You will never make ham another way after making this Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham! Spiral sliced ham is steamed to perfection with a sweet honey sauce, keeping this ham full of flavor and moisture.
Serve this Instant Pot Ham with Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, and an Instant Pot Cheesecake for a show-stopping meal.
If you have lived long, you have probably experienced dried out ham.
My sweet mother in law cooks her ham every year for 6-10 hours, and the delicious honey baked ham she pays a small fortune for, ends up dry, tough, and chewy. Not exactly the ham you want for a Holiday centerpiece.
If you want to avoid dried-out ham and instead have a Honey Baked Ham that is full of flavor and moisture, this Instant Pot Ham recipe is for you!
Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham
Because the Instant Pot cooks by trapping all the steam and moisture inside the pressure cooker, it creates a perfect steamy environment to just warm the ham through without drying out the meat.
And this Honey Baked Ham is ready in less than an hour!!
That means you don't have to wake up early to prepare your holiday meal or rush home from church to get the ham in the oven. It also keeps the heat out of the kitchen--which in the south, I can attest to that is never a bad thing!
Ingredients for Honey Baked Ham
- Spiral cut ham
- as small as you like or as large as your Instant Pot will hold
- 6 quart Instant Pot will hold approximately a 5 to 6-pound ham.
- 8 quart Instant Pot will hold approximately a 7-8 pound ham.
- Pineapple Juice
- Pineapple juice will work to not only flavor the ham but keep the ham extra juicy.
- Honey
- Honey is essential for a honey baked ham.
- Brown Sugar
- Just a tiny bit of brown sugar helps to add depth to the ham.
- Feel free to omit if staying away from refined sugar.
- Optional Spices
- Honey Baked Ham typically have cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, I personally leave these out as I feel the overpower the ham, but feel free to add in if desired.
How to Cook Ham in the Instant Pot
The process for cooking a Honey Baked Ham in the Pressure Cooker is INCREDIBLY easy and FAST!!!!
Step One: Prepare Instant Pot
- Place trivet inside the inner pot of pressure cooker.
- Pour in 1 cup of water. Or 1.5 cups for an 8-quart Instant Pot.
- Place foil sling on trivet--this will help you remove ham after it has finished cooking.
Step Two: Prepare Ham Glaze
- Whisk together pineapple juice, honey, and brown sugar.
Step Three: Prepare Ham
- Place ham on a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Fold up sides of foil, to make a bowl-like shape around the ham.
- Gently separate slices of spiral ham, so glaze can penetrate the ham slices.
- Pour glaze over ham and securely wrap foil around ham.
Step Four: Pressure Cook Ham
- Place ham on the trivet.
- Secure foil sling around ham, if using.
- Pressure Cook on High for 2 minutes per pound. ADD 10 Minutes to the total time if the ham is wrapped in foil.
- Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes then do a quick release.
- Check internal temperature. You want your ham to be at 145 degrees for serving. Remember the ham has already been fully cooked, we are just warming!
Step Five: Reduce Glaze (optional)
I find that this ham is perfectly flavored and sweet enough to serve immediately. The ham is full of pineapple and honey flavor and is super delicious. If you would like that sticky glaze that Honey Baked Ham is known for, you can reduce the juices rendered from cooking right in the pressure cooker.
- After pressure is released, remove your ham from the Instant Pot and place it on a large platter or bowl, still sealed in the foil.
- Remove trivet from the inside pressure cooker and pour out the water used to cook the honey baked ham.
- Place the inner pot back inside the pressure cooker and turn the pressure cooker to Saute.
- Gently peel back the foil slightly from the cooked ham.
- Remove the Ham from the foil, leaving the liquid inside the foil packet.
- Pour the rendered cooking liquid into the pressure cooker.
- Mix together 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and whisk into cooking liquid.
- Whisk well, and cook until the glaze is reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes.
- Pour the thickened glaze over the ham.
How long do you cook a ham in the Instant Pot?
- Spiral Sliced ham is already precooked so you only need to warm the ham through.
- Cook your ham for 2 minutes per pound on high pressure plus 10 Minutes to the total time to account for foil. This will warm the ham through perfectly and keep the ham from drying out.
