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
Just got done eating this – it was awesome – I never thought of doing a ham in the crockpot – but it did free me up to finish the stuff that never gets done
Being in Michigan – I used Vernors Ginger Ale instead of water and OMG OMG – to die for
Thank you for this
Hi, for my husband and I a 4lb ham is plenty if I use half the ingredients how much time should I cook it for?
Hi Maddy – you’ll have to experiment on cooking times or read through the comments (I know several others have cooked smaller hams) – just be sure to check it after a couple of hours so it doesn’t cook too long.
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for quite some time now, today I finally had a chance. The ham I had was an 11 pound bone in / spiral sliced. The ham barely fit down into the crock pot, and I had to cover the tip of it with foil. The liquid filled the pot to the brim leaving the ham almost completely submerged.
I’m picking at it now while it cools and MY GOODNESS, it is indeed the best ham I have ever tasted. Thank you so much for sharing this simple and amazing recipe. I look forward to trying your Sweet Baked Ham next time around as it looks like it will be even more of a treat (if that is even possible).
This is a dumb question, it really is. But when recipes call for spiral cut ham (like yours) should I look for raw ham, partially cooked ham, or cooked ham? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this!
Ria – most ham recipes are calling for a fully cooked, cured ham (they are the most common types of hams you can find in the grocery store).
What a lovely recipe! I honestly forgot to comment on it last year, sorry about that.
This year, I knew I have to adjust times & liquids for the Ninja. After placing the spiral ham into the crock pot, I poured the juice next [1 C only] rubbed sugar, poured the syrup and covered tightly with foil since the lid wasn’t sealing well [8lb spiral], covered with lid and cooked for 2 1/2 hours. While the ham was resting, juices were simmering on stove setting-high in the crockpot. OMG, pouring that hot/ thick gold over carved ham was amazing! NO leftovers this year =-(
Hope adjustments help crop potters with newer models as they run a bit hotter.
Thank You!
Thank you for the Ninja version recipe. I am planning to make this for Christmas Eve tomorrow!
Mel, made this again for Easter dinner! This time I used a small 1 1/2 lb ham, halved the other ingredients, cut the ham in 1/2 inch slices almost all the way down to the bottom (like the pages of a book), rubbed brown sugar between all the slices and on the outside, then topped with the syrup and pineapple juice and cooked on low 5 hours. Turned out even better than last time! Loved it so much 🙂
I made this ham for Easter dinner and it was absolutely delicious! I will never make ham any other way! It was moist and the flavors were perfect. My husband is not normally a fan of ham because of how dry it usually ends up, but he raved about this slow cooker ham and had two and three servings of it. What is interesting is that I did not have the pineapple juice, so I just went with the brown sugar and maple syrup and it was still so awesome. I can only imagine what it’ll taste like with the sweetness of the pineapple juice and I can’t wait to try it that way! Thank you for a wonderful recipe! It has been added to the family cookbook. 🙂
happy Easter, Mel ~ i haven’t commented yet, but i’ve made a dozen or so of your recipes and loved every one. i made this ham for our cozy Easter dinner tonight (even though it meant going to the grocery store for a needed ingredient on a holiday!) & the whole family (husband & 4 kids…1 or 2 of which can be more than a bit picky) raved about it. thank you for such simply good recipes….I love how enthusiastically you describe them, & the site and pictures are just as simply good:)
Mel, you weren’t kidding when you said this is the best way to make ham. I used an easy cut and did it in my Nesco and it was amazing! I, too, will never make it any other way again. Also freed up my oven for other side dishes. Thanks for the recipe!
I rarely ever leave comments on sites, but this time I just had to say that this is the BEST ham ever! It was so easy and so delicious! I made a 10 pound ham for Easter and everyone raved about it…even my sister who doesn’t like ham was eating it! I used a slow cooker liner with no problems whatsoever. I cooked it for 4 hours (basted it at 3 hours) and it turned out perfectly. There was so much juice and liquid that we had plenty to make gravy, and still enough to cut the ham and set it back in the juice left in the crockpot to keep it moist until we served it. I will never make ham any other way again! Thanks, Mel!
Made this for Christmas and it was great! I
Am setting my timer on my crockpot so it will hopefully be done in the morning. Cross your fingers.
