This Instant Pot Ham is my favorite of all time! A little smoky, a little sweet, brushed with a spiced honey glaze and served with an irresistible mustard sauce.
I recall one of my favorite meals growing up being sliced ham covered in canned pineapple rings and brown sugar. My mom would serve it with her famous Au gratin potatoes. I was in heaven.
Then in adulthood, I made the mistake of making a smoked holiday ham and it soon became a family favorite at big gatherings.
I say mistake because if you know me very well, you know I can’t stand lingering food smells. When you’re working with a smoker, you might as well accept that your hair is going to smell like meat for days and dayyyyyyzzzz.
Sure enough, the next holiday I was given the assignment of smoking the ham and I groaned at the thought of dealing with it all day long. Out of the corner of my eye, my Instant Pot beamed in all its rightful glory and “DING!” light bulb!
I rubbed the smoky, earthy spices all over the ham and tossed it into the pressure cooker really hoping I wasn’t going to mess this one up for all the smoked ham fans in my life.
Well, I’ll be dipped if it wasn’t just as good, dare I say, better than the smoked version I dreaded making so badly.
The dinner table was filled with ham praises, “mmmmm”s, “yummmm”s, and “Marci’s smoked ham is always the best”s.
Never again smoker! I will NEVER babysit you again!
Trust me trust me trust me, you are gonna want to try this ham! It’s juicy, tender, and bursting with smoky, spicy, sweet flavor.
Hoard those leftovers with your life too. I’ve got lots of ideas for those below.
Looking for more Instant Pot meat main dishes? Here are some of my favorites: Instant Pot Pot Roast, Instant Pot Turkey Breast, and Instant Pot Dijon Maple Glazed Ham.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT HAM WITH HONEY GLAZE AND PINEAPPLE
- It’s not the brown sugar bath of my youth, but with a heavy dose of spices, a drizzle of smokey honey glaze, and a side of fresh pineapple, you won’t miss that for a second.
- All the flavor of smoked ham, but your hair and clothes remain smelling clean and fresh.
- Sweet pineapple, smoky paprika, spicy mustard, and cayenne. Absolute part-ay in your mouth!
- So very simple! That special occasion ham will become an easy weeknight meal.
- The meat that pleases everyone! In my household, ham is the ONE meat that grownups and kids alike can agree on.
- Mustard Sauce to make you cry. Don’t even think about nixing it!
HOW TO MAKE EASY SMOKED HAM IN THE PRESSURE COOKER
- Mix up your dry rub and rub it all over a quartered ham (for max flavor, wrap in foil and let it hang out overnight in the fridge)
- Nestle ham into the pot with the spiced pineapple juice
- Cook for 35 minutes, prepare the glaze and mustard sauce while it cooks
- Let it rest for 10 minutes or so, slice
- Place in a 9 x 13 pan or on a platter, brush with the honey glaze
- Dredge with Mustard Sauce
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE CARD BELOW WITH DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
It’s not often that I wax poetic for meat. I’d take a Blackberry Poached Pear salad over it any day, but this ham is somethin’ special for sure.
My brother’s jaw dropped when I told him how I made this. While he felt a bit betrayed at first, he is now forever grateful that we’re seein’ a lot more of this ham at family get-togethers.
I’ve tested it at least 10 times so you can live on the edge and make it without fear for your parties. I can’t wait for you to experience this one!
Enjoy!
If you need a bit of ham schooling, keep reading. If you’re ready for ham heaven, jump on down to the recipe.
HOW LONG TO COOK A HAM IN THE INSTANT POT
This recipe uses a fully cooked ham, so basically, all we need to do is season it and give it a flavorful bath to warm up in and make it as juicy and tender as can be. For me, the sweet spot for this is 35 minutes, preferably with a full natural pressure release.
TYPE OF HAM TO USE / WHY ARE THERE SO MANY TYPES OF HAM!!!
Anyone else spend 15 minutes of their life at some point staring at the different kinds of ham and not having a clue what to get? Here is a basic run-down to help you get the best kind for your pressure cooker.