- Hit manual button and use +/- buttons to adjust the time. Be sure your pressure cooker is set to HIGH pressure.
- 3-pound ham: use 1 recipe for glaze and cook for 6 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 16 total minutes)
- 4-pound ham: use 1 recipe for glaze and cook for 8 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 18 minutes)
- 5-pound ham: use 1 recipe for glaze and cook for 10 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 20 minutes)
- 6-pound ham: double the recipe for the glaze and cook for 12 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 22 minutes)
- 7-pound ham: double the recipe for the glaze and cook for 14 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 24 minutes)
- 8-pound ham: double the recipe for the glaze and cook for 16 minutes+ 10 minutes to account for foil (or 26 minutes )
A Few Important Tips for Pressure Cooker Ham
- This Honey Glaze recipe is for a 3-5 pound ham. If making a larger ham, just double the recipe--extra glaze is NEVER a bad thing!
- If you would like to add spices to your Honey Ham Glaze, use ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon cloves.
- Feel free to omit brown sugar for refined sugar-free Honey Ham--and trust me, I have done this many times with great results in flavor.
- If you don't like Honey, use Maple Syrup--a Maple Glazed Ham is always delicious.
- It is important to seal the ham well in foil, parchment paper, or in a bowl to keep the ham flavored well and to prevent a burn warning.
- You can use bone-in or boneless spiral sliced ham for this recipe. I prefer boneless for easier serving, but either is fine!
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Pork and Sauerkraut
Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham
You will never make ham another way after making this Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham! Spiral sliced ham is steamed to perfection with a sweet honey sauce, keeping this ham full of flavor and moisture.
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Servings: 15
Calories: 267kcal
Ingredients
- 3-5 pound spiral sliced ham
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham
- Place trivet inside the inner pot of pressure cooker. Pour in 1 and ½ cups cold water. Place oil sling on trivet–this will help you remove ham after it has finished cooking.
- Prepare glaze by whisking together pineapple juice, honey and brown sugar.
- Place ham on large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Fold up sides of foil, to make a bowl like shape around the ham. Gently separate slices of spiral ham, so glaze can penetrate the ham slices. Pour glaze over ham and securely wrap foil around ham. Place ham on trivet inside pressure cooker. Secure foil sling around ham, if using.
- Pressure Cook on High for 2 minutes per pound plus 10 minutes to account for the foil. (Only add 5 minutes if using thin foil.) Once cook time has elapsed, let rest for at least 15 minutes before releasing pressure. Check the internal temperature to be sure the ham is warmed to 135-150 degrees. If not, cook for an additional 3-5 minutes on high pressure.
Honey Ham Glaze Reduction (optional)
- After pressure is released, remove your ham from the Instant Pot and place on a large platter or bowl, still sealed in the foil. Remove trivet from inside pressure cooker and pour out the water used to cook the honey baked ham. Place the inner pot back inside the pressure cooker and turn the pressure cooker to Saute.
- Gently peel back the foil slightly from the cooked Ham. Remove the Ham from the foil, leaving the liquid inside the foil packet. Pour the rendered cooking liquid into the pressure cooker.
- Mix together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup water and whisk into cooking liquid. Whisk liquid constantly until thickened and reduced--about 3-5 minutes. Pour over sliced ham.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- This recipe has been updated to account for using heavy duty foil to cook the ham. To reach 145 degrees for serving, if your foil is not thin, you will need an additional 10 minutes added to the total cook time to account for the foil.
- If using thin foil, do not add the additional 10 minutes to the cook time, instead add 3-5 minutes.
- This Honey Glaze recipe is for a 4-5 pound ham. If making a larger ham, just double the recipe.
- If you would like to add spices to your Honey Ham Glaze, use ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon cloves.
- Feel free to omit brown sugar for a refined sugar free Honey Ham or to use maple syrup in place of the honey.
- Sweet and Tangy Glaze Option: Instead of the honey glaze, mix together ⅓ cup pineapple juice, ¼ cup apricot preserves, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon prepared Horseradish, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon each of ground cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Pour over ham before wrapping in foil.
- It is important to seal the ham well in foil to keep the ham flavored well and to prevent a burn warning.
- This recipe is for a pre-sliced, pre-cooked ham that you purchase at your grocery store.
