Slow Cooker Cowboy Beans

Slow cooker cowboy beans are a great option for a tailgate party, cookout or cozy family dinner. Slow cooking coaxes out all the flavor of the meat and the beans come out so tasty.

If you want to try more recipes using beans, you might also enjoy spinach red bean shakshuka, ham and cannellini bean soup, or tuna and white bean salad. These cowboy sliders and cowboy beef and rice are great too.

Why You’ll Love It

Tasty: The combination of meat, beans, and 3 kinds of beans means this is a delicious dish nobody will be able to resist!
Hearty: This cowboy beans dish makes a filling meal for any occasion. It can also be served in smaller portions as a side dish or buffet style if you’re making other things too.
Easy: There’s nothing hard about making crockpot cowboy beans, and using canned beans makes the recipe easier still.

Crockpot Cowboy Beans Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below

Meat: You don’t get many vegan cowboys and this recipe is definitely aimed at diehard carnivores, boasting bacon, ground beef and sausage too, for plenty of meatiness. You can mix these up in any quantities or omit one and use more of another.
Beans: I use baked beans, kidney beans and black beans in this dish, but you could swap the black beans for another kind if you prefer, maybe pinto beans or cannellini beans.
BBQ sauce: The strong, smoky and sweet flavor of this pairs so beautifully with the flavor of the meat and beans. You can use any brand or variety you like, although the smoky sauces are especially good.
Chili powder: A touch of spice is great in this crockpot beans recipe. Feel free to sub chipotle powder or even a splash of hot sauce.
Brown sugar: This sweetens the recipe. If your barbeque sauce is really sweet, you can reduce the amount of sugar.
Apple cider vinegar: Without this contrasting flavor, the cowboy beans would be too sweet. Feel free to sub a splash of white or even red vinegar instead.

How to Make Slow Cooker Cowboy Beans

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card

Prepare the bacon: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the bacon in a foil-lined baking dish for 20 minutes, then chop into 1-inch pieces.
Brown the meat: Sauté the beef and sausage with the onion and garlic in a pan over a medium heat and drain off the grease.
Slow cook the cowboy beans: Transfer the beef mixture into a crockpot (this is the one I use!) Add the bacon and all the other ingredients, and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.

Substitutions and Variations

Different beans: Pinto beans, lima beans, great northern beans, butter beans, and most others would work in this recipe. Canned beans (see benefits) are easier than cooking dried beans.
Change up the meats: This recipe calls for 3 pounds of meat but you can use anything you want.
Less sugar: You can use brown Swerve instead of brown sugar if you prefer to use an artificial sweetener. If that’s the case, make sure you’re using sugar-free barbecue sauce too.

Serving Suggestions

Appetizers: Enjoy a Mexican corn and kale salad or perhaps some garlic bread before serving the cowboy beans. Shrimp ceviche is another tasty appetizer.
Side dishes: This Tex-Mex chicken pasta salad pairs well with the beans.
Dessert: If you have room left for dessert (you might not!) consider Mexican rice pudding or candy shots!

How to Store Cowboy Beans

Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze portions of this for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Overnight in the refrigerator is the best defrosting method.
Reheat: Heat back up in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.