Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
A slow cooker ham that is juicy, flavorful, and so simple! The maple, brown sugar and pineapple flavors are perfect for a tasty glaze.
I used to always bake my holiday ham in the oven according to package directions, occasionally using the sugary glaze that comes with the ham and sometimes not.
That’s what my sweet momma did, and I’m not one to veer too far from tradition.
However, when I decided to live on the edge and try my hand at a slow cooker ham years and years ago, I had no idea it would revolutionize my life.
It was fantastic. Really fantastic.
And it has since taken the internet world by storm! This is one of my most popular recipes all year, and it absolutely blows up during Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas (this Sweet Baked Ham is a very close second).
This slow cooker ham is more flavorful than so many other hams I’ve made before, and the flavors are so perfect – maple, brown sugar and pineapple.
Delicious – not to mention super simple.
I’ve noted this in the recipe below, but over the years, the only change I’ve made is to reduce the amount of time in the slow cooker.
My ham was slightly overdone after cooking for 7 hours, so for me and my slow cooker, 4-5 hours on low is the sweet spot.
I’m definitely not the only one who loves this simple, life-changing slow cooker ham! A quick glance through the comments and you’ll see there are a lot of fans of this best-ever slow cooker ham.
It is simple and delicious, and perfect for any time of the year, not just on holidays.
FAQs for Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Orange juice should work instead of pineapple.
You’ll want to adjust the time accordingly, and continue to check it throughout.
I’ve never used the broth for anything much because it’s a bit too sweet for my taste but you could definitely experiment.
Yes, the recipe calls for a pre-cooked ham.
What to Serve With This
- Tender biscuits like these Buttermilk Biscuits or Cream Biscuits
- Homemade Baked Tater Tots
- Classic Deviled Eggs
Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Ingredients
- 7-8 pound spiral-cut ham, bone-in or boneless
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 cups pineapple juice
Instructions
- Use a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Unwrap the ham and discard flavor packet. Place the ham into the slow cooker stoneware, flat-side down. Rub brown sugar on all sides. Pour on maple syrup and pineapple juice.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. An hour before serving, baste ham with the collected juices from the bottom of the slow cooker.
- When cooking is done, remove carefully and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before carving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Year of Crockpotting
This was GREAT ! So easy. Instead of the lid, I used heavy alumium foil to cover the ham but I also placed a large cooking pot upside down on top of the alum. foil to help keep the foil on and heat in the pot. My husband raved about this, so I’m making it again tonight.
Found this recipe on Pintrest. Looks amazing! Just put it in the Crock Pot. Going to serve it with roasted potatoes, brussels sprouts, and garlic parmesan corn. Is it dinnertime yet?
Just made this last night for Sunday dinner. Everyone raved about it and said it was the best ham they had tasted. I would have to agree. I just couldn’t believe how easy it was….my favorite kind of dishes!
i made this for Easter…everyone raved about it! Thank you! I love your site, i have made 3 recipes so far and all were delicious!
I’ve made this several times now (just finished it eating it for our Easter dinner) and it’s delicious every time. I made 3 of them for a wedding reception last year and I heard a lot of “this is the best ham I’ve ever had” that night. It’s so beautifully simple to throw together that it almost feels like cheating. 🙂
Yeah, I’m totally forcing my mom to throw out the nasty glaze packet tomorrow and do it my way. Kinda worked out that my slowcooker was way to small for my ham. LOL
So I kinda fused/tweaked your 2 ham recipes. I did this recipe but in my dutch oven. I poured everything over the ham, (I attached some pineapple rings to the outside cause my mom used to do it that way) then covered it with foil and put the lid on and cooked it in the oven for about 2-3 hrs on 225. Then I took it out, drained the yummy juice out and reduced it on my stove top to about half and cranked the oven to 400. I took brown sugar and mixed in some cinnamon, cloves and dry mustard. Once the sauce reduced I poured it over and carefully patted on the brown sugar and baked it for about 30 min. The hubs liked it so much he told me it was way better than the Honey Baked his mom shells out for ever year. =)
JJ – um, hello…brilliant! My mouth was watering reading your ham adventure. Sounds delicious and am so glad it worked out well for you!