There are three main types of ham
- Cured Ham: meaning it’s been brined or cured with a dry rub. They are pink in color and are usually pre-cooked, but be sure and read the label to know for sure!
- Cured and Smoked Ham: Same as the cured ham, but it’s been smoked as well for additional flavor
- Fresh Ham: This uncooked ham looks similar to other pork items and needs to be cooked to the proper temperature before eating
I have never cooked a fresh ham so this recipe focuses on the precooked, cured, sometimes smoked, variety of ham, sometimes referred to as a “City Ham.”
When you go to a grocery store there will be the options of bone-in, boneless, sliced, and unsliced. For this Instant Pot Ham, avoid pre-sliced (AKA spiral sliced), it will end up dry. I prefer the football-shaped boneless ham so I can easily cut it into quarters and nestle it in the pot’s juices. However, a bone-in has the bonus of extra flavor, plus you can use the bone later to flavor soup or broth.
For a 6 quart pot, 5-6 pounds is great. For an 8 quart pot, I’ve been able to fit an 8-pound ham.
All clear? Let me know in the comments below if you have any unanswered questions.
HOW TO USE LEFTOVER HAM
- On an Instant Pot Baked Potato topped with melted pepper jack cheese
- One of my favorite paninis: Crusty bread, ham, avocado slices, provolone cheese, and mustard sauce. Mmmmm.
- English muffin, slice of ham, tomato slices and an Instant Pot Poached Egg – best dinner ever!
- Healthy Instant Pot Egg Bite AKA Sous Vide Egg
BEST HOLIDAY DISHES FOR THE INSTANT POT
To round out your centerpiece ham
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Instant Pot Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Instant Pot Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread (it’s even speckled with red and green!)
- Instant Pot Ultimate Mashed Potatoes
TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT HAM
PrintInstant Pot Ham
Not only is this the easiest ham I have ever prepared in my life, it’s also the most tender and flavorful. Leftovers are out of this world!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: main meal
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Ham
- 5-6 pound ready to eat ham, cut in 4 pieces (AKA vacuum packed, boneless ham)
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne (depending on how spicy you want it)
For the Cooking Liquid
- 6 oz can pineapple juice
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
For the Glaze
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- pinch of ground cloves
For the Mustard Sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
- 1 tablespoon flour (I use white whole wheat flour)
- 1/4 cup dry mustard
- 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Cut ham into 4 equal pieces and place on top of a large piece of tinfoil. Combine spices in a bowl then rub them all over the ham. It will seem like a lot, but trust me, use all of the spice rub.
- Wrap ham up tightly in the tinfoil, adding another layer of foil if it’s not completely covered. Set inside a larger dish and place in the refrigerator overnight. You can skip the overnight step, but it does infuse the ham with more flavor.
- When ready to cook the ham, add the cooking liquid ingredients to the pressure cooker pot and whisk to combine.
- Unwrap the ham from the foil and place the ham inside the pot, let it nestle down into the cooking liquid.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Prepare the mustard sauce as instructed below (can be made a few days ahead of time).
- When pressure cooking is complete, use a natural release. This will help keep the ham moist and tender, but if in a hurry, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes followed by a quick release.
- Place ham on a cutting board and cut into desired size pieces. Place inside a 9×13 baking dish or on a serving platter and drizzle with the glaze.
- Serve hot or room temperature with a side of fresh pineapple slices or chunks and a bowl of Mustard Sauce for dipping or drizzling.
For the Mustard Sauce
- Prepare the Mustard Sauce by combining all of the ingredients except for the butter in a small saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring frequently.
- Add butter and stir until it’s melted and well incorporated.
- The sauce can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Makes 2 cups.
Notes
- Freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. I like to freeze some in slices and some diced.
- Look for a football-shaped, fully cooked, boneless ham. Unsliced, bone-in ham will also work.
- The glaze is another delicious layer of flavor but the ham is still dynamite without it. Feel free to omit for an unsweetened version.
I made this tonight using a 6 lbs bone-in ham and it was delicious. Everything you promised and more! This is definitely my new ham recipe.
