Crockpot Spiral Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
This easy Crockpot spiral ham recipe with brown sugar and mustard glaze is the perfect way to cook your holiday dinner while your family is out of the house on Easter morning or Christmas eve. Cook the sweet and tangy ham in the slow cooker for 3 hours, then glaze and broil it in under 10 minutes for the perfect finish.
For years and years, our family has cooked our favorite mustard glazed ham with pineapple for Easter Sunday. That recipe is very easy but requires frequent basting and attention.
When I planned our Christmas Eve menu this year, I wanted a festive holiday dish that was more hands-off since our tradition is to attend Christmas Eve Mass at 4:00pm.
I needed a holiday dinner that would be mostly ready for us when we got back home around 5:30 pm if I didn’t want to spend my Christmas eve in the kitchen.
This Crockpot spiral ham recipe was the perfect solution!
The ham slow cooks for 3 hours. When you pull it out of the slow cooker, all it needs a quick basting and pop it under the broiler — it’s ready to serve in 10 minutes!
Recipe Testing Notes
There are so many ways you can cook a holiday ham for Easter or Christmas. I’ve tried a lot of them over the years, but love coming back to this Crockpot spiral ham. Here’s what I’ve learned over the years:
- Slow cooking keeps the meat juicy: Since spiral hams are already cooked through, what you’re really doing is reheating them and adding extra flavor. It’s easy to dry them out in the oven, but I find that cooking the ham in the Crockpot gives you moist, juicy, tender meat every time.
- A quick broil gives you crispy edges: If your favorite part of a holiday ham is the picture-perfect crispy glazed edges, you can still get that! All you have to do is pop the ham under the broiler for a few minutes right at the end. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference.
- You can still make it in the oven if you want: After accidentally buying a ham that didn’t fit in my Crockpot, I figured out a way to slow cook it in the oven for the same tender, juicy results and hands-off benefits.
Ingredients
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Just like our favorite mustard glazed ham, this Crockpot ham recipe starts with a very short list of ingredients:
- Spiral Cut Ham: I LOVE the way a spiral cut ham allows for the glaze to drizzle into so many nooks and crannies to flavor the meat.
- Brown Sugar: The molasses in the sugar makes the glaze extra rich and flavorful.
- Honey: For a traditional glaze, use regular honey. For a fun twist, you can make a sweet and spicy ham by substituting a chili pepper-infused hot honey.
- Mustard: A combination of Dijon and whole-grain mustard for a boost of tangy flavor to balance out the sweet glaze.
- Minced Garlic: Mince your own or use the jarred stuff. I won’t tell anyone!
- Ground Cloves: Just a bit for the warmth we love in a good glazed ham.
Crockpot Prep & Cooking Times
Before you can set the spiral ham to cooking in the Crockpot, you need to prepare the glaze. This is super easy and only takes about 2-3 minutes on the stove. We just want to dissolve the sugar and create a cohesive glaze for flavoring the ham.
Don’t forget to spoon the glaze between the slices of ham so you can get that flavor throughout the meat!
Once the glaze has been poured over the ham, it will need to cook for 2 to 3 hours on HIGH or for 3 to 4 hours on LOW. If you have a programmable slow cooker, just set it to keep the ham warm after it is done cooking if you’re not ready to eat yet.
After a few hours in the Crockpot, all that’s left is 10 more minutes until you’re ready to eat.
Take the ham out and set it in a roasting pan. Boil the glaze on the stove for about 5 minutes to thicken it, then brush it over the ham and broil for another 5 minutes.
Make Ahead Tips
For a holiday meal, this ham is really best served right after it comes out from the broiler all fresh, warm, and crispy glazed.
However, to make things even easier, you can prepare the glaze up to 3 days ahead of time. Simmer the glaze as directed, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
When you’re ready to cook the ham, just pop it into the Crockpot, pour on the glaze, and go!
Storage and Freezer Tips
Leftover ham can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It’s also one of my favorite things to freeze, it keeps so well for several months.
You can freeze the leftovers in slices or take the time to chop it up in advance and store it in smaller portions for using in one of dozens of easy leftover ham recipes for future dinners.
Thaw frozen ham in the fridge overnight and then gently reheat it in the microwave for just a couple of minutes. You can also reheat it on the stove over medium-low heat just until warmed through.
