Bourbon Maple Slow Cooker Baked Beans — The BEST baked beans ever! The flavors of bourbon, maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, and BBQ sauce intensify and concentrate over time, and the resulting beans have incredible depth of flavor. Sweet with a bit of heat, robust yet smooth, and extremely satisfying!!
Slow Cooker Baked Beans Recipe
I had a craving for baked beans that hit me like a ton of bricks over Memorial Day Weekend. And these are the best beans that have ever passed my lips.
I was walking around my San Diego neighborhood, and the smells from neighborhood cookouts were wafting through the air, music was playing, people were laughing with beer bottles clanking, and the early summer evenings that stay light until 8pm reminded me of my childhood summers.
Because I grew up in Minnesota, summer was painfully short and each day was cherished. It meant as much time outdoors as possible and cookouts and grilling were an integral part. The nice thing about grilling was that it kept the mosquitoes the size of golf balls somewhat at bay.
Baked beans were always served at picnics and barbeques, and since I was never a meat eater, I made meals out of baked beans, corn on the cob, watermelon, and white grocery store-bakery sheet cakes. I’d like to get back to that diet, actually.
It’s funny how certain smells set off my cascade of memories, and I had to make bourbon baked beans. I had never made them before, but necessity was the mother of recipe development.
This is an easy and nearly work-free baked beans from scratch recipe. The only caveat is that it takes forever. Like 16 hours or so, but it’s just waiting around, no active work. They don’t call it a slow cooker for nothing. Set it and forget it.
I kept the recipe vegan, and free from garlic, onions, or added salt. Most baked bean recipes start out with bacon, pork fat, stinky spices, and enough sodium to make me retain water until Christmas. No thanks. You won’t miss one ounce of flavor or pig fat.
If you have another method for making homemade baked beans, use it. Bean recipes are like chocolate chip cookie recipes. Everyone has one, everyone thinks their family recipe is the best, and why another recipe isn’t as good or isn’t the traditional way. I happen to love everything about these slow cooker baked beans and wouldn’t change a thing.
After soaking the beans (overnight or for an hour, details in the recipe), and simmering them for about 45 minutes, the mostly-cooked beans go into a marinade that uses everything but the kitchen sink. Mix and match based on what you have.
The key elements include maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, molasses, vinegar, and bbq sauce. Bourbon is the other key ingredient and you’ll need a cup. As I poured 1 cup of Jim Beam into my Crock-Pot, it felt so wrong. But so right.
The beans simmer in their black hot tub for 12 to 16 hours. I set my slow-cooker to low and let them cook for 12 hours. I didn’t bother stirring them the entire 12 hours. When I checked them, the marinade had reduced and thickened, but was no where thick enough. Still pretty liquidy and soupy.
So I set my Crock-Pot to high, took the lid off, and let them simmer on the hottest setting for 4 hours. Between the increased heat and the evaporation from having the lid off, they thickened up considerably and were ready. If you’re having soupy issues, remove the lid and crank up the heat. Because slow-cookers and their cooking temperatures vary greatly, tinker with the settings as you see fit.
The beans are done when they’re tender, the sauce has thickened and the flavor is rich and robust, the smell in your house is driving you nuts, and you just can’t take it any longer. The beans are slightly sweet, with a touch of heat and tanginess. They’re tender, but not mushy.
The already robust flavors of molasses, maple, and bourbon become concentrated and are intense yet smooth. Although the sauce thickens, it’s still plentiful. I’m a sauce lover and made sure they stayed juicy and saucy.
They’ll make a bean lover out of even those who say they “don’t like beans.” I’ve never been so excited about beans in my life. It’s the little things.
What’s in Slow Cooker Baked Beans?
