Discover how to create an incredible **Instant Pot ham with pineapple** glaze in under 30 minutes! This exceptionally easy pressure cooker recipe is perfect for any occasion, from festive holiday feasts like Easter and Christmas to a simple, satisfying weeknight dinner. Tender, juicy, and infused with sweet pineapple and savory brown sugar, this family-friendly meal is not only delicious but also budget-friendly, making it a beloved favorite in countless homes.
If you’re on the hunt for an effortless **Instant Pot ham recipe**, look no further! While many associate succulent ham with holiday tables, this method transforms a simple ham into a culinary masterpiece you’ll want to enjoy year-round. My family has declared that ham must now *always* be made in the Instant Pot, and once you try it, you’ll understand why. This recipe promises a perfectly cooked, moist, and flavorful ham every single time, making your pressure cooker an indispensable tool for impressive meals.
Effortless Instant Pot Ham with Pineapple Glaze
The beauty of cooking ham in an Instant Pot lies in its incredible efficiency and the consistently moist results. Forget long hours of oven baking; your pressure cooker delivers a tender, glazed ham in a fraction of the time. This particular recipe focuses on a delightful pineapple glaze, a classic pairing that complements the savory ham with a burst of sweet-tangy flavor. It’s a game-changer for anyone seeking a quick yet impressive main course.
My journey to perfecting **pressure cooker ham** started unexpectedly. A few years ago, after the Christmas rush, I stumbled upon deeply discounted smoked hams at the grocery store. Unable to resist a bargain on such a versatile cut of meat, I brought one home. That spontaneous purchase led to an epiphany: cooking ham shouldn’t be reserved for special occasions. It’s a fantastic, economical meal that can be enjoyed throughout the year, especially when prepared with the ease of a pressure cooker.
Whether you own an Instant Pot, a Crockpot Express, or a Ninja Foodi, this recipe is adaptable to any high-pressure multi-cooker. The core principle remains the same – harnessing the power of pressure to achieve perfectly cooked meat. While I’ve shared a specific Ninja Foodi ham recipe featuring a slightly different honey glaze, the instructions here provide a universal approach for a delectable pineapple-glazed ham.
For those new to the world of pressure cooking, embarking on your first ham can seem daunting, but it’s surprisingly simple. To ensure a smooth cooking experience, here are a few essential tips to get you started:
- Make sure to Bookmark our Instant Pot recipes page. We consistently update it with new, exciting dishes each week, offering a treasure trove of culinary inspiration.
- For quick reference, PRINT this handy Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet. It’s an invaluable tool that helps you gauge the precise cooking duration for various meats, vegetables, and beans in your pressure cooker, eliminating guesswork.
- I HIGHLY recommend investing in a quality non-stick inner pot for your Instant Pot. This accessory significantly reduces the risk of food sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
- Even with a non-stick pot, it’s beneficial to understand how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing. This technique prevents the “burn” notice and ensures all delicious flavors are incorporated into your dish.
For context, I personally use a 6-quart Instant Pot for all my recipe creations and testing, finding it to be the perfect size for most family meals.
Cooking a Fully Cooked Ham in the Instant Pot: A Simple Approach
Heating a fully cooked ham in the Instant Pot is not only possible but also results in an incredibly tender and moist outcome that often surpasses oven-baked versions. This method shines for its ability to infuse flavor and moisture without drying out the meat. While a video demonstration is available in the recipe card below, I’ve also provided clear written instructions, including an alternative for those who prefer not to use aluminum foil. The luscious glaze, while optional, plays a crucial role in maintaining moisture and adding a layer of irresistible sweetness.
For a perfect fit within a standard 6-quart Instant Pot, you’ll typically need to select a smaller half or a quarter of a ham. One such piece often yields enough meat for several meals, offering significant cost savings and versatility. Don’t limit this culinary delight to just once a year! After major holidays, grocery stores frequently clearance smoked hams at drastically reduced prices. These hams freeze exceptionally well, allowing you to stock up and enjoy this amazing dish throughout the year.
My common practice is to purchase several of these discounted hams, storing them in my deep freezer. This way, we can indulge in a succulent **pressure cooker ham** every few months, relishing the main meal and then transforming the leftovers into a variety of creative leftover ham recipes. It’s a smart strategy for delicious, economical meals year-round.
Remarkably, this incredible dish requires just a few key ingredients and is ready in approximately 20 minutes of active cooking time, not including the time it takes for the Instant Pot to reach and naturally release pressure. This makes it an ideal choice for busy weeknights when you crave a hearty, home-cooked meal without the extensive prep.
