Instant Pot Spiral Ham

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A couple of years ago my Crockpot Root Beer Ham went viral, but now I’m all about my Instant Pot, so I had to make an Instant Pot Spiral Ham recipe to share with you!

A delicious sweet ham recipe for Easter or Christmas! This Instant Pot Spiral Ham is super easy to make and has unbelievable flavor

Instant Pot Spiral Ham Recipe

I’ve only recently become aware of spiral ham – maybe three years ago now?

Growing up, my mom bought those super-processed, tiny little hams that just tasted like salt, so that was all I knew until I saw a gorgeous picture for a spiral ham on Pinterest and was shocked to discover that hams could come that way! (I thought the person who took the picture just had excellent carving skills.)

And just like when you learn a new word and start hearing it everywhere, I started noticing spiral hams at my grocery store all the time. I still wasn’t really interested in a salt-laden meal, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that low-salt options were available, so I grabbed one… and I’ve never looked back!

I find low-sodium hams to have the perfect amount of salty-umami flavor, and it pairs perfectly with a sweet glaze or marinade.

I love combining sweet and umami flavors – chicken and waffles, bacon and maple syrup – I’m all about it, so it was pretty easy to figure out how I wanted to cook this instant pot ham!

I used a combination of maple syrup, dijon mustard and brown sugar to create a decadent glaze with good depth of flavor. You can also add in some apple cider vinegar or apple juice, if desired.

Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes? Check out our full collection here!

Skip the oven and make your holiday ham in the Instant Pot! This Maple Brown Sugar Spiral Ham is ready to enjoy in less than an hour. Succulent, sweet and savoury

Cooking your spiral ham in the instant pot is awesome for not only keeping your oven available for other mains or side dishes, it also prevents the ham from drying out in the oven and overcooking. The Instant Pot traps the moisture and steam of the cooking liquid, resulting in a tender, succulent ham with just slight caramelization.

(Note: if you really like crispy edges on your ham, you can also finish this recipe in the oven, popping it in at 400ºF for a few minutes, or even a couple minutes under the broiler.)

What size ham can I fit in my Instant Pot? A 6qt Instant Pot can fit a 5-6lb ham, while a 8qt Instant Pot can fit a 7-8lb ham. If your ham is slightly bigger, you can trim it to fit.

Do spiral hams need to be cooked? No, you do not have to “cook” a spiral ham since it is pre-cooked before it gets to you. You just need to warm it up to 140ºF, so even 10 minutes in the instant pot is fine.

How long do I need to cook my ham in the Instant Pot? You want to cook your ham for approximately 2 minutes per pound, plus about 5 additional minutes:

  • 4lb ham = 13 minutes
  • 5lb ham = 15 minutes
  • 6lb ham = 17 minutes
  • 7lb ham = 19 minutes
  • 8lb ham = 21 minutes

How long is leftover cooked spiral ham good for? Cooked spiral ham can be kept in the fridge for up to one week or frozen for up to two months.

How do you freeze leftover ham? Simply place the cooked ham in freezer-safe ziptop bags and remove as much air as possible. You can also wrap the ham in tinfoil before placing it in the bag. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)

Why does this recipe call for optional water? Officially, you should add 1 cup of liquid to your instant pot to allow it to come to pressure, but I have had success adding less. I used 1/2 cup of water for this recipe to help increase the liquid amount without requiring additional (expensive) maple syrup. You can alternatively use a juice such as pineapple juice or apple juice.

How to cook frozen ham in the Instant Pot? Personally, I don’t recommend cooking ham from frozen as it can lead to uneven results – but I totally understand that you may not have a choice in the matter! A 6-7lb ham will take approximately 35 minutes on the manual setting to fully cook (not including the time to takes to come to pressure and release). Ensure that your ham reaches the recommended temperature of 140ºF.

While your instant pot is warming up your spiral ham, whip up these side dishes to accompany it:

And, if you’re looking for recipes to use up that leftover ham in, check out:

For even more fun Easter Ideas, check out our Easter Planning eBook, featuring 32 of our favorite Easter crafts, recipes and decor ideas – it’s free for e-mail subscribers:

How to make Spiral Ham in the Instant Pot, a step-by-step tutorial

Instant Pot Spiral Ham Ingredients

  • Spiral ham – keep the dimensions of your Instant Pot in mind when selecting the size of ham (see our guide above)
  • Maple Syrup – REAL maple syrup, none of that corn syrup-based table syrup. Can be swapped for honey
  • Brown sugar – can be swapped for coconut sugar, if desired
  • Dijon Mustard – can be swapped for mustard powder and apple cider vinegar

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: add in apple cider vinegar or apple juice, as desired.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

How to Make Instant Pot Spiral Ham

Place the water, maple syrup, brown sugar and dijon mustard in a saucepan over medium heat.

