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Home » Slow Cooker » Crock Pot Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze

Published: October 10, 2018 Last Modified: March 11, 2019 By Sara 246 Comments

Crock Pot Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze

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Crock Pot Ham Recipe | Slow Cooker Ham | Glazed Ham | Thanksgiving Ham | Christmas Ham | Easter Ham #ham #slowcooker #crockpot #dinner #christmas #thanksgiving #easter #glutenfree #dinneratthezoo

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.

Crock Pot Ham Recipe | Slow Cooker Ham | Glazed Ham | Thanksgiving Ham | Christmas Ham | Easter Ham #ham #slowcooker #crockpot #dinner #christmas #thanksgiving #easter #glutenfree #dinneratthezoo Crock Pot Ham Recipe | Slow Cooker Ham | Glazed Ham | Thanksgiving Ham | Christmas Ham | Easter Ham #ham #slowcooker #crockpot #dinner #christmas #thanksgiving #easter #glutenfree #dinneratthezoo

A crock pot ham on a serving plate with herbs and apples for garnish.

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.

A ham in a crock pot coated with brown sugar.

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.

A crock pot ham with maple syrup being poured over the top.

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.

A ham in a slow cooker covered in brown sugar, maple syrup and pineapple juice.

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

A spiral cut crock pot ham inside a slow cooker.

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.

Sliced crock pot ham on a serving plate.

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


A crock pot ham on a serving plate with herbs and apples for garnish.
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5 from 42 votes

Crock Pot Ham with Brown Sugar

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!
Course Main
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 404kcal
Author Sara Welch

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.

Notes

If you prefer a thicker glaze, you can whisk together 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and add it to the sauce pan when you simmer your liquid from the bottom of the crock pot. 

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 489mg | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1.3mg
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    Comments

    1. Corina says

      November 2, 2021 at 9:46 pm

      I’m going to attempt this recipe in a few weeks. I will be in Big Bear for Thanksgiving, will I need to adjust the amount of cook time for the ham?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 3, 2021 at 10:28 am

        The cook time should not change assuming you use the same size ham as the recipe calls for!

        Reply
    2. Joan says

      October 10, 2021 at 8:21 am

      I have a 9 lb ham that is not spiral cut, how long should I cook it?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        October 10, 2021 at 10:21 am

        I’d add one more hour and you might want to score the top so the glaze can soak in!

        Reply
    3. Krystin says

      August 6, 2021 at 12:50 pm

      I have a question. Please forgive me if it’s a dumb question. It seems like the juice and syrup being poured on the ham first makes more sense to me, then you can pat on the brown sugar. No? Does it make a difference? It sounds so good and I want to try it, but I don’t want to mess it up. I hope you’ll reply. Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Sara says

        August 9, 2021 at 6:45 pm

        It’s fine to do it either way, it won’t hurt anything!

        Reply
    4. amanda lorenz says

      April 25, 2021 at 10:16 am

      I could only get a 2.5 lb boneless fully cooked honey ham. How do I change the timing for it?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 26, 2021 at 9:30 am

        You would cook for 1-2 hours!

        Reply
        • Maria says

          November 13, 2021 at 10:36 am

          Do we just use half the ingredients if we only have a 2.5 ham?

          Reply
          • Sara says

            November 15, 2021 at 8:54 am

            Yes and you will also want to reduce the cooking time.

            Reply
    5. Lisa says

      April 6, 2021 at 6:58 am

      5 stars
      This was the best ham glaze ever! I didn’t have a spiral cut ham, but a full black forest ham that I cut with a diamond pattern. it was 7 lbs, so I put it in the slow cooker for 6.5 hrs. I did substitute the pineapple juice with apple cider, and thickened it with the cornstarch. It came out perfect! My mom said it was the best ham she has ever had and my husband said he could eat it everyday. Thank you so much for this simple, yet amazing recipe.

      Reply
    6. Daisy says

      April 4, 2021 at 11:03 am

      5 stars
      This was delicious!! I didn’t have pineapple juice, so I subbed orange juice. So good. We had just under 10lbs of spiral sliced ham and it took 4 hours in the crockpot. Thank you for such a delicious and easy recipe!

