Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Save on oven space and try this holiday ham right in the crockpot. It’s so easy with just 5 min prep, and it’s unbelievably tender and juicy!
When it comes to Thanksgiving, I tend to look forward to the ham more so than the turkey. I mean it is Turkey Day and all but all I can think about is that sweet, juicy ham, coupled with the cornbread stuffing and the sweet potato casserole with extra marshmallows.
The turkey is just there for show anyway, right? Plus, I think Butters prefers the ham too.
Now oven real estate can be quite an issue on the big day but you have nothing to worry about here. This ham is made right in the slow cooker, and the prep time is only 5 minutes. Yes, it’s just that easy! And you can’t go wrong with the combination of maple syrup, brown sugar, pineapple juice and Dijon mustard for that extra kick of flavor.
And depending on the size of your ham, this should be ready in 4-5 hrs. Best of all, you can keep it on the warm function, letting it sit in those amazing juices and keeping it flavorful all day.
No wait. The best part are the leftovers. The ham sandwiches. The breakfast eggs and ham. The ham fried rice. The hambone soup. The possibilities are endless!
Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pineapple juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 7-10 pound bone-in, spiral-cut ham*
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 15 whole cloves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and pepper; set aside.
- Place ham into a slow cooker. Sprinkle with brown sugar, rubbing in thoroughly on all sides. Place whole cloves throughout and pour pineapple mixture over ham.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours, basting every hour.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
I am so going to try, what sides should I serve with. Thank you
I make this ham every Thanksgiving, it’s a huge hit!
The slow cooker maple brown sugar ham, was a huge success this year. Our Christmas dinner this year had a lot of your wonderful recipes. Along with ham I made your parmesan crusted scalloped potatoes and your easy green bean casserole, and your recipe for glazed carrots. Every recipe was a BIG hit with my family. The prep was easy, which gave me more time to spend with my family. Thank you these recipes and all the others that I tried and loved.
If the ham is already a Vermont Maple smoked ham, will this recipe make it too sweet?
I am making it tomorrow for Easter.
Thank you
I bought ground cloves by mistake, can I use these instead?
I have been using this recipe for thanksgiving for the last 3 or 4 years. It never fails. My only sub is that I use dried cloves (usually about 1/4 tsp) more out of laziness. Other than that, certified deliciousness for years! Its definitely a keeper!
Curious to know if anyone has used the brown sugar glaze (which normally comes with the ham), in place of this pineapple mixture?
Hi! I am finally getting to make this ham! My ham is not pre-cooked and not spiral. Would you suggest after it has thawed to slice through the ham so the glaze can get into it and doubling the cooking time? I really want to use YOUR recipe for this!! Help!
Thanks!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I forgot the recipe I used last year so I went on line to find an easy recipe for my slow cooker. There you were with your easy but yummy recipe. My brother in law the foodie of our family was raving how yummy it was. I didn’t have cloves but I laid pineapple on the top half of the ham that wasn’t in the juices. I’m not a big clove fan anyway! This is my first time replying to any website. ! Thanks for being there to save the day, and make it Awesome for the Ham lovers of the family . Happy Easter!
I do not want to go to the storm again. Might I skip the maple and use honey instead? Im old school with pineapple slices and the cherries.
Also going to cut up chunks to put in freezer baggies for beans or maybe to make with eggs for breakfast.
Yes, absolutely.
I have a large, ten pound ham. So 5 hours on low should be good?
Yes, it should be fine.
I don’t have pineapple juice. Can I use apple cider vinegar instead?
Pineapple juice or even orange juice would be best. I do not recommend using apple cider vinegar.
Hi… Can I use smoked ham?
Yes, you can!
Hi, I’m excited to make both your mashed potatoes and this ham for Thanksgiving this year. I’ve read through and didn’t see this asked yet… does this call for pure maple syrup, or just the pancake kind?
Pure, please.
Hi, I have an oval-shaped crock pot, can I put the ham on its side instead of flat side down? Thanks!
Yes, I have done that before!
I have a dumber question what are cloves clothes of what clothes of garlic what I have never made a ham like this mine has always been baked in an oven so what kind of clothes
Cloves not clothes lol
The cloves in this recipe actually does not refer to garlic cloves. It actually refers to a dried flower bud of a tropical tree, used as a pungent aromatic spice.
Cloves would be in the grocery aisle along with all the spices – cinnamon, oregano, etc.
