Old Fashioned Crock Pot Lima Beans and Ham
This post may contain paid links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Old Fashioned Crock Pot Lima Beans and Ham is a delicious way to try lima beans if you haven’t tried it before. The dish is a little similar to traditional slow cooker beans and ham, but definitely worth a try if you haven’t yet tried lima beans the old fashioned way.
How to Make Dried Lima Beans in a Slow Cooker
Cris here.
My family has always hated lima beans. I’ve always had a hard time getting them to try recipes with them. But then we went on vacation and they tried some that had been slow cooked all day with ham and they fell head over heels. I knew I could make them at home and get them to try… So I had Mikey use my recipe and try it on video!
And boy oh boy am I NOT hearing complaints about mom’s lima beans anymore!
Old Fashioned Crock Pot Lima Beans and Ham Notes
- You will need to use dry beans for this recipe. Dry beans are less expensive than canned and frozen but they do take a little more work. You will need to rinse and sort your beans and then either soak them overnight or using the “quick soak” method on the bag they come in. This little extra step will be sooo worth it.
- I used ham hocks in my recipe because I didn’t have a ham bone or leftover ham from a recent meal. Ham hocks can be found at the grocery store near where they sell hams. They are typically inexpensive and they bring so much flavor to the dish. If you cannot find them, you could substitute bacon in this recipe, however, I would imagine that the flavor would be a bit different.
- I used my 4 qt slow cooker for this recipe, but you could use a 5 or 6 qt, it just might take less time.
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- Check out all our favorite recommendations for cookbooks, slow cookers and low carb essentials in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline. Recipes should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
This dish is great as a main dish or as a side.
What Home Cooks are Saying About Our Old Fashioned Crock Pot Lima Beans and Ham
Brenda says: “These beans were absolutely delicious. Probably some of the very best Lima Beans I have ever eaten. I used a Ham Bone from a Ham that had lots of good meat on it, and they were so good. I had never put chili power in my Lima beans before, and I was kinda wondering how they would taste with that ingredient, but I added anyway, and I am glad I did. The end result was delicious! Thank you for sharing a great recipe! Try it you won’t regret it!
Doll says: “I didn’t have ham on hand so I used a sausage ring. Worked beautifully”
Pamela says: “Omgoodnesss the flavor is spot on, will be my go to for butter beans from now on!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe ♥️”
Toni says: “I was not a lima bean person until I made this recipe. This is a 10 star recipe says my husband, and I agree.”
Linda says: “I made this today with leftover ham and ham bone. I had never used a ham and bean recipe with onion and chili powder. It was a very good addition! My new(ish) fancy electronic crock pot stopped working about an hour after I started cooking this so I put the crock in the oven to finish cooking. The beans were delicious anyway!”
Old Fashioned Crock Pot Lima Beans and Ham
Ingredients
- 1 lb bag Dried Lima Beans Rinsed, Sorted, and Soaked
- 3 cup Meaty Ham Hocks or 1 leftover ham
- 2 Onions Chopped
- 1 teaspoon Minced garlic I used freeze dried
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth
- Additional Water
Instructions
- Place beans in your slow cooker.
- Add ham hocks and onion.
- Add broth and any water needed to bring the waterline 2 inches above the beans.
- Stir in seasonings.
- Cook on HIGH for 2 hours then turn to LOW for 4 more hours or until the beans are tender.
Video
Notes
- You will need to use dry beans for this recipe. Dry beans are less expensive than canned and frozen but they do take a little more work. You will need to rinse and sort your beans and then either soak them overnight or using the “quick soak” method on the bag they come in. This little extra step will be sooo worth it.
- I used ham hocks in my recipe because I didn’t have a ham bone or leftover ham from a recent meal. Ham hocks can be found at the grocery store near where they sell hams. They are typically inexpensive and they bring so much flavor to the dish. If you cannot find them, you could substitute bacon in this recipe, however, I would imagine that the flavor would be a bit different.
- I used my 4 qt slow cooker for this recipe, but you could use a 5 or 6 qt, it just might take less time.
- Looking for more recipes? Our Recipe Finder can help you find exactly what you need.
- Check out all our favorite recommendations for cookbooks, slow cookers and low carb essentials in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline. Recipes should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Nutrition
Looking for a great ham recipe?
Check out my absolute GO-TO ham for all my holiday meals- Crock Pot Brown Sugar Holiday Ham
Looking for more left over ham recipes?
Check out our Easy Crock Pot Ham and Beans— we actually adapted this recipe to make our lima beans.
Or check out this collection of crock pot and non-crock pot recipes: 35 Ways to Use Leftover Ham
SAVE THIS RECIPE TO YOUR FREE RECIPE BOX
On Recipes That Crock we have a way for you to save recipes to your own free recipe box. This way you won’t ever lose a recipe. With your free RTC account, you know that your favorite recipes and all the recipes you want to try are always just a click away.
Click Here to: Learn how to use your Recipe Box on this site.
You can register (or login if you already a user) here: Register/Login Here.
NOTE: If you don’t see the recipe box save buttons, you need to sign in.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also enjoy these dishes
- Crockpot Taco Chili - February 22, 2026
- Easiest Crockpot Chicken Tacos Ever - February 21, 2026
- Crockpot Cornbread Chili: The Ultimate Easy Comfort Food Dinner - February 21, 2026
the perfect recipe for this old fashioned dish
I put a smoked turkey leg in mine.