Hi Tiffany – I addressed this question with Shelly just a few comments above yours so check the blue box above for times. Good luck!
How long would you cook a 4.5 lb ham? I’m making this recipe for Easter dinner tomorrow for my small family
Hahaha, was just going over the recipe before going to the store and I must have missed the word spiral before. So that certainly clears things up. Silly me!!
My question is the same as Kristen’s that you didn’t answer lol! I have a fully cooked spiral ham, 7lbs. I’ve read conflicting times in my search. Any where from 4 hours to 1 and 1/2 hours. I LOVE your blog! Thanks for your help.
Jana – each slow cooker can vary in temp believe it or not which is why the times are all over the place. You’ll really just have to use your best judgment and check the ham. I’d recommend somewhere between 3 and 4 hours.
I have a small ham…4.5 lbs. How long to cook?
Shelly, you’ll have to adjust as needed and watch cooking time. I’ve never made a ham that small in the slow cooker…probably around the 4 hour mark but you’ll need to keep an eye on it to be sure.
I love cooking with my crockpot, ever since I got one 30 years ago! However, I never thought to put my Easter ham in one….don’t know why I didn’t think of it. What a great idea! It works for every other type of meat, e.g. western ribs, beef stew meat, etc. I’m certainly going to try out this recipe! Thanks!
Erin, you almost can’t overcook something in a crock pot–:)
Add some cloves to this recipe–heaven!
I really want to make this ham (anything that frees up my oven is a favorite of mine), but I only have a 4 quart crock pot. Will this still work using a smaller ham, and should I decrease the cooking time even more if that’s the case? Is it better to buy a smaller ham, or just a regular sized one and then cut it in half to fit? Just wondering because this looks DELICIOUS and I really want to try it but don’t want to go out and buy a new crockpot either. Thanks for your help!
Jessica – it really boils down to if your ham can fit in your size of crockpot. But yes, if it is a significantly smaller ham than in the recipe, I’d cook it for at least 30 minutes less (although after checking, you may find that it needs more time so just keep checking).
I’m gonna buy some maple syrup so I can make that crockpot ham of yours. Think I can use some of it in place of maple extract?
Hi Barb – I don’t know what you mean. The recipe calls for maple syrup so if that’s what you buy, you should be good to go!
Thanks for a great recipe! I tried it today and the family loved it. I usually cook my ham in the crock pot but wasn’t really thrilled with my old recipe. Thanks for a new one!
Hi, I am very new to the crock pot life but with two toddlers, a husband, and an 8 year old step son that reports my cooking to my mother-in-law (ahh!), I need all the help I can get to be able to walk away from the kitchen. I have a boneless, 3.16lb ham and am terrified of over-cooking it. I was going to do a 1/4 cup brown sugar rub, sprinkle some of the brown sugar in the bottom with a splash of apple juice…do you think this would work? How long should it cook in the crock pot? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Erin – I’ve never used apple juice so I can’t tell you for sure how it will work out that way but if you have time, read through the other comments because many people have made successful adaptations. I’d probably check it after 4 hours on low – if it is well covered and there is enough liquid, it shouldn’t dry out.
I have never heard of cooking that much meat in a crock on low for such a short time, but I guess if that is what the recipe says… my ham has been in for 4 hours now and is only 55*. Guess we aren’t having ham for dinner tonight.
Thanks for the receipe! I made this with pineapple juice, then with apple juice and loved it both ways.
Hi Mel,
Came across your blog in July! Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe! I made it on Christmas Day and I don’t think I have received as many compliments from my brother in my whole 27 years than I have received from him in the past week about this ham!! It was wonderful!
Had this for Christmas. Absolutely the best ham I ever ate, and I’m talking about 66 years of eating ham! (Well, the first few years I don’t remember too well…) Next to try is the Spaghetti Pie. Honestly, I can’t wait!!!
