This Crockpot Ham is made with a delicious sticky honey glaze – perfect for a festive holiday dinner. Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving: Your family is going to love this!
Growing up, we always ate ham for holiday dinners at my grandma’s. And because I love nothing more but an easy holiday meal I can set and forget in my slow cooker, this Crockpot Honey Ham has become one of my absolute favorites – sweet, salty and perfectly juicy.
I actually make this well beyond Christmas and Easter dinner. Sometimes even on a weeknight because I need a speedy dinner everyone will eat!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is an overview of the ingredients in the recipe (great to use as a visual grocery list at the store!). Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Ham: I do not recommend cooking a spiral ham in the crockpot, because they tend to dry out so much. Instead, I always use a precooked boneless ham that we slice ourselves after cooking.
- Honey: I prefer using a mild honey because it is the main flavor in the glaze and I have little kids who turn their nose up at strong earthy flavors. Make sure to use a honey you like, and I would avoid varieties on the bitter side because heat can increase those notes.
- Mustard: I used a smooth and mild Dijon mustard, but feel free to use whole grain mustard, yellow mustard… whatever you have on hand and enjoy the taste of.
- Orange Juice: I always make this with orange juice because it adds so much more flavor to the glaze vs water! If you don’t like orange juice, you can try pineapple juice or even cranberry juice for a cranberry glaze.
How to cook a ham in the slow cooker
First, make the glaze: Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, whisk well and bring to a boil. Simmer until thickened, then take the glaze off the heat.
Place the ham in the slow cooker, then pour over the glaze. Slow cook until ham is heated through.
For a very thick glaze, ladle as much as you want back into the saucepan and simmer on the stove for a few minutes until thickened to your liking.
Recipe tips
- Thickening the remaining glaze: If your glaze just doesn’t thicken, try bringing it to a boil once (the cornstarch needs heat to work). If that doesn’t do the trick, add another cornstarch slurry – the amount you need greatly depends on the amount of juices your ham releases during cooking.
- Resting the ham: This is important for a juicy ham. Make sure to set the ham on a chopping board with a ridge around, or at least place the chopping board on a surface where a little juice spillage is fine.
Oven instructions
When I make this recipe in the oven instead, I cook the ham in a large Dutch oven (just follow the glaze recipe above, then place the ham and glaze in a Dutch oven and close the lid).
Bake it at 325°F for 1 h 30 mins, or until the ham is cooked through (baste it every 15 minutes and check for the internal temperature). The Dutch oven lid will help to get a nice crust on top.
Make sure to check it every 15 minutes though to keep the ham from overcooking or turning black at the top, depending on your exact size ham.
Leftovers
Place leftover ham and glaze in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. I reheat it in a pan on the stove with the lid closed, or use it diced up in casseroles and soups.
Serving ideas
This is a wonderful dish for a holiday dinner. It goes wonderfully with a side of Sautéed Green Beans or Crockpot Glazed Carrots. Or with Roasted Sweet Potato Slices!
We love this dish with rice for a regular weeknight, but it’s also great with mashed sweet potatoes.
More easy holiday main dishes
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Crock Pot Honey Glazed Ham
Recipe details
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup runny honey
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 5 whole cloves optional
- Pinch of salt
- 5 lb ham fully cooked & boneless
Instructions
- Make glaze: To a small saucepan add the brown sugar, honey, mustard, orange juice, cornstarch, cloves and salt and whisk well. Bring to a boil while whisking often. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. The glaze should have slightly thickened.
- Slow cook ham: Place the ham in a large slow cooker (make sure the cooker is large enough so that you can put the lid on!) and our the glaze on top. Close the lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours. Baste the ham every hour with the glaze, if you can.
- Serve: Check the ham to make sure the internal temperature has reached 140°F. Rest is on a chopping board for 10 minutes, then slice to serve. If the remaining glaze is too thin for your liking, place it in a small saucepan on the stove and whisk in a slurry of a couple of teaspoons cornstarch and 1-2 tablespoons cool water. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened to your liking. Serve over the ham.
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