Heat just until the brown sugar is melted and dissolved completely into the maple syrup.

(You can alternatively microwave the glaze.)

Place the spiral ham in your instant pot and pour the glaze over the whole ham, being sure to get in all those slices.

Secure the lid on your Instant Pot and cook on the meat/stew setting for 15 minutes, 20 if you like crisper ham.

Natural release.

Pin this Instant Pot Ham Recipe:

The PERFECT way to cook your holiday ham, this Instant Pot Brown Sugar Spiral Ham is succulent, sweet and savoury - and perfectly cooked, leaving your oven free for side dishes or other mains

Grab your free printable for our brown sugar maple ham recipe:

Instant Pot Spiral Ham

Instant Pot Spiral Ham

Ingredients

  • Spiral ham
  • 1/2 cup water, or as needed (or swap in apple juice or pineapple juice)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup Brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Instructions

  1. Place the maple syrup, brown sugar and dijon mustard in a saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Heat just until the brown sugar is melted and dissolved completely into the maple syrup. (You can alternatively microwave the glaze.)
  3. Place the spiral ham in your instant pot and pour the glaze over the whole ham, being sure to get in all those slices.
  4. Secure the lid on your Instant Pot and cook on the meat/stew setting for 15 minutes, 20 if you like crisper ham.
  5. Natural release.

Pin this Recipe for Later

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

This Instant Pot Ham recipe is so incredibly simple to make but has amazing flavor. It’s perfect for Easter ham or Christmas supper.

For more delicious Instant Pot recipes, check out our Collection of Mexican Instant Pot Recipes or our Instant Pot Maple Garlic Pork Chops.

A delicious sweet ham recipe for Easter or Christmas! This Instant Pot Spiral Ham is super easy to make and has unbelievable flavor A delicious recipe for Brown Sugar Spiral Ham in the Instant Pot, plus tips on everything you need to know for a perfect cooking experience and how to use up any leftover ham How to make Spiral Ham in the Instant Pot, a step-by-step tutorial Skip the oven and make your holiday ham in the Instant Pot! This Maple Brown Sugar Spiral Ham is ready to enjoy in less than an hour. Succulent, sweet and savoury A delicious recipe for Brown Sugar Spiral Ham in the Instant Pot, plus tips on everything you need to know for a perfect cooking experience and how to use up any leftover ham The PERFECT way to cook your holiday ham, this Instant Pot Brown Sugar Spiral Ham is succulent, sweet and savoury - and perfectly cooked, leaving your oven free for side dishes or other mains

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10 Comments

  1. I didn’t have apple juice m, but I had an unopened bottle of Trader Joe’s Winter Wassail leftover from the holidays. I don’t know how it will taste but the house smells amazing! Keeping my fingers crossed!

    1. Hi Jessica,
      I would highly recommend allowing your ham to thaw first before proceeding with the recipe, as cooking the ham from frozen in the crockpot may result in uneven temperatures and also the 12 hours that it may take for the ham to cook may cause the glaze to burn.
      If you don’t have time to thaw it, you can try warming it in the crockpot without the glaze for a few hours, then add the root beer glaze and continue with cooking as directed. (How long it will take to thaw will depend on the size of your ham – but I would want an inserted meat thermometer to read 80-100F at the centermost point of the ham before adding the glaze.)

    1. Hi Sue, there is a time guide in the post, but of course – I stopped at 8lbs! LOL I would say 21-23 min for your ham. Since it’s already cooked, all you’re needing to do is warm it through.

  2. Being be to instapot cooking, I am confused why you indicate apple or juice in the ingredients but in the step to take it is not mentioned…

  3. My ham was 7 pounds and 15 minutes was wayyyyy too long. I’m thinking I would need to only cook it for about 8-10 minutes next time.

  4. This was yummy. I used water in the bottom for pressure, but somehow managed to grab a non-spiraled ham (??). I did make a few slits and poured the glaze over it. When It was done I simmered all the liquid in the IP to reduce and poured it over the sliced ham. It was so good. This will be my new go to ham recipe. Also just FYI for higher elevation above 6K feet add about 20% to cooking time in instant pot. Thanks for this recipe.

    1. Thank you so much for sharing your tips, Ann! I have never cooked at higher elevations so I appreciate you sharing that info because I definitely don’t feel equipped to do so!

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