Amazing Instant Pot ham with pineapple done in just 20 minutes! Easy holiday recipe cooked in your pressure cooker like our honey Ninja Foodi ham for Easter or Christmas, this is a family friendly cheap dinner we all love.
I’m back with an addition to our long list of easy Instant Pot recipes! If it’s around Easter or Christmas you might be looking for an easy Instant Pot ham recipe but let me tell you that you shouldn’t wait for the holidays to make this!! My family says I can only make ham in the Instant Pot now. lol (affiliate links present)
Instant Pot Ham with Pineapple Recipe
A few years ago after Christmas they had smoked hams clearanced out at the grocery store. I couldn’t pass up a $5 hunk of amazing meat. So I bought one. Ever since then I’ve made ham throughout the year.
You can use a Crockpot Express to make this or even a Ninja Foodi pot. All of these have the high pressure function which is what you want so the name doesn’t matter. I did make a specific post regarding the Ninja Foodi ham that just has a bit different honey glaze if you want to follow that one.
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
How do you heat up a fully cooked ham in the Instant Pot?
Below is a video showing you how I did this as well as directions if you don’t want to use tinfoil at all. The glaze keeps it nice and moist but is optional as well. You will have to choose a smaller half or use a quarter of one like we did here so it fits.
One piece of meat can last us a few night typically which saves a lot of money and the taste is amazing. This shouldn’t just be made once a year though. Typically after the holidays the stores want these out of there so they will mark them way down. Believe it or not they freeze really well!
Do what I do often which is to pick up a few of them. I throw them into my deep freezer so we can make this every few months, enjoy that night, and then make a bunch of leftover ham recipes witch what is remaining.
You just need 3 ingredients and with the time it takes to reach pressure and naturally release the pressure it is done in about 20 minutes flat!
Ingredients
- Quarter of a ham – Near the holidays you typically find bone in ham cut in half. In my 6 quart Instant Pot that wouldn’t fit.
- If you can only buy a half then cut it in half and you’ll have 2 dinners to make. Or you could ask your butcher if you can buy just half. Many times that is possible if you just ask.
- A spiral cut ham is best. I had to slice ours myself.
- Brown sugar is a must for us
- Pineapple tidbits and pineapple juice – I just used a snack pack you see above
- could substitute apple cider instead if you wanted
- Honey – optional
Equipment Needed
Tinfoil is how I kept the juices in, a trivet is necessary and I like one with handles so you can lift it out easily with pot holders. That is it beyond a knife to slice if it isn’t already when you bought it or when done and ready to serve.
Options
If you want to thicken the 3 ingredient ham glaze then you’ll need some cornstarch too, that is up to you. It is pretty yummy as is though but thin,
You are looking at about 15 minutes but that doesn’t include the time it takes to reach pressure, that adds another 15 or so. This is what it will look like before you lower it on to your trivet, the foil creates a sort of bowl to hold in the juices etc..
A few people ask how to make this pressure cooker ham without using foil. I have done this with my Ninja Foodi ham recipe so you can follow that if you’d like.
How to Cook Pre Cooked Ham in Pressure Cooker
- Put 1.5 c. of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot
- Put your trivet inside – I like one with handles
- Place your ham on to your trivet directly
- Follow steps 9 for timing, set to high pressure
- Remove ham when done, and take out trivet
- Add pineapple juice listed into pot
- Set to sauce function
- Sprinkle in brown sugar, allow to bubble and dissolve sugar
- Add a bit of cold pineapple juice or water with cornstarch and whisk together
- Empty contents into Instant Pot while bubbling and whisk in
- Once ham glaze begins to thicken then add your pineapple tidbits
- Turn off once it is the desired thickness and remove inner pot, pour into separate container so it doesn’t overcook/burn
Pour over ham and serve! But a quarter ham fit perfect, same as with our air fryer ham.
Frozen Ham in Pressure Cooker
If frozen you’re going to need to use 35 minutes for the timing. I mean give or take depending on how large yours is but that is usually dead on. So…you literally don’t need anything else and I will tell you it is so good! My husband even said that he’d rather have it this way for Christmas rather than putting it in the oven.
It steams nicely leaving all the juices in tact and absorbing some of that sweetness while it cooks in your pressure cooker in just 12 minutes! I wish you could taste just how moist this turns out. It’s the best way to cook ham hands down. If you have an 8 qt. Instant Pot you may be able to fit more than a quarter ham. If so I might increase the time by 5 minutes or so.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll want to slice your ham if it isn’t already, ours wasn’t, and then put it in a large piece of foil that will kinda’ act like a bowl holding the pineapple, sugar and juices. I tried this whole without slicing and the heat won’t permeate all the way thru very well so sliced is better.
