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.
Why you will love this recipe
These slow cooker cowboy beans are perfect for a weekend barbecue or potluck. Hearty, filling, and delicious, this Texas cowboy beans recipe is simple, easy to prepare, and sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.
Even better this recipe for cowboy beans includes instructions for both Instant Pot and Slow Cooker, as well as your oven!
Texas Cowboy beans are a perfect side dish to our Smoked Brisket Flat and Cinnamon Stewed Pears also.
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Texas Cowboy Beans Ingredients
I've included how to make cowboy beans using the the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, and oven! Best of all, it's easy to make and doesn't require a lot of work.
Use canned beans for faster cooking time. You can also soak and cook dry beans.
Ingredients for Texas Cowboy Beans includes maple syrup, mustard, tomato paste, and garlic.
- Bacon - chopped.
- Onion - diced.
- Garlic - minced.
- Salt
- Pepper
- Red kidney beans - one can, drained, or ⅔ cup dry.
- White navy beans - one can, drained, or ⅔ cup dry.
- Black beans - one can, drained, or ⅔ cup dry.
- Pinto beans - one can, drained, or ⅔ cup dry.
- Tomato paste
- Dijon mustard
- Liquid smoke
- Vanilla bean - scraped, or vanilla bean paste, OPTIONAL.
- Maple syrup
- Chicken broth
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make Texas Cowboy Beans
This recipe for Texas cowboy beans are a blend of beans cooked up with a sweet and savory sauce base. Slow baked until tender with the flavor steeped all through them.
Follow our step-by-step tutorial you can use either a Slow Cooker to make the perfect batch of Texas Cowboy Beans, or an Instant Pot.
Brown the bacon & onions
- Chop up the onion and garlic. Dice up the bacon, and add all to a skillet or dutch oven.
- Cook the bacon, onion, and garlic until the bacon starts to crisp and onion translucent & tender.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare The Beans
A slow cooker is perfect if want to prepare Texas Cowboy beans while at work, or want slow cooked beans. The Instant Pot is perfect though, if you prefer to use dry beans. I've provided instructions for both methods.
- 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.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Make the Cowboy Beans Sauce
- 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.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Add Broth To Cowboy Beans Mixture
- Add the chicken broth and stir into the cowboy beans mixture to incorporate.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Cover Slow Cooker and Set Timer
- Cook in the Slow Cooker on high for 4 hours or low. Serve and enjoy!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
What Do You Eat Cowboy Beans With?
These Texas Cowboy Beans are delicious by themselves, but are even better accompanied with our Cracker Barrel Cornbread Muffins or our Gluten-Free Soda Bread. Round out the meal with our Southern Braised Collard Greens for a hearty full dinner!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Cowboy Beans Substitutions
We've included the instructions to use either canned cooked beans or dry uncooked beans. Dry uncooked beans are much more economical than canned beans, but canned beans are faster. Especially if you don't have an Instant Pot.
The key thing to know when substituting dry beans for canned beans is the ratio. ⅔ cup of dry beans = 2 cups of cooked beans = one 15.5 oz can of beans.
If you use an Instant Pot to process the dry beans, use twice the amount of water as beans. Do not process with salt, as salt will make dry bean skins tough.
Variations
You can use ground beef instead of bacon for a meatier variation. Also, you can substitute brown sugar for the maple syrup. If you don't have tomato paste, use the same amount of ketchup as a replacement.
Equipment
The Instant Pot will have the dry beans as soft as any canned beans in approximately one hour. Using dry beans makes Cowboy Beans very economical! We have a terrific Slow Cooker to Instant Pot Calculator also!
- Instant Pot - great to prepare dry beans with!
- Slow Cooker or Crock Pot
The Slow Cooker lets you fix and forget. Just put all the ingredients in, set the temperature to high or low, and they will be ready without any babysitting.
Top Tips
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the beans chosen are more for the varied calico colors in the finished dish. You can actually make Cowboy Beans with all pinto beans, which are probably the least expensive.
You can bake these Cowboy Beans at 225 degrees F in a covered casserole or dutch oven for 4 to 5 hours.
In texture and appearance, Cowboy Beans are very much like a pot of chili. The difference though is cowboy beans are made with a barbecue type of sauce that's more tangy than spicy.
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📖 Recipe
Texas Cowboy Beans
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
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.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? We could love to hear from you. Drop us a comment below.
Dahn @savorthebest says
This looks delicious! I love the combination of all the beans.