Molasses Baked Beans {Crock Pot + Canned Beans}

huge white plate of baked beans with a spoon sticking out of it

5 from 1 votes

Molasses Baked Beans {Crock Pot + Canned Beans}

It is so easy to make canned beans taste better with these doctored-up, kicked-up canned beans that taste homemade! No need to make beans from scratch, just make canned taste better! With added molasses, spices, and seasonings that make a deliciously sweet BBQ sauce, these beans are perfectly delicious with homemade simmering sauce in the slow cooker all day.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

slow cooker High2

Total Time7 10

Course: Side Dishes, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crockpot, green beans, slow cooker

Servings: people

Calories: 81kcal

Author: Trisha Haas - Salty Side Dish

Equipment

crockpot

Ingredients

60 oz. great northern beans Typically 4 cans, 15 oz a piece, drained and rinsed
8 oz. tomato sauce
¾ cup diced ham
¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

Remove Great Northern beans from can and dump into colander.
Rinse canned beans and shake out excess water.
Dump rinsed Northern beans into slow cooker.
Add one can of tomato sauce.
Add in remaining ingredients, including diced ham, molasses, white vinegar, and all seasonings.
Stir well to combine everything.
Place slow cooker on LOW for 5 hours or HIGH for 2 1/2 hours, occasionally stirring.

Notes

Avoiding Mushy Beans

Wait until the end of the cooking process to add salt: You’ll notice this recipe doesn’t call for salt, and that’s for good reason. Salt can interact with the skin of the beans, breaking it down and causing your finished dish to be mushy.

Variations for Canned Beans

Change the meat: Slow Cooker baked beans can be made using a lot of different meat, including ground beef or turkey, sausage, or bacon.
Make it vegetarian: if you want to make this dish vegetarian, there are a lot of good meat alternatives that you can use in place of the ham, including Beyond Meat or Impossible. You can also use crumbled tofu with a few dashes of liquid smoke.
Change the bean: While Northern Beans are certainly my preferred choice for this recipe, it can be made with pinto, navy, or even white kidney beans.
Use a different sweetener: brown sugar and maple syrup MAY work in this dish, but cook times may need to be adjusted as the burn rate is faster.

Are molasses and maple syrup the same thing?

They are not the same ingredient as molasses comes from the sugar cane plant and maple syrup comes from a maple tree. However, they are often used interchangeably. The biggest difference is that maple syrup can burn easier and needs less time to cook. If using maple syrup over molasses, time may need to be adjusted.

What goes best with baked beans?

Fresh-from-the-oven cornbread or biscuits
BBQ chicken
Ribs
Pulled-pork sandwiches
Corn on the cob

Nutrition