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Home / Holiday Recipes / Easter / Crockpot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham

Crockpot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham

8 hrs 25 mins
| 10 Comments |
4.49 from 29 votes
Jump to Recipe 04/02/21 | Updated: 04/02/21 | by Nora
Crockpot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham Image Pin

For a perfect holiday dinner, try this Crockpot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham. With little prep and the crock pot doing all the work, this is the ultimate easy recipe.

Perfect for Easter, Christmas or any holiday dinner you want an easy but impressive entree for!

frontal view of sliced open brown sugar pineapple ham

Crockpot Ham with Pineapple Glaze

Pineapple and pork is one of my favorite combinations, so this is my go-to recipe for when I decide to make ham for a special celebration like Easter or Christmas. And while I usually don’t douse dinner in brown sugar… There’s not really any other way here, so we’ll just go with it 😉

It’s incredibly easy to make the pineapple glaze. Basically, it’s crushed pineapple (with the juice), some orange juice for flavor, brown sugar and spices cooked into a sticky glaze. Absolutely fuss-free, hands-off and delicious!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for crockpot brown sugar pineapple ham with text labels
Ingredients for Crockpot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham: Fully cooked ham, brown sugar, undrained crushed pineapple, cornstarch, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, mustard, whole/ground cloves (optional) and salt.

Ingredient notes

  • Use a boneless ham labelled as “fully cooked”. A spiral-cut ham is NOT preferable for this recipe, they tend to dry out in the slow cooker.
  • Brown sugar: I always use light brown sugar for this recipe, because I like the taste best. Dark brown makes the glaze more intense.
  • Cider vinegar: This adds a nice note to the glaze, but it’s optional. Your glaze will not taste vinegar-y from this. Please don’t use any other vinegar in place of cider vinegar, just skip it if you don’t have it.
  • Mustard: I use Dijon mustard because that’s what I always have on hand. Feel free to use yellow or whatever favorite you have.
  • Ground cloves: I used both ground and whole cloves for maximum flavor. If you only have whole cloves, you can use 5-10 pieces of those in the glaze without using ground. Or leave them out entirely if you’re not a fan!

A note on ham size: I used to always get a 5 pound ham for this recipe, to feed our extended family on holidays. But since life has been different for all of us in the last year, I decided to test the recipe with a smaller ham when I wanted to take new photos for Easter:

I used a 2 ½ pound ham and cut the glaze ingredients in half. I used a smaller crockpot (2.5 quart) and cooked the ham on LOW for 3 hours, which worked out great.

If your ham is larger (8-10 pounds), use an 8 quart slow cooker and double the glaze. Cook the ham on LOW for 7-8 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.

A spiral cut ham cooks a little faster, but it tends to dry out, so be mindful you don’t overcook it.

Step by step instructions

1. Start by placing your fully cooked ham in a large, lightly oiled crockpot.

2. Place all remaining ingredients into a saucepan and simmer until bubbly and thickened.

  • fully cooked ham in white crockpot
    place ham in crockpot
  • ingredients for brown sugar pineapple glaze in saucepan
    glaze ingredients in saucepan
  • cooked brown sugar pineapple glaze in saucepan
    cooked glaze
  • ham with pineapple glaze in white crockpot
    glaze poured over ham

3. Pour the glaze over the ham in the crockpot, then slow cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

close up photo of cooked ham with brown sugar pineapple glaze in white crock

4. Allow the ham to rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes, then slice to serve with the pineapple glaze from the crock. I also added some maraschino cherries to the serving platter for a festive look!

  • overhead view of pineapple glazed ham on plate with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries
  • frontal view of sliced open brown sugar pineapple ham

Recipe tips

  • The glaze doesn’t need to cook for long, just simmer it until it looks glossy and has thickened.
  • Make sure to use a 5-6 quart crockpot to hold a 5 pound ham. You need to be able to close the lid, and I prefer the ham not to touch the sides too much. They can scorch.
  • The glaze thins out a little during cooking, due to the juices the ham releases. If you prefer it very thick, either add ½ an extra tablespoon of cornstarch at the beginning, OR place it back into a saucepan after slow cooking and thicken it on a low simmer on the stove with a slurry made from ½ tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water.

How hot should a ham be in the middle

If you have a vacuum packed, fully-cooked ham from a government-inspected plant (I know that’s awfully specific, but ham cooking times are somewhat confusing), 145°F is the recommended internal temperature to heat it to.

Refer to this page on the USDA website for more information.

Oven instructions

You can bake this in a Dutch oven!

Simply follow the instructions, but instead of cooking the ham in the slow cooker, baked it in a Dutch oven with the lid on at 350°F for around 20 minutes per pound. If you have time, baste it a few times with the glaze during baking time.

Leftovers

Place leftover ham and glaze in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. I reheat it in a pan on the stove with the lid closed, or use just the ham diced up in casseroles and soups.

slices of cooked ham with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries on white plate

Serving ideas

Since this is a classic holiday dinner recipe, we usually eat it with all of the trimmings. Aka our favorite holiday sides!

For Easter, we always have roasted asparagus, roasted baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes, glazed carrots and a nice big salad.