      Reply
    7. Alicia says

      April 3, 2021 at 11:07 am

      5 stars
      Delicious! I have made this ham many times and have passed along the recipe to my son and sister who both love the recipe as well.
      Thanks for posting.

      Reply
    8. jOANIE says

      April 2, 2021 at 5:59 pm

      I HAVE A 5LB HAM THAT IS NOT SPIRALCUT. HOW LONG SHOULD I COOK IT ANDSHOULD I MAKE DIAMOND CUTS ON THE HAM?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 3, 2021 at 8:34 pm

        I would do 3 hours and make the diamond cuts so the glaze can soak in.

        Reply
    9. Nicole says

      April 1, 2021 at 1:09 pm

      I’m assuming we are to use an uncooked ham? I see many of them are already cooked

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 1, 2021 at 8:52 pm

        Most hams are pre-cooked, I use a pre-cooked ham in this recipe.

        Reply
    10. Pete says

      March 29, 2021 at 1:43 pm

      Do I let the ham sit after removing it from the slow cooker? Or can it be sliced up immediately?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        March 29, 2021 at 6:41 pm

        You can serve it right away!

        Reply
        • Susie says

          April 5, 2021 at 5:58 pm

          I serve right away, it’s pre cooked. The longer it sit the dryer it will get, Enjoy

          Reply
    11. Jordynn says

      January 20, 2021 at 4:51 pm

      Is your ham bone in? Should I cook mine differently with the bone in?

      Reply
      • Tommy says

        February 5, 2021 at 6:06 am

        Can I use molasses instead of syrup

        Reply
        • Sara says

          February 5, 2021 at 8:39 pm

          I’d use half the amount of molasses since it is such a strong flavor!

          Reply
    12. Sandra. Huntley says

      January 17, 2021 at 10:09 am

      This all sounds so good. I can’t wait to get to start it. A friend gave it to me and I told him I would take him up. Some. Thank you.

      Reply
    13. Mike says

      January 8, 2021 at 1:01 pm

      5 stars
      Well done we the family loves it!

      Reply
    14. Savee says

      December 31, 2020 at 10:18 am

      Thanks for the recipe! I don’t have pineapple juice. What can I substitute with?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 31, 2020 at 5:05 pm

        Apple juice or cider would work!

        Reply
    15. Patty B. says

      December 28, 2020 at 11:51 am

      I have an 11 pound cooked spiral ham that fits in my 6 quart slow cooker but can’t use the lid. Would a foil tent work good enough?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 28, 2020 at 6:44 pm

        You want to completely cover the ham with foil and press the foil tightly around the edges of the pot to try and form as tight of a seal as possible. Then set crock pot top over the foil if possible.

        Reply
      • Wanda says

        December 31, 2020 at 9:25 am

        Can I substitute honey for the maple syrup?

        Reply
        • Sara says

          December 31, 2020 at 5:05 pm

          Yes that’s fine!

          Reply
    16. Brenda says

      December 24, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      Can this recipe be done with a ham that is not spiral cut? If so. Do I do anything different?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 24, 2020 at 3:29 pm

        Yes you may need to increase the cook time by 30-60 minutes depending on the size of the ham!

        Reply
    17. Patty says

      December 24, 2020 at 10:53 am

      I have a 3lb.ham how
      Long to cook?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 24, 2020 at 3:31 pm

        It should take about 2 hours!

        Reply
    18. Melissa Cruz says

      December 23, 2020 at 11:04 pm

      I have pineapple juice and brown sugar but no maple. Will it still come out OK if I make it without?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 24, 2020 at 10:40 am

        Yes that should be fine!

        Reply
    19. LovefromMN says

      December 23, 2020 at 5:39 pm

      I have a 9lb ham & have never attempted to cook a ham. How long should I let it cook?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 23, 2020 at 6:28 pm

        You can add one more hour to the cook time!

        Reply
        • Nikki says

          December 26, 2020 at 10:44 pm

          My ham is 10 lbs…..does that mean I add two hours onto the cook time?

          Reply
          • Sara says

            December 26, 2020 at 11:27 pm

            I’d just add one hour!

            Reply
    20. Destanie says

      December 22, 2020 at 8:54 am

      Can I add a can of pineapple as well?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 22, 2020 at 3:52 pm

        Yes that will work!

        Reply
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