Key Ingredients for a Perfect Instant Pot Ham
To create this mouthwatering **honey glazed ham with pineapple**, you’ll need only a handful of readily available ingredients. Simplicity is key to this recipe’s success, allowing the natural flavors of the ham and pineapple to truly shine:
- Quarter of a Ham – During the holiday seasons, you’ll commonly find bone-in hams cut in half. For a 6-quart Instant Pot, a half ham is typically too large to fit comfortably.
- If you can only find a half ham, simply cut it in half again to create two quarter portions. This provides two delicious meals! Alternatively, don’t hesitate to ask your local butcher if they can cut a ham to your desired size. Many are happy to accommodate such requests.
- While any pre-cooked ham works, a spiral-cut ham is highly recommended as its pre-sliced nature allows for better flavor absorption and easier serving. If your ham isn’t spiral-cut, you’ll need to slice it yourself before cooking for optimal results.
- Brown Sugar – A non-negotiable ingredient for our signature sweet and savory glaze. Its rich molasses notes are essential.
- Pineapple Tidbits and Pineapple Juice – For ultimate convenience, I often use a small snack pack containing both tidbits and juice, pouring the entire contents directly into the recipe.
- As an alternative, apple cider can be substituted for pineapple juice if you prefer a different fruity undertone or don’t have pineapple juice on hand.
- Honey – This is an optional addition, but a drizzle of honey enhances the sweetness and creates an even richer glaze.
- Cloves – Whole or ground, cloves add a warm, aromatic spice that beautifully complements the ham and pineapple.
- Water – Essential for the Instant Pot to reach pressure.
- Cornstarch – For thickening the luscious glaze to your desired consistency.
Essential Equipment for Instant Pot Ham
Preparing this **quick ham dinner** requires minimal equipment, making it an accessible recipe for any home cook:
- Pressure Cooker: Your trusty Instant Pot, Crockpot Express, or Ninja Foodi is the star of this recipe. A 6-quart model is sufficient for a quarter ham.
- Trivet: Absolutely necessary to keep the ham elevated out of the liquid, ensuring even cooking and preventing scorching. A trivet with handles is especially convenient for easily lifting the hot ham out of the pot.
- Aluminum Foil: Recommended for wrapping the ham to keep juices contained and create a pocket for the glaze to meld.
- Knife: For slicing the ham, both before and after cooking, especially if you’re not using a pre-sliced spiral ham.
- Pot Holders: To safely handle the hot inner pot and trivet.
- Small Bowl & Whisk: For preparing the cornstarch slurry to thicken the glaze.
Customizing Your Ham Glaze
While the basic pineapple glaze is phenomenal as is, you have the option to customize its texture. If you desire a thicker, more syrupy glaze for your **easy honey ham recipe**, a bit of cornstarch is all you need. The glaze is perfectly delicious in its thinner form, offering a lighter coating, but thickening it can create a more luxurious, clinging sauce. This choice is entirely up to your personal preference!
The total cooking time for this **pressure cooker ham** is around 15 minutes at high pressure, but remember to account for the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure (approximately another 15 minutes) and for the natural pressure release. The image above shows how the ham looks nestled in foil on the trivet, creating a protective “bowl” that masterfully contains all the flavorful juices and glaze ingredients. For those curious about cooking ham without foil, I’ve successfully developed a method for my Ninja Foodi ham recipe, which you can adapt if preferred. However, the foil method is highly recommended for maximizing moisture and flavor infusion.
Step-by-Step: How to Cook a Pre-Cooked Ham in Your Pressure Cooker
Achieving a perfectly tender and flavorful ham in your Instant Pot is incredibly straightforward. Follow these steps for a delicious meal:
- Prepare Your Pot: Pour 1.5 cups of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot inner pot.
- Insert Trivet: Place your trivet (preferably one with handles for easy removal) inside the pot.
- Prepare the Ham: If your pre-cooked ham is not spiral-cut, slice it into thin pieces. Lay a large piece of aluminum foil (or two overlapping pieces) on a clean surface, big enough to completely wrap around the ham and create a “bowl.”
- Glaze the Ham: Place the sliced ham onto the foil. Sprinkle brown sugar generously over the ham, ensuring it seeps into the slices. Pour pineapple juice over the ham and add whole cloves or a pinch of ground cloves. Sprinkle pineapple tidbits on top. Drizzle with honey if using.
- Wrap the Ham: Fold the foil up around the ham, creating a loosely sealed pouch or bowl to contain all the juices. If needed, use a small extra piece of foil to cover the very top.