Tammy, I’m so happy you liked it! It’s definitely my go-to and the leftovers are the best thing ever to have stocked in the freezer, so I hope you have some!
This was all very good but the ham was so tender it did indeed fall apart. But it did taste good! Shelle
Shelle, I’m so sorry about that! Maybe I’m not clear about what you’re saying. Mine will slice easily without falling apart. Is yours falling apart like pulled pork?
We just made this for Christmas and everyone around the table said that it was the best ham they ever had! So grateful for this recipe- the meat turned out juicy and delicious! Will be a family favorite now for sure.
Jessica, I’m so excited you liked it! This is my favorite ham of all time, hands down. I hope you got some leftovers because It’s so good diced up in an omelette or on top of a potato.
Excited to try this for Christmas! What is the cooking time if doing an 8lb ham?
Jessica, as long as you’re cutting them into about 4 chunks, the cook time will work great. Oh you’re going to love it! This ham is so yummy!
This looks perfect!! My granddaughter requested a ham this year so, of course, I have to make one. I prefer bone-in hams. I have an 8 qt and will be buying a small size ham – as long as it fits, can I put it in whole?
Adele, I believe it will work if you put it in whole, I just prefer to get more of the rub directly on the ham. Let me know if you try it that way!
This ham is absolutely terrific! I gave it a test drive tonight for Easter dinner and we loved it. Perfect balance of flavors, tender, juicy texture, and easy to prepare and serve. I could only get a 4-pound ham but it worked great. Thanks so much!
Kate, it’s amazing, right! I Love this ham and it’s sooooo much easier than when I used to soak this recipe all day. I’m so happy to hear your feedback!
The ham in these images look extremely dry, so I’m not confident about trying this recipe.
Toni, oh no, this was the juiciest ham I’ve ever had. I let it rest for an hour and still when I cut it juices were flowing all over the cutting board. I promise you it was far from dry! I guess my image didn’t do it justice 🙂
Your ham looks delicious and so does the egg bites. Pinning for later.
Thank Danielle! The combo of those two is pretty insane as well 🙂
I would love to make this! I have a 3 quart mini instant pot. What adjustment in cooking time would I have to make? Thanks!
Hey Michelle! As long as your chunks of ham are still the same size as the recipe I wrote, I would use the same cook time. Does that make sense?
That makes sense, thank you so much Marci! I can’t wait to make this yummy recipe!
How much easier it is in an instant pot! Amazing. Thank you for sharing on the blog hop!
Krista, thanks for including me!
This looks like the perfect holiday meal and so easy too!
I love using my Instant Pot, but I’ve never tried ham. I will have to save this one for a future quick, easy meal!
I’m sure my family would love this!
Shannon, it’s the best ham ever! We love it. I have leftover diced up in my freezer that we use too.
I can’t wait to make this. I was trying to print it though, but it won’t print. I wonder if there is something going on with the link?
When do you add the mustard sauce? I see where you drizzle the glaze over the ham but am not sure how to use the mustard sauce.
Am I assuming right that the foil is completely removed from the ham? The foil does not go into the IP?
This sounds so yummy. I need to try this one out for sure!!
Yes, you can throw away the foil after it sits overnight. I actually wondered last night if that was clear enough! I’ll make that more clear. It’s so good, you will love it!
That sounds so good! I’m saving this one to try! (My son-in-law is cooking the ham this year so this recipe will have to wait but I’m going to make it!).
I got the Ultimate Bundle last year and have enjoyed it, especially your cookbook. The Instant Pot is quickly becoming my favorite appliance! It’s amazing.
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Cecilia
Cecilia, You’ve finally seen the light ;). This ham is amazing. Even thawed from the freezer it was still so tender and flavorful.
I am curious though… does the ham fall into pieces because it gets to soft? I am going to do this instant pot ham dish for Christmas and I am feeling nervous that something will not turn out right… shelle
Shelle, I can slice it without it falling apart, so I’m gonna say you’re safe!
Could I make this with ham steaks instead of a whole ham?