This pineapple crockpot ham recipe is sweet, tender, and delicious. Cooks on it’s own in your slow cooker and is ready when you are, perfect for holidays!
Ham is such a great dinner idea…and it’s not just for the holidays in our house! It is packed with protein, inexpensive, and provides not only dinner for the 5 of us but leftovers so I can make meals the next 2 days usually too. I had made ham several ways but this time I made this crockpot ham recipe and it came out really delicious. Added to our list of easy crockpot recipes for your reference if you’re looking for other slow cooker dinners after you try this one.
This is what it looked like before I cooked it.
Typically if you buy a ham in the grocery store it is a half ham and it is already sliced, not ours.
This year we moved to Idaho and out here a lot of people purchase meat from the local farms around the city, so we too bought an entire pig and the hams we got were quarter hams that came unsliced which I now prefer.
If you can find a ham that hasn’t been sliced yet I’d opt for that one because it stays more tender I feel and doesn’t tend to dry out on the edges especially if you’re saving some for leftovers.
The other half of this I used to make this Instant Pot ham that turned out amazing in just 10 minutes! I also tried a dutch oven ham which was great.
If you have a pressure cooker I would recommend trying that method as well. It allows you to cook everything (even the pineapple glaze) in one pot, thicken the glaze afterward, and it is super quick.
BUT….I do like having several methods of cooking depending on the occasion, and making this crockpot ham recipe does allow you to cook a piece that is a bit larger. This particular piece wouldn’t have fit inside my 6 qt. Instant Pot so there’s that.
Why would you cook your ham in your slow cooker?
- You don’t have to heat up your house by turning on your oven
- During the holidays it frees up your oven for all your side dishes
- You can leave it unattended if you’re leaving for the day (pretty much, okay I did watch that This Is Us episode so yeah, there’s that)
- It’s a bit easier than the oven version as there’s no wrapping in foil
Here’s a top and side shot of our crockpot ham when it was done.
Here are some suggestions for the best crockpot ham
- Baste the ham once or twice if possible throughout the cooking process
- It will create a moister ham
- Use a small measuring cup to scoop the juices at the bottom and just pour on top of your ham
- Use a ham that isn’t cut
- I think it creates a moister ham overall in the end
- When it is done only cut the pieces you will eat immediately
- If you have leftovers they will stay moister in the fridge if it is not cut until it is ready to be used/eaten
You can see here is our ham once I took the top off after it was done, the photo above it was right after it was basted. You can see the difference in how moist the outside is (the best part if you ask me).
If you’re not a fan of pineapple you can use this recipe for baked ham glaze that uses orange juice as the base that is wonderful as well.
Once you’re slow cooker ham is done you can baste once again, slice and serve immediately or thicken your ham glaze over the stovetop with a bit of cornstarch. Totally up to you.
This is what you need to make our crockpot ham recipe
- Crockpot – this is the one I used
- Quarter ham – or half if you have a big enough crockpot
- Brown sugar
- Can of pineapple chunks – or tidbits
- Honey
- Cloves – whole, optional
After you’re through and have leftover ham you should dice it up and put it into our crockpot corn chowder for another meal.
Here is the printable recipe as well:
Crockpot Ham Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 - 1/2 ham precooked, we made 1/4 ham
- 1 can pineapple chunks or tidbits
- 1 c brown sugar
- 4 cloves whole, optional
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Put your precooked ham inside your slow cooker. We had a quarter ham that fit nicely, if you have a really large crockpot you may be able to cook a half ham in it.
- In a small bowl mix together your cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup of pineapple juice. Pour this on top of your ham.
- Push your whole cloves into your ham (optional). Pour 1 cup of pineapple chunks or tidbits on top of your ham, drizzle your honey on top and close your lid.
- If cooking a quarter ham like we did set on high for 2.5 hours or low for about 4 hours or until it is warmed (remember it is already cooked). If cooking a half ham (assuming you can fit that) cook on high for 4 hrs., or low for 6-8 or until warmed to your liking.
- If you're able baste the ham half way thru the cooking process with the juices at the bottom.
- Slice and serve drizzled with pineapple sauce in slow cooker. If you want to thicken the sauce you can dump sauce (without pineapple chunks) into a small pan on your stovetop, take some out at first and whisk it together with 1-3 tbsp of cornstarch. Dump this back into your pot and allow to bubble until it thickens to your liking, then serve this on the side to pour on top.
And we’re done!!
Slice it and enjoy.
For some leftover ham recipes you should try our
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Nellie Tracy says
This recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Love the addition of the pineapple!
April says
I love a good slow cooker ham recipe! This one turns out so sweet and juicy – it was a huge hit!
The Typical Mom says
We loved it too!