These curry baked beans are a unique – and utterly delicious – spin on classic baked beans.
With tender pinto beans simmered in curry spices, ginger, brown sugar, and coconut milk, they’re creamy, rich, tangy, and just a smidge sweet. Best of all, when made in the slow cooker, this curried beans recipe is easy AND mostly hands-off to make!
Table of Contents
- The Story Behind the Recipe
- Why You’ll Love These Curry Baked Beans
- Curry Baked Beans Ingredients
- How to Make Them
- Side Dish Ideas
- More Bean Curry Recipes
The Story Behind the Recipe
The scrambled eggs were a unique color. They were sort of beige, but … even paler than that.
“Oh, did you just scramble the whites?” I asked my guy, as he prepped the rest of breakfast. I was busy photographing a batch of banana muffins fresh out of the oven.
“Nope!” he chirped.
I shrugged to myself and kept snapping. He finished setting the table.
We finally sat down and I peeled the liner off a muffin, plopping it next to the eggs. I peered closer. Tiny little brown flecks? “These are … interesting,” I said. “Did you use a new kind of spice? What did you use?”
“Guess!”
I took a bite. Was that … “cinnamon??”
“Yes! I thought I’d try cinnamon!”
They weren’t half bad, really. I took another bite. I’m not sure I’d say they were half good but they were surprisingly edible, if … different.
Then his face fell a little, and the confession wasn’t far behind.
“I started shaking cinnamon into the eggs, and as it landed, I thought to myself, ‘WAIT. Is this right? Do we put cinnamon in scrambled eggs??!’ But it was, like, ‘well, too late,'” He smiled and shrugged. “So I just decided to go with it.”
It was one of those moments that starts out as amusing and then keeps getting funnier. So we laughed between bites of cinnamon eggs and I remembered past blurry-eyed mornings when I’ve brewed up entire pots of coffee without the coffee beans; when I’ve spooned salt on top of my oatmeal instead of sugar; when I’ve accidentally gargled shampoo instead of mouthwash. Yeah, that happened.
Sometimes strange food combinations don’t work, but sometimes they really, really do. These curry baked beans aren’t the result of a brain glitch, but the first time I decided to throw this particular combination into the Crock Pot, I knew they could go either way. Luckily, they went the right way.
They’re a little better than cinnamon scrambled eggs. In fact, they’re awesome.
Why You’ll Love These Curry Baked Beans
These curried baked beans have all the best properties of baked beans – rich, tangy, a touch of sweet and a bit of heat – without getting too weird. The curry spices definitely stand out, and a bit of heat builds with every bite. The flavor of the coconut milk is mostly lost, but it does lend a wonderful creamy texture that can’t be beat.
They’re different, but good different.
Readers say …
-WREN
“These are really amazing, easy to make and taste like really good tinned baked beans only better. We will be doing these again, LOTS!”
Curry Baked Beans Ingredients
- Pinto beans – Use canned pinto beans or already cooked beans.
- Olive oil – for sautéing the onion, garlic, ginger, and spices.
- Onion, garlic, & ginger – For loads of flavor.
- Curry powder, cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, & salt – Use your favorite curry powder – mild all the way to hot.
- Coconut milk – I like using lite coconut milk for this recipe, but you can use full-fat if you prefer.
- Tomato paste – Adds a rich, umami note.
- Brown sugar – The touch of sweetness really rounds out the flavors.
How to Make Them
There are two steps to this slow cooker curry baked beans recipe. First, you saute the aromatics, then you add everything to the slow cooker and let it simmer.
First, saute the onions in a skillet in the olive oil, Then add the garlic and the spices. It might seem like a fussy step in a slow-cooking recipe, but added step really helps to develop the flavors in these curry baked beans.
Add to the Crock Pot along with the beans, coconut milk, tomato paste, brown sugar, and mix well, then cook on low for 8-10 hours.
That’s it!
Side Dish Ideas
- Easy Chickpea Burgers
- Summer Fruit Salad
- Mango Sorbet or Mango Lassi Popsicles for dessert!
More Bean Curry Recipes
- I have two similar slow cooker red lentil & curry recipes that I love equally. This lentil and chickpea curry with potatoes and peas, and a more seasonal pumpkin lentil chickpea curry.