Hi Mel! I made this for Christmas dinner using a little, just under 3 lb ham that was not spiral cut. Before I cooked it, I sliced off a big swath of fat that was on the side (in part to get rid of the fat and also because I was curious about whether the flavor would penetrate the cut side better). I also scored the ham. Cooked it on low longer than I should have- about 5 1/2 hours all in all- but it turned out so well! Absolutely delicious. The texture did change some which people have attributed to being overcooked, but we actually liked it? It’s really tender and the texture is more like a roast than a normal ham. Hard to describe. Oh and the flavor definitely did penetrate the cut side better! I plan to experiment with cutting my ham almost all the way through (kind of like DIY spiral cut, but like the pages of a book instead of spiral), then rubbing it with the brown sugar and cooking it so the flavors get into it even more. I do believe we will have this again next Christmas, it’s so easy when there’s lots of other things going on in the kitchen and my oven only has 1 rack.
I’m trying this recipe now, but I had to substitute regular brown sugar for the dark, and I substituted a five alive mango citrus juice for the pineapple (ingredient list on carton says juices from concentrate: orange, lemon, pineapple, grapefruit, and mango puree, etc).
I’m hoping this citrus blend works…
thank you all for help….let me tell u
my goodness the ham amazing my first attemp to cook ham.
into the slow cooker i popped it with brown sugar. maple syrup. honey. cloves and pineapple jice…was nervous as ham here in bahrain not cheap! well after 5 hrs i removed and finished off to brown in oven…everyone went crazy for the ham including my twp muslim guests lol….merry christmas and a happy new year
I made this tonight for my family’s Christmas dinner and it was a huge success! My mom wasn’t sure how the ham would do in a slow cooker but it turned out wonderfully! I had to use the tinfoil cover method, as our Crockpot was a tad too small but it was still very good. I didn’t have any trouble with the temperature, and the ham was super tender. I would definitely recommend this to anyone wondering how it will turn out, give it a shot!
Thank you for your ham blog. I cook in the crock all the time, but I was betwixted and between with what to do with my Christmas ham! It’s now happily in the crock. I cannot go wrong! 🙂 Thank you…Merry Christmas, everyone!
Sarah Jane – I have never prepared an uncooked ham, only a cured, fully cooked ham. You might try googling cooking an uncooked ham. Good luck!
hi i want to make this but i have a raw ham about 4.5 kg in size it fits in the slow cooker…how do i cook it? the same way as you have? any ideas on how long? do i put extra fluid in the slow cooker? so worried i have 14 ppl for lunch & they are all gagging for a delicious ham…i dont wana screw it up!
many thanks & Merry Christmas from Sarah In Bahrain.
OMG…..my oven just quit and I promised my daughter to do the turkey and ham for her Christmas dinner. I always fry the turkey, but came online for help with them ham. You have saved me!!! This sounds wonderful!! Still debating about using cloves and mustard in there, but at least whatever I will have my oven problem solved!!! Bless you!! Merry Christmas!
I’m making this is my crockpot right now for our Christmas party at lunch. I use your recipe and instead of just juice, I added two cans of pineapple slices in juice. I’m going to grill the slices about 15 minutes before we eat. It’s an Appleton Farms Smoked Honey Ham spiral sliced from Aldi.
Hi Mel. I tried a recipe similar to this a few years ago. I felt it changed the texture of the ham but everyone loved the flavor. I have had a request for it again this year but I am afraid to risk it because I don’t want the texture to change, I just would like the flavor infused in the ham! Since I bought my ham before I was asked to make his recipe, my ham is 14.67 lbs! If it sticks up a lot out of the crockpot and I cover it in tight foil will it still be okay? Do I cook it longer? Should I bake it in my oven first for a couple of hours and then pull off the slices and put them in the crockpot with the brown sugar and pineapple for a few hours? Any suggestions would be appreciated!! Thanks!
Connie – this ham is great as long as it isn’t overcooked (then the texture does change). Your ham might be a bit too big, though. You could try covering the top with foil, pinching it around the edge of the crockpot, but I’m not sure that the flavor of the pineapple juice will infuse throughout if so much of the ham is sticking above the crockpot unless you tried to flip it mid-cooking, which would be a nightmare, I think. You might try par-baking it in the oven first to warm through, like you suggested and then just keeping it warm in the mixture from the recipe. Good luck!
Thanks for the info Mel!! The only reason I ask about the temp is my Mom’s large slow cooker has up and down buttons with temps on it. I’ll just use the lowest setting then for the 4-5 hrs. Thanks for the help! Can’t wait to eat this ham!!
