Slow Cooker Baked Beans (vegan friendly, gluten free)

I’m back on the planet as my mom would say. Sorry for my lengthy absence. Life got a little crazy for a bit, so my poor little blog took the brunt of my neglect. But no more! I’m ready to roll!

This week I’m sharing my slow cooker baked bean recipe. These beans are great for any time of year whether it’s snowing or you’re grilling. I always make them as “backup” when I am going to be with a big group, usually family. We have vegetarians, vegans, people who don’t eat wheat and people who eat everything. In my recipe I do not use salt pork or bacon (a traditional ingredient) making my beans completely vegan. So, this recipe is perfect. It gives a great side dish for the “everything” eaters and a great main dish for the vegetarians.

To make the beans you do need to think ahead a bit. You have to remember to get the dry beans (just pick them up when you see them, they don’t go bad and are sooooo cheap), and you need to remember to soak them overnight or about 8-9 hours.

To soak them, check them for rocks and molded beans first. To do this simply pour the beans into your hand, check them over removing any foreign objects, then dump them into a bowl. When you are done rinse the beans, then fill the bowl of beans with water. Make sure your bowl is bigger than you think you need and has more water than you think is needed since the beans will about double in size. Now, if you have soaked your beans and didn’t get around to cooking them….don’t panic. They’ll keep…several days actually…as long as you change the water they are soaking in each day. If I am doing this I will usually give them a rinse too before soaking them in a second batch of water.

These beans do take awhile to cook but are well worth it. The long cooking time intensifies the flavors. Plan on cooking them for 12-15 hours on the HIGH setting. I’m serious. So, if you want them for a BBQ in the afternoon you’ll need to start them the evening before. But be careful of your bean choices. They are not created equal. The pintos and navy beans tolerate the long cooking time, but a bean like Great Northern does NOT. They break down too easily. You will end up with a starchy mushy mess, which would be great if we were making refried beans…….but we are not.

I usually make a double batch of these beans when I make them since it is the same amount of work to make 2 batches vs 1.  When the beans are done I take half the batch and freeze it. It’s such a nice surprise to have them waiting in the freezer when you don’t feel like making dinner! I use them to make burritos, or add it to salads, or eat them with fresh veggies and cornbread.

Hope you like them!

Slow Cooker baked beans (single batch recipe)

1 lb dry Pinto Beans or Navy Beans (check for stones, rinse and soak overnight)

1 medium or large onion sautéed in a little oil until clear

½ cup molasses

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

2-3 TBS brown mustard

Place presoaked and drained beans in the crockpot/slow cooker. Add just enough fresh water to barely cover the beans with some beans peaking through. Add the sautéed onion and all other ingredients. Stir. Set slow cooker to HIGH setting and cook for 12-15 hours until desired consistency is reached. Feel free to adjust the salt, sugar and pepper to taste. Then just eat ‘em up and freeze what you don’t!