Slow Cooker Ham is the ultimate fuss-free holiday main dish! It’s sweet, savory, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. With just 10 minutes of prep, you’ll have a juicy, flavor-packed centerpiece that cooks itself! Simply add honey, pineapple juice, and brown sugar to your slow cooker and let it work its magic. Perfect for family dinners and holiday gatherings!

Slow cooker ham on serving platter garnished with herbs and berries.

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A Note from Kim

Slow Cooker Magic for the Holidays

Slow cooker ham has become a staple at our family gatherings! Every time Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas comes around, this is the recipe I can’t wait to make. It turns out tender and delicious every single time, and I even use this method with a smaller ham for a simple weeknight dinner. My family never gets tired of it, and I’m sure yours will enjoy it just as much!

What I love most about this recipe (aside from how incredible it tastes) is how stress-free it is. The glaze comes together with just three ingredients, and the slow cooker does all the work while freeing up precious oven space for sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. It’s one of those dishes that looks impressive, smells amazing, and always gets rave reviews, with hardly any effort at all!

With love (and lots of good eats), - Kim

Awesome the BEST ham I’ve ever tasted. It melts in your mouth. The whole family loved it! It was so easy to make too.

— Cara

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Ham. The best part about this holiday ham recipe is that it works with almost any cut or size that fits in your slow cooker—boneless or bone-in, whole or spiral-sliced. Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the cut. You’ll start with a fully cooked ham, and this recipe focuses on heating and adding flavor. I typically use Frick’s gourmet hardwood-smoked bone-in ham, usually the shank portion, which we find at H-E-B. Most grocery store hams are cured but not smoked, and you can choose whichever you prefer—cured or uncured, plain or smoked. Just be sure to discard any flavor or glaze packet that comes with the ham.
  • Brown sugar. This will sweeten and thicken the glaze. Dark brown sugar or light brown sugar will work, though your resulting glaze will be lighter or darker as a result.
  • Honey. Gives the glaze sweetness and a sticky component that helps it stick to the meat. You could sub with maple syrup, although this will have a different taste.
  • Pineapple juice. Ham and pineapple are two flavors that pair so perfectly together. And in my opinion, this ham does not end up tasting overly pineapple-y. However, if you don’t care for pineapple juice, you can easily sub apple juice or orange juice instead.
  • Herbs for garnish. Optional, but is nice for presentation, especially if you’re serving this for a holiday gathering. Fresh rosemary and/or sage are great choices.
Slow cooker ham on serving platter garnished with herbs and berries.
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Slow Cooker Ham

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
Slow Cooker Ham is the ultimate fuss-free holiday main dish! It's sweet, savory, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. With just 10 minutes of prep, you’ll have a juicy, flavor-packed centerpiece that cooks itself! Simply add honey, pineapple juice, and brown sugar to your slow cooker and let it work its magic. Perfect for family dinners and holiday gatherings!
Author: Kim

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 7-10 pound bone-in ham*
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
  • optional: fresh herbs for garnish

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Instructions 

  • Sprinkle brown sugar evenly in the bottom of a large 7-8 quart crock pot. Place ham in the crock pot, cut side down.
  • Pour honey and then pineapple juice over the top of the ham. Cover and cook on low heat for about 6 hours or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone, and the internal temperature reaches 140°F.
  • Once fully cooked, remove ham onto a large, rimmed, serving platter. If using a bone-in ham, it is recommended to shred meat and remove any clumps of fat. Ham will easily fall apart. Before serving, ladle a desired amount of juices from the crock pot.

Notes

*I recommend using bone-in ham for the best result. However, boneless, whole or spiral cut, cured or uncured, smoked or not, shank, butt, or shoulder will all work fine.
**To ensure you have the right amount of meat, estimate about 1/2 pound of boneless ham per person and 3/4 pound of bone-in ham per person.
***If you are having difficulty fitting your ham into the crock pot because of the bone or overall size, you can trim off a chunk of the ham to make it fit. You can also cover the slow cooker with heavy duty foil that is tightly-sealed. There will be some liquid from the steam that will drip down the slow cooker, so you may want to be aware of that.
Photos from Molly at Yes to Yolks
Author: Kim
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 400kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 557mg, Potassium: 489mg, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 1.3mg

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How to Make Slow Cooker Ham

Now that we’ve gone through all of the details, let’s walk through the steps for making this recipe! Here’s the simple process:

  1. Add brown sugar. Sprinkle brown sugar in the bottom of the slow cooker and place the ham inside, on top of the brown sugar.
  2. Add honey and pineapple juice. Pour honey and then pineapple juice over the top of the ham.
  3. Cook. Cover and cook on low heat for about 6 hours or until the meat is tender, falling off the bone and the internal temperature reaches 140°F.
  4. Shred and serve. Once fully cooked, remove the ham onto a large, rimmed serving platter. If using a bone-in ham, it is recommended to shred the meat and remove any clumps of fat. The ham will easily fall apart and off of the bone. We usually shred the ham more than what is shown in the pictures and video. You can serve the ham shredded or sliced. Before serving, ladle or spoon the desired amount of juices from the crockpot. So delicious!
Pouring honey over ham in a slow cooker.

Kim’s Recipe Tips

  • A large oval 7-8 quart slow cooker works best for this recipe. See the notes in the recipe card about the lid, if you are not able to fit the lid on top.
  • You can swap out the pineapple juice for apple cider, apple juice or orange juice to make the ham glaze.
  • For a festive presentation, garnish the ham platter with an assortment of herbs and fruit.
  • In case you’re in the market for a new crock pot, this is my favorite one. And this is a great thermometer to use when cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size ham do I need?

A 7-8 pound ham is ideal for feeding a large group. Plan on about 1/2 pound per person for boneless ham and 3/4 pound per person for bone-in. Larger hams may not fit in your slow cooker, but you can trim the ends if needed. For a family of five, a 2-pound petite ham works well, just halve the glaze and reduce cooking time to 2–2 1/2 hours on low. If your bone-in ham is too large, you can trim a piece or tightly cover the slow cooker with heavy-duty foil. Just watch for any steam that may drip.

Can you heat a fully cooked ham in the slow cooker?

Absolutely! A large slow cooker, with its moist environment, is the perfect choice for reheating a fully-cooked ham. As it heats up, the glaze is absorbed into the outer skin, while the ham releases juices that blend with the glaze, creating a delicious liquid to spoon over the sliced meat.

Will ham dry out in the crockpot?

It can, but as long as you warm it in a slow cooker, low and slow, you’ll end up with a ham that’s tender and full of moisture. Warming it on high runs a higher risk of drying out the meat and making it tough.

How long does a fully cooked ham take to cook in a slow cooker?

The FDA recommends reheating a fully cooked ham to 140°F. A small 2–3 pound ham will reach this on low in 2–3 hours, while an 8-pound ham may take around 6 hours. Keep in mind that lifting the lid may add a bit of extra cooking time. Bone-in hams tend to stay juicier and fall right off the bone when done. Boneless hams work too, though a spiral-cut ham can dry out faster, so baste the slices a few times during cooking. You may also need slightly less time for a pre-sliced ham.

Ways to Use Leftover Ham

If you’re making ham for the holidays, you’ll probably end up with leftovers. Here are some tasty ways to use up the leftover ham:

  • Uses the slices to make sandwiches. You could swap the turkey in these turkey cranberry sliders for ham. Yum!
  • Chop it up and add it to soups or salads.
  • Cook it up in the morning with eggs and potatoes for a delicious breakfast hash.
  • Add it to breakfast casserole, pizza or cheesy pasta.

Storage Recommendations

Store leftovers in an airtight container or ziplock bags in the refrigerator for up to about one week. You can also freeze cooked and cooled ham in freezer-safe bags for up to three months.

Enjoying the leftovers are one of the best parts of holiday meals! Reheat individual servings in the microwave or cover all of the leftover ham with foil and warm it in a 275ºF oven until heated through.

Sliced ham on a tray garnished with sage and rosemary.

Sides to Serve With Ham

Ham pairs perfectly with so many different sides! We love it with potatoes, vegetables, casseroles, or even stuffing! Here are some of my favorite holiday side dishes that I serve alongside my crockpot ham:

Wooden spoon dishing out mac and cheese.

Baked Mac and Cheese
Serving of broccoli rice casserole on a small white plate with a fork.

Broccoli Rice Casserole
Creamed corn topped with crumbled bacon on a plate with a fork.

Bacon Creamed Corn
Forkful of cheesy potato casserole.

Cheesy Potato Casserole (Funeral Potatoes)

If you try this easy crock pot ham recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.