I have been making this recipe for probably 3 years now & have, every single time, used garlic cloves!! I was a total rookie cook when I found this recipe so I had no clue. I usually don’t use quite as many as the recipe calls for, because that’s a ton of garlic, but my entire family has had this at one time or another. Everyone RAVES about it & they eat the cooked garlic cloves like candy
Hi I am hoping you can help me. I found your recipe and bought all the ingredients. The only thing is I bought an UNCURED, SEMI-BONELESS ham. It is 6.84 lbs. Will this recipe work???? I am hoping you get back to me. I am so nervous I am going to screw it up. I am making it on Christmas day. Thank you for your time
You should be fine! Happy holidays!
Hi! Hope to try your recipe for ham this X-Mas!
Your recipe sounds simple &delis!
Hope to try it soon.
Hi. Using my crock pot but is is only a 4 quart. Silly question but are there smaller spiral hams out there to fit in my crock pot? May have to buy a larger crock pot….also cooking a small turkey so that is why I need a small ham.
Yes, there should be!
My dog named is Mr.Butters..
Your ham recipe looks wonderful I’m trying it this Thanksgiving.
I wanted to stop by to say that I will be using this recipe again for Thanksgiving! It was a total rave last year. I made the switch to your recipe after wanting a change from my grandmother’s signature recipe. Hard to admit that I love yours more! (Sorry Nana!) The only substitution I make is with dried cloves since that’s what I have on-hand.
Happy Holidays!
LOVE this recipe, but I do not need to serve 7-10…only 3. PS-this is one of the reasons that I LOVE your recipes, besides the extraordinary compliments that I receive from my husband and son…your servings are generally for 4. With that said, can I do this with ham steak, and if so, what are your recommended measurements?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I so wanted for it to work… The ham came out very dry and tough 🙁 Man, I’m so disappointed. I was embarrassed to serve it for Easter dinner and we had company over. It was more like jerky. I’m now afraid to try this method of cooking ham ever again. I’m an advanced cook, so the problem definitely wasn’t the lack of my cooking skills…
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well.
So I must ask – did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions?
Does the sauce make a good gravy for mashed potatoes?
This sauce is really meant for the ham, not for mashed potatoes. But as always, please use your best judgment.
I am planning to try your crockpot ham for Easter dinner in order to free up my oven for roasting the lamb. What a fab recipe. I am sorry I am seeing this a few years after you posted it because that lady could certainly add ground cloves (maybe a 1/4 tsp) to her brown sugar if she doesn’t have the actual whole cloves just to give her ham the taste of cloves. I loved your answer to Mr. know-it-all. I am an experienced cook, but I also wanted an answer to some of those questions. The ignorant ones are the ones who never ask, so they never learn.(Can you tell I am a teacher? (lol)
If I can’t find whole cloves, will ground cloves work? If so, what is the recommended quantity?
If whole cloves are unavailable, I recommend omitting rather than using ground cloves.
I made this for Christmas and my whole family loves it! It was also great to have some leftovers, we made ham sandwiches for a few nights, great and easy recipe! Now one of our favourites!
These recipes sounds so easy, I am anxious to try them.
I would like to try this but I am allergic to mustard. If I do not put the mustard, will it taste as good or can I substitute with another ingredient?. Thank you
You can omit the ingredient as needed to suit your preferences.
Like some of the others, I’ve already bought a large boneless SMOKED ham—-so what (simple) crockpot recipe would you recommend using for this type?
We made this recipe over the weekend, and it was so easy and the ham tasted great. The ham did turn out rather dry, though. We basted several times–pretty much hourly. I’m not sure what we did wrong–did we cook it too long?
Perhaps – it’s just really hard for me to say without being in the kitchen with you. But the beauty of the slow cooker and basting is to prevent dryness!
Preparing a ham for a large crowd this New Years. Would there be any problem in adapting this recipe by slicing the ham off of the bone and layering it in crock pot essentially fitting 2 hams in the same pot? Would it be appropriate to lessen the cooking time and check for 140 degrees in the center of the pot?
Unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I thick-sliced and layered two 10 lb. shank portion hams in a 7 qt. crock-pot sprinkling cloves(2 tablespoons) & brown sugar between layers. I added a layer of whole pineapple slices on top. Worked GREAT. Followed recipe for all other ingredients and cooking time.