Allow it to cool completely first. Wrap it tightly with foil and store in your fridge for up to 3 days. I suggest not slicing what is left over and waiting until you’re ready to use it. It will stay moister that way.
YES! Even if you have a chunk of leftover ham you could use this same method to reheat it. With a trivet to keep it out of the liquid below, it will come out tender and not as dried out as if you were to put it into the oven. Just pop it in and walk away. Come back when time is up and spoon on some glaze for lunch the next day. Enjoy friends!
1. Frees up your oven to be used for side dishes
2. Doesn’t heat up your house (especially if it’s 100 degrees outside during the summertime I never turn on my oven)
3. Cook time is much faster! Finishing in a fraction of the time
4. No baking sheet is required
5. You only have to clean one pot, even ham glaze can be made right inside your pressure cooker
6. You’ll get the juiciest ham you’ve ever tasted this way
Below are instructions for how to cook a ham without an oven. If you want a crockpot ham recipe that is a great one, we also have a dutch oven ham which we do in the oven but could be done on a grill or campfire. Or if you prefer the other “meat” here’s instructions on making a pressure cooker turkey for the holidays.
Other Thanksgiving Recipes You’ll Love
I mean there are SO SO many things you can make in this thing. Save the room in your oven and give a few of these a try this season. I think you’ll fall in love too. Here is a HUGE list of more Instant Pot Thanksgiving recipes too
- Instant Pot stuffing is a gerat way to cook it
- Sweet Instant Pot cranberry sauce is great drizzled over the top if you don’t like this pineapple glaze
- If you’re making this for the holidays because you’re not a turkey fan we have other holiday recipes below here.
Instant Pot Ham
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
- 1 trivet
Ingredients
- 1 quarter ham, precooked/smoked, quartered ham, sliced into thin slices
- 1/3 c brown sugar
- 1/4 c pineapple juice, I used a snack pack with tidbits and juice, dumped whole thing in
- 1/3 c pineapple, tidbits
- 4 cloves, or pinch of ground cloves
- 1.5 c water
- Glaze
- 3 tbsp brown sugar, heaping tbsp
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp honey, optional
- 3-4 oz pineapple juice, depending on how thin/thick you want it
Instructions
- Put trivet and water into Instant Pot.
- Slice your quartered ham if it isn’t sliced already and put it in 1-2 large pieces of foil (large enough to wrap all the way around it – may need small piece for very top as well).
- Fold foil up so just the very top is open.
- Sprinkle brown sugar over top of ham and into slices.
- Pour pineapple juice over ham and sprinkle cloves or push whole cloves into ham.
- Sprinkle pineapple tidbits on top of ham. Drizzle honey on top if you want to add this as well (not totally necessary, sweet without)
- Put a small piece of foil over the very top if needed to enclose.
- Add 1.5 c. of water into your Instant Pot and add trivet to bottom. Lower ham into pressure cooker on to your trivet (make a sling to put on bottom to lift it back out if your trivet doesn’t have handles).
- Close lid and steam valve. Set to high pressure for 12 minutes (timing will vary slightly according to how large your piece is, this is for a quarter ham that's been sliced). Do a natural release when done.
- Release rest of pressure, lift ham out of foil and rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes.
- Take trivet out and drain water in pot, put pot back into your Instant Pot. Empty the juices that are inside your foil into the bottom of your pot, set pot to saute low.
- Add an additional 3 oz. of pineapple juice and 3 heaping tbsp of brown sugar into your pot and allow that to start bubbling.
- In a small bowl add maybe 2 oz. of pineapple juice and 2 tbsp of cornstarch and whisk together….add 1 tbsp at a time to avoid clumping. Dump this “thickener” into your Instant Pot and stir/whisk together consistently until it is the consistency you want. Add more pineapple juice or a bit more cornstarch mixture if desired but will thicken in no time.
- Finish slicing ham pieces all the way through, pour glaze over the top of each piece and serve!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Any idea how to do this with a frozen ham?
Haven’t done that, it would need to be small to fit. I’d say it would need to be a spiral sliced one so the heat could get into the middle. I would add a few extra minutes, possibly doubled since it is rather thick.
The instructions/pro-cons up front were confusing because you’d be reading the instructions then run into a large pro-con section.
I was finally able to scroll to the very bottom (far way down) to see exactly what to do.
Seems easy enough and while I’m vegetarian, I’m sure it’s good
Well, we tried to get brunch reservations for Easter, but everything was booked, so now I’m going to make a ham. Your ham!! I love that I can make it in the Instant Pot!
This turned out amazing, and I am so excited I can make ham in 30 minutes instead of hours, ha ha ha!
Ham was not as hot as I would’ve liked. Less than 3 lb boneless precooked.
Did you slice it as directed? If not it wouldn’t heat through.