After you make ham in a pressure cooker, you won’t want to cook a ham in any other way. Forget using an oven, the Instant Pot makes for the juiciest and most flavorful ham you’ll ever have.
I used my 6-quart Instant Pot to cook a bone-in spiral cut ham and it is the best ham I’ve ever had. Really.
This ham is better than those honey-baked hams I used to spend a fortune on back in the day. Back then, I never cared much for the ham itself but rather always looked forward to using the ham bone. This ham recipe has changed that for me. Now, I love the ham just as much as the bone! And if you know me, that is saying a lot.
how to cook ham and why to use an instant pot:
There always seems to be a lot of confusion over how to cook ham but actually, when you buy a spiral ham at the grocery store, it’s almost always already fully cooked which means most of the time you just need to heat it through. The ham’s packaging comes with suggestions about how long to cook or heat the ham and those suggestions always recommend using an oven. I’m here to tell you that I don’t think I’ll ever use an oven to warm a bone-in spiral ham ever again.
Using an oven to heat ham can dry the ham out, especially a pre-sliced spiral cut ham. By using an Instant Pot, the flavors of the glaze infuse into the meat. Just look at this plate of sliced ham soaked in my spiced honey glaze. You know you want a slice or two of this ham on your plate:
a sweet spiced honey glaze
You are going to love the sweet honey glaze on this ham! It’s a combination of coconut sugar or brown sugar, honey and some optional spices that make it over the top tasty.
Put the ham in the pot, the sliced side facing down then pour the thick glaze on top of the ham.
When you take it out of the pressure cooker, the first slice may look a little burnt, but trust me that slice might just be the best slice. You can just gobble it up as a “test slice” if you want 😉 The slices with the charred edges are definitely my favorite.
I usually make ham twice a year: on Easter and Christmas and in the past, I’ve truthfully made it out of obligation. I mean, you’re supposed to serve ham on those holidays, right? Now I plan to cook ham more often – these slices are a thousand times better than ham deli meat! I can quickly cook a ham and make my husband the best ham sandwiches for him to take to work. Or I can freeze ham slices and serve them as part of a special weekend brunch.
Here are just a few examples of what you can make with your leftover ham:
I have a million more ideas floating around in my head and I want to hear your ideas too! Tell me how you plan to use this incredibly delicious ham!
I hope you make and love this sweet spiced honey ham!
Wishing all of you a great December 🙂 Happy Holidays!!
Instant Pot Ham with a Sweet Honey Glaze
Instant Pot Ham with a Sweet Honey Glaze
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- 1 bone-in spiral cut 6.5 pound ham*
Glaze:
- 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ½ cup honey
Optional Ingredients for Glaze:
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Big pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
Instructions
- Pour ¼ cup water into the steel basin of the Instant Pot.
- Place the ham in the pot with the sliced side facing down. If the ham is too large, you may need to cut a portion of it off in order for it all to fit.
- Mix the sugar and honey along with the optional glaze ingredients if using together in a bowl. Pour this glaze on top of the ham.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure (if the valve doesn’t drop after 10 minutes, then open the valve to release any remaining pressure).
- Drain the liquid from the pot into a bowl and set aside.* Allow the ham to rest for at least 10 minutes, then remove the ham to a platter.
- Press sauté and add the liquid back to the pot. Cook until the liquid has reduced to your liking. Pour this sweet sauce on top of the ham slices when serving.
Video
Notes
- In step 6, the reason you want to drain the liquid is because it will make it much easier to tip the ham out – that way you don’t need to burn your fingers by trying to lift it out with a fork/tongs/fingers.
- A 6.5 pound ham should fit in a 6 quart pot but if yours is slightly larger then you may need to cut the ham to make it fit, place both pieces into the pot at the same time, if possible.
- If you have leftover ham, place it in a container and pour the sweet sauce overtop to keep it moist and flavorful.
Looking for other festive recipes? Check out some of my other holiday recipes here.
Surya-Patricia Lane Hood says
You don’t mention how long it takes and how many it serves, i.e. prep time, cook time, total time, etc.
The ham’s packaging only tells you how long to ‘cook’ in an oven, not in an instant pot.
LCM says
Instruction step #4 says to cook for ten min.
Pamela says
I ended up using 2 small pre-sliced hams – each about 2.5 pounds each and stood them on the rack. The sauce/glaze was so fragrant while it was cooking and the flavor it imparted to the ham in the pressure cooker was SO good. My favorite ham so far. Everyone loved it Christmas Eve dinner tonight. This will definitely be a standard for me from now on!
