Holidays Occasions Super Bowl Party Super Bowl Slow-Cooker Slow-Cooked Beans 4.6 (7) 7 Reviews By cooking your own dried beans, you save money, reduce sodium and get better flavor along with, surprisingly, more vitamins and minerals. If you can't use the whole batch, freeze surplus cooked beans for later use in soups, salads and dips. The range of time for cooking beans is wide and varies with the age and the type of beans selected. By Jerry Anne Di Vecchio Jerry Anne Di Vecchio Jerry Anne Di Vecchio was senior food editor at Sunset and worked at the magazine for over 40 years. She has edited dozens of cookbooks, including The Peppers Cookbook, the Grill by the Book series and 15 Best of Sunset books. Jerry was a founding member of the San Francisco chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, and was the 2001 recipient of their Grand Dame lifetime achievement award. She has held positions at the American Institute of Wine & Food and the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and has been a judge on MasterChef. Despite her illustrious career, Jerry never uses a cookbook. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 18, 2025 Reviewed by Dietitian Sylvia Geiger, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Sylvia Geiger, M.S., RD See More As EatingWell’s former dietitian and nutrition advisor, Sylvia Geiger worked closely with the culinary and editorial team to ensure that our recipes are not only delicious, but also meet the nutrition parameters we have set for ourselves. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Save Rate PRINT Share Close Cook Time: 10 mins Additional Time: 4 hrs 50 mins Total Time: 5 hrs Servings: 6 Yield: 6 cups Nutrition Profile: Dairy-Free Healthy Pregnancy Healthy Aging Low-Sodium Low-Fat High-Fiber Heart-Healthy Vegan Vegetarian High-Protein Gluten-Free Low-Calorie Jump to Nutrition Facts Fresh thyme and garlic enhance the aroma and taste.Beans are an excellent source of fiber, which promotes digestive health.For easy cleanup, try a slow-cooker liner. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed and tested at its original yield and has not been tested at other yields. Note that only the ingredient list is scaled, so you may need to make adjustments to ingredient amounts, cooking times and equipment sizes in the recipe steps. Scaling could also impact the nutrition analysis. Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings 1 pound dried beans, such as black beans, black-eyed peas, great northern beans or pinto beans (see Tip) 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 6 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried 1 bay leaf 5 cups boiling water ½ teaspoon salt Directions Soak beans in enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches for 6 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, use the quick-soak method: Place beans in a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.) Drain the beans and place them in a slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Pour in boiling water. Cook, covered, on high until beans are tender, 2 to 3 1/2 hours. Add salt, cover, and cook for 15 minutes more. Tips For easy cleanup, try a slow-cooker liner. These heat-resistant, disposable liners fit neatly inside the insert and help prevent food from sticking to the bottom and sides of your slow cooker. Tip: Don't use kidney beans in this recipe; slow-cooking doesn't destroy a natural toxin in kidney beans that can cause severe digestive distress. After soaking, kidney beans must be boiled in fresh water for at least 30 minutes to render them safe to eat. Originally appeared: EatingWell Magazine, Winter 2004 Save Rate Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 253 Calories 1g Fat 48g Carbs 15g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Serving Size 1 cup Calories 253 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 48g 17% Dietary Fiber 19g 66% Total Sugars 1g Protein 15g 29% Total Fat 1g 1% Saturated Fat 0g 1% Vitamin A 9IU 0% Vitamin C 4mg 4% Folate 247mcg 62% Sodium 201mg 9% Calcium 138mg 11% Iron 4mg 24% Magnesium 97mg 23% Potassium 712mg 15% Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate. * Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.) (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.