- Cooking Directions:
- 3 pound ham: use 1 recipe for glaze and cook for 6 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 16 total minutes)
- 4 pound ham: use 1 recipe for glaze and cook for 8 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 18 minutes)
- 5 pound ham: use 1 recipe for glaze and cook for 10 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 20 minutes)
- 6 pound ham: double the recipe for the glaze and cook for 12 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 22 minutes)
- 7 pound ham: double the recipe for the glaze and cook for 14 minutes + 10 minutes to account for foil (or 24 minutes)
- 8 pound ham: double the recipe for the glaze and cook for 16 minutes+ 10 minutes to account for foil (or 26 minutes)
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 1795mg | Potassium: 446mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1.4mg
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Jerica
Did not use foil and this was still not cooked fully using the time frame on this recipe. Putting it in for another 15 minutes to see if that does the trick!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jerica! I would love to further troubleshoot this for you. Can you tell me what type of ham you used and if it was sliced, etc.
Caela Horn
Do you need to use the cooking stand?
Kristen Chidsey
I recommend it so that you can wrap the ham in foil, which keeps it super juicy. If it does not fit with the rack, use pineapple juice as the liquid and place the ham, unwrapped in the liquid. Carefully pour the glaze over top the ham and cook for 2 minutes per pound.
Kate
Hi, I tried this out and my 5 lb ham was not even close to the right temperature after 15 minutes + natural release. I didn't use a glaze but still separated the layers. Any idea what would be wrong?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kate! I am sorry for your experience. If wrapped in foil, you needed to account for an additional 10 minutes of cook time. It may have also been that your instant pot was on low heat instead of high heat or that you used warm, not cold water. When/if this happens, I suggest closing your instant pot and cooking for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Kate
Thanks! I used regular (not heavy duty) foil which says to add 3 minutes in your notes, but in any case, it still wasn't up to temperature until I cooked for a total of about 45 minutes on high pressure. I figure it must have been the foil, but am surprised the cook time was so off for me!
Julia
I also seem to have had the same thing happen. I think the foil is affecting how it cooks somehow. I’ve needed to put it back in on high pressure for another 15 minutes in hopes that it brings it up to temperature.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Julia! Can I ask if you used a double layer of foil or extra-heavy duty?
Tonya
This was so good! My family loved our Christmas dinner and I am thinking I actually do like ham now. Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Tonya! Thank you for sharing!
Emma
Merry Christmas!! I’m so excited to cook my FIRST HAM!! We’re a very butter loving family and my mom isn’t very good at cooking hams she said, but always put butter on it! Can I add butter to it in the foil at all or will it mess it up?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Emma! Butter is fine as long as it is in the foil. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Sheila Spencer
If my ham is too big to fit as is, can I cut it in half?
Kristen Chidsey
Yes absolutely, but only cook for the amount of time for half the weight. Enjoy
Julie zub
What if my ham isn’t spiraled? Do I cut cut slices in it myself?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Julie! If you want the glaze to drip into the ham, yes, slicing would be ideal, but it is not necessary. If not sliced, wrap in foil with the glaze and cook for 3 minutes per pound, adding 10 minutes to account for the foil. Enjoy.
Betty Morgret
I must be blind i never did see how much honey or brown sugar to use or even the pineapple juice.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Betty! It is in the recipe card. But for quick reference, 1/2 cup pineapple juice, 1/3 cup honey, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Enjoy!
Katie
I did not see on the directions do we do a quick release or natural release I have a 5 pound ham?
Kristen Chidsey
Natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes Katie 🙂 Enjoy!
Michelle
I have a whole pineapple but not canned pineapple juice. Finely cut up the pineapple or do you suggest an alternative?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Michelle. I would cut up the pineapple and add a bit of water or stock for moisture. Enjoy!
Kevin b
Do not use fresh pineapple! It will wreck your ham! Fresh pineapple has an enzyme that will turn it to Kush. Canned pineapple only
Stephanie
Amazing first time cooking Thanksgiving Dinner and this made life so much easier. Nice, simple quick and edible:-) I'm sure I'll be hosting holiday dinners for now on!! Thank you so much for sharing. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear this Stephanie! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!