Slow Cooker Spiral Ham
Slow Cooker Spiral Ham is tender and juicy, made with pre-cooked and sliced spiral ham slow cooked in a pineapple, honey, and brown sugar glaze, perfect for the holidays!
Slow Cooker Spiral Ham is the PERFECT holiday meal because it’s super easy to make, and looks really fancy during a holiday dinner, with a broiled homemade glaze on top. I let the crock pot do all of the work for me, leaving myself and the oven free to enjoy the holiday! Everyone will ask you for your amazing ham recipe this year!
If you loved this recipe, you may also love my Crockpot Corn Chowder with Ham, or my Country Quinoa Breakfast Bowl!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Set It and Forget It – The slow cooker does all of the heavy lifting and frees up oven space for a hands-off cooking experience. That means super juicy, tender ham with barely any effort—perfect for busy days, holidays, or when you just don’t want to babysit the oven.
Leftovers – There’s always a ton of leftover ham recipes the next day! Try making ham sandwiches, breakfast ham hashbrowns, or ham and cheese sliders for dinner!
Family Favorite – This is the PERFECT recipe for big family gatherings, potlucks, or holidays because it looks really fancy, but it’s secretly very easy to make! Spiral-sliced ham is already cooked, and we’re just heating it through with a simple glaze. It’ll quickly become one of your favorite recipes for the holidays!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Spiral Ham. For this recipe, you will need a spiral-cut ham that is already fully cooked. We’re warming it through and putting a glaze on it.
I usually use a 7-9 pound bone-in spiral ham. If I can’t get the slow cooker lid closed, I will trim the bottom of the ham until it fits perfectly. You can throw what you trimmed off in the pot to the side of the ham.
Brown Sugar. This is arguably the most important ingredient in the glaze recipe because it adds sweetness and an incredible flavor to the ham.
Honey. This adds a sweetness that compliments the salty flavor of the ham perfectly. You can also use maple syrup for more of a maple flavor.
Pineapple Juice. The ham will release cooking juices that mix with the brown sugar and pineapple juice to help keep the ham juicy and sweet and create an amazing flavor while it’s slow cooking.
If you want some pineapple bits with the ham, just pour a can of crushed pineapple over the whole thing.
If you’re not a fan of pineapple juice, you can also use orange juice, apple juice, or apple cider.
Kitchen Tools
For this slow cooker ham recipe, you’ll need a 6-7 quart slow cooker or larger.
How to Make Slow Cooker Spiral Ham
Time needed: 5 hours
- Add brown sugar to the slow cooker.
Add 1 cup of brown sugar to the slow cooker, spreading out to cover the bottom of the pot.
- Add the spiral ham and glaze.
Place the spiral ham on top of the brown sugar, so the ham is on its side and you can easily separate the slices. Place another 1/2 cup of brown sugar on top of the ham, trying to get some of it between the slices.
Drizzle the honey over the ham, then pour the pineapple juice over everything. Close the slow cooker lid and set on low for 4-5 hours, or until the center of the ham is 140°F on a meat thermometer.
- Serve now, or continue to the next step (optional broil).
Use a ladle to baste the top of the ham with the cooking liquid before serving.
- Broil the ham (optional).
If you want more caramelization (optional), remove the ham and place it in a baking dish. Sprinkle another 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar on top of the ham and broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes, or until the sugar has melted and caramelized.
Recipe Variations
- There are a million different ways to make a ham glaze! Try a mustard glaze by rubbing the ham with dijon mustard, then patting it with brown sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Try using orange juice instead of pineapple juice, and rubbing the ham with orange marmalade.
- Try adding some heat with crushed red pepper flakes and some sriracha whisked into the glaze. Make this look more caramelized with a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
- Add a can of pineapple chunks right on top of the ham before slow cooking. Serve with pineapple rings on top for presentation!
Recipe Tip! If you want the best presentation, broil the ham with extra brown sugar before serving. It will look caramelized and amazing, with a sticky and delicious glaze right on top!
Frequently Asked Questions
Look for a spiral ham that is about 7-9 pounds, which should be small enough to fit in a 6-7 quart crockpot. Even so, ham can be oddly shaped, and you may have to trim the ham to get it to fit in the slow cooker properly. Use a knife to trim the bottom of the ham until it rests easily in the slow cooker. You can take the pieces you trimmed off and place them next to the ham in the pot.
Recipe Tip! For a full holiday table, try serving this ham with cooked green beans, Brussel sprouts, glazed carrots, and a starch like Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes!
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Storage
Refrigerate leftover ham in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze leftover crockpot spiral ham in a freezer-safe container for 1-2 months.
Cooking Tips
- Be careful not to overcook, or your ham will turn out dry! Spiral ham is already pre-cooked, so all we’re doing is infusing flavor from the glaze, and warming it through to the bone. That’s why we’re only cooking this on low for 4-5 hours.
- A spiral ham is cut on – you guessed it – a spiral. You can cut along the natural spiral, but you also want to cut a few the opposite way so you can easily lift pieces of ham away from the bone.
- You can also roast this in the oven, about 15 minutes per pound at 325°F covered in an aluminum foil tent. Baste the ham a few times throughout the cooking time to keep it moist and spread that delicious flavor from the glaze. Broil for the last few minutes (remove the foil first) to caramelize the glaze on the top.
- If the ham has a bone in it, get about 1/2-1 pound per person, because some of that ham’s weight is bone and not meat. If it’s boneless, you’ll need about 1/4-1/2 pound of meat per person depending on what sides you serve.
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Slow Cooker Spiral Ham
Ingredients
- 8 pound bone-in spiral ham, fully cooked
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup honey
Equipment
- 1 6-7 quart slow cooker or larger
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of brown sugar to the slow cooker, spreading out to cover the bottom of the pot.
- Place the spiral ham on top of the brown sugar, so the ham is on its side and you can easily separate the slices. Place another 1/2 cup of brown sugar on top of the ham, trying to get some of it between the slices. Drizzle the honey over the ham, then pour the pineapple juice over everything.
- Close the slow cooker lid and set on low for 4-5 hours, or until the center of the ham is 140°F on a meat thermometer. Use a ladle to baste the top of the ham with the cooking liquid before serving.
- If you want more caramelization (optional), remove the ham and place it in a baking dish. Sprinkle another 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar on top of the ham and broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes, or until the sugar has melted and caramelized.
Notes
- Be careful not to overcook, or your ham will turn out dry! Spiral ham is already pre-cooked, so all we’re doing is infusing flavor from the glaze, and warming it through to the bone. That’s why we’re only cooking this on low for 4-5 hours.
- You can cut along the natural spiral, but you also want to cut a few the opposite way so you can easily lift pieces of ham away from the bone.
- You can also roast this in the oven, about 15 minutes per pound at 325°F covered in an aluminum foil tent. Baste the ham a few times throughout the cooking time to keep it moist. Broil for the last few minutes (without the foil) to caramelize the glaze on the top.
- If the ham has a bone in it, get about 1/2-1 pound per person, because some of that ham’s weight is bone and not meat. If it’s boneless, you’ll need about 1/4-1/2 pound of meat per person depending on what sides you serve.
Nutrition
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