These beans are great for a protein-packed dinner. You can use dried northern beans to make this simple recipe. Beans can get quite boring, so feel free to add anything you want to them. The recipe calls for ham, though you can use bacon if you prefer. You are also welcome to add any assortment of vegetables and herbs to the crock pot.
This recipe is great because it delivers the tenderest beans you could think of. You don’t need to soak or cook them before putting them in the crock pot. The only thing that might have an effect on the tenderness is the salt. We recommend you add the salt in towards the end of the cooking time.
How to make Crock Pot Great Northern Beans?
Rinse the beans under cold water and make sure there are no pebbles.
Add your beans, onions, salt, pepper, and ham into the crock pot.
Add water to the crock pot. Make sure it covers the beans and rises 2 inches above. That should be between 6 and 8 cups.
Cook on high for the first two hours. Then turn it down to low and cook for another 4-5 hours.
Take out the ham and pull all the meat off the shanks.
Place the meat back in the crock pot and add brown sugar. Depending on how thick you want your beans, you can remove a cup of liquid from the crock pot before putting the sugar in, or leave the liquid in.
Mix the sugar in.
Serve in bowls.
How can I make my great northern beans tender?
Dried beans can be soaked before cooking. Soaking them speeds up cooking time and makes them more tender. If you’d like to soak them, boil them for a few minutes first, take them off the heat, and then let them soak for an hour. Soaked beans should only take about an hour and a half to cook.
How long do beans take to cook in a crock pot?
Depending on the size of the beans and whether or not you soaked them before, they could take between 3 and 6 hours to cook. The recipe calls for 6-7 hours. You can reduce that time significantly by soaking the beans before cooking.
Can you overcook beans in a crock pot?
Yes, you actually can! Because of that risk, we recommend cooking them on low. You can leave them on low for 6 hours and then check them frequently to get them to the perfect tender consistency.