Crockpot Spiral Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 spiral cut ham 5 to 10 pounds (see notes)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions Start Cooking
- Double check that your ham will fit in the bowl of your Crockpot. If it does, proceed. If it is too big or oddly shaped, see "How to Slow Cook in Oven" in the notes below.
- Place the ham in your Crockpot and set aside.1 spiral cut ham
Prepare the Glaze
- Add the brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, minced garlic, ground cloves, and water to a small saucepan and whisk them together.1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 cup water
- Continue to gently whisk and cook the glaze over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour the glaze over the ham in the Crockpot, gently separating the spiral slices so the liquid drizzles down and flavors the ham from the top through.
Cook the Ham in the Crockpot
- Cover the slowcooker and cook the ham on LOW for 3 – 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 – 3 hours. There is no need to baste the ham during this process.
Broil the Glaze
- Preheat the broiler to high.
- Transfer the ham to a roasting pan and loosely cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat while whisking to prevent it from burning. Cook until the glaze has reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Brush the glaze all over the ham in the roasting pan. Place the glazed ham under the broiler for 5 – 6 minutes, until the glaze is caramelized. Do not walk away during this process, as it can go from perfect to burned very quickly. If desired, baste the ham every 2 minutes as the juices run to the bottom of the roasting pan.
Recipe Notes
Ham sizes
- The glaze in this recipe works for any spiral ham between 5 and 10 pounds. Even though the weight of the ham varies, the surface area does not change much, allowing the glaze to work for a variety of ham sizes.
Ingredients
- Use hot honey in place of regular honey for a sweet and spicy ham.
How to slow cook in the oven
- If your ham doesn’t fit in the Crockpot, you can slow cook it in your oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the ham in a deep roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. Cover the entire pan in aluminum foil and tightly seal the edges to catch all the steam as the ham cooks.
- Cook the ham for 20 minutes per pound. (A 5 pound ham would cook for about an hour and a half, a 10 pound ham would cook for about 3 hours.) The internal temperature should be 163°F when tested with an instant read thermometer.
- Finish by broiling as noted above. If your roasting pan is stovetop safe, you can cook the glaze right in the roasting pan while the ham rests on the side as shown in the photos in the post above.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve done it, too: picked up a ham without pausing to consider that it was too big to fit in my Crockpot!
If this happens to you, make the glaze as directed, then slow cook the ham in the oven before finishing it in the broiler as noted in the recipe card. The details for the oven-cooking process are included in the notes section of the recipe card. While I don’t recommend leaving the house when your oven is on, you don’t need to baste the ham as it cooks, so you can still use the time to prep other parts of your holiday meal.
I have made this recipe many times with everything from a 5-pound ham to a 10-pound ham, and the glaze works well for either and all sizes in between. This is because the surface area of the ham doesn’t change much even when the weight doubles. When in doubt, you can always double the glaze, though!
Serving Suggestions
This stunning glazed spiral ham would look amazing on a festive holiday platter as the centerpiece of your feast, carved at the table. Or you can do like we do and eat family-style with the buffet set up on the kitchen island.
It’s also great for football parties, graduation parties, open house entertaining, baby showers or bridal showers, and more.
The sweet and tangy glaze on the ham makes it go very well with savory side dishes like cheesy cornflake potatoes casserole or my make ahead mac and cheese. It would also pair really well with my make ahead sweet potato casserole or creamy ranch potato salad, too.
If you have an extra Crockpot, you could also make my creamy Crockpot mashed potatoes right in your slow cooker!
Leftover Ham Recipes
If you make this for Sunday dinner and have lots of leftovers, you can dice the leftover ham slices and use the meat in some of our family’s favorite meals.
My kids especially love my alfredo with ham and peas, and I love how easy ham and cheese stuffed potatoes are to make on a busy night.
If your spiral ham has a bone in it, be sure to save it to make my delicious split pea and carrot soup!
About Tiffany
Tiffany is a home-cooking enthusiast, three-time cookbook author, and creator of the sites Peanut Blossom, Peanut Blossom Book Club, and Don’t Just Fly. She believes that family dinner can be manageable, fun, and — most importantly — tasty. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and two daughters and can often be found baking a loaf of bread with her beloved bread machine, reading a good book, or planning her family’s next adventure.
At one point it said to cook until 163°F. Is it necessary to go to this temp.? If the spiral ham is pre-cooked would 140°F be sufficient?