- Load the Instant Pot: Carefully lower the foil-wrapped ham onto the trivet in your Instant Pot.
- Pressure Cook: Secure the lid and set the steam release valve to the sealing position. Select High Pressure and set the cooking time for 12 minutes (this is for a sliced quarter ham; larger pieces may require an additional 5 minutes).
- Natural Release: Once cooking is complete, allow for a natural pressure release. This typically takes 10-15 minutes and helps the ham retain its moisture. After natural release, manually release any remaining pressure.
- Rest the Ham: Carefully lift the ham out using the trivet handles (or a foil sling if your trivet doesn’t have them). Transfer the ham to a cutting board, remove from foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute for maximum tenderness.
- Prepare the Glaze: While the ham rests, carefully remove the trivet from the Instant Pot. Drain out the water from the inner pot, then return the clean pot to the Instant Pot base. Pour all the delicious juices collected in the foil from the ham into the inner pot.
- Thicken the Glaze: Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function on a low setting. Add an additional 3 ounces of pineapple juice and 3 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar to the pot, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble. In a small separate bowl, whisk together 2 ounces of cold pineapple juice (or water) with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until smooth (add cornstarch gradually to avoid clumps). Slowly pour this cornstarch slurry into the bubbling glaze in the Instant Pot, whisking constantly until the glaze thickens to your desired consistency. Add your pineapple tidbits to the glaze.
- Serve: Turn off the Instant Pot once the glaze is thick enough. Immediately transfer the glaze to a separate container to prevent overcooking or burning. Finish slicing your ham pieces completely, then generously spoon the warm, luscious pineapple glaze over each serving. Enjoy!
A quarter ham fits perfectly into a 6-quart Instant Pot, much like it does with our air fryer ham recipe, ensuring consistent cooking and easy handling.
Cooking Frozen Ham in Your Pressure Cooker
One of the many benefits of your Instant Pot is its ability to cook a frozen ham directly, eliminating the need for thawing! If your ham is completely frozen, adjust the high-pressure cooking time to approximately 35 minutes. This duration can vary slightly depending on the exact size and thickness of your ham, but 35 minutes is typically spot on for a quarter ham. The results are truly exceptional; the steaming process in the pressure cooker locks in all the natural juices, allowing the ham to absorb the sweet glaze flavors as it cooks. You’ll be amazed by how incredibly moist and tender it turns out – a vastly superior experience to oven-baking frozen ham. My husband even prefers it this way for Christmas! If you own an 8-quart Instant Pot, you might be able to accommodate a slightly larger piece of ham; in that case, consider adding an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time to ensure it’s heated through perfectly.
Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Pot Ham
For optimal flavor penetration and even heating, it’s highly recommended to slice your ham before cooking in the Instant Pot, even if it wasn’t pre-sliced (like ours initially). Laying the sliced ham in a large piece of foil, creating a bowl to hold the pineapple, brown sugar, and juices, allows the flavors to truly infuse. We’ve found that cooking a whole, unsliced ham prevents the heat from permeating thoroughly, resulting in less flavorful and unevenly cooked meat.
To properly store leftover ham, first allow it to cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, wrap the remaining ham tightly in aluminum foil or place it in an airtight container. Store it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best results and to maintain its moisture, we suggest not slicing any leftover ham until you are ready to use it for another meal. This method helps prevent the ham from drying out.
Absolutely! The Instant Pot is an excellent tool for reheating leftover ham. Place your leftover ham chunk on a trivet with a little water in the bottom of the pot. This creates a steaming environment that gently reheats the ham, ensuring it comes out tender and far less dried out than if you were to reheat it in the oven. Simply pop it in, set it to low pressure for a few minutes, and let the pressure release naturally. When done, spoon on some extra glaze for a delightful lunch or dinner the next day!
There are numerous compelling reasons to choose your Instant Pot for cooking ham:
1. **Frees Up Your Oven:** This is crucial, especially during holidays when your oven is often needed for side dishes and desserts.
2. **Doesn’t Heat Up Your House:** Perfect for warmer months when you want to avoid turning on a hot oven.
3. **Significantly Faster Cook Time:** The Instant Pot cooks ham in a fraction of the time compared to traditional oven methods.
4. **No Baking Sheet Required:** Simplifies prep and cleanup.
5. **Minimal Cleanup:** You only have one pot to wash, and the ham glaze can be made right inside the pressure cooker itself.
6. **Unbeatable Juiciness:** The pressure cooking method consistently yields the juiciest, most tender ham you’ve ever tasted.
