These Slow Cooker Baked Beans are sweet, smoky and rich in tomato flavour, with just 5 minutes of prep. They are made with canned cannellini beans, so there is no soaking or pre-cooking - just add everything to the slow cooker, stir and leave it to do its thing.
This is my homemade take on the classic British baked beans we all know, with a slightly smokier BBQ flavour. They are naturally meat-free, easy to make vegan and perfect for everything from beans on toast to jacket potatoes and summer BBQs.
On those busy days when the afternoon disappears into school runs, homework, sports practice and everything else, this is what I am putting on. I can get it into the slow cooker in a few minutes and forget about it until we are ready to eat.
There are also so many different ways to serve these beans, so everyone can have something a little different while the main recipe stays the same.
Recipe update: This recipe was originally published on 3 February 2012 and was fully retested in September 2026 to check the cooking time and ingredient quantities. The original recipe still worked well, but I've expanded the instructions, tips and FAQs.
For more delicious bean recipes, try our 10 Minute Butter Bean Gnocchi, budget-friendly Slow Cooker Butter Beans or our comforting Bean and Sausage Skillet.
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Jump to:
- Why You'll Love The Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Recipe Overview
- British-Style Baked Beans vs American Baked Beans
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans Ingredients
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans Variations
- How to Make Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- How Long Do Baked Beans Take in the Slow Cooker?
- How To Get The Perfect Consistency
- Are Homemade Baked Beans Healthy?
- What To Serve with Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- How To Store Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Dannii's Top Tips
- Troubleshooting Guide
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Slow Cooker Side Dishes
- Recipe
- Feedback
Why You'll Love The Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Only 5 minutes' prep - there is no frying or sautéing first.
- Made with canned beans - no soaking dried beans overnight.
- Budget friendly - beans are one of my favourite inexpensive ways to make a filling meal or side dish.
- Easy to adapt - make them smokier, spicier or sweeter depending on what you like.
- Vegetarian and vegan friendly - use maple syrup rather than honey and check that your BBQ sauce is suitable.
- Great for batch cooking - they keep well and freeze brilliantly in individual portions.
- Versatile - serve them for breakfast, spoon them over a jacket potato, add them to nachos or serve alongside sausages and chips.
Recipe Overview
- Prep: 5 minutes
- Cook: 3-4 hours on HIGH or 5-6 hours on LOW
- Difficulty: Very easy - just add, stir and slow cook
- Beans: Canned cannellini beans - no soaking or pre-cooking
- Flavour: Rich tomato, smoky BBQ and slightly sweet
- Texture: Creamy beans in a thick, spoonable sauce
- Diet: Vegetarian and easy to make vegan and gluten-free
- Best for: Beans on toast, jacket potatoes, BBQs and batch cooking
British-Style Baked Beans vs American Baked Beans
If you are visiting from the US, it is worth explaining what kind of baked beans this recipe makes.
These are closer to British baked beans than traditional Boston baked beans. British-style beans are usually small white beans in a tomato-based sauce, whereas many American baked bean recipes use molasses, brown sugar and bacon or salt pork and are much sweeter and darker.
My slow cooker version sits somewhere in the middle. It has the tomato-rich sauce I grew up with, but smoked paprika and BBQ sauce give it a deeper, smoky flavour.
There is no bacon in the basic recipe, although you can add it if you want to.
Slow Cooker Baked Beans Ingredients
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Cannellini beans - I use 700g drained canned cannellini beans, which is roughly three standard 400g tins depending on the drained weight of the brand you use.
Cannellini beans are creamy without becoming too mushy, which makes them ideal for homemade baked beans. Haricot beans/navy beans are another excellent option.
Drain the beans well before adding them to the slow cooker. If they are packed in salted liquid, I like to give them a quick rinse too.
You can also use a mixture of canned cannellini, haricot, black or kidney beans.
⚠️ Important: Canned kidney beans are fine because they have already been correctly cooked. Do not put raw or merely soaked dried red kidney beans straight into a slow cooker. - Garlic granules and paprika - These are easy store-cupboard ingredients that add extra depth and smokiness without creating any extra prep.
- Passata - Passata gives the beans their smooth, tomato-rich sauce. For US readers, passata is usually sold as strained tomatoes. It is not the same thing as tomato paste.
- Maple syrup or honey - Two tablespoons of maple syrup gives the sauce just enough sweetness to balance the tomato and vinegar. You can reduce it or leave it out if you prefer baked beans less sweet. Honey also works if you don't need the recipe to be vegan.
- BBQ Sauce - A little BBQ sauce turns these into wonderfully smoky slow cooker BBQ baked beans without needing bacon. The flavour of the finished beans will depend quite a lot on the sauce you choose, so use one you really like. A smoky rather than very sweet BBQ sauce works particularly well here. Check the label if you need the recipe to be vegan or gluten-free.
- Apple cider vinegar - Don't skip this. The vinegar adds acidity and stops the tomato and maple flavours tasting flat or overly sweet.
- Tomato puree - This adds concentrated tomato flavour and helps thicken the sauce. UK tomato purée is generally called tomato paste in the US.