Thank you so Mel!! I will cook on low for about 6 hours (since it’s 10 pds and not 8). I am so excited to taste it 🙂
Thanks again!!!
The cover to my crock pot is not fitting – I bought a 10 pd spiral. Would it be ok to just cover it with foil and cook for about 2 hours on high. Then hopefully the ham will reduce a little bit with the cooking and I can cover it for about 4 more hours on low? Or should I just cook it in the oven and keep it warm in the crock pot for about 3 hours?
Please respond as soon as possible, want to make this tomorrow 🙂
Hi Lisa – I’ve mentioned this in the comment thread above but I usually ditch the lid to the slow cooker if my ham is too big and cover the ham with a double layer of oil, pressing it tightly against the edges of the slow cooker insert to seal completely. I don’t recommend cooking this on high because the outside of the ham tends to get overcooked. The low setting is best, in my opinion (and should work fine if you use the foil to cover).
Becky – I don’t know the exact temperature of a slow cooker. I use the low setting – is there a reason you need to know the exact temp? Are you cooking it in the oven? I think the 4-5 hour range on low in the slow cooker would still be fine for that size of ham.
Hi! I’m doing Christmas dinner for the 1st time at my house & am planning to use your recipe. I love the easy aspect as I’ll have my 3 kids opening presents in the morning & I usually barely have time to get pulled together before we have to leave on Christmas. I don’t want this Christmas to be a stress for anyone – as easy as possible! So I have 2 questions 1) do you know what temp you usually cook it on? You said low, just didn’t know if you knew the temp. 2) I have a #9.5 ham, still stick with the 4-5 hr? Thanks so much!
Hey Mel,
I’m making this ham for Christmas. I can’t figure out how big my slow cooker is. Is a 6-7 quart slow cooker one of the big models? Also, when you cover your slowcooker with foil, do you just place the foil over the crockpot and press it down around the edge of the pot (like you would a casserole dish) and then place the lid on top of tight foil layer? ? I’ve never covered mine with foil before, so I need all the help I can get. 🙂
Haley – the 6-7 quart slow cookers are the large oval ones. I only use foil to cover the crockpot if my ham is too big and sticks up above the top so that the lid won’t stay on. Does that make sense? If that happens, I cover the entire top of the ham and crockpot with several layers of foil and press tightly around the edges. However, if your ham is small enough to fit in the crockpot insert and the lid still fits on tightly, you don’t need the foil.
Hi! I read somewhere that you only need to cook a ham 15 minutes for every pound. If I follow this recipe, will my ham be over-cooked? I’ll be getting a spiral ham that is pre-cooked already.
I did the bag in the slow cooker with the ham for Thanksgiving. I hadn’t even thought about doing ham in the crockpot till I ran out of room…
From now on this is the only way I will make a ham!!
Daisy–The bag did NOT stick to the ham. The ham was incrediblly moist and had the best flavor ever!!
I will try the rub and juice next time!!
Kami E. – probably! You’ll just have to keep an eye on it but maybe an hour less will do the trick.
We are warming 14 boneless pre-cooked hams in big roasters for a party. We are having them pre-sliced and we plan to wrap them in foil to keep the pieces together and keep them moist. I want to use this sauce for the hams but was wondering when I should put the sauce on the hams? I’m afraid if I put it on in the beginning, it might burn. Do you think I could put all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring them to a quick boil and then put the sauce on the hams when they are fully warmed(at that point I would take the ham slices out of the foil and let them sit in the basting sauce)?
I’ve never warmed the ham in those big roaster, Stephanie, so I can’t be sure how they cook exactly but I think your plan sounds like a good one – to add the sauce while they rest.
If my ham is smaller (5 lbs), should I lower the cooking time? Thanks, this recipe sounds great!
Thank you!!!!!!!!!
This recipe is really good! I made it for Thanksgiving and EVERYONE is still talking about how good it was. We don’t eat pork, so I used two turkey hams instead, and I’m allergic to pineapple, so I substituted OJ instead. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I actually have one in the crockpot now for dinner tonight, and we can’t wait to eat!
Tanya – it depends on if you have a lot of other side dishes but I would think that 2 hams would be plenty. I made this recipe (just one ham) for Thanksgiving and it fed 10 kids and 6 adults with lots of leftovers (but there were many other side dishes there).