Instant Pot honey baked ham turns out moist and tender every time, perfect for Easter, Thanksgiving, and more! The simple, lightly sweetened honey glaze adds classic holiday flavor.
Even though I prepare a holiday dinner for up to 15 people each year, I still want to spend most of my time visiting with family, rather than spending ALL of my time in the kitchen cooking everyone’s holiday favorites – like honey baked ham, plus the fixings: Green Bean Casserole, Autumn Rice Pilaf, Fluffy Dinner Rolls, and Apple Slab Pie!
Spending hours and hours cooking when you could be visiting sounds pretty stressful, doesn’t it? It’s also disappointing if that honey baked ham turns out dry!
So I have the perfect solution for saving major time AND ensuring that your honey baked ham comes out perfectly moist and delicious – in under 1 hour!
It’s called Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham, and it’s my new favorite way to quickly and easily warm my precooked holiday ham (or for any time of the year, for that matter!).
You’ll want to add this honey baked ham to your plans for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Sunday dinner.
INSTANT POT HONEY BAKED HAM
If you’ve never made your honey baked ham in an Instant Pot, you’re really going to love this recipe! It’s:
- Quick and easy
- Stress-free
- No basting required
- Perfectly warmed and moist
- Frees up your oven for side dishes
- Lightly sweetened with amazing flavor
HONEY HAM INGREDIENTS
Grab your ham and just a few simple honeybaked ham glaze ingredients and you’re all set!
- Spiral Cut Ham. I used a 3–4-pound precooked ham in my 8 qt Instant Pot (I have this one). You can also use a 6 qt Instant Pot for this size of ham. If your ham is frozen be sure to thaw in the refrigerator for a few days before cooking.
- Juice. Use either pineapple juice, orange juice concentrate, or apple juice.
- Honey or Maple Syrup. Honey is the most common natural sweetener for the best honey ham recipes, but you can also use maple syrup.
- Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves complement the sweetness of the other glaze ingredients.
INSTANT POT HONEY BAKED HAM INSTRUCTIONS
Follow these honey baked ham instructions for the perfect main dish for your next special family meal!
Step 1: Place the trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Pour in 1 ½ cups of water.
Step 2: Prepare the honey baked ham glaze recipe in a small bowl by mixing the juice, honey, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Step 3: Set the ham on a large piece of regular aluminum foil. (You will need to add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time if you use heavy-duty aluminum foil).
Step 4: Fold the sides of the foil up around the ham, creating a bowl-like shape around the ham. Gently separate the ham slices so you can see in between them. Pour the prepared glaze all over the entire ham so it runs down in between the slices of ham. Close the foil over and around the ham.
Step 5: Carefully place the foil-wrapped ham on top of the trivet inside the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and manually cook on high pressure for 18 minutes (for a 4-pound ham). Remember to add 5-10 minutes if you’re using heavy-duty foil.
Step 6: When the timer beeps, you can use either a natural pressure release or a quick pressure release. Once the pressure is released completely, carefully remove the lid.
Use caution when unfolding the foil – hot steam will be trapped inside. Check the internal temperature of the ham with a meat thermometer to be sure that it has reached 145F. Once the foil has cooled enough to touch, remove the ham from the Instant Pot onto a platter for serving.
Store ham leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Chopped ham makes a great addition to Breakfast Casserole!
PRESSURE COOKER TIMES FOR HONEY BAKED HAMS
Pressure cooker ham times are based on size. Remember that the ham is already pre-cooked, so you are warming the ham in the pressure cooker to 145 degrees for serving.
I cooked a 4-pound ham on high pressure for 18 minutes and it was perfectly moist and tender! If you are making larger honey baked hams, the cooking time would be as follows:
- 5-pound ham – cook for 20 minutes (you might want to make extra glaze).
- 6-pound ham – cook for 22 minutes (you’d probably want to double your glaze).
- 7-pound ham – cook for 24 minutes (double your glaze).
- 8-pound ham – cook for 26 minutes (double your gaze).