For Christmas, I make sautéed green beans, mashed potatoes… and probably the glazed carrots, too 😉

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Printable Recipe Card
frontal view of sliced open brown sugar pineapple ham
Save Recipe Saved!

Crockpot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham

For a perfect holiday dinner, try this Crockpot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham. With little prep and the crock pot doing all the work, this is the ultimate easy recipe.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
4.49 from 29 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 15 mins
Cook 8 hrs
Resting Time 10 mins
Total 8 hrs 25 mins
Servings 10 servings
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients
 

  • 1 fully cooked boneless ham (about 5 pounds; preferably NOT pre-sliced; they tend to dry out in the slow cooker)
  • 1 (20-oz) can crushed pineapple packed in juice undrained
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch ground cloves optional; and/or 5-10 whole cloves

Instructions
 

  • Prep: Place the ham in a lightly greased 5-6 quart slow cooker.
  • Make glaze: Mix the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring from time to time, until bubbly. Pour over the ham.
  • Slow cook: Cook on LOW for around 6-8 hours, or until the internal temperature of the ham reads at least 145°F (older crockpots may need a little longer, they tend to run less hot). Rest on a chopping board for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve topped with the pineapple glaze.
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Notes

Ingredient notes

  • Use a boneless ham labelled as “fully cooked”. A spiral-cut ham is NOT preferable for this recipe, they tend to dry out in the slow cooker.
  • Brown sugar: I always use light brown sugar for this recipe, because I like the taste best. Dark brown makes the glaze more intense.
  • Cider vinegar: This adds a nice note to the glaze, but it’s optional. Your glaze will not taste vinegar-y from this. Please don’t use any other vinegar in place of cider vinegar, just skip it if you don’t have it.
  • Mustard: I use Dijon mustard because that’s what I always have on hand. Feel free to use yellow or whatever favorite you have.
  • Ground cloves: I used both ground and whole cloves for maximum flavor. If you only have whole cloves, you can use 5-10 pieces of those in the glaze without using ground. Or leave them out entirely if you’re not a fan!

Recipe tips

  • The glaze doesn’t need to cook for long, just simmer it until it looks glossy and has thickened.
  • Make sure to use a 5-6 quart crockpot to hold a 5 pound ham. You need to be able to close the lid, and I prefer the ham not to touch the sides too much. They can scorch.
  • The glaze thins out a little during cooking, due to the juices the ham releases. If you prefer it very thick, either add ½ an extra tablespoon of cornstarch at the beginning, OR place it back into a saucepan after slow cooking and thicken it on a low simmer on the stove with a slurry made from ½ tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water.
How hot should a ham be in the middle
If you have a vacuum packed, fully-cooked ham from a government-inspected plant (I know that’s awfully specific, but ham cooking times are somewhat confusing), 145°F is the recommended internal temperature to heat it to.
Refer to this page on the USDA website for more information.
Oven instructions
You can bake this in a Dutch oven!
Simply follow the instructions, but instead of cooking the ham in the slow cooker, baked it in a Dutch oven with the lid on at 350°F for around 20 minutes per pound. If you have time, baste it a few times with the glaze during baking time.
Leftovers
Place leftover ham and glaze in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. I reheat it in a pan on the stove with the lid closed, or use just the ham diced up in casseroles and soups.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 462kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 43gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 2643mgPotassium: 747mgSugar: 29gVitamin A: 40IUVitamin C: 60.7mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 2.3mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Recipe first published on 04/11/2019. Updated with new photos and text on 04/02/2021.

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Comments

  1. Brittney says

    December 26, 2020 at 4:35 am

    5 stars
    It was amazing and moist and sweet!!

    Reply
  2. Susan Proctor says

    May 04, 2020 at 10:01 am

    5 stars
    I made this ham today but with a bone in. It was so juicy and delicious and a pineapple broth was to die for after only 6 hours. This is definitely a keeper.

    Reply
  3. Carrie says

    April 11, 2020 at 6:18 am

    5 stars
    This is a great recipe. It’s just perfect.

    Reply
  4. Mel says

    December 24, 2019 at 1:25 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for Easter and wanted to make for Xmas again but had lost my recipe. Just spent and hour finding the right one lol but so glad I did, it is the best out there. Thank u for sharing and happy holidays

    Reply
    • Nora Rusev says

      December 24, 2019 at 1:37 pm

      I’m so happy to hear, Mel. Happy holidays to you and yours!

      Reply
  5. Sally says

    December 24, 2019 at 12:15 pm

    5 stars
    Served this for a little pre-Christmas get together with neighbors and my oh my was it ever delicious. My husband busted out the Hawaii rolls I bought to make leftover sliders with to mop up all the sauce 😂

    Reply
    • Nora Rusev says

      December 24, 2019 at 1:40 pm

      Haha, love it, Sally!

      Reply
  6. Rachel >> Strangers on a Plain says

    October 02, 2019 at 7:38 pm

    I added this to my meal plan for October. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

    Reply
  7. Destiny says

    June 11, 2019 at 3:05 am

    5 stars
    Is the pineapple glaze the same thing you put in the pot while its cooking

    Reply
    • Nora says

      June 13, 2019 at 9:10 pm

      Yep!

      Reply

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

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