Spiral ham in crock pot is the answer if you’ve ever stood in front of your oven on a holiday morning trying to figure out where one more dish is supposed to go. This recipe takes an 8-pound bone-in spiral cut ham and cooks it low and slow in the crock pot, coated in a homemade glaze made from brown sugar, maple syrup, pineapple juice, and yellow mustard. There’s no packaged glaze packet involved, just a few pantry staples whisked together into a sweet, sticky glaze and rubbed right between the slices. It’s the kind of main dish that takes ten minutes of prep and then leaves you alone for the rest of the afternoon.
Our family has gotten so big over the years that I flat-out run out of oven space every single holiday. One year, I decided to test one of our Costco spiral hams in the slow cooker instead of fighting for oven room, and I have not gone back since. The one thing I changed that first time was ditching the little glaze seasoning packet that comes with the ham and making my own instead, and honestly, the ham tasted like something I’d actually made, not something that came out of a foil pouch. These days, it makes enough for our whole crowd, with just enough left over for sandwiches the next day.
Main Ingredients Needed For Spiral Ham in Crock Pot
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
- Spiral-cut bone-in ham (8 pounds): The bone helps the ham stay moist through the long cook time, and the pre-cut slices let the glaze soak in everywhere. Look at your crock pot size before you buy. An 8-pound ham needs a 7-to 8-quart slow cooker to fit comfortably.
- Brown sugar: This is the base of the glaze and what gives it that deep, sticky sweetness.
- Pure maple syrup: Grab the real thing, Grade A or amber. Pancake syrup has corn syrup and artificial flavoring in it, and won’t give you the same flavor.
- Pineapple juice (canned): This thins the glaze out and adds a little tang to balance the sweetness. If you’d rather skip pineapple juice altogether, apple cider or orange juice both work well here. I actually reach for orange juice most of the time myself.
- Yellow mustard: Just enough to cut through the sweetness and round out the glaze.
- Cornstarch and cold water: Whisked together and used to thicken the cooking juices into a glaze you can actually drizzle.
- Fresh herbs, pineapple pieces, and maraschino cherries are all optional garnishes only, so use them if you like a little color on the platter, but they won’t change the flavor if you skip them.
How To Make Spiral Ham in a Crock Pot
You will need a 7 to 8-quart slow cooker for this spiral ham in crock pot recipe. If you’re new to slow cooking, my crock pot cooking guide covers sizing and safety basics before you get started, and once your glaze is made, this is mostly a hands-off afternoon.
Tip: Since spiral hams are already fully cooked, you’re really just warming this one through. Pull it right at 140 degrees Fahrenheit and don’t leave it longer than that. Past that point, it just starts to dry out.
Tip: If your glaze doesn’t thicken up as fast as you’d like, my guide on how to thicken sauce in a slow cooker walks through a few extra tricks.
Easy Glaze Swaps for This Slow Cooker Ham
If you don’t have pineapple juice on hand, or you just want a different flavor, this glaze is flexible.
- Apple cider gives it a warmer, more fall flavor if you’re making this outside of the holidays.
- My favorite swap, though, is orange juice. It brightens up the glaze without making it too sweet, and it’s what I reach for most often when I make this. If a marmalade glaze sounds better to you than this one, my glazed ham with marmalade recipe uses the oven instead of the crock pot.
My Favorite Slow Cooker Tools
Questions When Making Spiral Ham in Crock Pot
No, you don’t need to add any extra liquid for this recipe. The homemade glaze, along with the natural juices the ham releases as it cooks, creates plenty of liquid on its own, and that’s also what you’ll use later to make the glaze you drizzle over the ham.
You can, but I’d encourage you to try the homemade glaze at least once. Packaged glaze packets often lean heavily on corn syrup and artificial flavoring, while this glaze uses just brown sugar, maple syrup, pineapple juice, and mustard, so you know exactly what’s going into it.
No, this recipe is written for low heat only. Cooking on low keeps the edges from drying out, and keeping the lid on the whole time traps the moisture in rather than letting it escape, which is what a bone-in ham like this needs over a longer cook.
Spiral Ham in Crock Pot
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 8 pounds ham, spiral-cut, bone-in
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pure maple syrup, do not use pancake syrup
- 1 cup pineapple juice, canned
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water, cold
- Fresh herbs, optional, for garnish
- Pineapple pieces, optional, for garnish
- Maraschino cherries, optional, for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Slow Cooker
- You will need a 7 to 8-quart slow cooker for this recipe.
- Spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.Cooking spray
- Place the ham cut side down into the slow cooker.8 pounds ham
Make the Seasoning Paste
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, maple syrup, pineapple juice, and yellow mustard until well combined into a glaze paste.1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pure maple syrup, 1 cup pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Add to the Ham
- Rub the glaze mixture all over the ham, making sure it’s coated well and gets between the slices.
Cook the Ham
- Cover and cook on low heat for 3 to 4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the ham. Use a meat thermometer to check.
Transfer to Serving Plate and Drain Fat
- Carefully remove the ham and place it on a serving platter.
- Cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you prepare the glaze.
- Pour the cooking juices into a fat separator. Once separated, pour the juices into a saucepan and discard the fat.
Make the Glaze (Stovetop)
- Bring the saucepan of juices to a simmer over medium high heat.
Thicken the Glaze
- In a small jar, shake the cornstarch and cold water together until smooth.1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water
- Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the simmering liquid, stirring constantly.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the glaze thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
To Serve
- Drizzle the warm glaze over the sliced ham.
- Garnish with pineapple pieces and maraschino cherries if desired.Pineapple pieces, Maraschino cherries
Gina’s Notes and Tips
Reheating: Reheat in a covered baking dish at 300°F with a splash of broth or pineapple juice to keep the ham from drying out.
Freezing: Wrap sliced ham in freezer paper and foil, then seal in a freezer bag. Freeze up to 2 months.
Substitutions: In place of pineapple juice, apple cider or orange juice both work. Orange juice is the preferred swap.
Slow Cooker Times: LOW: 3 to 4 hours. This recipe is LOW-heat only by design, not a missing HIGH option — do not add a HIGH time to this card.
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Hospitality With This Crock Pot Ham
The holidays can be joyful, but they can also be lonely. That’s why I like planning a Holiday Comfort Feast with this spiral ham in the crock pot. It’s an easy meal to serve if you’re inviting a neighbor, a new family at church, or someone who might otherwise spend the holiday alone. While it cooks in the slow cooker, I can make a few easy sides like mashed potatoes, green beans, and warm rolls, then spend more time visiting with my guests instead of worrying about what’s happening in the oven.
Hospitality has become much sweeter for me since I stopped worrying about impressing people and started focusing on making them feel welcome. For me, that’s what a 1 Peter 4:10 hospitality lifestyle looks like in real life. God has given each of us opportunities to serve others, and sometimes that starts with simply opening our home, sharing a meal, and making people feel loved.
