Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham is so easy to prepare! The ham is juicy, moist, and full of flavor! Pure maple syrup, brown sugar, and pineapple juice make the best glaze for this delicious ham recipe.
Ham is one of my favorite main dishes! It’s a favorite throughout the year but we always have it for Easter and Christmas. I love cooking meat in the slow cooker. Some of my favorite recipes I’ve shared with you for this are Slow Cooker Turkey Breast, and Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa. What’s not to love about doing about 5 minutes of prep work and then having the slow cooker do the rest to create an amazing and flavorful main dish?!
This recipe is crazy easy! Over the last couple of months, I have been making Slow Cooker Ham quite a few times to get the recipe just right. For my family party last month, I made two versions of this recipe but one recipe had pineapple tidbits instead of pineapple juice. I asked my family what they preferred and most said either but the kids preferred the one with no pineapple chunks. So just know that if you prefer that you can add a can of pineapple tidbits instead of pineapple juice.
How to Make Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham:
Start with a 7-10 pound spiral-cut ham. Bone-in or boneless is great! Put it in your slow cooker, rub dark brown sugar all over it, then add pineapple juice, pure maple syrup, and ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. That’s it!
If time permits, baste it every hour to keep it moist.
Look how beautiful the ham looks when it’s ready!
A few recipe notes for this Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham:
-If your ham is a little too big for your slow cooker just cover it tightly with foil.
-Dark brown sugar is preferred in this recipe because of the unique flavor it has with more molasses but light brown sugar will work too.
-Please do not use pancake syrup, use pure maple syrup. Big difference and much better quality too!
-If you need to, you can substitute the maple syrup with honey.
-I know some people either don’t like pineapple juice or are allergic so it can be replaced with water, orange juice or apple juice. I’ve even heard of people using pear juice.
-A lot of recipes similar to this one use 1-2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard. I haven’t tested this recipe with it yet, but if that’s something you think you might like, you could add it.
-The ham is already fully cooked so the Slow Cooker is just warming it up. The recipe calls for cooking it for 4-5 hours but it’s a good idea to check on it after 3 hours. You don’t want to overcook it to prevent it from drying out.
-Since my husband and I both come from big families, when we serve this dish for them we like to cut up the ham into slices and then keep it in the extra juices that will be on the bottom of the slow cooker. Just keep the setting on warm and use a slotted spoon for serving.
-Hopefully, that answers any questions you might have. If not let me know in the comments!
Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Ingredients
- 7-10 pound spiral-cut ham (bone-in or boneless)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cup pineapple juice (or water, orange juice or apple juice.)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Put ham in the slow cooker. Rub brown sugar on all sides. Add the pineapple juice, maple syrup, and spices.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5, baste the ham every hour if possible. (Cover ham with foil if it’s too big for the lid to fit.)
- Carefully remove from slow cooker, let rest 10 minutes before cutting.
- Keep the sliced ham in the remaining juice in the slow cooker to keep it warm until ready to serve.
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment!
What if you don’t have honey or maple syrup but youhave brown sugar? will it still turn out ok??
Yes, it should turn out just fine! You just may want to add another 1/2 – 1 cup of brown sugar for a little more sweetness. Enjoy!