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These sweet and saucy Crockpot Baked Beans are a summer BBQ classic and a popular side dish that are perfect for family gatherings! The sauce gets thick and sticky in the slow cooker, just the way we like it!

Baked beans on wooden spoon over crockpot.

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We’re amping up our summer barbecues with this crockpot baked bean recipe.

Thick Sticky Saucy Goodness

I adore baked beans – if they’re done right. And in my opinion, the right way means they have to cook up thick and sticky. No runny, watery sauce for my baked beans, thankyouverymuch.

Usually beans cooked in the crockpot will be a bit more on the runny side, but these turn out just perfect. You can cook them for less time for a looser sauce or for more time to really get the sauce to thicken up into all of it’s sticky, sweet glory.

We start with canned baked beans to keep life simple, upgrade them by adding in some crispy bacon, tender onions, and sweet saucy goodness like ketchup, barbecue, and brown sugar. These are legit the best baked beans and we make them all summer long to serve with our Chicken Burgers and smoked baby back ribs!

Table of Contents

♥ What We Love About This Recipe:

Flavor – Summer BBQs just wouldn’t be the same without the bold, saucy flavors of slow cooker baked beans! The sauce in this recipe really takes canned baked beans to the next level and it’s an easy way to doctor them up.

Versatile – You can serve baked beans alongside just about anything! We love them for summer BBQs but they’re good for pretty much any kind of family dinner. At holidays we serve them next to our crockpot ham! Plus, they’re budget friendly!

Customizable – Like your beans extra sweet? Add in an extra scoop of brown sugar. Want them more tangy? A dash of vinegar or an extra squirt of mustard. Like your baked beans spicy? Add a minced jalapeno with the onions or stir in a 1/2 teaspoon or so of cayenne with the baked beans.

Ingredient Notes:

Ingredients for crockpot baked beans recipe.

Baked Beans – It may seem odd to start with already baked beans in a baked beans recipe but consider this an upgrade! We use a variety of canned baked beans and often just mix and match with different types. Use any you like!

Bacon – Is there anything bacon doesn’t improve? You’ll fry up some bacon and add it to the crockpot with a little bit of the grease. That’s pure flavor!

Garlic & Onion – We cook this with the bacon in the bacon grease for mixing in with the baked beans. These will add plenty of savory flavor to the slow cooker baked beans. You can add minced jalapeno if you want to spice it up!

Sauce – You’ll need a mix of ketchup, yellow mustard, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Any variety of BBQ sauce is okay. We like Sweet Baby Ray’s or our homemade bourbon bbq sauce!

Seasoning – We’re adding in some brown sugar for sweetness, smoked paprika for extra smoky flavor, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Our Favorite Canned Baked Beans:

We start with canned baked beans – the kind that are already seasoned and saucy! We just doctor them up a bit, because to be honest, I don’t love baked beans straight from the can. We like them thick, sticky, sweet, and saucy!

While you can use any variety of canned baked beans we usually go for Bush’s Grilling Beans. The steakhouse variety and bourbon brown sugar are a great combo.

You’ll use between 40-50 ounces of beans. It doesn’t really make a difference in the sauciness as long as you’re in that range.

Step by Step Instructions:

Diced bacon, onion, and garlic on a cutting board.

Dice up your bacon and onion and mince the garlic.

Cooked bacon, onion, and garlic in a skillet.

Cook the bacon with the onion and garlic in a skillet until the fat has rendered and the veggies have softened.

Add the bacon and onions, baked beans, the sauce ingredients, and the seasoning to the slow cooker. Stir well to combine.

Cover the crockpot and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 7 hours. Serve warm! The longer these cook, the thicker and stickier the sauce gets.

Helpful Tip!

Storage & Freezing:

These crockpot baked beans can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. They can be reheated on the stove, in the microwave, or in the crockpot.

These baked beans can also be frozen for up to a few months in a freezer safe bag or container. Let them cool first before storing.

Serving Suggestions:

Baked beans are the ultimate side dish! They’re perfect for just about any kind of family gathering or BBQ. Try these slow cooker baked beans alongside some of our favorite main dishes:

Crockpot Baked Beans