I have no Dijon. Substitute for the glacier? I really love it but don’t want to make a trip to grocery on Christmas Eve. Thinking regular mustard won’t do. Anything else?
Can I use orange juice in place of pineapple juice?
Yes, absolutely.
I used this recipe for Thanksgiving and it turned out beautifully (I substituted homemade spicy brown mustard for the Dijon and that worked well). Love the Corgis, we have 2 also.
What if I only have ground cloves? Can I use that instead? And how much?
If you do not have whole cloves, I recommend omitting them in its entirety.
Do I need to thaw the ham first or should I start it from frozen? Thanks!!
The ham should be thawed prior to using.
I have purchased a regular 10 lb ham. It is not spiral. Will this work with the recipe??
Yes, absolutely, although cooking time may have to be adjusted as needed.
question, need to cook early and serve later,so i cant serve imidiatly is that a problem
Not at all!
Hey there – I saw above that you had a comment about preferable NOT using a smoked ham and going with a pre-glazed one instead. I’ve already bought a spiral, bone-in smoked ham — is there any particular reason this is less than ideal or should I just go and buy a pre-glazed and used the smoked for a different occasion?
The smoked ham may have additional/unwanted flavors that may clash with the flavors here but as always, please use your best judgment.
This recipe looks delicious! I have a 7 quart slow cooker and I could only find a 5 pound spiral ham. Is there anything I should be cutting back on or can I keep the measurements for the ingredients the same? How about the cooking time?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I just found this recipe and would like to try it but I’m allergic to citric acid so no pineapple juice for me. Would you recommend another juice or will water work? Thank you for your help!
Water may be the best option but without having tried this substitute myself, it is really hard for me to say with certainty how this will turn out. Please use your best judgment.
Excellent recipe!! I had to cook it in the oven since the bone was too high for the crockpot. Cooked it at 275, but otherwise did everything the same. Thanks for sharing such amazing recipes!
I’ve defrosted a ham from the half pig we bought from a local farmer. As far as I know these hams are not pre-cooked. In this case, how long should I cook it in the slow cooker for?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise the appropriate cooking time for a non pre-cooked ham. Please use your best judgment to ensure the ham is fully cooked through, about 150-160 degrees F.
I have one more question, not related to the ham. What is the best stock to use when making Asian soups? I love going to Bento Cafe and getting the Chicken and Vegetable soup with Udon noodles, but it gets kinda pricey. I would to be able “duplicate” or come close. Can you advise?
It really depends on the type of recipe, but without trying the Chicken and Vegetable Soup myself, I cannot really advise on which ingredients to use.
Good morning, I know I’m a little late getting In the question and you may have answered this already. If pineapple juice is not available is there a substitute? Thank you in advance. I can’t wait to try some of your rcipes. I get your posts to my email and your photos are exquist it looks like you could just reach out and grab the food right off the computer.
You can certainly try substituting something else for the pineapple juice but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Haven’t tried it yet, but orange juice seems like it could be pretty good
This may sound silly but which side goes on the bottom? I assume the flat side?
Yes, that’s exactly right.
What if I don’t have cloves? Will it turn out ok?
Or is there a substitute?
Yes, it will be fine to omit.
Not to sound rude but these questions people ask u are they for real
Well Dan it was rude for you to say this and I believe you knew it was rude when you posted it. Not everyone has expertise in cooking, especially when it’s different than the norm. People wouldn’t ask the question if they knew the answer, right? So it stands to reason that they need to ask the question. I was taught that there is never a ‘stupid’ question. I believe it’s arrogance that makes people think there is a stupid question.
Totally agree. They were good questions. I would’ve used the wrong brown sugar.
People needed clarity and she was nice enough to provide it for us.
I know they are. I am one of them. Unfortunately, some of us are not intelligent as you!
Hello! I am making this tomorrow, in my new crockpot, that is not a programmable one. Maybe a silly question to the “cookers” out there, but will I need to keep it on the high setting for 4-5 hours, or low? I do know that typically the low setting is 6 hours and the high is 4 hours. Just want to make sure I don’t overcook this. 🙂
Megan, it is best to cook on low heat for 4-5 hours.
Thanks for the quick response!
Hi, you mentioned basting hourly. Doesn’t that slow the process when you open the slow cooker lid? I plan to purchase an HB Forget it and Set it slow cooker tomorrow and wanted to use this recipe. Is it okay to not bast it?
