Crock Pot Ham

Golden glossy ham with pineapple rings placed on top, three pieces sliced from ham.

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This Crock Pot Ham is juicy, tender, and full of flavour thanks to a simple pineapple glaze. An easy, set-and-forget main dish perfect for Christmas, Easter, or feeding a crowd.

Prep Time15

Cook Time4

Total Time4 10

Course: Dinner, Sauce

Cuisine: Western, American, Australian, New Zealand

Keyword: Crock Pot Ham, How to cook a ham in crock pot, Slow Cooker Ham

Servings: serves

Calories: 507kcal

Author: Stacey

Ingredients

1 fully cooked ham 4–6 lbs (bone-in or boneless)
1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Optional

pineapple rings for serving

Instructions

Prepare the slow cooker
Pour the pineapple juice into the bottom of the Crock Pot.
Make the glaze
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, maple syrup (or honey), cinnamon and Dijon mustard.
Add the ham
Place the ham into the slow cooker, cut side down.
Coat with glaze
Spread the glaze all over the ham.
Cook
Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours, depending on ham size.
(Ham is pre-cooked — the goal is gentle heating + flavour.)
Rest + serve
Lift the ham out carefully and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Spoon some of the warm pineapple cooking juices over the top.
Optional : Thicken the glaze
Pour the liquids from the bottom of the slow cooker into a saucepan. Simmer/ boil on the stovetop until the juices become a thick sticky glaze to serve with your ham.

Notes

To make a great glazed ham, be sure you remove the tough skin of the hame to reveal the fat layer underneath before cooking, I demonstrate how to do this in my 3 Ingredient Ham Glaze Recipe .
Use LOW heat — cooking ham on HIGH tends to dry it out.
Bone-in hams often look more impressive and slice beautifully.
For extra caramelisation, place the cooked ham under the grill/broiler for 3–5 minutes with extra glaze.
Save the leftover cooking juices — they make excellent gravy or can be used to moisten leftover ham in sandwiches.
Leftover ham freezes well or can be used in egg bakes, ham risotto, ham pot pie, or quiches.
Fully cooked ham — This recipe works with bone-in or boneless ham, 4–6 lb (2–3 kg). Smoked or unsmoked both work.
- Most hams sold in grocery stores are already fully cooked, even if they don’t look it. They’re usually labelled as “cooked ham,” “ready-to-eat ham,” “champagne ham,” "Spiral cut ham" or “bone-in leg ham.” These hams simply need gentle reheating, which makes them perfect for slow cooking. A raw ham (sometimes called a fresh ham) is much less common and must be cooked all the way through like pork roast. If you’re unsure, check the packaging — cooked hams will always say ready to eat or fully cooked, while raw hams will have clear cooking instructions and a safe internal temperature listed.
Pineapple juice — Helps keep the ham moist and adds natural sweetness. Apple juice also works.
Brown sugar — Adds caramel notes; swap for coconut sugar if preferred.
Maple syrup — Honey also works.
Dijon mustard — Adds mild tang; wholegrain mustard is also fine.
Cinnamon — Enhances the sweetness without tasting like dessert.
Optional pineapple rings — Brush with glaze and serve on the side for a classic presentation.

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