Holiday Crock Pot Ham

Nothing says the holidays quite like delicious spiral-cut ham, and when you make this holiday Crock Pot Ham, you’ll wow everyone! The best part is that it is super easy and mostly hands-off – it’s the best set-it-and-forget-it holiday ham recipe!

Nothing smells quite as delicious as ham in the slow cooker. I love putting this on to cook and then coming home a few hours later to a delicious meal. It’s the first thing people notice when they walk in the door, and it’s so easy to prep and have ready to go! 

Holiday Crock Pot Ham

This is my favorite holiday Crock Pot Ham recipe. I start with a large spiral-cut ham (make sure your crock pot is large enough!), add the glaze and set it and forget it! This gives me lots of time to make tasty side dishes to go with the ham. Serve with our Cheesy Green Beans and homemade Buttermilk Rolls. See all my recommendations below.

It’s delicious for Christmas or Easter dinner or brunch or whenever you need a large cut of meat to feed a crowd. And the leftovers are so good! You can use leftover ham in all sorts of ways, including Mexican Charro Beans, overnight brunch casseroles, fun-to-eat handpies, and more. And save the bone to make homemade ham broth for the most amazing soups!  

Everybody loves ham, and no matter if it’s the star of your dinner or brunch table, this holiday ham recipe is easy, delicious, and fool-proof!

Why I love this recipe

• Set it to cooking and forget it for a few hours while you visit with guests or get the rest of your feast ready.
• It feeds a crowd, and the leftovers are fabulous!
• It’s just about the easiest slow cooker recipe for ham around!

Gather these ingredients for Crock Pot Ham

• Spiral-cut ham – Look for a ham that’s about 8 pounds.
• Brown sugar
• Maple syrup – Use pure maple syrup.
• Pineapple juice
• Corn starch – To help thicken the glaze.
• Cold water
• Cooking spray
• Fresh herbs – To garnish the plate.

What is spiral-cut ham?

Just about every grocery store sells spiral-cut hams around the holidays because they’re so popular and delicious! A spiral-cut ham is simply a bone-in ham that’s been uniformly sliced before packaging. This makes it so easy to infuse flavor between each slice, and carving the ham couldn’t be any easier! Simply cut the slices away from the bone and serve!

How to make the best holiday Crock Pot Ham

1. Coat the inside of a large 7-8 quart Crock Pot with cooking spray.
2. Place the spiral-cut ham cut side down inside the slow cooker.
3. Rub the brown sugar all over the outside of the ham, then drizzle the maple syrup and pineapple juice over the top.
4. Put the lid on your slow cooker and set it for 3-4 hours on low, or until the internal temperature of the heam reaches 140-F on a digital meat thermometer when inserted into the thickest part of the ham.
5. Transfer the cooked ham to a large serving platter.
6. Pour the liquid from the bottom of the slow cooker into a medium-sized pan.
7. Whisk the cornstarch and water with the cold water in a small bowl then add it to the glaze in the saucepan and mix well.
8. Cook the glaze over medium-high heat until it simmers and thickens. 
9. Drizzle the thickened glaze over the ham and decorate the serving platter with fresh herbs. 
10. Serve and enjoy!

Tips & substitutions

• Let the ham rest, unwrapped, on the counter to warm up for an hour before putting it into the slow cooker – if you have time – to shave off some of the cooking time.
• Use light brown sugar, or for a richer, deeper flavor, use dark brown sugar.
• Use the liquid from canned pineapple rings as the pineapple juice and serve the rings with the ham. Ham and pineapple go so well together!
• Fresh thyme and rosemary look lovely with ham and have complementary flavors.

Serving suggestions

Slow cooker spiral ham is delicious for brunch and dinner. If you’re having it for brunch, pair the ham with a scrambled eggs brunch board, deviled eggs, stuffed French toast, and fruit salad.

If your holiday ham is for dinner, serve it with au gratin potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and a fabulous salad.

Storage

Store any cooled leftover ham in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can eat the leftovers cold, add them to your favorite recipes, or warm them in the oven or microwave if you prefer the ham hot.

Check out these awesome slow cooker recipes while you’re here

• Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
• Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili
• Slow Cooker Mediterranean Meatball Soup
• Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
• Best Slow Cooker Taco Soup

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Holiday Crock Pot Ham

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Yield: 8

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Ingredients

 

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• 8 lb spiral cut ham
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 ¼ cup pineapple juice
• 1 ½ tablespoon of cornstarch
• 2 ½ tablespoons of cold water
• cooking spray
• fresh herbs for plate garnish

Instructions

 

• Place the ham cut side down in the crock pot.
• Rub the brown sugar all over the ham, then pour the maple syrup and pineapple juice over the top.
• Cook for 3-4 hours on low heat, or until a thermometer registers 140 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the ham.
• Transfer the ham to a serving platter.
• Pour the liquid from the bottom of the crock pot into a medium sized pan.
• Whisk together cornstarch with cold water and add it to the saucepan. Whisk together.
• Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.
• Cook for 6-8 minutes or until just thickened.
• Drizzle the sauce over the ham. Decorate the serving platter with fresh herbs if desired, then serve.

Cuisine: American

Course: Main Course

Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer

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