Instant Pot Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham

Instant Pot Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham - ultra juicy, sweet and delicious ham with pineapple brown sugar glaze, cooked in the Instant Pot under 30 minutes.

I serve this ham with Sweet Corn Casserole and use leftovers to make my Ham Casserole.

This Instant Pot Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham is the easiest way to cook the ham for your holiday dinner. It's juicy, delicious and the pineapple brown sugar glaze is irresistible! No more dry ham that cooks in the oven for hours. The Instant Pot pressure cooker can not only cook a turkey but also a ham, saving the oven space and lots of time for you! Cooking the ham in an oven takes about 1.5 hours, while the IP takes about 38 minutes, including the appliance coming to pressure and the natural pressure release.

Since the ham is cooked already, all we need to do is to heat it up, just like you would do in the oven. The Instant Pot makes it easier and faster! Free up the oven for other dishes or desserts.

Ingredients (your shopping list):

• whole ham
• brown sugar
• pineapple bits with juice
• cornstarch

Instructions:

• Start by mixing brown sugar, pineapple tidbits with juice and ground cloves in a medium bowl.
• Add water to Instant Pot insert, place trivet inside. Set the ham, cut side down, on the trivet. Pour pineapple brown sugar mixture over ham. Close lid, press "manual" or "pressure cook" setting and set the timer to 15 minutes. The IP will take about 13 minutes to come to pressure.
• Once done, let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally. It will take about 10 minutes (it was 9.5 minutes for me). Carefully open the lid and remove ham onto a cutting board.
• Make the pineapple brown sugar mixture into a glaze by thickening with a cornstarch slurry. Cornstarch will make the glaze clear. If you will use flour, it will be cloudy.
• Slice ham and serve with glaze.

I used a 6 lbs semi-boneless ham. That means it only has the thigh bone in. I used my 6 quart IP DUO to cook it. You may have to trim the ham to make it fit.

Cooking time:

I used a 6lb semi-boneless ham and cooked it for 15 minutes. The IP took exactly 13 minutes to come to pressure and once the timer was done, it took 9.5 minutes to release the pressure naturally. If your ham is spiral cut, bone-in, and 6 to 8 lbs, the time remains the same. It may just take longer to come to pressure. You may have to trim your ham to fit in the Instant Pot.

If you are using ham that has not been cut yet, it will separate in few spots around the bone. It will not fall apart at all. It will make it easier for you to slice it away from the bone, before slicing for serving. Keep the bone, if you like, to make a soup later.

The glaze:

The mixture of brown sugar and pineapple tidbits with juice makes for a perfect flavor combo with ham. After the ham is done, remove it from the Instant Pot and place on a cutting board to rest. Make a cornstarch and water slurry, set the IP to saute setting and bring the pineapple mixture to a boil. Add cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened. Turn of the Instant Pot, let the glaze cool before serving over ham slices.

If you are broiling the ham, you can pour a few tablespoons of the glaze over ham before placing in the oven. Watch it closely so it won't burn.

Sides to serve with ham:

• Scalloped Potatoes
• Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole with Bacon
• Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Easy Broccoli Salad
• Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes

Freezing leftover ham:

First, decide what you will use the leftover ham for. If it's soups and casseroles, dice the leftover ham. Place in freezer bags and squeeze as much air as possible, or use a vacuum seal. It will prevent ice crystals from forming on the meat. Leftover ham can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, and for up to 2 months in the freezer.

If you want to turn the leftover ham into an easy Instant Pot breakfast, check out my new recipe for the Instant Pot Breakfast Egg Casserole! It's so easy and loaded with deliciousness!

More Instant Pot holiday recipes:

• 15 Best Instant Pot Holiday Recipes
• Mashed Potatoes
• Brussels Sprouts with bacon
• Turkey Breast with gravy
• Instant Pot Pot Roast

Check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, filled with all the info you need to get started with your new appliance!

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

Instant Pot Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham

Author: Anna

Ultra juicy, sweet and delicious ham with pineapple brown sugar glaze, cooked in the Instant Pot under 30 minutes.

4.91 from 31 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

coming to pressure 13 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 8 people

Calories 983 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 6 lb ham see note
• ▢ 1 20 oz. can pineapple tidbits in juice
• ▢ 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ ¼ cup water

Instructions

 

• Mix brown sugar, pineapple tidbits with juice and ground cloves in a medium bowl.
• Add 1 cup of water to Instant Pot insert, place trivet inside. Set the ham, cut side down, on the trivet. Pour pineapple brown sugar mixture over ham.
• Close lid, press “manual” or “pressure cook” setting and set the timer to 15 minutes. The IP will take about 13 minutes to come to pressure.
• Once done, let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally. It will take about 10 minutes (it was 9.5 minutes for me). Carefully open the lid and remove ham onto a cutting board. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Make the pineapple brown sugar mixture: whisk cornstarch and water in small bowl. Press "saute" setting on your Instant Pot, bring it to a boil. Add cornstarch mixture and cook for about 2 minutes, or until it thickens. Cornstarch makes the glaze clear. If you will use flour, it will be cloudy.
• Slice ham and serve with glaze.

Video

Notes

The amount of sodium comes from the ham itself, not the ingredients used in this recipe. The amount of salt used in the curing process accounts for the high number. Check the label before purchasing ham, if you are on a low-sodium diet.

I used 6.4 lbs semi-boneless ham. It was not precut. The semi-boneless ham has the leg bone but the shank bone is removed which makes carving easier. You can use spiral-cut bone-in ham. Just make sure to trim it to fit in your Instant Pot.

You can broil the ham for 3 to 4 minutes if desired. Place ham on a baking sheet, pour 3 to 5 tablespoons of the pineapple brown sugar glaze over and place under broiler. Watch it closely so it won't burn.

Count about ½ lb to ¾ lb of ham serving per person.

Nutrition

Calories: 983kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 73g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 4047mg | Potassium: 1101mg | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3.4mg

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