To make these Crockpot baked beans from scratch, you’ll need:
- Dry Great Northern beans
- Bourbon
- Maple syrup
- Barbecue sauce
- Light brown sugar
- Water
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Molasses
- Olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
How to Make Baked Beans in a Slow Cooker
The prep work for these slow cooker baked beans begins the night before. You need to soak the dry beans in water overnight, then drain and rinse the beans the next day.
Then, simmer the beans in water for about 45 minutes. You want the beans to be tender, but not cooked through.
Once the beans are partially cooked, it’s just a matter of throwing everything into your slow cooker and letting it do all the work. Cook on low heat for about 12 hours, or until the beans are tender, the sauce has thickened and reduced dramatically, and the flavor is concentrated and robust.
Do I Have to Add Bourbon to the Baked Beans?
The finished bourbon baked beans do not taste like alcohol and all traces of alcohol are removed. There’s no way any traces survive 16 hours of simmering, and no one will get tipsy from beans. The bourbon adds wonderful richness and depth of flavor, and I can’t imagine the beans without it. Although I’m wondering how beans with tequila or scotch would be. I may have to find out.
If you have reasons to skip the bourbon, you may replace it with water; however, your beans won’t taste like mine and I loved everything about them.
Before Simmering for 16 Hours
16 Hours Later
How Long Do Baked Beans Last?
These Crockpot baked beans will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, and they actually taste better on days 2 and 3 as the flavors marry even more.
Can You Freeze Baked Beans?
I would anticipate finished beans could be frozen for up to 6 months, however I have not tested it so I can’t say for certain.
Tips for Making the Best Baked Beans
I used Great Northern beans to make this bourbon maple baked beans recipe, but dry navy beans will also work. Just make sure to use dry (uncooked) beans and not canned beans!
Likewise, you must use pure maple syrup in this recipe and NOT pancake syrup. Pancake syrup is essentially flavored corn syrup — not what you want in your slow cooker baked beans.
If you need to keep these slow cooker baked beans vegan, omit the Worcestershire sauce or substitute with Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or soy sauce.
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Bourbon Maple Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry Great Northern beans, or navy beans
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup barbeque sauce
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup water
- heaping 1/4 cup ketchup
- ¼ cup mustard, I used yellow, if using stoneground or dijon, consider using slightly less
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, omit if keeping vegan, or substitute with Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
Instructions
- Rinse and sort dry beans in a colander over the sink.
- Add beans to a large pot and cover with 8 cups water and let soak overnight (about 8 hours). OR to save time….
- …Use the 1 hour rapid soak method. Bring beans and 8 cups water to a boil. Allow beans to boil rapidly for 3 minutes, uncovered. Shut the heat off, cover the pot, and let stand for 1 hour.
- In either the overnight soak method or the 1 hour rapid soak method, drain soaking water and rinse beans well under running water in a colander over the sink.
- Return beans to pot, cover with 6 cups water, and allow to simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes, or until quite tender; cooked about 80% of the way. They’ll be transferred to a slow cooker where they’ll cook for 12+ hours so you don’t want them or need them to be totally done, but they shouldn’t be overly hard either (taste a few beans, you’ll know when you bite into them)
- While beans are simmering, combine all remaining ingredients in the slow cooker, and whisk to combine until smooth.
- After beans are done simmering, drain them, add them to the slow cooker, and stir.
- Cover and cook on low heat for about 12 hours (start checking at about 8 hours), or until beans are tender, the sauce has thickened and reduced dramatically, the flavor is concentrated and robust, and the smell in your house is intoxicating. If after 12 hours your sauce is still liquidy or on the soupy side, remove the lid, increase the heat to the highest setting, and cook uncovered until thickened to desired level (this took 4 hours for me; 12 hours covered on low and 4 hours uncovered on high, for 16 hours total). *
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- *Note – Because slow-cookers and temperatures vary greatly, you can tinker with the temperature settings as you see fit. You could possibly cook on medium for 10 to 12 hours, or cook on high for 8 to 10 hours, or do a combination of settings until your sauce has thickened and beans are tender.
