Y’all my honey glazed ham is something else. Completely tender, moist and perfectly sweet, it’s cooked up in its own juices and hit with a killer glaze made of honey, pineapple juice and brown sugar. It’s got that sweet, salty, buttery, sticky vibe going on that makes it the star of any holiday feast you make it for. Forget buying a honey baked ham this year and get into this homemade honey glazed ham. And bonus, I’ve got slow cooker instructions for ya too!
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“I LOVED this glaze! I followed the directions and it turned out perfect.”
—ERIKA
Let me just tell ya, this honey glazed ham recipe makes a main course that will get rave reviews for holidays and special occasions boos. Instead of picking up a honey baked ham from the store, make this right at the crib for your next Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration! It’s perfectly sweet yet salty, always tender and sticky on the fingers. Let’s get into it.
The Lowdown of This Honey Glazed Ham Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern Comfort
Primary Cooking Method: Baking (with a Slow Cooker option too!)
Dietary Info: Gluten-Free
Key Flavor: Sweet, Sticky, Perfectly Flavorful Tender Ham Vibes
Skill Level: Easy y’all (No Sweat Fam!)
Flavors on Flavors
A sticky, sweet, and salty glaze that’ll have everyone reaching for seconds ya dig? Plus as the ham cooks in its own juices, it gets super juicy, tender and irresistible.
Ultimate Holiday Showstopper
When you need the perfect centerpiece for your holiday menu, this honey ham is the one you pull out. Before you reach for the number to order a honey baked ham, try this one and see how much more you love it!
Versatile Cooking
You can either slow cook this baby or roast it in the oven. You can do you boo! It’s your world. Both options are super stress-free and no-fuss too.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Honey Baked Ham
- Unsalted Butter: Ham is already a bit salty so we go with unsalted. The butter aids in melting the sugar and adds a richer flavor to the ham glaze.
- Brown Sugar: The sugar helps create that sweet, caramel-like glaze with it’s molasses-ey and super sticky notes.
- Honey: It adds floral, fruity and sometimes, buttery essence as well as more stickiness when paired with the sugar sticking to the skin of the ham.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard is a milky mixture of onion, garlic, salt, white wine, mustard powder and a touch of honey. It adds a little heat and brightness to the mix.
- Pineapple Juice: This gives necessary acidity cutting through all the sugar.
- Ham: Let’s not forget the ham y’all. Choose a precooked, spiral-cut, bone-in ham. It’s crucial to make sure you get one that doesn’t already have a glaze on it.
WARNING: Pork is inherently a very salt-forward protein. Some store-bought hams will have also already been brined in salt water. As with any other recipe, salt and pepper your ham as needed. Just go easy on it so you don’t get too salty with it.
How To Make Honey Glazed Ham
How to Make Slow Cooker Honey Ham
As if this recipe couldn’t get any easier, this baked ham recipe is a slow-cooker friendly.
The low, slow heat of the slow cooker gently braises the ham which makes for the best melt-in-the-mouth pork you’ve ever had.
TOP TIP: Use the Right Ham! You don’t wanna use a boneless ham in a slow-cooker. Instead, buy a spiral-cut ham that is fully cooked and has the bone in. Butt-end hams fit into slow-cooker a bit more easily. A 10-pound ham is as big as you can fit into a 6-quart slow-cooker. Make sure you spray it completely with non stick spray.
- Place the ham in the slower cooker. Make sure you’ve already prepped it!
- Once the ham is cozy in the slow-cooker, pour the glaze over the ham and try to cover as much ground as possible. Don’t worry if there are uncovered portions.
- The key here is LOW AND SLOW. Set a timer for about 8 hours (it might take 5 depending on size of ham) and cook on the low setting. Do your best to baste the ham with glaze every hour or so. I would also suggest flipping the ham halfway through cooking.
What to Serve with Honey Bake Ham
- Sunday Supper: Serve this honey ham up with mashed sweet potatoes, fried corn and fried cornbread. Easy peasy yet delish meal.
- Sandwich It Up: Make some delish no-knead bread or some Hawaiian sweet rolls and add slices of honey glazed ham to the center.
- Easter Celebration: Serve this honey baked ham recipe with honey glazed carrots, cheesy scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs, deviled ham, green bean casserole and don’t forget the bomb carrot cake boos.
Recipe Substitutions
- Unsalted Butter: Go with ghee which will give you that butter flavor.
- Honey: Swap in maple syrup for some more intense and deep notes.
- Dijon Mustard: Go with plain yellow mustard or even a honey mustard if you wanna add even more sweetness to the mix.
- Pineapple Juice: Replace with orange juice or apple cider for some wonderful fruity vibes that add brightness.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Spice It Up: Just a bit of sriracha or even some cayenne added to the glaze can add some heat to the sweet.
