Texas Cowboy Beans

5 from 4 votes

These Texas Cowboy Beans recipe feature beans, bacon, and maple syrup, giving it a delicious smoky and sweet flavor. Made in the slow cooker, this recipe for cowboy beans is an easy fix-and-forget meal.

Prep Time20

Cook Time4

Total Time4 20

Course: Soups & Stews

Cuisine: American Southern

Servings:

Calories: 371kcal

Author: Kelly Bloom

Equipment

Ingredients

1 lb bacon chopped
1 yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 cups cooked dark red kidney beans (one 15 oz can, or ⅔ cup dry beans)
2 cups cooked white northern or navy beans (one 15 oz can, or ⅔ cup dry beans)
2 cups cooked pinto beans (one 15 oz can, or ⅔ cup dry beans)
2 cups cooked black beans (one15 oz can, or ⅔ cup dry beans)
6 oz tomato paste
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
⅓ teaspoon liquid smoke
1 cup maple syrup
¼ vanilla bean OPTIONAL, scraped
2 cups chicken broth
1½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chop up the onion and garlic. Dice up the bacon, and add all to a skillet or dutch oven.
1 yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 lb bacon
Cook the bacon, onion, and garlic until the bacon starts to crisp and onion translucent & tender.
If starting with canned beans, open, drain, and rinse beans in each can. Add the beans to a 6 quart Slow Cooker (Crock Pot, etc) and mix so that all four colors are blended evenly.
PRO TIP: If starting with dry beans: Use ⅔ cup dry beans for each of the four types of beans. Put in the Instant Pot with 5 cups of water. Do not add any salt. Set program for 50 minutes and let Instant Pot vent naturally. Remove lid and strain off liquid. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.
2 cups cooked dark red kidney beans, 2 cups cooked white northern or navy beans, 2 cups cooked pinto beans, 2 cups cooked black beans
Now add the cooked bacon, onion, and garlic mixture on top of the beans.
Add the mustard, tomato paste, liquid smoke, and maple syrup and stir in until evenly distributed. A scraped vanilla bean give a great burst of flavor also, but it's optional.
6 oz tomato paste, 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ⅓ teaspoon liquid smoke, 1 cup maple syrup, ¼ vanilla bean
Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper and stir into the cowboy beans mixture to incorporate.
2 cups chicken broth, 1½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
Cook in the Slow Cooker on high for 4 hours or low. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Key Bean Ratio: ⅔ cup of dry beans = 2 cups of cooked beans = one 15.5 oz can of beans
Slow Cooker Baking Time: 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low
Instant Pot Time to Soften Dry Beans: Add ⅔ cups of EACH of the four types of beans, or 2 ⅔ cups TOTAL dry beans. Process at full pressure for 50 minutes with 5 cups water and NO SALT.
You can also Bake these in your oven. Cook at 225 degrees F for 5 hours in a oven safe casserole or dutch oven, covered. Uncover the last 3o minutes.