Great Northern Beans Recipe With Smoked Ham

These slow cooker Great Northern beans cook until tender and creamy in a savory broth with smoked ham, onion, and garlic. Made with dried beans and simple ingredients, they’re a comforting side dish or a hearty meal with cornbread. It’s an easy way to turn leftover ham into something worth looking forward to.

Why You'll Love These Great Northern Beans

It's safe to say that cooked beans aren't usually the most exciting side dish. Thankfully, this great northern beans recipe is packed with enough flavor to make it the most delicious part of dinner! At least that's usually the response I get from guests when I serve it to them at my house.

My recipe for great northern beans is made in the slow cooker with garlic, onions, smoked ham, herbs, cloves, and chicken broth. If you like your Great Northern Beans to have a little smokiness to them like I like do, you're going to love this recipe.

Plus, it's also easy to make these beans at home. All you have to do is soak the dried beans overnight, then add all of the ingredients into your slow cooker, and let them cook to perfection. Easy peasy. 

If you're looking for a tasty main dish to serve these beans next to, a few of my favorites to pair with it are this braised beef recipe, this ham loaf, and this cube steak. My wife especially loves it when I make the braised beef to go along with the beans.

Great Northern Beans Ingredients

One of my favorite things about this ham and beans recipe is that it only requires a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. There's also plenty of room to modify this recipe, depending on what you have on hand...more on that in a minute.

Here's everything you need to make these great northern beans:

• 1 lb. Great Northern Beans, dried
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• ½ Onion, diced
• 1 Clove
• 4 cups Water
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Smoked Ham, cut into cubes or leftover spiral ham
• Olive oil, to drizzle on top
• Fresh herbs

You can use great northern beans to make this baked bean casserole. It's a favorite at our house, so I definitely recommend grabbing some extra to make it. Also, I use a lot of these same ingredients to make this ham and beans soup and these butter beans. So, if you're looking for a couple more delicious bean recipes, give 'em a shot.

Ingredient Notes

• Ham: Leftover fully cooked ham or diced cooked ham steak works well in place of smoked ham. Use the same 1-cup amount. The smokiness and saltiness will depend on the ham you choose, so taste the finished beans before adding salt.
• Other white beans: Dried navy beans can replace the dried Great Northern beans. Use the same weight, but check for tenderness as they cook since cooking times can vary. The beans should be soft and creamy inside. Canned beans are already cooked and need different liquid amounts and cooking times, so they aren’t a direct substitute in these instructions.
• Extra vegetables: Diced carrots and celery make a good addition if you want a heartier pot of beans. Add them with the onion, cutting everything into small, evenly sized pieces so the vegetables soften as the beans cook.
• Tomatoes: You can add canned diced tomatoes or chopped fresh tomatoes for extra flavor. Stir them in after the beans are tender, then continue cooking until heated through. Adding tomatoes too early can slow the softening of the beans because of their acidity.

How to Make Great Northern Beans

Step 1: Sort, Rinse, and Soak the Beans

Sort through the dried Great Northern beans and discard any small stones or damaged beans. Rinse the beans under cold running water, then place them in a large bowl.

Add enough cold water to cover the beans by at least 2 inches, leaving plenty of room for them to expand. Cover and refrigerate overnight, about 12 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking. The soaking water is separate from the water listed in the recipe.

Step 2: Boil the Soaked Beans

Place the drained beans in a large pot and cover them with fresh water. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for at least 10 minutes, adding more hot water if necessary to keep the beans submerged. Drain the beans before transferring them to the slow cooker.

Step 3: Cook Until Tender

Add the beans, minced garlic, diced onion, 4 cups of fresh water, 2 cups of chicken broth, and 1 cup of diced fully cooked smoked ham to the slow cooker. Reserve the olive oil and fresh herbs for serving.

Cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours, checking for tenderness beginning around 6 hours. The beans are ready when they’re soft and creamy throughout, with no firm or chalky center.

Cooking time can vary depending on the age of the beans and your slow cooker. If they’re still firm, continue cooking until tender. If the liquid drops below the beans, add a little hot water or broth.

Step 4: Adjust and Serve

Taste the beans and add salt if needed. The ham and broth already contribute salt, so season gradually. For a thicker consistency, mash a small portion of the tender beans against the side of the pot and stir them back into the broth. For a looser consistency, stir in a little additional hot water or broth. Ladle into bowls and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh herbs, such as chopped parsley.

How to Store Great Northern Beans

• Refrigerator: Transfer the leftover beans, ham, and broth to shallow, airtight containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Store for 3–4 days. Keep the beans in their broth to help prevent them from drying out.
• Freezer: Once chilled, portion the beans and broth into freezer-safe containers, leaving a little room for the liquid to expand. Freeze for up to 3 months for the best quality. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
• Stovetop reheating: Add the beans and broth to a saucepan over medium heat. They’ll thicken as they sit, so stir in a splash of water or broth to loosen them. Bring the broth to a boil, stirring to prevent sticking, and heat until the beans and ham reach 165°F throughout.
• Microwave reheating: Place an individual portion in a microwave-safe bowl with a splash of water or broth. Cover with a vented microwave-safe lid and heat in 30–60-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the beans and ham reach 165°F throughout.

Great Northern Beans FAQs

Do Great Northern beans need to be soaked before cooking?

For this slow cooker recipe, soak the dried beans overnight in the refrigerator, about 12 hours. Soaking helps them cook more evenly. Drain and rinse them, then follow the boiling step before adding them to the slow cooker. Other cooking methods can use unsoaked beans, but they require different timing.

Can I use canned Great Northern beans?

This recipe’s liquid amounts and cooking times are designed for dried beans. Canned Great Northern beans are already cooked, so they need much less cooking time and less liquid. They also don’t need soaking or preliminary boiling. Using them with the full slow cooker timing can make them overly soft.

Why are my Great Northern beans still hard?

Older dried beans can take longer to soften, and slow cooker temperatures vary. Keep cooking until the beans are tender throughout, adding hot water or broth if the liquid drops below them. Wait until the beans are tender before adding tomatoes, vinegar, or lemon juice, since acidic ingredients can slow softening.

How do I make Great Northern beans thicker and creamier?

Once the beans are tender, mash a small scoop against the side of the pot and stir it back into the broth. Repeat until you reach the consistency you like. The beans will also thicken as they cool. If they become too thick, stir in a little hot water or broth.

Are Great Northern beans the same as navy beans?

They’re different varieties of white beans. Great Northern beans are generally larger than navy beans, but both work well in soups and dishes with ham. You can substitute an equal weight of dried navy beans in this recipe, checking for tenderness as they cook because the timing may differ.

More Side Dish Recipes You'll Love

If you enjoy this tasty side dish, there are a ton of other easy ones on the blog that I think you'll like just as much.

Give one of these a try next:

• Ham balls
• Ham salad
• Baked beans
• Crack green beans
• Cheesy mashed potatoes
• Sweet corn cake
• Asparagus casserole
• Sweet potato hash browns
• Honey glazed candied carrots
• Southern style pinto beans