Don’t waste oven space — make a Crockpot Ham for the holidays instead! Loaded with flavor from an easy brown sugar and pineapple glaze, it’s ready to go anytime your guests arrive!
Looking for more great holiday recipes? Try my almost famous green bean casserole, easy homemade mac and cheese, sweet corn casserole and my mom’s sweet potato casserole!
Crockpot Ham Recipe
Making a spiral ham in the crockpot is one of the easiest ways to make a ham! I was a little hesitant at first, but after discovering a trick to still get those crispy brown sugar edges I love from an oven baked version, I was all in!
Making this Crockpot Ham recipe is a big space saver in your oven on the holidays. If you have a large ham cooking low and slow in the oven, where do you cook all of your casseroles and side dishes? That’s exactly where the crockpot comes in. Make a quick and easy glaze with brown sugar, butter and pineapple juice and coat your spiral ham with it. From there, you let the crockpot do the rest of the work for you!
This easy recipe is now the only way I like to make a spiral ham. Read below for all my tips and tricks on what to do if the lid to your crockpot doesn’t fit, with the ham inside, and how to get those perfect brown sugar edges!
What You’ll Need
You only need a few ingredients for this crockpot ham recipe. First and foremost, you will need an 8 to 10 pound spiral ham. You will need the following ingredients to make the glaze:
- butter
- brown sugar
- honey
- ground cloves
- pineapple slices (we also use the juice they came in!)
If you are not a fan of pineapple, you will want to find a substitute that will still help with the flavor and to tenderize the ham. If you need, I recommend trying apple cider vinegar or orange juice in place of the pineapple juice/rings in this recipe.
What if my ham doesn’t fit in my crockpot?
You will need to use a large oval crockpot for a large ham to be able to fit. I was able to fit a 9 lb spiral ham in my crockpot with no issues.
However, if your ham happens to be too tall, you can use foil in place of your crockpot lid. Just tent the foil over the ham and seal it around the edges of the slow cooker.
How to cook a spiral ham in crockpot
- Add ham to the crockpot, spiral cut side down.
- Mix together ingredients for glaze and press into the top of the ham.
- Cover ham (with lid or foil, if needed) and cook for 3-4 hours.
- Bakes with juice and let ham rest for 10 minutes before serving.
How to get still get those crispy brown sugar edges?
Worried you will miss those delicious brown sugar edges of the ham? I won’t lie, I worried the same thing too when I pulled my crockpot ham out of the pot for the first time.
Then I had a brilliant idea! Right before serving, add a little more brown sugar and pop it under the broiler for a minute or two. Guess what? It was perfect! So below are my steps to crisp up the edges and give you that freshly baked ham feel, without all that time in the oven.
- Heat the broiler on your oven.
- Remove ham from crockpot and place on an oven safe dish or on a large cookie sheet.
- Press additional brown sugar onto the edges of the ham.
- Broil for about a minute or two, watching very closely. You just want the edges to start bubbling and crystallizing the brown sugar!
- Remove from oven and serve immediately!
TIPS FOR CROCK POT HAM
- Because of the size and shape of a ham, you will need a large oval slow cooker for this crockpot ham recipe. My slow cooker is 8 quarts and fit a 9 pound ham.
- To serve, remove ham from pan and place on a serving platter. It is easier to cut and serve slices of the ham from a serving platter than from the slow cooker.
- Baste that ham before serving with all the good juices below in the crockpot and let it rest for 1o minutes before serving.
- Follow directions above if you want crispy edges like an oven baked ham. It’s definitely not necessary, but is a nice touch!
Leftover Ham?
Store in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave!
You can also freeze any leftover ham for use in recipes later. If you are looking for ways to use up leftover ham, below are my favorite recipes using ham or ham bones!