Slow Cooker Baked Beans Variations
Spicy Baked Beans - Add your favourite chilli sauce, a pinch of chilli flakes or a little chipotle paste.
I like adding the heat at the end if I am serving these to the whole family, because it means everybody can make their own portion as spicy as they want.
Baked beans with bacon - Want to make them more indulgent? Just fry up some chopped bacon and add it to the slow cooker with all the other ingredients. You could use turkey bacon to make it lighter.
Curried baked beans - Add curry powder to taste for an easy variation on classic beans on toast.
Mixed baked beans - Swap some of the cannellini beans for canned black beans, haricot beans or canned kidney beans.
It's also a useful way to finish half-used tins of beans rather than letting them disappear into the back of the fridge.
How to Make Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Add the ingredients:
Drain the canned beans and add them to the slow cooker with the passata, apple cider vinegar, BBQ sauce, maple syrup, tomato purée, smoked paprika and garlic granules. We use a Morphy Richards 6.5L Slow Cooker.
Mix:
Stir everything together really well so all the beans are coated in the tomato sauce.
Cook:
Put the lid on and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the sauce has thickened and the beans are creamy and tender.
Alternatively, cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
Serve:
Give everything a good stir before serving.
How Long Do Baked Beans Take in the Slow Cooker?
Because this recipe uses canned beans rather than dried beans, they don't need an all-day cook.
Allow approximately 3-4 hours on HIGH or 5-6 hours on LOW.
Slow cookers vary, so start checking towards the end of the cooking time. You are looking for a thick tomato sauce that coats the beans but is still spoonable.
Try not to keep lifting the lid during cooking, as every time you do you lose heat.
How To Get The Perfect Consistency
I like these baked beans thick enough to pile onto toast or a jacket potato without the sauce running everywhere, but not so thick that they become dry.
If your beans are too thick, stir in a small splash of water or vegetable stock. Around 50ml at a time is usually plenty.
If they are too saucy, remember that the sauce thickens as it cools. If it is still much thinner than you want towards the end of cooking, cook for a little longer and check again.
The exact result can vary depending on your slow cooker and the thickness of the passata and BBQ sauce you use.
Are Homemade Baked Beans Healthy?
Beans provide plant-based protein and fibre. For this recipe, one portion provides approximately 8 grams of protein and 7 grams of fibre.
One of the things I like about making baked beans myself is that you have much more control over the sauce. This recipe doesn't have any added salt and uses just two tablespoons of maple syrup across the whole batch, although the final sugar and sodium content will also depend on the canned beans, passata and BBQ sauce you choose.
If reducing salt is important to you, choose beans canned in water without added salt where possible, rinse them well and compare the labels on BBQ sauces.
What To Serve with Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Beans on toast is the obvious choice and still one of my favourites. Pile them onto thick sourdough for a quick breakfast or lunch.
They are also perfect spooned over a jacket potato with cheese - check out my Jacket Potato with Beans and Cheese recipe. This is one of those inexpensive meals that feels much more comforting than the amount of effort involved would suggest.
For an easy family dinner, we serve them with sausages and chips. Put everything in the middle of the table and everyone can help themselves. It goes well with Oven Egg and Chips too.
They also work well as:
- A BBQ side dish
- A topping for nachos
- A way to bulk out shepherd's pie
- A side for grilled vegetables
- A filling for a puff-pastry parcel
- Part of a cooked breakfast
How To Store Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Fridge: Allow leftovers to cool and transfer them to an airtight container. Refrigerate within 1-2 hours and eat within 48 hours, or freeze them if you won't use them in that time.
Freezer - Allow them to cool completely first and divide them into freezer-safe portions. Freezing individual portions makes them much more useful for quick lunches and dinners later. Freezer bags can be laid flat to save space. They will keep for up to 3 months.
Reheat - Defrost frozen beans thoroughly in the fridge. Reheat them gently in a saucepan or microwave until piping hot throughout.
The sauce becomes thicker after chilling, so add a splash of water or vegetable stock while reheating if needed.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Use canned plain beans for the easiest, most reliable version. There is no soaking required.
- Drain the beans thoroughly so you don't water down the tomato sauce.
- Don't keep lifting the slow cooker lid - let it hold onto its heat.
- Use a BBQ sauce you genuinely like because its flavour comes through in the finished beans.
- Remember that different slow cookers reduce liquid at different rates.
- If the sauce looks a little thin when cooking finishes, give it a few minutes before changing anything. It thickens as it cools.
- Freeze leftovers in small portions so they are easy to use for lunches, jacket potatoes and quick dinners.
- Use only canned/correctly precooked kidney beans, never raw dried kidney beans straight in the slow cooker.