My Heart Beets says
Pamela, that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for letting me know how the ham turned out for you 🙂
Mel says
I had an 8 lb bone in ham not spiral, I put it on for 12 mins with 1/4 cup of water in bottom and my sauce turned out way too liquidity when it was done and my ham was not heated through. Any suggestions to make it better next time?
Jenn says
I have made this recipe with a bone in ham that is not spiral sliced. It seems the recipe does take quite a lot more time with a ham like this. Today I am trying spiral cut ham from Costco. Its about 9 lbs and I have 8 qt IP. I am going to cook it for 20 minutes. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
My Heart Beets says
Jenn, awesome! Let me know how it goes!
patty says
I was really excited to make this recipe today for Easter dinner- prepared a 6.46 lb ham as directed , 1/4 cup water in bottom pot and glaze on top. It came to pressure but then I got a burn notice- turned off , moved ham around a little and started again but got burn notice again. Finally ran out of time with hungry guests and had to remove the ham and microwave . Not sure what I did wrong?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Patty – how large is your instant pot? I test all of my recipes using a 6 quart and so if yours is larger you may need a bit more water. Also, if the pot comes to pressure then the ham should still be okay even if the burn sign comes up – the ham will also release liquid as it cooks under pressure. Hope that helps!
Don says
Made this Christmas Eve and it turned out great! Of course, the hambone went back into the Instant Pot along with some Pinto Beans later on that week.
My Heart Beets says
Don, I’m so happy to hear that!! 🙂
Rich says
Just made this recipe with zero issues in my 8qt. Instant pot. I was skeptical of 1/4 cup of water as many have mentioned. Not only did I not get the dreaded “burn” message.. but it came out bangin!. Sauce was to die for!!
My Heart Beets says
Rich, I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂 I use a 6 quart for all of my recipes so it’s always great to hear how things go in an 8 quart – I’m sure many readers will appreciate you sharing this info!
Lindsey Sanders says
This turned out great!
I have an IP Lux (whatever that means – I’m new to the IP world!), 6 quart. I used an 8lb spiral sliced, bone-in ham. I used 1/4 cup water and the trivet. I used the glaze packet that came with the ham, just dumped it over the top before putting the lid on. It took about 20 minutes for the pot to pressurize, then I cooked it for 15. I let it depressurize for 10 minutes then released the steam and popped it open. So easy and so good!
I agree with another reviewer that making the glaze at the end was easy, but no one ended up using it. I think it’ll be great to keep leftovers moist though.
Thanks for a great first experience with my Instant Pot!
My Heart Beets says
Lindsey, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Annette says
Trying this today, smells heavenly in here. Wondering when the 10 minute timing starts? When you close the lid or when the temperature is reached?
Martin Courtney says
Is this a RAW ham? Seems like a very short cook time!
My Heart Beets says
Nope it’s cooked ham that requires heating 🙂 Most ham in grocery stores is already cooked! If it’s raw, it’ll be in the meat section behind the counter and be very obvious. Hope that helps!
My Heart Beets says
Nope it’s cooked ham that requires heating 🙂 Most ham in grocery stores is already cooked! If it’s raw, it’ll be in the meat section and be very obvious. Hope that helps!
Dawn Brainard says
This recipe was amazing! I’m definitely keeping it to make it again. I made it for Christmas Eve dinner and the ham was almost gone. Everyone loved it! It was so tender, juicy and the sauce was very tasty. I did not use the sauce packet the ham came with and instead used this. So amazing! Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Dawn, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Tricia L. says
Hello! I thought I left a really but I didn’t see it up there. Lol so if I posted twice, I apologize. I have a 2.6 Boar’s Head “dinner” ham. It’s not precut, it’s boneless, smoked, but not cured. I’m really excited to try your glaze! I’m wondering if you could help me in directing me of how long to cook it for? Thank you for your help in advance.
Tricia L. says
Hello! So I have a 2.6 pound Boar’s Head “dinner” ham. Not cut, it is smoked, but not cured. Would you happen to know how long cook it for? Im super excited to try your glaze! Thank you for your help in advance.
Kelly Guncheon says
My 9 lbs spiral-sliced ham was over cooked, barely salvageable. Very disappointing.