- Beans will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, and taste better on days 2 and 3 as the flavor marry even more.
- I would anticipate finished beans could be frozen for up to 6 months, however I have not tested it.
- Take care all ingredients used are suitable for your dietary needs if keeping vegan and gluten-free, reading labels and selecting specific brands that meet your needs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made this yesterday and my husband, son and I had a little side dish of this. So my son says, “I don’t really like it too much.” I look at him, still spooning mouthfuls, and ask him why. “Not sure, it’s a little sweet.” So I say, “You don’t need to eat it, honey, just leave it, you tried it and that’s all that matters.” I look up after finishing my bowl and he’s still shoveling it in! “I can’t stop eating this,” he says.”But I thought you didn’t like it?” “I don’t, not really, but I can’t stop eating it!!!!” So take from this what you will, but I suspect he’s going to be eating this for a snack and his dinner tonight as will my husband and I ;)
I love the story. It’s always people who ‘don’t like beans’ or don’t like xyz who end up loving said item when it’s made in a great way :) Glad you guys are all pleased!
Delicious! I had to modify the recipe a bit (because I of course didn’t look at how MUCH bourbon or maple syrup I had sitting around before starting them) – so I made it with 1/2 cup bourbon, 1/4 cup maple syrup, and 1/4 cup honey. I didn’t need to simmer them with the lid off for more than an hour, but they turned out quite yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
It’s such a flexible recipe and glad they came out great for you with the changes you made. I’ve made these many ways with a little dab extra of this, a little less of that, etc. and they always turn out fine :)
I feel like I can smell them cooking just by reading this! Can’t wait to try them, do you think leftovers would be ok to freeze?
Yes totally fine!
These look delicious, but simply not adding salt, bacon or “stinky spices” doesn’t make these “healthy”.. There is a TON OF SUGAR in this recipe! Between the maple syrup, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, and molasses, it looks like there is a cup of sugar in each serving!
Hi there, glad to come across this recipe, sounds great!
But, just a heads-up, this is not vegan because worcestershire sauce has anchovies in it.
(https://www.leaperrins.com/products/the-original-worcestershire-sauce/nutrition.aspx)
I am still going to try it, just going to leave out the worcestershire sauce :)
They do make vegan worcestershire https://www.annies.com/products/condiments-sauces/organic-vegan-worcestershire-sauce or google for another favorite
Made this for our july 4th barbecue. Everyone loved it! It was bursting with smoky sweet tangy goodness and got many compliments. Thanks!
Love that you made it for the Fourth and everyone was happy! Thanks for trying the recipe and telling me!
I was so excited to find this recipe on the 4th of July, as our family needed a meat-free baked bean recipe today! We pre-soaked our beans last night, and cooked for 45 minutes like you’d suggested….I just wondered how you’d modify the recipe if it wasn’t going into a crock pot, but just a regular All-Clad large soup pan on the stovetop? I assumed I just needed to cook it on low heat, stir often, and maybe it would take fewer hours. Any suggestions on other ways to make sure stove-top cooking is successful?
I assumed I just needed to cook it on low heat, stir often, and maybe it would take fewer hours. = I think that’s a good starting point. I haven’t done it that way so not sure what exact tips to give. Happy Fourth!
This recipe is fabulous!!! Used quick soak method and slow cooked overnight. I didn’t have bourbon (my hubby’s favorite, so often lacking in supply) so I used Crown Royal. Also, subbed honey for brown sugar and added garlic. Cooked for an additional hour with lid off before our party and the amount of liquid was perfect. Served with Jackfruit BBQ sandwiches and our Hungarian coleslaw. Everything was loved by all! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the awesome comment and for LMK what you did! Crown sounds fabulous and Crown, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, it all works, right :) I love the sounds of the Jackfruit BBQ sandwiches and our Hungarian coleslaw – wow, wish I was at a party at your house! I bet your house smelled AMAZING! Thanks for the great info and feedback!
