Instant Pot Ham with Pineapple and Brown Sugar is an easy recipe that’s perfect for the holidays. It’s a great twist on the classic honey baked ham and is made in just one pot. It clears up space in the oven for me to make other festive dishes.
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Why this Instant Pot Ham Recipe is a Keeper
I love this ham recipe because not only is it quick and super easy, it’s also mouth-watering deliciousness. It’s a great recipe to add to a go-to dinner recipe stash.
- Effortless Cooking: The Instant Pot makes cooking a large ham incredibly simple and hands-off, freeing up oven space and reducing stress.
- Moist and Tender Ham: The pressure cooking method ensures the ham stays incredibly moist and tender, preventing it from drying out.
- Sweet and Savory Glaze: The brown sugar and pineapple glaze creates a delightful balance of sweet and savory flavors that complement the ham perfectly.
- Festive and Impressive: This ham in pressure cooker recipe is a beautiful and impressive dish that’s perfect for holiday gatherings, family dinners, or any special occasion. Try this ham for Easter.
- Quick and Convenient: Compared to traditional oven roasting, the Instant Pot significantly reduces cooking time, making instant pot ham recipes ideal for busy schedules.
Can you cook a Bone-In Ham instead of a Spiral Ham in the Instant Pot?
As long as a bone-in ham fits in your instant pot, it should work. Be aware that a whole ham, bone and all, will need to cook longer to accommodate.
Pro Tip to Make Instant Pot Ham
Rest Before Slicing: Let the ham rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing to lock in the juices.
Instant Pot Ham Ingredient Notes and Variation Suggestions
All of the required ingredients are easy to find at the store, but some of the ingredients may be around the kitchen already. If I don’t have them, I use different ingredients to substitute.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Ham: Use a spiral boneless ham for this recipe to allow the glaze to penetrate easily.
- Pineapple: It’s best to use canned pineapple rings, but feel free to also try crushed pineapple.
- Fruit Variations: Try this recipe with cherries, cranberries, apples or pears.
- Sweetener Variations: Instead of brown sugar, try honey, maple syrup or agave nectar.
- Spice Variations: To up the flavor, add spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg or ginger.
- Liquid Variations: Feel free to try this recipe with other liquids like apple juice, orange juice or chicken broth.
Special Equipment Needed for Pressure Cooking this Glazed Ham
A specific piece of equipment can sometimes make all the difference in a recipe. For this recipe, just a couple of things are helpful.
- Instant Pot: I use my instant pot, or electric pressure cooker, to make this wonderful ham in a pressure cooker. Make sure your ham fits in the bottom of the pot.
How to Make this Easy Instant Pot Ham Recipe
This recipe comes together in just 4 quick and easy steps. This holiday ham is so good, I make ham like this for every holiday dinner.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Prepare the Instant Pot: Place the trivet with the handles in an 8 quart instant pot and add water.
- Add Brown Sugar Glaze Ingredients: Place the ham in the middle of a piece of foil and fold up the sides to make a bowl. Rub the brown sugar over the ham and pour pineapple juice over the top.
- Cook Ham in the Instant Pot: Place the foil wrapped ham in the instant pot on top of the trivet. Seal the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes per pound of ham, then add another 10 minutes.
4. Release Pressure: Let the pressure release naturally for some time, then do a quick release.
Prep Ahead Suggestions to Love this Recipe for Spiral-Sliced Ham
Sometimes when I prepare ingredients ahead, it came make all the difference in a recipe.
- Acclimate Ham: Take out your ham and bring to room temperature.
How to Store, Reheat and Use Leftover Instant Pot Ham
- Storing: Store insta pot spiral ham in an airtight container. Put the ham in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: To reheat pressure cooker ham, heat in the microwave or oven.
- Using Leftovers: Enjoy leftover ham in recipes like ham salad sandwiches or Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole.
Common Questions About This Instant Pot Recipe
Instant pot ham can be made as Crock Pot Spiral Ham. I can also make ham in the oven.
Plan about 1/2 pound ham per person when picking a bone-in ham and 1/3 pound if boneless. Of course, it is always nice to have extra for all your recipes.
Sure, but be sure to add some pineapple juice so that the instant pot ham is juicy.
The reason why the burn notice might be appearing is if I didn’t add enough liquid to the pot. It’s super important to add enough liquid to the pot so that my dinner doesn’t burn.
Expert Tips for Making this Easy Ham Recipe
- Use a Trivet: Always use a trivet in the Pot if you have one. This prevents the ham from sitting directly in the liquid in the bottom of the instant pot.
- Score the Ham (If Not Spiral-Cut): If you’re using a ham that’s not spiral-cut, score the surface in a diamond pattern to allow the glaze to penetrate.
- Use a Meat Thermometer: This is the most reliable way to ensure the ham is cooked to the correct temperature.
- Let the Ham Rest: After cooking, carefully remove the ham from the instant pot. Let the ham rest for a few minutes before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute.
- Reserve Glaze: Reserve some of the ham glaze. Brush extra glaze over the ham after it’s been sliced.
- Serve this Recipe With: Serve this recipe with Loaded Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Crockpot Green Bean Casserole and Rosemary Butter Rolls.
More Recipes You Might Like
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Instant Pot Ham with Pineapple and Brown Sugar
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Ingredients
- 5 pounds Spiral boneless ham
- 20 ounces Pineapple rings, 1 can with juice
- 1 cup Brown sugar, divided
- ½ cup Water
Instructions
- Place the trivet with the handles in an 8 quart instant pot.
- Pour the water into the instant pot.
- Place the ham in the middle of the foil and fold up the sides of the foil to make a bowl for the ham.
- Rub the brown sugar over the ham and pineapple juice over the top making sure that all the ingredients stay in the foil.
- Then place the foil wrapped ham in the instant pot on top of the trivet.
- Seal the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes per pound of ham, and add 10 minutes because of the foil.
- Then allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes and then do a quick release after this time.
Christina’s Notes
- Use a Trivet: Always use a trivet in the Pot if you have one. This prevents the ham from sitting directly in the liquid in the bottom of the instant pot.
- Score the Ham (If Not Spiral-Cut): If you’re using a ham that’s not spiral-cut, score the surface in a diamond pattern to allow the glaze to penetrate.
- Use a Meat Thermometer: This is the most reliable way to ensure the ham is cooked to the correct temperature.
- Let the Ham Rest: After cooking, carefully remove the ham from the instant pot. Let the ham rest for a few minutes before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute.
- Reserve Glaze: Reserve some of the ham glaze. Brush extra glaze over the ham after it’s been sliced.
- Serve this Recipe With: Serve this recipe with Loaded Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Crockpot Green Bean Casserole and Rosemary Butter Rolls.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
A great way to make ham. Thank you.