Slow Cooker Root Beer Baked Beans
17 Comments Jun 20, 2024
Updated Oct 07, 2024
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Slow Cooker Root Beer Baked beans are flavored with root beer and also a touch of molasses. Great for barbecues and potlucks. Trust me when I say that these beans won’t last long so be ready with a backup batch.
Put together a tasty BBQ-like meal with these delicious beans paired with my Slow Cooker Hot Dogs.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Baked Beans with Root Beer
Baked beans are often a go-to side dish for barbecues, potlucks, or any other summertime meal. Add a twist of flavor to making baked beans that you bring to the table by adding a can of root beer and molasses. And don’t forget the other non-negotiable ingredients that add delicious flavor – onion, bacon, mustard, and barbecue sauce.
Doubling the recipe is super easy and there should be plenty of room in your crockpot. These versatile beans are sure to be the highlight of the meal so be ready to share the recipe. If you are looking for a classic baked bean recipe try my slow cooker baked beans.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pork and Beans: You’ll 3 cans for this recipe.
- White Onion: A small white onion, diced, adds great flavor and slight crunch.
- Bacon: Cooked, drained of grease, and sliced into bite-size pieces.
- Root Beer: A cup will add a nice tangy flavor. You can use diet root beer if needed. We also use root beer in our root beer pulled pork recipe!
- Seasonings: Yellow mustard, molasses, and barbecue sauce.
- (Full recipe is in the recipe card below the images)
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Add everything except the bacon to the crock pot, stir. Sprinkle over the bacon on top of the beans. (Cook bacon and drain bacon fat before placing in the slow cooker.)
Step Two – Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
Step Three – Stir, serve and enjoy!
How to Serve
- These beans are delicious as is; however, you can serve them with a variety of toppings from diced onion and jalapeno to sour cream, chives, and crumbled bacon.
- Serve these beans with hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue chicken, or any meat of your choice. We often serve these along with our slow cooker chicken thighs.
- This sweet and delicious dish makes a great weekend meal!
Recipe FAQs
Although this recipe calls for pork and beans, you can make this recipe with cannellini beans, pinto beans, and regular baked beans in the can.
Of course! You can play around with a variety of ingredients. Consider adding extra flavor with dijon mustard, black pepper, chili powder, and other seasonings you think would taste great.
Place any remaining beans in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave until warmed throughout.
Other sodas can be used instead of root beer, such as coca cola, Pepsi, or dr. pepper!
Diet soda can be used but only if you are used to the taste, it will have an off taste just as the diet soda has.
More side dishes to make in the slow cooker:
Slow Cooker Root Beer Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 84 oz. pork and beans , (three 28-oz. cans)
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp. mustard
- 2 Tbsp. molasses
- 1 cup root beer
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 8 slices bacon, sliced, cooked and drained
Instructions
- Add everything except the bacon to the slow cooker, stir. Sprinkle over the bacon on top of the beans.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Stir, serve and enjoy!
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
- Although this recipe calls for pork and beans, you can make this recipe with cannellini beans, pinto beans, and regular baked beans in the can.
- Place any remaining beans in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave until warmed throughout.
- Other sodas can be used instead of root beer, such as coca cola, Pepsi, or dr. pepper!
- Diet soda can be used but only if you are used to the taste, it will have an off taste just as the diet soda has.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
The flavor was great but after using two 28-oz cans of UNDRAINED Bushes baked beans, the beans were wayyy too soupy. I had to use a slotted spoon to serve them. I wondered when I started making the recipe whether they should be drained since the recipe didn’t specify. Within the comments/questions below the recipe I found that someone else had asked, and the response was that they were not drained. In my opinion, that is a mistake. Remember, you’re adding 8 ounces of rootbeer as well! I drained off much of the liquid from the remaining beans and reheated the next day and they were so much better.
I also went back to the recipe and watched the video to see if I’d missed anything. Perhaps pork and beans have less fluid than baked beans to start with? Also, it appeared that the whole can of root beer wasn’t poured in, but maybe that was just to move the video along.
Anyway, I will definitely make again, alsong with a reminder to myself to drain the beans first!
TIP… 1 Tlb. baking soda in Fresh Beans after they are heated through will release the “toots” gases in the beans, rinse well, cover with water and continue with your favorite recipe
There was no instruction book with my cooker, only the recipe book. Can I have one sent to me
A good treak for any bean recipe. Soak them over night with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Rince them in the morning then boil them at low (mijoter in french) then use your favorite recipe and cook them in a crock pot or in your oven. I jst did that and thry are fabulous and tender. Not tesponsible for the side effects.
I put the baking soda in the beans after they are heated through to release the “toots”, rinse and cover with water and continue with your favorite recipe
Looks like a great recipe! Do you drain the beans before you put them in the cooker?
Also, in answer to Patricia above, beans in the slow cooker are super easy! I make my own all the time (no real recipe, lol) so I can control the salt. Usually I sort through the beans, rinse them, and put them in a pot with a lot of water. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. let soak 2 hrs or even over-night. Then rinse beans, put in cooker with whatever you want to flavor them with – I used diced onion and celery, pepper, and a little salt. Cook on high 6 hours or until tender. I often make a big pot, then freeze them in quart freezer bags in 2 cup batches (about the same as a can of beans)
No, I do not drain the beans. Thank you for your recipe!
Do you have a recipe for home made beans. From scratch.
I do not, sorry!
Can you use a different soda other than root beer?
Yes, dr. pepper or cola would work great too.
What BBQ sauce do you recommend?
For this recipe I used barbecue Pete’s fair sauce. It’s in a glass bottle. I found it at Fred Meyer (Kroger)
Use other bean, like pintos, cannelli, or black beans. There you have control.
The “baked” beans sound delicious. Do you have any suggestions for making them less salty? Maybe a recipe for slow cooking the beans myself instead of using canned?