If you want a holiday entree that truly pleases everyone, this slow cooker ham with pineapple is just the thing. The slow cooker makes easy work of this time-consuming process while locking in maximum flavor and moisture. Plus, it’s made without any refined sugar, instead using maple syrup and honey for sweetness and extra flavor. Make it once, and it’ll be a holiday go-to!
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My Favorite Crockpot Honey Ham Recipe
Holiday ham is already delicious on its own, but add a little maple and honey mustard glaze and you’ll understand why my family loves this recipe so much!
The slow cooker keeps your oven free for maple bacon balsamic brussel sprouts or healthy roasted potatoes while also infusing those spices and seasonings into every single bite.
Truly the best entree for Easter or Christmas!
Still deciding on your holiday entree? This Slow Cooker Turkey Roast, Christmas Roast or Slow Cooker Whole Chicken and Veggies are all worthy contenders!
Why this Holiday Ham Comes Out Perfectly Every Time
- Minimal effort: Since the spiral cut ham is precooked and your crockpot is doing the work, this is the easiest, most hands-off way to prepare the star of your meal.
- Loaded with flavor: The ham has so many layers of flavor, from the delicious ham to the tangy orange juice, sweet maple syrup and honey, and fragrant allspice.
- Free from refined sugar: Unlike most spiral hams made with brown sugar glaze, this recipe uses maple syrup, honey, freshly squeezed orange juice and pineapple slices to incorporate some natural sweetness.
Ingredients
- Spiral ham: I used a 4-6 lb fully cooked ham. The slow cooker brings it up to temperature and infuses it with tons of flavor.
- Orange juice & zest: These add a bright flavor, contrasting the rich sweetness of the ham.
- Honey & maple syrup: Combined, these two natural sweeteners make a delicious glaze that tastes just like your favorite brown sugar pineapple ham.
- Dijon mustard: Mustard marries the orange and honey flavors together perfectly without tasting too sweet.
- Ground allspice: I love how allspice tastes like a mixture of spices, like ground cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, without the fuss of hunting down all those jars in your spice cupboard.
- Canned pineapple rings: These are used for garnish on top of the ham and in between the slices. It looks lovely and adds lots of extra flavor.
How to Cook Ham in Slow Cooker – Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place the ham in the slow cooker, cut side down if it will fit that way.
- In a small bowl mix together the zest, juice, honey, maple syrup, Dijon, and allspice.
- Pour half of this mixture over the ham, and top with thyme sprigs and pineapple slices.
- Cover, cooking on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours, or until heated through with an internal temperature of at least 145℉.
- Place the remaining glaze into a small saucepan and heat on the stove over medium heat until mixture becomes thicker and more concentrated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Remove the ham to a wire baking rack lined sheet pan and baste the ham with the glaze just before serving. For extra crispy and sticky glaze, turn ham onto its side, place ham under the broiler of your oven on low, watching closely until the glaze starts to bubble and brown on the edges of the ham.
- Serve ham warm, or at room temperature, with any remaining glaze.
How to Cut a Spiral Ham
Depending on your cut of ham, there are two main ways to cut this entree to make it easy to serve to your holiday guests. You’ll want a long, sharp blade for easy carving and a sturdy cutting board for boneless or bone-in hams.
Boneless ham: Place the ham with its thickest side down for safe cutting. Use your knife to help the ham fall apart at the natural breaks from the spiral cut. Trim any large pieces down to size.
Bone-in ham: Carefully run a thin knife, like a filet knife, all along the bone. Some of the pieces will naturally fall apart. Move those pieces to your serving tray. Cut large slices into smaller pieces for easy serving.
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable spiral ham recipe!
Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Ham
- This spiral ham glaze recipe would also work on a regular or country ham.
- Crushed pineapple could also work for this recipe, just add up to ½ cup lightly drained crushed pineapple to the cooking/glaze mixture in step 2.
- It’s important to cook down the second half of the glaze to get it thick enough to stick to the ham. If you skip this step, the sauce will be too runny.
