How to Make Frugal Southern Lima Beans and Ham in Your Slow Cooker [Step-by-Step Guide]
Slow cooker Southern lima beans and ham bring together simple ingredients for a down-home, budget-friendly meal. Toss lima beans, diced ham, and chopped onion into your slow cooker (just add a bit of salt, black pepper, and maybe some garlic powder), then let it cook low and slow about seven hours until the beans are tender and the flavors blend together. Serve it over warm cornbread—the soft beans and smoky ham pair well with sweet, crumbly bread—then round out the meal with a crisp green salad. You can make this on the stove, but the slow cooker method is low-effort and always fills the house with a cozy, inviting smell.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Soak Beans: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 7 hours
- Total Time: 15 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
1-pound dried lima beans, (Can use either Baby or large lima beans)
2 onions, coarsely chopped
1 meaty ham bone
1 cup leftover ham meat from bone, chopped
3 – 4 cups water, or as needed to cover, (I use Chicken Stock when I have it.)
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Meat Options: Can use ham, ham hock, bacon and bacon drippings, smoked sausage
Instructions
- Soak lima beans in 2 quarts of water in a large bowl for 8 hours or overnight. The next day, drain the lima beans and place into a slow cooker with onions, ham bone, and ham. Pour in 3 cups of water or as needed to cover. Place lid on the cooker, set to High, and cook for 3 – 3.5 hours or Low for 6 – 7 hours. (I prefer to cook mine on Low.)
- Stir in Creole seasoning, black pepper, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper; set cooker to Low and cook until the beans and meat are very tender, about 4 more hours.