock Pot Bacon Beans

There are several ways you can serve your delicious crock pot baked beans!

Garnish with fresh herbs or sliced green onion for a little color.

Meal idea! Serve crock pot pulled chicken sandwiches or sloppy joes with coleslaw and a side of these delicious beans.

Serve baked beans with:

Cornbread or biscuits
Coleslaw
Macaroni and cheese
Pulled pork or pulled chicken
Grilled or roasted meat
Roasted or steamed vegetables
Fresh green salad

Variations

Here are some suggestions for customizing your crock pot baked beans with bacon and cheese:

For a smoky taste, add a teaspoon of liquid smoke.
Vary the flavor with different types of bacon. Use hickory smoked, maple bacon, and so on.
Add maple syrup for more maple flavor and sweetness. Molasses also makes a great sweetener!
Increase the sweetness with additional brown sugar.
1 to 2 tablespoons of bourbon can be added for that "brown sugar bourbon taste"
Add spice with red pepper flakes.
Add even more color and texture with a variety of beans.

Slow Cooker Tips

Tip #1: The bacon can be cooked in a separate skillet or in a crock pot that has a browning function.

Tip #2: The vegetables can be added raw to the pot but you can coax some additional flavor out of them by sauteeing and caramelizing in the bacon fat. If you're short on time skip this step and cook the beans longer 6 to 8 hours or until the onions are tender.

Tip #3: This recipe can easily be halved, but since you are going through the effort, I suggest making the full recipe and freezing into smaller portions. 😉

Pin this pin to Pinterest and save for later! 🙂

Pinterest pin with a black oval crock pot full of baked beans with melting cheese.

FAQ's

How to store

Let the beans cool completely then transfer to an airtight container. Store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How to reheat

Reheat in a saucepan on low heat, stirring frequently. Or, microwave portions on 50% until heated through. A crock pot is also a great way to reheat beans - place in the cooker, cover, and heat on low until the desired temperature is reached.

Can you freeze baked beans?

Yes, baked beans can be frozen. Once the baked beans are cooled, transfer them to a freezer safe container, leaving at least 1" of head space at the top. Cover and freeze up to 4 months.

Can you make baked beans in a crock pot?

Yes! You can definitely make baked beans in a crock pot. In fact, using a crock pot is one of the most convenient and easy ways to prepare them.
To make baked beans in a crock pot, combine canned or cooked beans with ingredients like cooked bacon, onions, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, and spices in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours to blend the flavor.