- Brighten: Adding in some fresh orange or lime zest can really add a contrast to the sweetness in the glaze.
- Booze It Up: Just a little bourbon or whiskey add to the glaze will add some complexity and grown up vibes.
- Get Smoky: Swap in smoked paprika for the paprika and add a little liquid smoke to the glaze to add some bomb smokey notes.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Slow Cooker Tips: Butt-end hams fit into slow-cooker a bit more easily. Above all, take into consideration the size of your slow-cooker. A 10-pound ham is as big as you can fit in
- Choose a spiral cut ham for the best pineapple honey glazed ham.
- Score the ham before adding the glaze so the flavors penetrate more of the meat.
How to Store Honey Ham
Leftover ham is rare because for reals, it goes quickly. But, if you find yourself with a few extra slices, it’s important to store it properly. Store the ham (in its juices) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
BONUS TIP: This ham makes for the best next-day ham sandwiches. Make sure you’ve got good bread and some extra mustard on hand. Dipping the sandwiches in the juices takes it to a new level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, definitely. In this recipe, the glaze is added three different times which creates a perfect layer of brown sugar glaze over the top of the baked ham.
When cooking a bone-in ham, allow about a half pound per person. This takes into consideration the weight of the bone. If you want to have leftovers select a larger ham. Just be sure your ham will fit into your pan or slow cooker depending on the preparation method you plan to use.
My preference is a spiral cut, bone-in, precooked ham. The bone adds flavor and helps retain moisture in the ham while the spiral cut makes serving easier and also allows the glaze to penetrate the ham. You can also use a boneless ham but it’s not the best!
Absolutely boos! The glaze can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
More Holiday Recipes
- Fried Turkey Recipe
- Turkey Gravy
- Southern Pecan Pie
- Southern Caramel Cake
- Oyster Dressing
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Southern Cornbread
Honey Glazed Ham Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Cooking spray
- 8-10 lb Plain fully cooked spiral sliced bone in ham make sure it does not already have a glaze
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter then whisk in brown sugar, honey, mustard, pineapple juice, garlic powder and paprika until combined. Allow the mixture to cook for about 5-7 minutes or until it bubbles and somewhat thickens. Take off heat. It will continue to thicken as it stands.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a 9" x 13" pan with lots of foil going up the sides as well then thoroughly spray with cooking spray.
- Place the ham cut side down in the pan. Next score the ham if you desire. To score, simply make shallow cuts along the top of the thicker skin to get the glaze to seep through even more.
- Brush the ⅓ of the glaze over the top of the ham.
- Bake for 1 ½ hours then turn oven to 425 degrees F and brush ham again with half of the remaining glaze.
- Bake 15 additional minutes, then finally brush ham with remaining glaze you have. Place ham under broiler for 3-5 minutes to allow glaze to get sticky. The sugar should be super seeped in and delicious.
- Rest ham for 10 minutes and then serve.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Thoroughly spray the inside of a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker with your cooking spray.
- Carefully place the ham inside. Prepare ham according to instructions.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published March 2020. It has been republished with new content.
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Hi Jocelyn,
I have a bone-in ham, approx 9 lbs. but not spiral cut.
I’d love to make it in my crock pot with this glaze. Do you think it would work well or I could just use regular oven? It looks so delicious!
Thank you!
I am going to make my ham for Thanksgiving! 1. Should I still place it cut side down, 2. Should I also baste between slices and what about browning the top. Thank you for all of your great recipes
I made this at Christmas and am making it again today for Easter. Never again will I use a cooking bag! This is delicious and juicy, very flavorful!
Can I use white sugar instead I forgot to pick up brown sugar
I would suggest making your own brown sugar which you can do if you have some molasses at home. If you want to make light brown sugar, combine 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of molasses. If you want dark brown sugar, use 2 teaspoons of molasses!
Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl until well mixed or even add to a food processor to combine quickly!
Do you cover the hame with aluminum foil when you bake it or no?
Totally up to you. I didn’t.
This glaze is perfect. I served it today for a small family gathering, and everyone loved it! Cot side down…never thought to do that, but I will going forward!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It was absolutely amazing!!!
I don’t have djon mustard. Can I use spicy brown mustard instead?
Hi, I’m allergic to pineapple what substitute could I use to replace the pineapple juice
You could use a citrus juice as a replacement here.
I tried this yesterday for thanksgiving and it was delicious!! I don’t think I’ve ever realized how easy it is to make glaze, never going back to the overly processed glaze. Also baking it with the cut side down is genius! It was so juicy! Something I would never have thought to do. I can’t wait to make this again for Christmas!