This Instant Pot Ham is fall-apart tender and the ultimate comfort food. Thanks to the electric pressure cooker, you can free your oven up to cook all the delicious side dishes.
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Say goodbye to dry, tough, and over-cooked ham forever! Thanks to the magical pressure cooker, Instant Pot ham is fall-apart tender and ohhhh so juicy!
Even better? You can free up your oven for baking all the delicious side dishes like Gluten-Free Scalloped Potatoes, Sage and Onion Stuffing, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Honey Sriracha Brussel Sprouts, and Roasted Frozen Broccoli.
I will note that this recipe is not for an overly-sweet ham. I prefer ham that is smoky and meaty with just a hint of sweetness. I want it to taste like ham and not meat candy.
I do have notes further on in the post to help you create more of a honey-baked ham flavor if that’s more of your preference. If your ham comes with one of those packets of glaze, you can also use that.
Can You Heat a Ham in the Instant Pot?
Absolutely! Most hams in the United States come already cooked/smoked. In most cases, you are simply reheating the ham to the safe serving temperature of 145F.
Using the Instant Pot is faster than using the oven and the ham is so tender and never dry!
How Long Do You Cook a Frozen Ham in an Instant Pot?
I don’t actually recommend you cook a frozen ham in your pressure cooker. It cooks unevenly and I don’t think it produces the best results.
That being said, if you’re in a pinch, cook the frozen ham for 5 minutes per pound of ham at high pressure. And allow for a full natural release.
Can You Use Fresh Pineapple On Ham?
No! Don’t do it or your gorgeous (and expensive!) ham is going to be pure mush. Fresh pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain which acts as a meat tenderizer as it cooks with the ham.
This enzyme is removed when pineapple is canned (related: How to Can Pineapple). If you don’t have canned pineapple juice, I do not recommend blending fresh pineapple and using that in this recipe.
Can You Cook a Non-Spiral Cut Ham in an Instant Pot?
Yes! The ham I used was a bone-in spiral cut, but if yours comes “whole” or not-presliced, that’s ok. Cook the ham using the method listed below in the recipe card, but cook for 3 minutes per pound at manual high pressure.
Instant Pot Sizing for Various Ham Sizes
The photos you see in this post are from an 8-quart Instant Pot. I was able to fit a 9 lb bone-in spiral-cut ham into my pressure cooker but it was a tight fit.
Pro Tip: Try to fit your ham into the Instant Pot before removing it from the package. It’s a lot less messy to test it out this way!
- 3 quart Instant Pot: 2-3 lb ham
- 6 quart Instant Pot: 3-6 lb ham
- 8 quart Instant Pot: 6-9 lb ham
If your ham is too large to fit into your pressure cooker, you can trim it to fit…or it might be one of those situations where you’re better off using the oven.
If you’re serving a bone-in ham, estimate 1/2 lb per person. Boneless ham is 1/3 lb per person.
Can You Go Above the Max Fill Line While Cooking A Ham in the Instant Pot?
Yes! Since the ham is not liquid, it’s fine to go above the max fill line in your Instant Pot. This gives you a bit more wiggle room with fitting the meat into the pressure cooker.
You do not need to use the trivet (little wire rack) when cooking ham in a pressure cooker. This will also save you space to cook a large piece of meat if needed.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can use different juices other than pineapple if needed. I recommend apple or orange juice.
- If you run out of brown sugar, make your own! Related: How to Make Brown Sugar.
- You can keep the ham warm in the Instant Pot for 1-2 hours if needed.
- If your ham comes with a plastic cap on the bottom, remove that before placing the ham in the pressure cooker.
- The cooking time is the same regardless if your precooked ham is boneless or bone-in.
- If you’re not going to use up all the ham within 2-3 days, freeze it for later uses. I prefer to freeze about half of it in slices, and dice the other half for quick soups and frittatas.
- It took my 8-quart pressure cooker ~30 minutes to come up to pressure.
Variation for a “Honey Baked Ham” in the Instant Pot
If you prefer a sweeter ham or one with a brown sugar glaze, I have your back! Once the ham has finished cooking, allow it to rest in the Instant Pot for 15 minutes before performing a quick release.
Gently remove it from the Instant Pot insert and transfer it to a 4-5 quart baking dish. In a small bowl combine an additional: 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, 3 tbsp honey, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Pour the brown sugar mixture over the top of the ham and place it under the broiler for 4-10 minutes. Keep the oven door slightly ajar so that you can keep an eye on it to prevent it from burning.
Leftover Ham Recipes
If you have leftover ham (lucky duck) after your meal, I’ve got your back with some great options for creating new meals!
Instant Pot Ham
Ingredients
- 6-8 lb spiral-cut bone-in ham {you can also use boneless}
- 12 oz ginger ale
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup canned pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard {or stoneground}
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Equipment
Instructions
- Pro tip: to make sure your ham fits, place it in the Instant Pot insert before removing it from the packaging.
- Combine ginger ale and apple cider vinegar in the insert of the Instant Pot12 oz ginger ale, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- Place the ham in the insert, removing the plastic tab on the ham (if it comes with one).6-8 lb spiral-cut bone-in ham
- In a small bowl combine: canned pineapple juice, brown sugar, dijon mustard.1/2 cup canned pineapple juice, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- Drizzle the pineapple juice mixture over the ham, getting it in-between the slices if your ham is spiral cut.
- Secure the lid and set the vent to sealing. Press manual>high pressure>7 minutes. It may take up to 30 minutes to come up to pressure.
- When the cooking time is up, do a natural release for 15 minutes and then flip the vent to venting and perform a quick release.
- Optional: carefully remove ham from the Instant Pot insert and place it in a 4-5 quart baking dish. Place under the broiler for 2-5 minutes.
Notes
- You can use different juices other than pineapple if needed. I recommend apple or orange juice.
- If you’re using a whole ham that is not presliced: Cook the ham using the method listed above, but cook for 3 minutes per pound at manual high pressure.
- 3 quart Instant Pot: 2-3 lb ham
- 6 quart Instant Pot: 3-6 lb ham
- 8 quart Instant Pot: 6-9 lb ham
- If you’re serving a bone-in ham, estimate 1/2 lb per person. Boneless ham is 1/3 lb per person.
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