Beyond this fantastic Instant Pot method, there are other great ways to prepare ham without an oven. For those who enjoy slow cooking, a crockpot ham recipe offers a hands-off approach. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a hearty option that can be done in the oven, on a grill, or even over a campfire, consider a dutch oven ham. And for those contemplating alternative holiday main courses, instructions for making a delicious pressure cooker turkey are also available.
Other Holiday and Everyday Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love
The versatility of the Instant Pot extends far beyond ham! It’s an incredible appliance capable of preparing a vast array of dishes, making it perfect for freeing up oven space during holiday feasts or simplifying everyday cooking. This season, save room in your oven and explore a few of these delightful **Instant Pot recipes**. I’m confident you’ll be just as enamored with their ease and delicious results. For a comprehensive guide, check out our HUGE list of Instant Pot Thanksgiving recipes, featuring everything you need for a complete holiday meal.
- Instant Pot stuffing is a brilliant and efficient way to prepare this classic side dish, ensuring it’s perfectly moist and flavorful.
- Sweet Instant Pot cranberry sauce provides a fresh, homemade alternative to canned varieties. It’s fantastic drizzled over your ham if you prefer a different fruity glaze.
- If you’re making this ham recipe for the holidays because turkey isn’t your preference, we have many other festive main courses and side dishes to complete your celebration.
Instant Pot Ham with Pineapple Glaze
Equipment
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1 pressure cooker
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1 trivet
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Aluminum Foil
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Knife
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Pot Holders
Ingredients
- 1 quarter ham, precooked/smoked, ideally spiral-cut or sliced into thin slices
- 1/3 c brown sugar
- 1/4 c pineapple juice, from a snack pack with tidbits or separate. Can substitute apple cider.
- 1/3 c pineapple, tidbits
- 4 cloves, whole or a pinch of ground cloves
- 1.5 c water
- Glaze Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp brown sugar, heaping tbsp
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp honey, optional, for extra sweetness
- 3-4 oz pineapple juice, depending on how thin/thick you want your glaze
Instructions
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Add 1.5 cups of water to the bottom of your Instant Pot and place the trivet inside.
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If your ham is not already sliced (like a spiral cut), slice your quartered ham into thin pieces. Lay out 1-2 large pieces of aluminum foil, ensuring they are large enough to wrap completely around the ham and form a bowl-like structure.
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Place the sliced ham onto the foil. Fold the edges of the foil up to create a barrier, leaving the very top open.
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Generously sprinkle brown sugar over the ham, gently pushing some into the slices.
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Pour 1/4 cup of pineapple juice over the ham. Sprinkle whole cloves (or a pinch of ground cloves) directly onto the ham or push them into the meat.
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Distribute the pineapple tidbits over the top of the ham. If desired, drizzle honey for an extra layer of sweetness (it’s already sweet without it, so this is optional).
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If necessary, place a small additional piece of foil over the very top of the ham to enclose it within the foil pouch.
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Carefully lower the foil-wrapped ham onto the trivet inside your Instant Pot. (If your trivet lacks handles, consider making a foil sling to help lift the ham out easily later).
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Secure the lid and set the steam release valve to the sealing position. Cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes (this timing is for a sliced quarter ham; adjust slightly for larger pieces). Once cooking is complete, allow for a natural pressure release.
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After the natural release, manually release any remaining pressure. Carefully lift the ham out of the Instant Pot (still in the foil) and transfer it to a cutting board. Remove the ham from the foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.
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While the ham rests, remove the trivet from the Instant Pot. Drain any remaining water from the inner pot, then place the cleaned pot back into your Instant Pot base. Pour all the flavorful juices collected in the foil from the ham into the bottom of the pot. Set the Instant Pot to the Sauté function on a low setting.
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Add an additional 3 ounces of pineapple juice and 3 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar to the pot. Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to gently bubble.
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In a small separate bowl, whisk together approximately 2 ounces of pineapple juice (or water) with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until smooth, adding the cornstarch one tablespoon at a time to prevent clumping. Gradually pour this cornstarch slurry into the bubbling glaze in the Instant Pot, whisking constantly until the glaze thickens to your desired consistency. You can add more pineapple juice or cornstarch mixture if you wish to adjust the thickness.
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Once the glaze reaches your preferred thickness, turn off the Instant Pot. Remove the inner pot and pour the glaze into a separate container to prevent it from overcooking or burning. Finish slicing your ham pieces all the way through, then generously pour the warm glaze over each piece and serve immediately!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.