This crock pot ham is a spiral cut ham topped with a 3 ingredient glaze, then slow cooked to perfection. This is the BEST way to make your holiday ham, the slow cooker does all of the work!
I’m always looking for ways to make holiday entertaining easier, and this crock pot ham is about as simple as it gets. All it takes is 5 minutes of prep time, and you end up with the most tender and succulent ham of all time! Not a ham fan? Try my herb roasted turkey or slow cooker turkey breast instead.
Whenever there’s a holiday, there’s a ham on my table. I love to cook ham because most of the work is done for you before you even open the package. All you need is a delicious glaze and a slow cooker to make this simple crock pot ham. Best of all, it frees up oven space so that you have plenty of room to cook up your sides and desserts.
How do you make crock pot ham?
The first step is to choose your ham. I always go with a smoked spiral cut ham. You’ll want a ham around 7-8 pounds in size. If you go any larger, you may have trouble fitting it into your crock pot. You can always trim off the end to make it fit if needed.
The ham is coated in brown sugar, then doused in maple syrup and pineapple juice to form a sweet glaze that simmers away along with the ham.
Tips for crock pot ham
- You’ll need a large oval slow cooker for this recipe – the one shown here is an 8 quart slow cooker, I’ve also used my 7 quart size with success.
- The glaze is fairly thin when it comes out of the crock pot, so I like to transfer it to a pan on the stove top and simmer the glaze until it thickens.
- Not a fan of pineapple juice? Try apple cider instead.
- I like to garnish my ham platter with an assortment of herbs and fruit for a beautiful presentation.
How much ham per person?
You’ll need about 3/4 pound of ham per person for a bone-in ham. If you want plenty of leftovers, you can increase that amount to 1 pound of ham per person.
How long to cook a ham?
It takes approximately 3-4 hours to cook a ham in the crock pot on low heat. You can check to make sure your ham is heated through by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the ham. The thermometer should read at least 140 degrees F.
What to serve with ham
Ham pairs perfectly with potatoes, vegetables, cornbread, or even stuffing! Here are some of my favorite holiday side dishes that I serve alongside my crock pot ham.
- Cranberry Jello Salad
- Bacon Green Bean Bundles
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Glazed Carrots
How to reheat leftover ham
One of the best parts about a holiday meal is enjoying the leftovers the next day! You can reheat your ham by covering it with foil and warming it in a 275 degree oven.
How to use leftover ham
Got leftover ham? I’ve got plenty of ways for you to repurpose it! Check out my list of 40 Satisfying Leftover Ham Recipes.
I love this crock pot ham because it’s tender, flavorful and so incredibly easy to make. It’s a huge hit every time I serve it!
Crock Pot Ham Video
Crock Pot Ham with Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- 8 lb spiral cut ham
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pure maple syrup do not use artificially flavored pancake syrup
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- cooking spray
- fresh herbs for garnish
Instructions
- Coat a large 7-8 quart crock pot with cooking spray.
- Place the ham cut side down in the crock pot.
- Rub the brown sugar all over the ham, then pour the maple syrup and pineapple juice over the top.
- Cook for 3-4 hours on low heat, or until a thermometer registers 140 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the ham.
- Transfer the ham to a serving platter.
- Pour the liquid from the bottom of the crock pot into a medium sized pan.
- Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.
- Cook for 6-8 minutes or until just thickened,
- Pour the sauce over the ham. Decorate the serving platter with fresh herbs if desired, then serve.
Tiffany Kroll says
What if I don’t have pure maple syrup only the pancake type you reference not to use? Should I use honey instead? Other suggestions?
Sara says
Honey will work just fine!
Evelyn says
I tried this crock pot ham so it would be less work for me I was right! Very tasty!
Yvonne says
What if it already come s with glaze packet? Can you just sprinkle that on top and add some water or apple cider?
Sara says
You could try that but I haven’t tested it so I don’t know if it would work!
Yvonne says
What if you can’t put the lid on your slow cooker cause ham is to tall., can you put the ham on its side in the slow cooker
Sara says
Yes you can put it on its side!
Shawna says
Going to try this one day this week I was wondering if you ever tried adding sweet potatoes to the crock pot with the ham?
Sara says
I have not tried it, but it should work fine!
James says
Can this be made in a electric roaster? Didn’t look like the oven recipe was quite the same
Sara says
I haven’t tried it but I think it would work!
Amy G says
Can this be done using a boneless spiral ham?
Sara says
Yes it works with boneless hams!
Brittnie Slate says
Im trying this tonight for a get together at my apartment, my ham is frozen, how would this change the recipe?
Sara says
You’d need to cook it longer, you could try an extra hour or two but it depends on the size of your ham.
layke says
curious if i could just preslice regular boneless ham-I don’t have spiral. Thoughts?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Layke says
Thanks!
Katie says
Is this a bone in or boneless spiral ham? I have a bone in one and not sure how that would change the cook time.
Sara says
I use a bone in ham!
Theresa D says
This looks delicious! If your ham is too big for the crockpot, can you make this in the oven? How would the instructions change? Merry Christmas!
Sara says
You can either trim them ham to fit in the crockpot, or try this recipe for an oven baked ham! https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/glazed-ham-for-the-holidays/
Melanie says
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Laura says
If I get a smaller ham, say about 4lbs, should I cook it for less time?
Sara says
You can take one hour off the cook time.
Robyn Carrington says
Do you leave the skin on or peel this off then make cris cross slices on hame before putting brown sugar etc on it.
Sara says
I buy a pre-sliced spiral ham, I don’t do anything to it except unwrap it and place it in the pot.
Morgan says
I’m bringing this to a potluck and won’t have a stove to thicken the sauce, can I do it in the bottom of the crock pot on high?
Sara says
That should be fine, just give it at least 30 minutes to thicken.
Carolyn says
Would the juices be suitable to make gravy?
Sara says
The liquid is pretty sweet from the brown sugar and maple syrup, not sure how it would work as gravy.
Kasey says
Does the recipe change if the ham is not pre-sliced?
Sara says
The recipe works fine with hams that are not sliced!
Susie says
Can you use regular apple juice?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Nancy says
Is the spiral ham already cooked. Or I will need a uncooked one?
Sara says
Use a cooked ham!
Tom Woolf says
Sweetened or unsweetened pineapple juice?
Sara says
I use 100% pineapple juice, so the only ingredient is pineapple juice, no added sugar.