- For extra sticky glaze, add in 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this ham could also be cooked in a large roasting pan in the oven. Just cover with foil and cook at 275℉ -300℉. for 3-4 hours or until it is heated through.
Although you’re probably using fully-cooked ham, it’s essential to thaw your ham completely to maintain good food safety practices. There’s something called the Temperature Danger Zone, which is when foods are between 41 to 135 degrees F. In this temperature range, bacteria grow faster than in cooler or hotter temperatures.
The goal is to get your chilled, thawed ham through this temperature range as quickly as possible, ideally within 2 hours. If you cook a frozen ham, the center of your ham will stay in this danger zone for much longer than is considered safe. You’ll know the ham is fully cooked when it reaches 145 degrees F in the thickest portion.
How to Store Leftover Ham
Any extra ham can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat: If you have leftovers from Easter dinner, you have several options to reheat them. An easy way is to microwave the slices you want to serve for about 1-2 minutes. You can also griddle ham slices for caramelization on each side (it makes a great breakfast side like this)!
If you’re reheating a large amount, you can place the slices in a baking dish with a bit of extra orange juice. Bake at 350 F until the pieces are warm all the way through.
Serving Ideas for Holiday Ham
To make a complete holiday feast, you’ll want to pair your juicy crockpot ham with all your favorite sides, like Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes and French Green Beans with Bacon.
Since ham is so sweet, I love to pair it with Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Sauce for a little tartness and extra spices. It really gives you that cozy Christmas flavor!
What to Do with Leftover Ham
There are lots of ways to put any leftover ham to good use! Leftovers are great in sandwiches, soups, pasta or egg dishes.
Try any of the following ideas:
- Breakfast scramble
- Ham sandwiches
- Add to mini egg bites
- Quiches (full-size or mini)
- Breakfast frittatas (like this cottage cheese frittata)
- Ham and cheese wraps
Recipe Variations
- Add some bourbon: The alcohol will cook off in the slow cooker but will add a delicious aromatic flavor.
- Use more pineapple: If you want more of a pineapple glaze, replace the orange juice with pineapple juice.
More Christmas Recipes to Try
If you want to put on a show-stopping meal, start with the appetizer. My Charcuterie Christmas Tree looks gorgeous and tastes just as good!
My family loves eating green beans with cranberries and almonds, which are a little sweet and a little savory.
To get some greens on your plate, try this Christmas Wreath Salad with pear, pomegranate, and pecans (the three Ps). Such a nice contrast to the richness of the ham!
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Slow Cooker Ham with Pineapple
Ingredients
- 4-6 pound small spiral ham
- Zest of 1 orange
- Juice of 2 oranges
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Pineapple rings, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the ham in the slow cooker, cut side down if it will fit that way.
- In a small bowl mix together the zest, juice, honey, maple syrup, dijon, and allspice.
- Pour half of this mixture over the ham, and top with thyme sprigs and pineapple slices.
- Cover, cooking on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours, or until heated through with an internal temperature of at least 145℉.
- Place the remaining glaze into a small saucepan and heat on the stove over medium heat until mixture becomes thicker and more concentrated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Remove the ham to a wire baking rack lined sheet pan and baste the ham with the glaze just before serving. For extra crispy and sticky glaze, turn ham onto it’s side, place ham under the broiler of your oven on low, watching closely until the glaze starts to bubble and brown on the edges of the ham.
- Serve ham warm, or at room temperature, with any remaining glaze.
Notes
- This spiral ham glaze recipe would also work on a regular or country ham.
- Crushed pineapple could also work for this recipe, just add up to ½ cup lightly drained crushed pineapple to the cooking/glaze mixture in step 2.
- It’s important to cook down the second half of the glaze to get it thick enough to stick to the ham. If you skip this step, the sauce will be too runny.
- For extra sticky glaze, add in 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
- Leftovers are great in sandwiches, soups, pasta or egg dishes.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in March 2023 and the text, formatting and ingredient shot were updated in December 2025.
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