My Heart Beets says
Kelly, I usually use a much smaller ham when making this – and have made it many times so I’m surprised that your larger ham was over cooked? Do you mind sharing what brand pressure cooker you used and what size?
Laurie says
I have an 8 at Instant Pot and a non-spiralized bone-in ham that’s a little over 8 pounds which is a butt portion. I’m planning on serving dinner at 4:30. I guess I should start this at around 3:45? Also, how do you drain the liquid from the pot with the ham still in it? Seems to me that that would be awfully cumbersome.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Laurie – if you read my note at the bottom of the recipe card you’ll see why I call for this. It’s actually easier to drain the liquid then remove the ham rather than trying to remove the ham from hot liquid – but you can do it whichever way you prefer!
Nicole says
Made this today and it turned out fantastic! Added all the additions to the sauce and it was absolutely delishious. Thank you for a great recipe.
My Heart Beets says
Nicole, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Nina says
This is definitely going to save me some oven space this year! I’m making an almost 12 LB bone-in spiral ham in my 8 quart instant pot. Should i just double the time? Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Nina, oh wow that’s awesome! I test my recipes with a 6 quart so I can’t say for sure about the 8 quart but if it were me, I would double the ingredients and amount of water in step 1 but leave the cook time the same. Please let us know how it goes!
Amber says
My house smells AMAZING while this is cooking!! Totally gets me into the holiday spirit (in the mood for cyber shopping). This is my second time preparing this recipe and I’m glad to report that its teenager approved 😀
My Heart Beets says
Amber, hooray!! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Teenager approved is a badge I’m happy to have lol – enjoy the cyber shopping!! I know I will haha.
Linda Owens says
New to the insta-pot so I Googled for a ham recipe and your’s came up first. So glad it did
My ham came out perfect. Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Linda, that’s so great to hear! I’m so glad you liked the ham – thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Dena Evans says
I just made this Ham and I can’t stop eating it!
I did tweek it somewhat, since my Ham was only 3.75 pounds. I bought a smoked ham and asked butcher to slice for me. I put in 1/2 cup water and used a trivet. For the glaze I used 1/4 cup agave nectar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of worchestshire sauce, and sprinkle of nutmeg. Cooked on high pressure for 4 minutes and natural release.
Thanks for posting this great recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Dana, that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for letting me know how the ham turned out for you 🙂
Colleen Casey says
Quick and very tasty. My hubby wanted dinner “now” and was wanting just a sandwich for supper. I talked him into waiting 30 minutes and as he said, it was so worth the wait. The only ingredient I didn’t add was the Worcestershire sauce.
My Heart Beets says
Colleen, so happy to hear that you and your hubby liked the ham! 🙂
Mom2rascals says
I have a question. I get that you’re allowing the ham to rest in the pot before transferring it to a platter, but I’m wondering what your reasoning is for taking the liquid out of the pot and then returning it after the ham has been removed? Couldn’t the liquid stay in the pot with the ham, and then be sauteed once the ham is removed? Or would this make for soggy or overcooked meat. Just wondering, I’m all about cutting corners to avoid the amount of dishes to wash 😉
My Heart Beets says
That’s such a great question and I can’t believe I didn’t mention my reasoning in the post! The only reason for this is because it makes it much easier to remove the ham – when you drain the liquid, you can basically tip the ham out rather than burning your fingers by lifting it up (the ham will still be pretty hot even after the 10 min wait). I hope that helps!
Shannon says
We made this for Easter dinner and everyone loved it. No leftovers. And they’re still talking about it. I have had to share this quite a few times. Will definitely make again.
My Heart Beets says
Shannon, that makes me so happy to hear!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Teresa says
This was mt first real meat recipe I did in my Instant Pot. I chose a non-spiral ham bone-in shank cut. I used all the ingredients but did not have enough honey. I chose to add in little fresh apple cider. I cooked as directed, the ham was delicious. It did take longer to reduce the glaze but the flavor was amazing and received rave reviews.
My Heart Beets says
Teresa, so happy to hear that you tried this and liked it! Fresh apple cider sounds amazing!
Hugh Rardin says
Ashley, 5 *’s for this one! EXCELLENT method and result for the ham! Served this to my family and they went crazy for it. They seem to be fellow ‘toasted’ part fans like you. My wife was crazy about the dark, caramelized sections. Much better glaze than the store bought kind and much less chemical tasting. I used the entire recipe you listed for glaze, not just the honey & brown sugar. Perfect! I will be making this again and again.. Thank you for giving me this method/technique. I love my Instantpot!