The first comment from each of the guests coming over last was some version of, “Wow it smells great in here!” Gotta love that! I’m going to make up a big batch of the sauce without the beans to use for BBQ sauce on my black bean “meat”balls and tempeh “chicken” wings. Thanks again and keep posting deliciousness please!
I love the idea of this recipe. However, I wanted to educate you on the suggested gluten-free quality of this recipe. Bourbons, especially Jim Beam, is NOT gluten free. Most are about 50% corn, 50% rye, and sometimes wheat. There are gluten free bourbons (all corn bourbons) available, but they are more difficult to find. For those of us with true Celiac disease, we cannot handle liquor with any gluten containing ingredients. Please suggest this in your recipe, as there are many who are just beginning their path to healthy gluten free living and do not know the dangers within alcohols yet.
I have Celiac disease and I handle most bourbons just fine. You see, liquors are distilled and because of that process the amount of gluten in them are usually negligible. If hard liquors made with gluten containing ingredients set off a reaction in you it might be a placebo effect. Each person with a desire to try recipes containing distilled grain alcohols will have to see for themselves.
Loved these beans and will make them again. I added one onion and some veggie bacon. Next time, I’ll leave out the bourbon or only use half the amount. May also put “bacon” in a cheese cloth so I get flavor but eliminate the mushy chunks which didn’t please my sense of texture.
Yummy!
Glad you liked the beans and I’ve never made them with bacon so can’t advise but your cheesecloth idea sounds good!
This is the first time I ever made baked beans at all. I tried the slow cooker recipe for maple baked beans and it was wonderful! I left out the Bourbon & used water. I used a little mix of flour & cold water to thicken it up an hour before eating and it didn’t ruin the taste at all. Thumbs up for this one!
Congrats on your first baked beans experience! That’s nice to know you can make them now, right! And they’re even better with the bourbon but some people have reason to leave it out, but it adds so much depth of flavor. Sounds like yours turned out just fine though!
Ok, this may seem like a silly question, but seeing as how these are vegetarian are you serving these as a main course? It seems like the picture would suggest this but maybe I just need more coffee. ;)
I personally could make a meal out of these but they’re the type of thing you would probably serve as a side if you’re serving it for a party. After they’ve been cooking for 18+ hours and your house is just so delicious smelling, you’ll probably want to make a meal out of them though :)
I LOVE your blue bowl in this post, every time I see this post I covet that dish wear. It’s beautiful! Where’d you get it?
I try to get as many of my blog dishes from secondhand and thrift stores b/c I can really only use them once or twice before they look boring and same-old thing. So…I got it at a San Diego thrift store and knowing their prices, I probably paid $1 dollar. 99% of what they have is junk but the 1% is worth going for :)
I’m about to add the beans to the sauce. Oh my gosh, I cannot wait to eat these! Baked beans are definitely one of my favorite dishes. My husband likes to eat them over rice, so I will be making rice tomorrow for him to eat them over. Thank you so much for the recipe. As I type hubby just walked in with the bourbon ;)
Wow I’m so jealous you’ve got these started! It’s cold, rainy, and miserable in ‘sunny’ San Diego and these would hit the spot! I hope you enjoy them!
If you have any leftover bourbon, you can always make this! It would be a nice cool contrast to those warm beans!
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/07/no-ice-cream-maker-salted-caramel-bourbon-nutter-butter-and-chocolate-chunk-ice-cream.html
Please LMK how the beans come out for you!
Wow, these sound so good and so easy, can’t wait to try them
FANTASTIC!!!!!!!! I made 1/2 the recipe & used 2 cans of kidney beans instead of the dried navy beans, and Irish whiskey instead of bourbon – both cuz that’s what I had. These are really really good & I will be making them often. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you tried them and used canned beans and Irish whiskey -based on what you had, and halved the recipe to suit your needs – and it all worked out well for you. Great!