The Best Instant Pot Ham

This is the most amazing Instant Pot ham done in just 20 minutes! If you want an easy honey ham recipe you’ve gotta’ try it in your pressure cooker.

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 (originally published 8/18, affiliate links present)

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.

• Not only does it make an amazing dinner but I have a bunch of leftover ham recipes I use too so one piece of meat can last us a few night typically which saves a lot of money and the taste is amazing.

Here’s how easy it is to make an Instant Pot ham.

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!

This is what you’ll need to make this easy Instant Pot ham recipe

1. 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.
   1. But a quarter ham fit perfect.
   2. 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. 
   3. A spiral cut ham is best. I had to slice ours myself.
2. Brown sugar
3. Pineapple tidbits and juice – I just used one of these snack packs you see above
   1. could substitute apple cider instead if you wanted
4. Honey – optional
5. Tinfoil
6. Trivet – I like this one with handles
7. If you want to thicken the ham glaze then you’ll need some cornstarch too, that is up to you.

Why would you cook ham in an Instant Pot rather than the oven?

• Frees up your oven to be used for side dishes
• Doesn’t heat up your house (especially if it’s 100 degrees outside during the summertime I never turn on my oven)
• Cook time is much faster! Finishing in a fraction of the time
• No baking sheet is required
• You only have to clean one pot, even ham glaze can be made right inside your pressure cooker
• You’ll get the juiciest ham you’ve ever tasted this way

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.

• Put 1.5 c. of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot
• Put your trivet inside – I like this one with handles
• Place your ham on to your trivet directly
• Follow steps 9 for timing on high pressure
• Remove ham when done, and take out trivet
• Add all the pineapple juice listed into pot on 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!

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.

If you’d like to make a crockpot ham recipe this time or next we have that as well as a dutch oven ham recipe. Or if you prefer turkey here’s instructions on making a pressure cooker turkey for the holidays.

Here are a few Instant Pot side dishes you might like to serve with this:

• Instant Pot stuffing
• Sweet Instant Pot cranberry sauce is great drizzled over the top if you don’t like this pineapple glaze
• Italian Instant Pot potatoes
• If you’re making this for the holidays because you’re not a turkey fan we have other Instant Pot Thanksgiving recipes here.
  • There are many Christmas brunch menu ideas here as well.
• Here is a HUGE list of more Instant Pot Thanksgiving recipes too

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.

• Typically pre-cooked hams you buy in the store are smoked, like ours. So it will come with some of that flavor as is but adding the fruit, juices, and sugar gives it a sweetness that is great.

I made the glaze with the juices that were at the bottom of the pot. Just set to saute and added a bit more brown sugar. Add cornstarch to thicken it up while whisking it up as it bubbled.

How long to cook your ham in a pressure cooker?

• This depends on the size you have, 12 minutes worked well for ours.
• If yours is a bit larger 15 minutes might be better to pressure cook.
• With pressure release time it will take 30 minutes total.

I hope we helped you figure out how do you heat a fully cooked ham in a pressure cooker this year. Whether you’re making it for Christmas dinner, or for dinner throughout the year, it’s a great way to get it done quickly.

• Even though you may have to use a smaller piece it will free up your oven for other items. This is VERY helpful during the holidays. If you’re still apprehensive watch the video I made. I wouldn’t share anything that didn’t work well for me.

If you’re using this method for smaller pieces, that’s great too! Can you heat up a ham in a pressure cooker?

• 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!

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4.89 from 9 votes

Instant Pot Ham

This is the most amazing Instant Pot ham done in just 20 minutes! If you want an easy honey ham recipe you've gotta' try it in your pressure cooker. 

Course Entree, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword easy, ham, honey, instant pot, pressure cooker, smoked

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 57kcal

Author The Typical Mom

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 for 10 minutes 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!

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Ham

Amount Per Serving (3 oz)

Calories 57

% Daily Value*

Sodium 9mg0%

Potassium 39mg1%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Sugar 13g14%

Vitamin C 5.4mg7%

Calcium 12mg1%

Iron 0.1mg1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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