I had to post as a follow up to my post above. Thank you so much for this method of cooking ham. It couldn’t be easier. At first, I didn’t know where to pour the pineapple, on the ham or at the bottom of the pan? I ended up just pouring it at the bottom of the pan. The ham was in the crockpot for 5 hours (covered with 3 layers of foil) on low and it came out so moist and delicious with plenty of glaze at the bottom of the pot. My husband keeps on saying “excellent ham!” We are still enjoying the leftovers up to now with our sandwiches and breakfast. Again, thank you.
Ram – I’m thrilled this ham worked out so well for you! Thanks for checking back to let me know.
Ok, so I was all set to cook the ham in the crock-pot today but my ham is very oval shaped and my crock-pot is one of the little round ones (Santa didn’t remember to bring me the cool one with the locking lid this year) so I’ll be using your recipe in the oven cooking it in my dutch oven. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I bought an 8 lb. spiral ham yesterday and when I put it in the crockpot, it’s about 4 inches taller than the crockpot. I was so disappointed because I’d really like to try your method of cooking it. But when I saw and read the post about covering it with foil, I felt relieved. Thank you to the one who suggested it. I’ll try doing it that way on January 1st morning just in time for our lunch. Happy New Year!
Thanks for posting, we loved this!
Thanks, Michelle!
Janae – ok, I was worried when you said you were cooking for your mother-in-law and I was crossing my fingers it didn’t end tragically – and it didn’t! I’m so glad the ham was a success and that everyone loved it. Thanks for letting me know!
My mother in law is in town watching my niece and two nephews while their parents are out of town. As an attempt to make the day easier for my mother in law, I offered to make Sunday dinner. I’ve never cooked a ham before in my life and decided I’d try it. I put it in the crock pot in the morning and my husband asked if I got the recipe from “that one lady’s blog online”. I told him I had and he said “Oh good then it should turn out great!” Long story short…it was a hit!!! My niece and nephews (Ages 10, 8, and 5) absolutely LOVED the ham and had fourths and fifths all while saying it was the best meat they’d ever had in their life! I even caught the 8 year old snitching some more ham after dinner was over and we were cleaning up. SO…THANK YOU for the wonderful recipe!!! It will forever be our “go-to” recipe for ham!!!
Tried this the other night, and it was amazing!! I had to do the tin foil top as my ham was tall, and it worked great. Definitely will make ham this way every time! Thank you!
Hi Allison – I always have to do the tin foil thing on top, too, but it seems to work fine. I’m very glad you liked this ham. Thanks for letting me know!
I planned on making this yesterday for Sunday dinner, but I realized on Sunday morning I didn’t have any pineapple in my pantry for the juice. I substituted apple juice, and it was delicious. My husband actually liked it better than last time when I made it with pineapple.
Nanci – oooh, I LOVE to know about adaptations that work as well as the original. Thanks for the tip!
My first visit to your blog – wonderful sounding recipies. I will say I started cooking spiral hams in crockpot about 3-4 yrs ago for the ease and to free up the oven, after the first time my hub won’t have them any other way – he loves the “candied” effect on the meat nearest the wall of the pot! I plan to try several of your sweets for Christmas.
Diane – I’ll be holding my breath wondering if you got past the pineapple-hater or if you decided to substitute something. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks so much for the quick reply. I’m going to make it Sunday. Maybe I’ll “sneak” it in and it will be our secret 😉
Thanks again for your great blog. I so enjoy your writing, even aside from the terrific recipes!
Diane
pipedi – well my gut feeling is to tell you to use pineapple anyway because it mainly acts as a sweetener and creates a delicious glaze with the maple syrup, but if he really hates pineapple, I would probably use orange juice or apple juice. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi, Melanie,
I’ve had your post in mind ever since you published it, and my DH just picked up a spiral ham from Costco. My question is: he hates pineapple. What do you recommend I use? Orange juice? 7-up? Water? I’m just not intuitive about this kind of thing, and don’t want to wreck the ham.
Thanks in advance!
Anonymous – I served this with cheesy potatoes and fresh vegetables and rolls but you could serve it with rice or any other type of grain/starch.
just wondering what people have served this with???
