Sweet Baked Ham {Instant Pot Instructions}

Instant Pot sweet baked ham is quite simply the best ham in the world! Super fast cooking time for the most delicious, tender, juicy ham.

If you have an InstantPot you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say every single thing that I make in the kitchen causes me to think: can this be done in the InstantPot?

I’ve had ridiculous conversations with myself about whether or not I should spend/waste the time trying to make {insert just about any recipe possible – yes, even chocolate cake} in the InstantPot.

I’ve had some failures, thanks to this obsession. But, wonderfully, attempting my beloved Sweet Baked Ham in the InstantPot (a stovetop pressure cooker will work, too) was a raging success.

If you aren’t familiar with that recipe, you should be. Really. It’s a life changing way to prepare ham (we make it constantly – not just for Easter – it’s that good).

But a lot of people get hung up on the fact that the ham in the original recipe needs to be boiled in a huge vat of vinegar and water.

That step is absolutely crucial to the success of the ham – the vinegar helps tenderize the ham, and I promise that your ham won’t come out tasting like pickles.

Later, the tender pieces of ham bake in a sweet and tangy bath of brown sugar and mustard and the result is absolute ham perfection.

I don’t actually mind letting the ham bubble away on the stove since it’s pretty easy to let it do its thing and come back for it in a couple of hours; however, with the magic of the InstantPot, I knew this step could probably be simplified.

And it is. Today’s post is basically a chance for me to jump in, wave at your face to get your attention, and say: if you have an InstantPot or stovetop pressure cooker and you have a hankering to make the Sweet Baked Ham, it is easier than ever!

And if you don’t have an InstantPot, this Sweet Baked Ham alone may make it worth it (along with the other million of reasons I have fallen in love with it – if you’re new to the idea of pressure cooking, here’s a great starting place).

With the InstantPot or stovetop pressure cooker, the 2-3 hour vinegar bath step is reduced to well under an hour (just 30 minutes cooking time), plus the pervasive vinegar smell is minimized.

As a sidenote: I could be completely delusional, but I think making the ham in my InstantPot this way, thanks to all that white vinegar, helped deodorize the ring that’s managed to pick up every odor under the sun so far – basically it didn’t smell like the chili I made months ago after the ham was cooked in it, so there’s another bonus for you. 

Instant Pot Sweet Baked Ham

1) Abandon the idea of getting a huge shank ham like in the original recipe. You’re going to have to settle for a smaller cut of ham that will fit in your pressure cooker (InstantPot or stovetop) and probably opt for boneless, but just like before, I highly recommend (caution?) that you do not use a spiral sliced ham as it will overcook and get weird. Right now Costco sells half cuts of ham (boneless but not sliced) that worked perfectly for this – the one I bought was right around three pounds, I believe (sorry I forgot to take a picture of it).

2) Cut the ham into large chunks (not itty bitty pieces!) so they nestle tightly into the bottom of the pressure cooker. If the cut of ham you have has large layers of fat, you may want to trim those also (or you can trim them after it cooks).

3) Fill the pressure cooker to cover the ham (without exceeding the max fill of the pressure cooker) with a 2:1 ratio of water to vinegar like in the original recipe.

4) For the InstantPot, secure the lid and select Manual –> 32-45 minutes (depending on size of ham pieces) –> and let it go. For a stovetop pressure cooker, secure the lid and bring to high pressure. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. Let both the pressure cooker and InstantPot naturally release before opening the lid. (UPDATE: If the ham isn’t as tender as you would like when you open the pressure cooker, cook it for another 10 minutes or so – it will come up to pressure much faster the 2nd time; OR if the pieces of ham are larger than 3-inch chunks or so, add time from the beginning – cook for about 40-45 minutes.)

5) Slice or pull the ham into pieces (discard the cooking liquid) and proceed with the recipe (adding the brown sugar/mustard mixture and baking). This pressure cooker step can be done several days in advance of actually serving the ham. See the original recipe for more details.

Sweet Baked Ham {Instant Pot}

Yield: 10 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

4.56 stars (18 ratings)

Print Pin Rate Save Saved!

Ingredients

• 5 pounds boneless ham (NOT spiral sliced)
• White distilled vinegar
• Water
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Cut the ham into large chunks so they nestle together in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Trim off any large pockets or pieces of fat and discard.
• Fill the pressure cooker to cover the ham (without exceeding the max fill of the pressure cooker) with a 2:1 ratio of water to white vinegar.
• Close the lid and valve and pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release. If the ham doesn't shred easily, wipe the lid dry before closing and securing, and cook for 5-10 more minutes on high pressure.
• When finished cooking, carefully remove the ham from the pot to a baking dish, discarding the liquid. Let cool until easier to handle and shred into pieces.
• In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and mustard.
• Place half of the ham in a 9X9-inch baking dish (or a similar size). Sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture over the ham. Layer the rest of the ham on top and sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar mixture.
• Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Ham: the original sweet baked ham recipe implicitly states a bone-in unsliced ham should be used. For the pressure cooker, it’s hard to get a bone-in ham that can be trimmed down to fit, so I usually use boneless hams (that have NOT been sliced) so they can be cut into large pieces.

Author: Mel

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake, Instant Pot

Recommended Products

6-quart Instant Pot

Kitchen Tongs

Liquid Measuring Cup

Other Recipes Like This:

My Go-To Fried Rice Recipe {Easy Ham Fried Rice}

Mini Ham and Cheese Quiches

Ham, Sweet Potato and White Bean Soup with Bacon {Slow Cooker}

Baked Ham and Swiss Malibu Chicken