Troubleshooting Guide
|
Problem |
Likely cause |
Fix |
|
The sauce is too thin |
Your slow cooker retains more moisture, or your passata/BBQ sauce is thinner. |
Give it a little longer to cook. The sauce will also thicken as it cools, so wait a few minutes before adjusting it. |
|
The beans are too thick or dry |
Your slow cooker runs hot or more liquid has evaporated than expected. |
Stir in water or vegetable stock, about 50ml at a time, until the sauce is the consistency you want. |
|
The beans are too soft |
They have cooked for too long, or the canned beans were particularly soft to begin with. |
Start checking them earlier next time. Different slow cookers vary, so use the cooking time as a guide rather than waiting for the maximum time. |
|
The beans taste too sweet |
Your BBQ sauce is quite sweet, combined with the maple syrup. |
Stir in a small splash of apple cider vinegar to balance the sweetness. Next time, reduce the maple syrup or choose a less-sweet BBQ sauce. |
|
The flavour isn't smoky enough |
BBQ sauces vary considerably in flavour and smokiness. |
Add a little more smoked paprika or use a smokier BBQ sauce. Add a small amount first, taste and adjust. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Using canned beans makes slow cooker baked beans especially easy because the beans are already cooked. The slow cooker gives the tomato sauce time to thicken and the smoky flavours to develop without needing much hands-on cooking.
Cannellini, haricot and navy beans all work well because they have a mild flavour and creamy texture. I usually use canned cannellini beans because they are inexpensive, easy to find and don't need soaking or pre-cooking.
Not for this recipe.u003cbru003eIt uses canned cannellini beans, which have already been cooked, so simply drain them before adding them to the slow cooker.
You can make baked beans with dried beans, but I would treat that as a different cooking method rather than simply extending the time on this recipe.u003cbru003eFor the most reliable result, cook dried beans safely until tender first and then use them in the homemade sauce.u003cbru003eNever put raw or merely soaked dried red kidney beans straight into a slow cooker. Use canned kidney beans for this recipe.
Yes. Reduce the maple syrup or leave it out altogether and choose a BBQ sauce that isn't particularly sweet.
Yes. Add around u003cemu003e100ml vegetable stock or wateru003c/emu003e if you prefer a looser sauce.u003cbru003eRemember that you can always add more liquid, so start with a smaller amount and adjust as needed.
More Slow Cooker Side Dishes
If you've tried these slow cooker beans, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy and use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 700 g (1½ lb) of Cannellini beans - canned; drained weight
- 400 g (1⅔ cups) of Passata
- 3 tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons of BBQ Sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons of Tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon of Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of Garlic granules
Instructions
- Add the ingredients: Drain the canned beans and add them to the slow cooker with the passata, apple cider vinegar, BBQ sauce, maple syrup, tomato purée, smoked paprika and garlic granules.
- Mix: Stir everything together really well so all the beans are coated in the tomato sauce.
- Cook: Put the lid on and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the sauce has thickened and the beans are creamy and tender.
- Serve: Give everything a good stir before serving.
Recipe Notes
- The timings in this recipe card are for cooking on HIGH. Cooking on LOW will take 5-6 hours.
- Use canned plain beans for the easiest, most reliable version. There is no soaking required.
- Drain the beans thoroughly so you don't water down the tomato sauce.
- Don't keep lifting the slow cooker lid - let it hold onto its heat.
- Use a BBQ sauce you genuinely like because its flavour comes through in the finished beans.
- Remember that different slow cookers reduce liquid at different rates.
- If the sauce looks a little thin when cooking finishes, give it a few minutes before changing anything. It thickens as it cools.
- Freeze leftovers in small portions so they are easy to use for lunches, jacket potatoes and quick dinners.
- Use only canned/correctly precooked kidney beans, never raw dried kidney beans straight in the slow cooker.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Sam says
I had to come back and say wow!! This turned out great. I moved to the US from England and aside from getting imported Heinz beans have not found anything I liked. These filled the spot! Served on top of a jacket potato with cheese. Delicious. I will be making these again and again. Thank you for sharing.
Jo says
Hi ya, how many grams is one portion?
Dannii says
Sorry, I don't know how many grams. But this whole recipe serves 4, so it is a quarter of the recipe per person.
angie says
What is passatta?
Thank you!
Dannii Martin says
It is strained tomatoes. If you are in the US you might know it as tomato puree
Bexy says
Happy Baked Beans on Toast Day (25th Dec). A simple peaceful tradition started a few years ago here in the UK, as an alternative to the avarice, stress and waste created by mainstream traditions, kept going by films and the media, for retail. Enjoying simple pleasures, for to live a simple life helps others to simply live.
Lucy says
Love baked beans and I've never tried making them before, this is the perfect recipe as my kids will devour it!
Lynda says
These look soooooo yummy!!
I am not familiar with passata...is it something that is sold in the US? Would tomato paste be a good substitution?
Thank you so much! :-)
Dannii Martin says
You would know passata was tomato puree. It's strained tomatoes.
Sarahjane says
I don't like tinned tomatoes but I'm desperate to try this recipe! Might change my mind
Nat says
Great recipe, could these be made without a slow cooker? Thanks X
Dannii Martin says
Yes, you could make these on the hob or in the oven.
StressedMum says
I have bookmarked this as love using my slow cooker and would love to try homemade baked beans x
Michelle Burdett says
How many servings does this make please Dannii?
Thanks
Michelle
Dannii Martin says
6 servings.