Thanks!
I love my slow cooker for such a meal. Cooking hams in my slow cooker is my favorite thing to do. It usually takes a few hours since I cook it on very low. I have yet to make a bad ham in my slow cooker and will keep on doing it for many years to come.
Your hame sounds so delicious. Going to have to try it out myself and over eat a slight amount.
Thanks for sharing it,
Christine M.
I HAD TO BLOG ABOUT YOU. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME OUT.
and here i thought a mustard-crusted ham was the way to go. frankly, you don’t have to say anything else to convince me that i’m in the wrong. brown sugar and maple syrup? that’s pancake heaven, so why shouldn’t it work for ham? and i know pineapple works wonderfully with it. great, great recipe, melanie!
Mmm, mmm! Looks delicious!
I’ve seen several recipes for cooking your ham in a crockpot but never actually heard from anyone that had personally tried it. So thank you for the recommendation. I’m going to try that last time. Like you, I usually bake mine (the Costco spiral sliced ham) and while it turns out pretty well, it seems to easily dry out. Looks like this one is very moist and flavorful.
Thanks for posting!
This is the best ham that both David and I have ever had! One word can describe this ham– AMAZING!
I’ll definitely try this. Sounds as delicious as it is easy.
I made this yesterday and it was delicious. I cut the cooking time like you suggested and it came out perfect. Everyone loved it.
Anonymous – thanks for the tip on foil. I’ve tried doing it that way before and I lost a lot of heat out of my crockpot so maybe I need to seal it all the way around better. Glad you liked this recipe!
Queen B. – you are awesome. I love to get your comments. You are so nice and I’m glad you liked the chicken noodle soup (hope your son is feeling better!).
You have convinced me!! I’ve thought about doing a ham in the crockpot but never did it, now I will!!!
this sounds too easy to be true! can’t wait to try this.
Anonymous – I’ve never used anything other than a spiral cut but I’m sure another cut of ham would work just fine. Let me know if you try it!
I love your blog. I don’t believe I have ever commented before but I really enjoy looking at all the yummy things you are making. I have always cooked my hams in the crockpot never with maple syrup or brown sugar. That looks so yummy and I and going to try it the next time I cook a ham. Thanks for sharing your recipes. Jessie
Shirley – I love hearing when people try a recipe. I’m glad you liked this! Thanks for letting me know.
I love sugar ham, but we only eat it at Thanksgiving and Christmas! We gotta try it more often. Anything in the slow cooker is THE way to go.
mmmm, this sounds divine, Melanie. Jed will LOVE it, I’m sure. I’ll have to give it a try. yum yum!
Oh this looks like heaven! Ham is probably my favorite, especially when prepared in a sweet glaze like this!
Thanks, Melanie! I did a spiral cut ham w/glaze for Easter in the oven with my enameled cast iron pot w/lid…followed the instructions exactly, and it was dried out! I will definitely try your way next time!
Thanks for a great blog! I love ham and am always looking for new ways to cook it. I featured your Buttermilk Waffles on my blog today, they are delish!
I enjoy a year of crockpotting too. This is so yummy looking. I love ham! Please stop by an pick up an award I left you.
this type of ham is my husband’s favorite (it’s the brown sugar that gets him) but in a crock pot? I have never heard, but thanksgiving will be much easier this year when I make this! 🙂
I’ll definitely try this. Sounds as delicious as it is easy.
Potentially silly question: can I use a butt portion ham instead of spiral cut, which is considerably more expensive?
Thanks!
Fascinating! I’ve never cooked a ham in a slow cooker, but I will definitely be trying this recipe. The easiest Ham ever!
Very good recipe and great way to make ham. I used a 10 pound spiral cut and cooked it for 4 hours on low. That was more than enough time. If you can’t fit your ham in the crock pot, put a piece of foil over the ham to prevent condensation, and then use a large piece of foil to cover the top of the crock pot and seal it all around. It works well, and you don’t have to tend to the ham at all. I basted it when it was done, and it came out juicy and delicious. It was much moister than making in the oven.
I have done this recipe for about 10 years but I use a large can of crushed pineapple and it works great.