Basting it hourly will not slow the cooking time. It should be fine not to baste it, although it’s really best if you baste the ham occasionally. It doesn’t have to be hourly but I would recommend basting at least once or twice.
Did not realize the ham I have is way too big for my crock pot. And I have a big crock pot.
So I am going to have to bake it in the oven.
Since I have already mixed the ingredients and want the flavors anyway, any suggestions on converting this recipe to the oven?
Thank you 😀
Christine, do you still have the ham label? The ham usually comes with cooking instructions using a conventional oven to ensure your ham is fully cooked prior to serving.
Yes I know how to bake a ham in the oven.
I just wanted some assistants in converting the rest of the ingredients to baking.
Like do I insert cloves into ham and bake for 2 hours then coat with brown sugar and baste for last 2 hours with liquid mixture?
baste last 1/2 hour…I meant
I haven’t tried baking this but it should be safe to keep to the ingredient list and instructions as written.
hi, this recipe sounds delicious and easy to make, especially since my oven will be busy cooking other goodies; my questions is, i have a 10.5 pound precooked spiral ham that is just a tad too big for my crock pot; (obviously the top wont fit), is it ok to use foil as a cover? and will the ham cook evenly ? thank you.
Unfortunately, I do not recommend cooking the ham in a slow cooker without the lid. You can try trimming the ham to fit or you may have to purchase a smaller ham.
This recipe is amazing, I made it to eat during the college football games, and I am making it again Saturday night for our Neighborhood Holiday Party, I cannot believe I have been making ham in the oven for years. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hello. I am currently making this and I have never cooked a ham before either. So after about 4 hours cooking, my crockpot is about half way full of juices. I think I am going to try and cook it for longer in hopes that it will still be warm around 530 or so for dinner as my crock pot does not have a warming feature. Anyway back to the question, I just let this soak in all those juices this whole time? Do I need it to sit out and drain before serving? I would think the ham would get “soggy” maybe? I have no idea 🙂
You may want to drain before serving but I would reserve the sauce for basting. The sauce is heavenly and you wouldn’t want it to go to waste!
This recipe looks delicious. I do not have REAL maple syrup. Would Mrs. Butterworth’s work okay, or do I need to use the real stuff?
You can certainly try substituting Mrs. Butterworth’s but it’s really best when you use the real stuff! 🙂
If you want to save a little money, instead of 100% maple syrup, if you live near a Trader Joe’s, they’ve got a really good half maple/half agave nectar syrup that’s half the price, and still all natural/very mapley
This is a fantastic idea – my question is – would you have an approximate cooking time for a 1/4 spiral ham – which is the size I will most likely be cooking. Thank you so much and I look forward to other ideas.
Cindy, cooking time would be less using a smaller ham. I do not have an approximate cooking time but it is best to reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F to ensure that the ham is fully heated through.
Hi! I’ve never made a ham before but this looked delicious. I realized when I got home from the store that I bought a boneless ham. Will it still work? How will I know when it’s done?
Thank you!
Molly
Molly, that should be fine! You’ll want to cook the ham until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 F as measured with a food thermometer.
Thanks for your response! Just looked up on amazon, there are a few to pick from in the Hamilton Beach 6 qt brand 🙂 Looking forward to making the beef and broccoli recipe 🙂
Hi, so I love all your recipes and do most of them, always easy directions and delicious! But I don’t have a slow cooker, and because of the latest delicious slow cooker recipes you posted I now need to buy one 🙂 Can you tell me which brand you use? I noticed above that it’s a 6 qt. Thanks for posting all your recipes!
I love the Crock-Pot brand but I recently purchased the Hamilton Beach brand which has quickly become a favorite!
If you havent tried Cuisinart multicooker you should give it a try. What an amazing crockpot/multicooker. It has become my new favorite crockpot and I have given it as gifts to my family members who also love it. It browns right in the pot and has so many features not associated with a normal crockpot…I know I must sound like I am advertising for them but I’m not…just love this new appliance. They have two sizes and I would opt for the larger one which is what I have.
What size Cuisinart Multicooker do you have? Amazon has the 4, 6, and 7 quart by there is quite a bit of difference in price for the 6 and 7 quart. I’m wondering if the 6 quart would be sufficient?!?!
Hi there, how long would you suggest for a 12lb spiral ham?
I would start with an additional hour and go from there.