Tasty
My wife made this but she soaked beans overnight in 1/2 chicken broth and water. Drained refilled with the same. Added 2 cups total sautéed onion, celery, garlic, and carrots. Slow cooked on high for 3 to 4 hrs. Best beans I ever had!
We’re so glad you made this recipe your own and enjoyed it!
Ha! She should have got you rubber dishwashing gloves too!
Could I cook on high for four hours instead of four more on low after the first two hours?
Thanks!
We haven’t tried cooking it that way. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Hi I was wondering can you put the lima beans and ham in the Crock-Pot just on the low setting.
We haven’t tried this with cooking on low only. If I did, I would cook it on low for 8-10 hours. As always, make sure you can watch it closely the first time you make it so you can adjust the cooking time as needed. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Omgoodnesss the flavor is spot on, will be my go to for butter beans from now on!!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe ♥️
They need stones in their craw…helps with digestion. I hand raised COCKATIELS feeding them grit is how they digest their seeds. The farmer raised around chickens, hogs, horses, and cows.
Has anyone tried this in an Instant Pot?????????????
I grew up with this recipe cooked on the stove (crock pot hadn’t been invented yet lol) and LOVE it but glad I came across the slow cooker version. Just like my mom made but don’t remember the chicken broth (probably so just don’t remember) BUT I also have an Alexa and every time you talked to yours mine also heard and did everything you asked LMAO So as a suggestion for future shows might want to leave Alexa out lol
thanks for the recipe and the fun!!!!
OK…just reading comments and trying to decide how to save my grocery $$’s with budget-friendly recipes…feeling sort of blah about finances here in April 2023…but your Alexa comments made me literally LOL. Now, when I eat my beans, I’ll enjoy them even more thinking about how much I laughed. Thank you for getting my day off to a good start.
I was not a lima bean person until I made this recipe. This is a 10 star recipe says my husband and I agree.
Just wandering, i have to work, so I have to slow cook for 10 hours, can I cook them that long or would it be soup?
I’ve been eating lima beans my whole life, except in our family, they’re called Big Beans! 🙂 We’re from L.A. (lower Alabama) and no one has yet to cook them in a crockpot. I’ve got a huge ham bone leftover from Thanksgiving, but we use bacon drippings most of the time. Make a cake of cornbread and a little rice in the bottom of the bowl and even the kids come runnin!! We also don’t soak the beans (ain’t nobody got no time for dat)…we rinse and pick through then put them on to come to a boil then simmer for a couple of hours. The only difference is the beans break down and the pot liquor is nice and thick. We also add hot kimchi (my dad was career army) at the end in place of chow-chow. Thanks so much for this…my beans are soaking and I’m about to chop onions! I will definitely be checking you guys out again!!
I enjoyed the video….. but I could barely hear Mike. Sharon came through loud and clear… but Mike…. not so much!
I gotta have that “NO” tool. The recipe is great and the video even better. Thanks for making me smile.
I’m from the South and my family and I love lima beans and ham. I’ve been looking for a good crockpot recipe because as you’ve stated if not cooked just right they are less than desirable. I cannot wait to try your recipe. I wanted to share these are made to have a broth/soup to be served over rice and this dish goes well with cornbread or biscuits.
I made this today with leftover ham and ham bone. I had never used a ham and bean recipe with onion and chili powder. It was a very good addition! My new(ish) fancy electronic crock pot stopped working about an hour after I started cooking this so I put the crock in the oven to finish cooking. The beans were delicious anyway!
Left overs, especially when the liquid gets thicker, can be put into a baking dish, add some brown sugar and bake in the oven. Or, just add diced tomatoes and some sauteed onion, bacon strips to the top and bake in the oven.
I know Virginia’s comment is several years old but it sounds great. I grew up in the South eating stove-top lima beans but never cooked them. I was going to cut this recipe in half just to try, but after reading Virginia’s comment I’m going to cook the whole bag and have the casserole thing for another day. Great 2023 cost-saving idea. Thank you!
Great video and instructions. I just got all the ingredients and going to give this a try.
I’m so happy I found this site and your lima bean soup recipe. It is just what I was looking for today. I bought the ingredients but wasn’t sure what to do with them until I found your recipe. Thanks so much. 🙂
Sharon- We are so glad you found us too!!
In the ingredients you mention about soaking the beans. How long?
I have been using dried beans for many years in my navy bean soup and they are soaked in a large bowl with water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda overnight to help tenderize them. Then rinsed before using the in my soup. it helps a whole lot to do that and the beans are very tender when cooked. I made quite a few of your recipes some with slight modifications and enjoyed them very much.
Hi Ken!
The bag your beans come in should tell you how long to soak. Ours said to do it overnight or do a quick soak on the stove (like Mikey shows in the video). Hope that helps! Enjoy!!
Hi Malcom!
The are definitely lima beans but I agree with you on their appearance colorwise looking like butter beans. Butter beans are larger in size though. I’m sure this recipe would be great with either! Enjoy!
In the photo, theses look more like butter beans. Are they Lima or butter beans?