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.
A few extra notes:
I have NOT tried using the InstantPot to warm the ham with the brown sugar mixture since I don’t want the ham to overcook.
If you find the ham isn’t as tender as you like after it pressure cooks, simply secure the lid again and bring to high pressure for a few more minutes.
The texture of the ham using a pressure cooker is slightly different than the ham made in the original recipe on the stovetop. Maybe just a tad softer? I’m not sure since I didn’t have a side-by-side comparison but it is still delightfully tender and delicious.
Sweet Baked Ham {Instant Pot}
Ingredients
- 5 pounds boneless ham (NOT spiral sliced)
- White distilled vinegar
- Water
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
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.
126 Comments on “Sweet Baked Ham {Instant Pot Instructions}”
Help! I have limited oven space. Could I warm in a crockpot instead of oven?
This recipe is a family favorite!!!
As are you
Yes, I think that should work great!
Try making “Hammy Joes” with the leftover ham! (Yeah, I know – – what leftovers!?) But if you’re lucky to have some, or plan ahead and make extra ham for this, you must try these!
Sweet Baked Ham
Buns (toasted optional)
Cheese (Swiss, Provolone, etc)
Condiment, optional: butter, honey mustard, mayo
Optional topping (I didn’t use, but might be good): pickles, shredded lettuce, cabbage or a slaw
Delicious!
Would be fantastic to make meat ahead and have ready to serve a crowd.
Our last name is Hammer, so I decided the name “Hammy Joes” was a good name to call them!
I’m excited to try this recipe! I bought 2 Kirkland Applewood Smoked Master Carved Half Hams at Costco – the only half hams they had yesterday. So, I’m wondering if this is the same half ham you mentioned because mine are pre-cooked. 45 minutes pressure cooking in the instantPot seems a little long for a pre-cooked ham cut into chunks. Should I not have purchased a pre-cooked ham and is this going to work at 45 minutes? Thanks!
Yes, those are the kind I use for the instant pot. Most hams sold at the grocery store are precooked.
So easy and so delicious
I had really high hopes for this ham, maybe too high! Out of the instant pot it was super tender and moist. I let it sit in the fridge overnight with the brown sugar mixture, and baked the next day. At 45 min it wasn’t quite warm enough so took out at 60 min. The first few bites were fine and moist but there wasn’t really a sauce to speak of and now that it’s sat out for 15 min as we’re eating it’s drying out and getting hard. Any tricks folks have had to keep it moist in the “sugaring” part? Maybe I should have put some of the juice in the dish for baking?
Hi Kendra, what type of ham did you use? Yes, you can add some of the cooking liquid (just a bit) to the ham to help it stay moist.
A boneless Hormel cure 81 home, uncut – maybe it’s just a side effect of being boneless. I’ll try keeping some liquid and maybe reheating in the slow cooker next time to see if that helps!
My ham is frozen- can I boil it from frozen or do I need to let it thaw completely first?
Thank you for your amazing recipes. We are living in Vietnam. I can’t find dry mustard here. Any suggestions for a possible work around?
Do you have prepared yellow mustard? That could work!
Okay….this ham really is life changing. I was never a big ham person but I honestly crave this ham all the time. It is so so good.
Best ham I have ever made! My husband who is not a fan of Ham loved this! My family has not stopped raving about it since Easter. Thank you Mel!
Insanely delicious ham!!!! Rave reviews all around and every morsel was slicked up. I made it 2 days ahead added brown sugar, wrapped shredded ham in plastic, and baked in Foil pan the day of. I did cut back on vinegar to one cup in total in IP. I made it as directed last time and it was too strong for my liking. One cup made it perfect for our crowd. Thanks you Mel for making me so popular today!! Love your recipes so much. BTW- your funeral potatoes were also to DIE for. And so easy!
Thanks, Lorie!
Could this recipe be made with an uncooked ham?
I haven’t tried that, so I’m not sure, I’m sorry!
Christmas Eve was my first time making this ham using the instant pot. It was a lot quicker and turned out just as good as the traditional way of preparing this ham. In addition to saving time, it was nice to just leave the instant pot and not have to keep adjusting the temperature to make sure it was boiling but not boiling over the pot.
Are you using a pre cooked ham in this
Recipe ?
Yes
Are you usu g a ore cooked gym in this recipe ?
Hi Mel! I love the sweet baked ham in the Instantpot! Is there anyway you can change a setting so I can add this to my Prepear app? I don’t see the setting on how I can add that myself? Thanks so much! Love you bunches!!!
Hi Kim, that’s odd that the save to prepear button isn’t showing up for this recipe. Let me do some digging and figure out why!
I plan to freeze this to serve a week later.should I just layer the brown sugar\mustard-freeze-then bake before serving?
Yes, that’s what I would do!
I am making this for dinner on Sunday and could only find a spiral sliced ham. (I went to three different stores ) any tips how to cook it so it won’t dry out?
Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way to make this ham work with a spiral sliced ham – it just overcooks so easily.
I don’t have an InstantPot, so can I do this in my crockpot?
I haven’t tried it in a crockpot but I believe others have. The biggest issue is getting a ham that can fit in your slow cooker.
If doing this all same day does ham need to bake for full hour? I took it out of instant pot and shredded in my mixer. Ham is super hot and I just layered it in the pan but wondering if we need the whole bake time….
Hi Megan, I still bake the whole time so the sugar dissolves – but if you check early and the hot ham has sped that up a little, you don’t need to bake the whole time.
Hi Mel! Can I use a ham that is already “fully cooked” for this recipe? The ham I bought is around 6 lbs.,, boneless, unsliced, and fully cooked.
Yes, that’s what I use!
This is my most requested way to bake the ham for family gatherings. After making it many, many times outside on my propane cooker, as you have recommended, I needed to boil it inside. I have done it that way once and the vinegar smell was too much. I would love to try the instant pot but I always have to cook the biggest, baddest ham I can find to feed the crowd. Solution: my big momma canning pressure cooker. I cooked it for 40 minutes and everyone declared, “Best ever.” I thought it was even more moist and tender than the camp stove method. I am sure the entire world knows this hint already, but just in case you are late to the party like me, there you have it. Cook the big boy in your canning cooker on high pressure for 40 minutes.