Crockpot Brown Sugar Ham

Crockpot Brown Sugar Ham has a quick prep, and requires minimal effort. It’s our favorite way to make a holiday ham!

Crockpot Brown Sugar Ham is a holiday classic! Served with Funeral Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts and Rolls, you can’t go wrong with this simple slow cooker recipe, perfect for family get togethers.

Crockpot brown sugar ham sliced and served with fresh herbs and lemon slices.

Holiday ham

Ham is one of those foods that we don’t typically have on an average weeknight. Sometimes we’ll have it for Sunday dinners, but you better believe it ALWAYS makes an appearance at holiday dinners!

Whether it’s Easter dinner, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, I can count on enjoying my aunt Georgie’s Crockpot Brown Sugar Ham.

It is the juiciest, sweetest ham you’ll ever try. With a delicious glaze made from brown sugar and pineapple juice, it’s impossible not to love it! The best part? It’s SO easy to make!!

Most of it is done in the crock pot, which makes this slow cooker ham recipe even better!

Crockpot brown sugar ham in a slow cooker, ready to heat.

how to cook ham in a crock pot

This ham is made in the slow cooker which translates to EASY!!

PREP. Add your ham to a greased slow cooker, cut side down.

SEASON. Rub 1 cup brown sugar all over the ham, then pour the syrup and pineapple juice over the top.

COOK. Heat in a slow cooker on LOW for 3-4 hours. Remove the excess liquid in the slow cooker into a separate pot. Make the glaze (recipe below) and pour it over the sliced ham in the crock pot. Cook on warm/low for an additional 30 minutes to an hour.

SERVE. Remove this easy crock pot ham to a platter, and garnish with fresh herbs.

How much ham per person

  • Bone-in ham – ½ lb per person, or 1 lb per person if you want lots of leftovers!
  • Boneless ham – ¼ to ⅓ pound should do the trick.

Depending on the size of your crockpot, it might only be able to fit 7-8 pounds of ham. If you need more than that to feed your guests, you may need to borrow an extra crock pot or two!

Pouring brown sugar pineapple glaze over crockpot brown sugar ham.

Brown Sugar Glaze For Ham

This glaze might be simple, but it packs a lot of flavor! It’s perfectly sweet, to compliment the flavors of the meat. All it takes is three ingredients:

  • leftover juices from cooked ham
  • brown sugar
  • pineapple juice

COMBINE. Just mix the ingredients in a saucepan on the stove.

BOIL. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally.

GLAZE. Pour the sauce over the ham, cook in the crock pot a little longer, and you’re set.

This brown sugar ham glaze is amazing! If desired, try adding additional spices to taste: ginger, ground cloves, cinnamon, or nutmeg.

Pouring juices over crockpot brown sugar ham.

Recipe Tips

Crock Pot Tips. This spiral ham is already cooked through, so using the slow cooker is to add flavor, and warm it up. Some crock pot cooking tips:

  • Don’t put frozen meat in a crock cot. Even though this ham is already cooked, you still need to make sure to thaw it beforehand.
  • Plug in the pot, and start heating it up while you prepare the ingredients for the dish.
  • High on a crock pot is about 300°F. Low is about 200°F. One hour on high equals about two hours on low.
  • Use the right size crock pot. The ham should fill the pot between ½ and ¾ of the way. 
  • Avoid removing the lid. It takes 20 minutes for the pot to return to the set temperature. 

Spiral cut ham. This type of ham is really convenient because the precooked ham has been pre sliced as well. A butcher begins making a continuous cut from one end of the ham to the other. (It makes me think of using a vegetable peeler to peel an apple in one continuous spiral.)

These pre-cut, even, slices make it easier to serve the ham at dinner. Spiral ham can come in both bone in and boneless forms.

  • Bone-In: like the name states, it still has the ham bone in tact, and is supposedly more flavorful than boneless.
  • Boneless: doesn’t have a bone, which allows for easier cutting and serving.

side dishes for ham

This Crock Pot Ham recipe leaves plenty of oven space for all of those delicious sides! Here are some of our favorites:

Sliced crockpot brown sugar ham served with fresh herbs and lemon slices.

Storing info

STORE any leftover crockpot ham in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

FREEZE. Once cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and tinfoil, or freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Leftover ham is great for sandwiches, soups, casseroles or bakes. If you know you’re going to use it in a recipe that calls for diced ham, like Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, Ham and Bean Soup, or Cheesy Ham Chowder, dice it up before putting it in the freezer – for convenience down the road!

To reheat. Pop it in the microwave, or wrap the slices in foil and heat in the oven at 275°F, until warmed through.

Crockpot brown sugar ham served with fresh herbs and lemon slices.

For more ham recipes, check out:

Crockpot Brown Sugar Ham Recipe

5 from 26 votes
Crockpot Brown Sugar Ham has a quick prep, and requires minimal effort. It's our favorite way to make a holiday ham!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings 14
Calories 938 kcal
Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

  • 8 pounds bone-in spiral-cut cured ham
  • 2-2½ cups packed brown sugar divided
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup (not artificially flavored pancake syrup)

Instructions
 

  • Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Place ham cut side down in the greased slow cooker.
  • Rub 1 cup brown sugar all over the ham, then pour pineapple juice and syrup over the top.
  • Cook on low for 3–4 hours.
  • Remove excess liquid from the slow cooker and transfer to a pot. Add remaining 1–1½ cups brown sugar to pot, using more sugar if you prefer a sweeter ham. Bring to a rolling boil, then remove from the heat and pour over the ham. Cook on warm for an additional 30–60 minutes.
  • Remove ham to a platter and spoon extra juices over ham slices and garnish with fresh herbs before serving.

Video

Notes

Ham Cures: There are a few different types of ham, and while all of them are adaptable to this recipe, some might yield better results than others. Always look over the packaging when you are at the grocery store—it will specify exactly what type of ham it is.
o Fresh Ham: uncured, and always comes uncooked. NOTE: if you decide to use a fresh ham, you will have to fully cook it before putting in the slow cooker with the glaze.
o Cured Ham: brined or cured with a dry rub; sometimes sold ready to eat and other times requires cooking.
o Cooked and Smoked: the same as cured ham, with the additional step of smoking.

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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    Slow Cooker Ham sweetened with maple and brown sugar is a favorite for holidays, Sundays and more! Thanks for sharing <3

    1. It might. They tend to dry out quicker & easier, but they aren’t completely dry. You still could use it, just keep that in mind. Good luck!

  2. I’m planning on doing a ham in the crockpot for Easter next week. What temperature? – high, low or warm do I cook for the first 2-3 hrs?

    1. I would say high for 2-3 hours. You could also do low, it may take a little longer. You are just wanting to heat the ham all the way through, so it may depend a bit on the size of your ham as well.

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