- This chickpea & tomato curry is super easy and the perfect summer curry recipe.
- With zucchini and corn, this summer chickpea curry is creamy yet light and perfect for the warmer months.
Oh, and I know, I know – a Crock Pot recipe in June? But if you haven’t discovered the beauty of the slow cooker in summer, I daresay it’s time you do. On intense summer days, the Crock Pot helps you avoid the hot stove and, overall, creates very little heat in an already-sweltering kitchen.
Plus, Crock-Pot-enabled lazy cooking should never be out of season. Cinnamon eggs, on the other hand … well. (Love you babe!)
Crock Pot Curry Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 3 15-ounce cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed [about 4 cups cooked beans])
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 1 medium clove garlic (minced [about 1 teaspoon])
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (about half of a thumb-sized piece)
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 14 ounces lite coconut milk (can sub full-fat coconut milk)
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (light works too)
Equipment:
- One 3-quart or larger slow cooker
Equipment
- 1 3-quart or larger slow cooker
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Stir in the ginger, curry powder, cumin, crushed red peppers, and salt.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the coconut milk, tomato paste, and brown sugar until tomato paste is evenly distributed. Pour it into the Crock Pot.
- Stir in the beans and toss gently until the beans are coated.
- Cook on low 8 – 10 hours until thick, rich, and bubbling.
- Taste and add additional salt if desired.
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, with a name like mine, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
I would never think to do something like this, but I can see how it would work out so well. Indian-inspired baked beans: it just makes sense!
And HA! at the cinnamon eggs. That’s totally something Chris would do. 🙂
The eggs really were surprisingly edible.
That said, I really hope he never makes them again. 😉
Yum! Loved baked beans, love curry and love my slow cooker! 🙂 Great idea to use it on hot days rather than turn the over on. I also love your “make it a meal” future! Such a cute (and helpful) idea!!!
Thanks, Courtney. 🙂 I thought the “make it a meal” thing might be a fun way to feature my blogging friends’ recipes and also bring up some recipes from the archives. We’ll see how it does! I need to make it prettier, but it’s a start. 🙂
oops! I meant “feature” not “future” lol
I’m just wondering – if the beans are already cooked, why do they need 8-10 hours in the crock pot? Won’t they lose their shape by that point?
Using already cooked beans as a starting point for baked bean recipes is actually very typical. When I started making them from scratch, I wondered the same thing! 🙂 I’m not an expert on the science behind it but slow-cooking already-cooked beans in a sauce allows the beans to soak in all of those delicious flavors and really develop their typically wonderful, creamy consistency. A few of the beans might break down in the process (and that probably helps with developing that creaminess) but most of them maintain their shape wonderfully.
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I found this recently thru Kayln’s Kitchen, I’ve made beans 4 times in the last two months. I keep meaning to share with neighbors but end up eating almost all of it myself. Definitely one of my favorite recipes.
Love this recipe (my first one tried since I stumbled upon your blog)! As a college student, I barely have to time breathe, let alone cook an extensive meal – but this perfect! It didn’t take too much time, and it gave me enough servings for leftovers, so I didn’t have to worry about cooking for the next few days. And during the cold, Northeastern winter days, it makes this meal that much more enjoyable. Thank you!!
Looks like a great recipe, but the serving size says “8 slices.” I’m guessing that corresponds to “8 servings?”
Yikes! Thanks for pointing that out. Definitely a mistake. Yes, it serves about 8.
I’ve loved this recipe since I found it about 15 months ago, and have made and tweaked it several times. We’re not vegetarians, though I have strong tendencies that way. I’ve now written/photographed my own version of it on my recipe blog and linked to this post as my inspiration. Thank you so much!
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We have tried lots of homemade baked bean recipes and all have been an absolute disaster. Until now. These are really amazing, easy to make and taste like really good tinned baked beans only better. We will be doing these again, LOTS!
I’m so glad you like them! This is one of my fave recipes. 🙂
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I’m about to make these beans for a potluck. It hit me though, your recipe reads “4 cups of cooked beans”, but am I not ‘cooking them’ for 8-10 hours in the crock pot? Should it not read, “4 cups of SOAKED beans”?
Am I really cooking them twice?
Thank you,
Gail
Ooops. Found reply to someone else’s comment. Never mind 🙂