Old Fashioned Crock Pot Lima Beans and Ham
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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
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Tastes delicious. 88yo dad fondly remembers “ham hocks and lima beans” so I found this. But I think I used too much broth by adding to 2” above the already soaked and swollen beans. And the four ham hocks had no meat, so I’d use a ham bone next time. I hope Dad loves it when I take it to him.
After you cook your beans take about a cup of beans and broth and smash them put them back into the pot and it will help thicken it! I always put a few tablespoons of vinegar too. I like it try it!!
I used two ham hocks because I don’t know what “3 cup meaty ham hocks” means. I also used the large lima beans because the recipe wasn’t clear on whether size mattered. Next time I will use the small/baby Lima beans. I will also use low sodium broth because it was just too salty. Not inedible but a little overkill. I was able to use sugar to counteract it some. Last, I added 8 ounces of diced ham to the crockpot once the food was done cooking. That gave the dish more bite.
How big of a bag of beans should I use?
A one pound bag. Enjoy!
one pound he said
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!