My Heart Beets says
Hugh, I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for letting me know how much you and your family liked it 🙂 Glad to hear that your wife also loves the caramelized sections – they are the best!
Debra says
Oh my gosh . I have been cooking spiral hams for many years and have NEVER had one turn out as moist and tasty as this. This is my go-to from now on and I am sending it to friends and family !! Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Debra, I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out for you and for sharing my blog with your friends and family!
LIZ says
Hi! I just bought a 7.5 boneless spiral ham. Is the cooking time different for a boneless spiral ham? Thank you!
Tanya says
Hi : ) Today I realized my 7.5 spiral ham from Trader Joe’s has no bone. Does this change the timing? How long would I cook this in the Instant Pot? Thank you!
Allison De Luca says
I am thinking of trying this recipe for Easter. But for some reason I thought we needed 1/2 cup of liquid in the IP for it to come to pressure?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Allison, the ham will release water as well so you’ll only need 1/4 cup. You can always add 1/2 cup then just boil it off at the very end to thicken the sauce if you’d like!
Cassie says
Did you use all the optional ingredients in your glaze? Or just the honey and coconut sugar?
My Heart Beets says
I use the additions – they add great flavor but you can customize the spices to your taste or leave them out altogether 🙂
Marci Talley says
How different would this be if I sub spiral ham out for a wild boar ham?
My Heart Beets says
Marci, lucky you to have a wild boar ham! Is the ham already cooked? If not then this recipe won’t work and you’ll want to look into how to cook raw ham. Hope that helps 🙂
Penny says
Excellent, even with a cheap ham.
My Heart Beets says
Great to hear!! 🙂
Trista says
Completely over cooked as my instapot switched to warm but still appeared to be cooking. Top would not release.
Jeny says
Which optional ingredients is everyone adding? Am I supposed to add the. All for the best flavor?
Cindy says
How much water if I am using an 8 quart pot
My Heart Beets says
Cindy, I think 1/4 cup would work since the ham releases so much water but you can do 1/2 cup as well. Please let me know how this turns out for you 🙂
Tracey says
How long would you say it took to come to pressure wit 1/4 cup of water? Just want to plan how to long to allow for my ham to cook. Definitely going to use this method today as I am cooking a ham. So much quicker than the two hours in a low temp oven. What a great way to make it.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Tracey, it shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes to come to pressure. Let me know what you think of the recipe!
Tracey says
It turned out perfect. Mine took 20 minutes to come to pressure but my ham was closer to 8 lbs. Thanks so much for the recipe, was the easiest ham I have ever made.
My Heart Beets says
Tracey, so happy to hear that it turned out perfect! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Laura says
What about putting a frozen spiral ham in the ip?
My Heart Beets says
I haven’t tried this recipe using a frozen ham, please let me know how it goes! I think it will require a longer cook time… maybe 20 minutes?
Krista Pepper says
Do we use the steam option for this? new to IP cooking. Thanks!!!
My Heart Beets says
You use the manual or pressure cook option (depending on your model). Let me know how it turns out for you 🙂
Ang says
I did this for Christmas and everyone loved the flavor and texture. Started with a 9.3# spiral ham from Costco. Trimmed the oval ends to fit the pot, used the glaze packet included, put some pineapple, cherries and cloves on top, and cooked for 15 minutes. Definitely did not need more than 1/4 cup water as the ham released so much. I missed the part about draining the juice before removing it so i made a giant mess trying to get a 9# ham out of a pot of hot liquid. I usually do ham in a crock pot to keep the oven free and hold the moisture. This was at least as good, maybe better.
My Heart Beets says
Ang, I’m so glad everyone loved the flavor and texture of the ham 🙂 And that sounds delicious – I’ll have to add some pineapple and cherries on top next time!
Dee says
I am still getting to know my Instapot but tried this recipe today. My ham was not sliced and weighed about 10 pounds-bone in. I set it for 35 minutes and found it was not cooked/heated through. How long would you say I should plan for the next time-or is this just too large of a ham? ( We just sliced off the outer heated portion and it was quite tasty. )
My Heart Beets says
Dee, I’m surprised that it wasn’t heated through after 35 minutes! Unsliced ham must take longer to heat through? I haven’t tried that type of ham yet…
Dawn Hess says
Thank you 😊.