Thanks for the quick response!! You just saved Thanksgiving! 🙂
Happy to help! 🙂
This recipe looks delicious. I have been trying to find spiral cut hams in the grocery stores, but can only find either pre-glazed ones, or hickory smoked. Would the smoked ones work for this? Do you have a recommendation on where to find a plain one? Thanks!
Sarah, the pre-glazed hams should be fine. The glaze is usually in a separate packet so you can just discard that and use this recipe here. Hope that helps!
Yes, thank you! Would you recommend not using the smoked one?
Yes, it is best to find one that is not smoked.
I can only imagine how delicious this ham must have tasted. Love that it’s cooked in a slow cooker especially – definitely a recipe I will be making this upcoming Christmas period.
I reckon people should give the turkey a break, and have this instead 😀 Ham is just so flavourful in itself and the ingredients you’ve used here sounds amazing to accompany it 😀 x
So sorry if this is a dumb question: If I pour the pineapple last I’m afraid all the sugar will just go down the pot. Can I just mix the sugar with the pineapple??
Please feel free to do what makes you comfortable, but I assure you that with the hourly basting, the sugar will be evenly distributed.
Sorry for this question, but clove means garlic right? Thanks!
The cloves in this recipe actually does not refer to garlic cloves. It actually refers to a dried flower bud of a tropical tree, used as a pungent aromatic spice.
I was just about to ask this question, so thanks cookingmom101. However, a follow-up question would be…where in the grocers section would I find these cloves as I’ve not worked with them before? Seasoning/baking? Any direction you can give would be great!
Cloves would be in the grocery aisle along with all the spices – cinnamon, oregano, etc.
Is the brown sugar dark or light? I never know which one to use in any recipe that calls for brown sugar.
When recipes call for “brown sugar”, it generally refers to light brown sugar.
I have same size crockpot you used and 1/2 spiral ham. it doesn’t look like it is going to fit, did you have to trim any off?
I had to trim a little bit but not too much. It is best to know the dimensions of your slow cooker before choosing an appropriately-sized ham.
You state to baste hourly.. What do you use? I plan to try this for New Year’s Day. Thanks for the great recipes, I look forward to receiving the emails with your recipes!!
A baster would work best.
What liquid do you use
Pineapple juice and maple syrup are both used in this recipe.
This looks amazing – perfect for sandwiches!
I’ve never cooked mine in a crockpot, but what a good idea. I add a little rum to my mixture of brown sugar & Dijon mustard. Yum!
Hi, I love your recipes! Never made a ham before, so sorry if this is a dumb question: do I place the cloves inside the “spiraling” of the ham or just throw them in the bottom of the crockpot? Thanks and Happy Ham Day!
Yes, the cloves should be “stuck” throughout the ham.
A ham that can feed 20… there is no weight on it and it is bine in but not spiral cut. Still 4-5hrs?
The recipe lists 1 (7-10 pound) bone-in, spiral-cut ham.
What would the timing be for a ham that is not spiral sliced?
It may take a little longer but please your best judgment to have the ham reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.
Hi. Is this ham already cooked before going into the crockpot? Sorry for the silly question but I have never cooked a ham.
Thanks and it looks great!
Yes, that’s exactly right!
That definitely was not a silly question!! I had NO idea the ham was pre-cooked! I would have bought a raw ham! LOL I am still a bit confused, won’t it burn even slow-cooking for 4 hours if it is already pre-cooked? (I don’t cook, so I don’t know how these things work!) Thanks!!
Kisha, all the holiday hams already come cooked. And no, the ham will not burn in the slow cooker.
I am slow-cooking a ham today for the first time(just bought a slow-cooker). My sister had used a slow cooker at thanksgiving due to an overcrowded oven and it was great. I think the slow-cooked method makes for a juicer ham which we all liked. Definitely will be easier to cook for sure.
With respect to a raw ham..well…I have a smoker and at one point was looking for a raw ham to smoke. As I recall I could not even find one at the stores. Seems I was going to have to order online and have it shipped which was not worth the money to me.
Thanks for recipe.
In the recipe for slow cooker ham—u mention honey as an ingredient but there is no honey in recipe. Is that a typo or what?
Mari, there is no honey in this recipe.
Where in the heck did she see honey in this recipe???
Do you have to add water in crock pot
No, you do not. Recipes typically specify when water needs to be added.
That was a different recipe. Also the bottom of the pot is packed with brown sugar.
This ham looks delicious and easy to prep. My question is …..what size crock pot ??
I used a 6-qt slow cooker.