- Creamy Ham Casserole
- Slow Cooker Ham & Bean Soup
- Baked Mustard, Ham & Cheese Sliders
- Rosemary Ham Bean Soup
I know you are going to enjoy this Crockpot Ham recipe just as much as we do. It’s so incredibly easy to put together and makes hosting a family holiday dinner just a little bit easier.
Please leave a review or comment below letting me know how this recipe turns out for you!
Crockpot Ham
Don’t waste oven space — make a crockpot ham for the holidays instead! Loaded with flavor from an easy brown sugar and pineapple glaze, it's ready to go anytime.
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 pound spiral ham
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 can (20 oz) pineapple slices, drained - reserve juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Coat inside of crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place ham, cut side down into crockpot.
- Combine melted butter, brown sugar, honey and cloves until a pasted forms.
- Cover ham with brown sugar mixture gently pushing mixture into ham. Add pineapple slices on top of ham, secure with toothpicks if necessary.
- Pour reserved pineapple juice over ham.
- Add lid to crockpot if possible, if the lid doesn’t fit, cover tightly with foil.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until an internal temperature of 145°F is reaches.
- Baste with juice and let ham rest for 10 minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in refrigerator in airtight container
Notes
To get crispy brown sugar edges on your ham like you would if it has been baked in the oven:
- Heat the broiler on your oven.
- Remove ham from crockpot and place on an oven safe dish or on a large cookie sheet.
- Press additional brown sugar onto the edges of the ham.
- Broil for about a minute or two, watching very closely. You just want the edges to start bubbling and crystallizing the brown sugar!
- Remove from oven and serve immediately!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 728Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 291mgSodium: 4454mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 0gSugar: 29gProtein: 101g
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This sounds great! If using a 5 pound boneless ham, would you cut back the ingredients in half, or what suggestions would you have to modify??
Hi Wanda! Honestly, I’d probably leave the recipe just as it is. A little extra juice/sauce is never a bad thing to me! However, you could get away with halving it if you would like!
This is the best spiral ham I have ever done. When I do them in oven I have over cooked them and they are tough and dry. Told my husband I am going to quit buying spiral but then I found this recipe it is delicious. This is a keeper
I made for Thanksgiving, we had 2 turkeys and my ham, there was only turkey left for leftovers. I will be putting one in the crockpot in the morning, per multiple requests! Great and easy recipe!
Oops, my ham is too big for my crock pot
Can I cook this in the oven? if so, how long and what temperature?
Hi Cindy! Yes you can! For whole bone-in hams weighing 12 and 16 pounds, cook the ham at 325°F for 22 to 26 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should be 145°F.
Do you cover the ham with foil?
Nope, not needed in the crockpot!
Is the crockpot temperature set on High for 3-4 hours? Did you preheat the crockpot?
Hi Cheri! Yes, low for 3 to 4 hours, and no there is no need to preheat a crockpot!
Do you put all the seasoning mixture between slices at first when you start cooking the ham?
Hi Lin! I just rub it all on top, I don’t try to get it in between each layer. It will cook down into the slices!
Cook low or high 3-4 hours?
Hello, do you recommend bone in or no? Thank you!! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Either will work, whichever you prefer!
Can you use honey pack seasoning that comes with ham.
If you would prefer to use that, then yes!
Can this be done with a ham that is not a spiral ham?
Sure!
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And am so excited about this new recipe ! I just found this !!! It a game changer. Wish I had known about it sooner…. can’t wait to see how it turns out. Thanks so much for sharing. ☺❤
Can I substitute maple syrup for the honey? I just don’t care for honey. I know, I am strange. Everything else sounds wonderful!
Yes!
This is everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! Adding this to my dinner line up; looks too good to pass up!
Such a gorgeous ham!! I love that its made in the crock pot!!
This couldn’t look any more perfect!
Perfect way to cook ham everyone will love it!
Such an awesome and EASY way to cook ham! Hubby is gonna love me for this one.
This is the best way to cook ham! Frees up the oven and comes out so tasty!