TinaNB says
I made this tonight and it is great. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s delicious! I love how the Instant Pot delivers on the spiral ham. It didn’t matter which piece of ham we tasted it tasted like candy. Which is usually reserved to the sweet part of the ham.
I did add additional water since I was using the 8QT instant pot. I also used the trivet. I modified the glaze just a tad to use less brown sugar, and less honey.
I did the 10 minutes pressure cook, and waiting the the pressure release was done on it’s own (about 18 minutes) before draining the liquid and then letting it sit the additional 10 minutes.
The sauce was great, but the ham turned out so good it wasn’t even needed!
Thank you for sharing 🙂
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that!! 🙂
Sonya says
I just got an InstaPot for Christmas and decided to do this recipe for our Christmas ham. It started off fine but then displayed “burn” which sends it into a reduced cooking temp, according to the manual. Do you ever have this problem? I opened it up, checked everything and let it go again to see what will happen.
My Heart Beets says
Sonya, I haven’t gotten the burn sign but maybe try adding a bit more water if that happens? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Elizabeth Moulton says
Tried making this today. I, too encountered the Burn display. I added an additional 1/4 cup of water but the Burn display came up again. Others don’t seem to have this problem. Wonder what I am doing differently.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Elizabeth – I’m not sure but have heard some newer models are more sensitive. If the pot comes to pressure then it should be okay – even with the burn sign – because as the meat cooks it will release liquid. If you added another 1/4 cup of water (to make a total of 1/2 cup) that should be way more than enough…
Cheryl says
Just a note. I have a 6 quart instant pot. I fit a 7.27 ham easily in the pot. I also cooked it on top of the little wire rack that came with the pot. Doing so prevented the bottom piece from burning.
My Heart Beets says
Cheryl, that’s great to know! The bottom burnt slice is my favorite lol – but I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea so I’m sure other readers will appreciate hearing this 🙂
Kayla says
About how long does it take to build pressure? Wondering how far in advance of the meal I should start this!
Laura says
Totally new to Instant Pot … I am looking SO forward to trying this on Monday (though I bit scared). I have a 9.6# spiral ham planned … judging from other time adjustments, 17 minutes, ish?
John Ellison says
Looks awesome! Have an 8 qt duo and about 10-11 lb spiral bone in ham. Wondering what cooking time you would recommend due to larger size of ham? 18-20 minutes? Thanks in advance for your help – and for your great recipe and site!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, John! I think 15 minutes would be work – it will also likely take longer to reach and release pressure. I’m sure 18-20 mins will work too! Let me know how this turns out for you 🙂
April Daniels says
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. When placing the Ham in the IP, do you use the trivet?
My Heart Beets says
April, I don’t use a trivet for this recipe 🙂 Let me know how it turns out for you!
Lisa says
I also wonder about using the trivet…wouldn’t this keep it from getting the burned edge?
Sonia Li says
I had a 7.3lb bone-in spiral cut ham, cooked it slightly longer (15min instead of 10) and it came out perfectly. Thank you for introducing this new and ridiculously easy way of preparing ham!!
My Heart Beets says
Sonia, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Cyndi says
Doesn’t the Instant Pot require at least 1 cup of water? I am very new to this 🙂 thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Cyndi! Good question! So, I rarely use that much water unless I’m making soup or some type of curry dish. Meat (and veggies) also release water so if you add 1 cup for this recipe then the ham will be swimming in water by the time pressure releases and the sauce will get too diluted. Hope that helps explain 🙂
Gail Beezley says
Can this be made with the honey-based glaze packet that comes with the ham? Love that I can use my Instant Pot instead of my oven!!
My Heart Beets says
Yes, you can use the packet if you’d rather do that 🙂
Katherine says
This is now on the menu for Christmas dinner! My husband will love it. His grandparents raised hogs, so he had ham every which way growing up. But he’s never had it like this. Thank you, Ashley!
My Heart Beets says
Katherine, that is awesome!! I can’t wait to hear what you both think of it 🙂
Carol says
This looks amazing. I’m also not a ham lover but I recently bought a small one at my daugter’s request. It’s a 3 lb boneless precut ham. I’m thinking 10 minutes might be too long for the boneless. Maybe 6 minutes? What do you think?
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Carol! My guess for a 3 pound boneless ham would be 3-4 minutes (with a bone, I’d say 4-5 minutes). If you make the glaze recipe you may want to halve it! Let me know how it turns out and if this recipe turns you into a ham lover!