Slow Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup is thick and creamy with loads and beans and smoky bacon, the perfect soup for those chilly days.
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Slow Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup is perfect for those cold winter nights like my Loaded Potato Soup Recipe or a creamy soup like my Chicken Pot Pie Soup. This bean and bacon soup will definitely warm you up on a chilly day like my Sausage and Three Bean Soup and your bellies will thank you. I like to serve it with a side of my No Knead Artisan Bread or Skillet Cornbread for a perfect meal.
Why this recipe works
This bean and bacon soup is a hearty meal that uses minimal ingredients. Super easy, about 15 minutes of prep time, and then throw it in the slow cooker and leave it. I love crock pot soup recipes, you can throw everything in the crockpot in the morning and dinner will be ready and waiting for you. This bean soup recipe freezes really well and is perfect for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.
Ingredients needed
Ingredient Notes
- Beans: Navy beans or small white beans or dried great northern beans
- Bacon: I like to use smoky bacon.
- Liquid smoke: This is optional but does add a nice smoky flavor like the original Campbell Soup.
- Chicken stock: or chicken broth.
- Tomato paste: You can use 1/2 cup tomato sauce in a pinch.
How to make Slow Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup
- Step 1: Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add the diced bacon.
- Step 2: Cook the bacon until crispy and remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
- Step 3: Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook.
- Step 4: Discard the bay leaves and add 1 1/2 cups of the soup to a blender and pulse then add back into the soup
Recipe tips
- Add a ham hock to the slow cooker bean soup instead of bacon.
- The liquid smoke is optional but adds a great smoky flavor to the soup.
- If you have leftover tomato paste, just add it to a ziplock freezer bag and freeze it for more delicious soups.
- If you're using dried beans I recommend soaking them overnight or it will take them much longer to cook.
Recipe Faq's
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Slow Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5- 15.5 cans small white beans drained (or 1 lb dried see notes)
- 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups carrots diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 lb bacon cut into pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 drops liquid smoke optional
- 3 green onions just the green part
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a skillet or large pot, add bacon and cook until crispy, remove, and set aside.
- Add the canned beans, chicken stock, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, cooked bacon, bay leaf, tomato paste, and liquid smoke to the slow cooker, give it a good stir, and cook 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.
- Remove bay leaves, and remove 1 1/2 cups of the soup and place in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, pour back into the soup to make it more creamy.
- Serve it with some extra bacon, green onions on top, crackers or cornbread.
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but I soaked the beans for about 12 hours and then cooked it on low in the slow cooker for 6 hours and the beans were still pretty firm 🙁
The flavor of the soup was great, but we just couldn’t eat it because of the texture of the beans.
Making this tomorrow. I'm going to add 1/2 cup diced ham as well. My husband loves Campbell's Bean With Bacon soup and I'm sure he will love this even more!
I've never used that product before so I really can't say for sure. I would say tasting as you go would be your best bet 🙂
I have Hurst’s Hambeens that includes a seasoning packet. I plan on just adding that along with all of the other ingredients listed in your recipe. Will that be ok or should I eliminate any of the ingredients?
Wow!! Thank you Jim, great tips also 🙂
Hi Wendy
I have been following your site for sometime and have tried a few of your recipes. All were great. When I came upon this one, it kinda took me back to childhood and my Oma making this dish. Thank you. I made only one change to your recipe, even though only optional, I didn’t use the liquid smoke. Instead I added a smoked pork hock. I got that smoky taste and an extra bite with the pork hock once I chopped it up and added it back in. 5 stars!!!!
Yay Vance! I 100% agree with you that it tastes better the next day. Thanks for the great review 🙂
Made this recently and it was amazing. I recommend making it and letting it rest a couple days. I know it's tough but, it tastes sooo much better after a couple days! As a former fan of Campbells (original) bean and bacon soup this was a blast from the past because it's dead on prefect if not better! I'll definitely be making this one often! Thank You!
Absolutely LaDonna!
Can I use Navy beans instead?