WHAT TO SERVE WITH INSTANT POT HAM
- Green Bean Casserole
- Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
- Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad
- Cloud Dinner Rolls
- Slab Apple Pie
ENJOYING HONEY HAM WHILE TRACKING NUTRITION
If you’re working on specific nutrition goals, a holiday meal might be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to stress you out!
- Plan ahead. If you know a big dinner is coming, keep breakfast and lunch lighter and focused on protein and veggies for balance in the day as a whole.
- Be mindful of carbs. Choose whole foods like roasted potatoes instead of refined carbs like bread or pasta.
- Portion control. Use a smaller plate to help control portions while still enjoying the foods you want, and make sure half of your plate is full of vegetables.
- Indulge wisely. You can still treat yourself! Opt for a fruit-based dessert or a small portion of your favorite treat.
- Track loosely. Don’t stress about being 100% accurate for a holiday meal. Focus on how you feel rather than rigidly sticking to your macros. One meal will not through off the daily consistency you’ve been working on!
Want to learn more about macros, nutrition goals, and accurately tracking what you eat? Grab my free guide here to start achieving your real body goals by eating the foods you love.
HONEY OF HAM FAQS
Can you make honey baked ham in the oven?
Yes, you can. Set the oven to 300F and the cooking time will be based on the weight of the ham – 15 to 18 minutes per pound.
Can I use bone-in ham or spiral-sliced boneless ham in the Instant Pot?
Either is fine for this honey of ham recipe. Of course, boneless ham is easier to slice, but either works since both are pre-cooked.
How many people will a 5-pound honey baked ham feed?
How much ham will depend on the size of the ham and the number of side dishes you have, but you can expect a 5-pound ham to serve 10 to 15 people. Aim for about ¼ to ⅓ pound per person.
OTHER INSTANT POT RECIPES
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
- Korean Beef in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Beef Brisket
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- How to Cook Shrimp in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Fight Inflation Workshop!
Sign up for my FREE Fight Inflation Workshop and learn simple strategies to save money, even with rising food costs!Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham
Instant Pot honey baked ham turns out moist and tender every time, perfect for Easter, Thanksgiving, and more! The simple, lightly sweetened honey glaze adds classic holiday flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18-26 minutes
- Total Time: 33-41 minutes
- Yield: 10–20 Depending on the ham 1x
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 pound spiral sliced ham (precooked) (1816
- ½ cup juice (pineapple, orange juice concentrate, or apple juice) (124g)
- ⅓ cup honey (or maple syrup) (113g)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
Instructions
- Place the trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Pour in 1 ½ cups of water.
- Prepare the honey baked ham glaze in a small bowl by mixing together the juice, honey, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- Set the ham on a large piece of regular aluminum foil. (You will need to add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time if you use heavy-duty aluminum foil).
- Fold the sides of the foil up around the ham, creating a bowl-like shape around the ham. Gently separate the ham slices so you can see in between them. Pour the prepared glaze all over the ham so it runs down in between the slices of ham. Close the foil over and around the ham.
- Carefully place the foil-wrapped ham on top of the trivet inside the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and manually cook on High Pressure for 18 minutes (for a 4-pound ham). Remember to add 5-10 minutes if you’re using heavy-duty foil.
- When the timer beeps, you can use either a natural pressure release or a quick pressure release. Once the pressure is released completely, carefully remove the lid.
- Use caution when unfolding the foil – hot steam will be trapped inside. Check the internal temperature of the ham with a meat thermometer to be sure that it has reached 145F. Once the foil has cooled enough to touch, remove the ham from the Instant Pot onto a platter for serving.
Notes
The cooking time depends on the size of the ham. Use this guide to determine your cooking time if you are using a ham larger than 3-4 pounds. Remember that the ham is already pre-cooked, so you are warming the ham in the pressure cooker to 145 degrees for serving.
- 5-pound ham -cook for 20 minutes (you might want to make extra glaze).
- 6-pound ham -cook for 22 minutes (you’d probably want to double your glaze).
- 7-pound ham -cook for 24 minutes (double your glaze).
- 8-pound ham -cook for 26 minutes (double your gaze).
Could you use a casserole dish instead of foil?
How do you make this without a pressure cooker?
Cook it in an oven based on the hams weight. About 15-18 minutes per pound at least.