Crock Pot Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Crock Pot Maple Brown Sugar Ham is a Lofthouse holiday staple. It is one of my most cherished recipes to serve for the holidays!
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos and info.
Crock Pot Maple Brown Sugar Ham brings back cherished memories and flavors, with a simplified twist for a busy holiday routine. Thanks to the crock pot, it’s possible to create a dish that’s super flavorful, without spending hours in the kitchen.
This ham recipe is more than just a recipe for me – it’s a heartfelt tribute to my Grandma Jennings, a graceful and kind woman who brought warmth into everyone’s lives. Every holiday spent at her house was magical, filled with love, delicious food, and a sense of togetherness. She was a master at balancing elegance with coziness, and her holiday dinners were unforgettable. Thanksgiving was a time when she went all out, carefully crafting each course. Though turkey is often the centerpiece of Thanksgiving, Grandma always had a beautiful ham on the table too, a sweet and savory addition that became a family favorite.
SERVINGS
This ham is an ideal recipe for holiday gatherings, as it can easily feed between 12 to 15 people. With its generous size and flavorful, juicy meat, this ham makes the perfect centerpiece for a festive table. Paired with classic holiday sides, this ham is sure to be a crowd-pleaser that satisfies a range of appetites.
ENJOY THIS RECIPE? HERE ARE A FEW MORE HOLIDAY MAIN DISHES!
Crock Pot Turkey and Gravy – Tender turkey breast slowly cooks in a flavorful vegetable medley that results in the most divine, foolproof meal.
Stuffing-Topped Pork Chops – so delicious with a creamy gravy on top. It hardly takes any time to prepare this incredible dinner recipe to impress any guest!
Beef Tips with Mushroom Gravy – A decadent dish perfect for Sunday dinner. Savory beef tips are simmered and served with an irresistible mushroom gravy!
Garlic Herb Shrimp – A simple seafood recipe that is bursting with flavor. You’ll want to make this shrimp all the time!
Ingredients
- 7 to 8 pound spiral-cut ham bone-in or boneless
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 cups pineapple juice
Instructions
- Use a large 7 quart crock pot. Unwrap ham from wrapper, and discard the flavor packet and any plastic or netting. Place ham inside the crock pot, flat side down.
- Rub the light brown sugar over all sides and in the slices of the ham. Then pour on the maple syrup and pineapple juice. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 4 to 5 hours or until ham is warmed through.
- Baste ham with juices about an hour or so before serving. When it's finished cooking, carefully remove ham from crock pot and place on a cutting board. Allow the ham to rest for 5 minutes before carving. Enjoy! ♥
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What a great way to prepare ham! We have ham at Christmas and I’ve been looking for ways to make it!
Yum… your ham looks great!
This sounds so good. I love the flavor of the pineapple with the ham.
That is fantastic! It also opens up the oven for the other baking you have to do! I love this. Thank you for such a great way to cook a ham. It never even occurred to me. This is basically the recipe I use minus the maple syrup. It sounds interesting may have to include that this year.
Oooh! I’ll have to try this for Easter this year 🙂 Thanks!
There is nothing that I don’t like about this ham, I especially love that it’s your grandma’s recipe!
I am making this for Easter today!!! I cannot wait!!! Thank you for this awesome idea!!! I’ve been bragging about this recipe all week!!
Has anybody tried it in the oven with the brown sugar/pineapple rub? My ham is too big for my crock pot. 🙁
Yes. My recipe is: make a paste of 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, 1/4 cup grainy mustard; rub ham all over with the mixture, I also try to it some of the mixture in between slices; sit the ham on glass baking dish with 1 cup of pineapple juice; cover with foil and bake according to poundage.
Yes but I place it in a bcooking bag first and it turns out great!!!
Use a crock pot bag…
Has anybody tried it in the oven with the brown sugar/pineapple rub? My ham is too big for my crock pot. 🙁
Yes, I only do my hams in the oven and they are perfect. I use brown sugar, pineapple juice, a fair amount of ground cloves, add a little some cinnamon and nutmeg, a splash of juice from the merrichino cherries, a splash of maple syrup, a splash of lime juice. Cook the glaze on a stove top until you have the consistency and sweetness you desire. I bake the ham covered in foil in a convection oven at 325 (350 for normal oven). The last thirty minutes of cooking I baste it with some of the juice. Take the ham out, let it sit for thirty minutes, then slice it and cover it in the rest of the glaze. While the ham is cooking, put pineapple pieces and merrichino cherries in a pan with some of the glaze. Cook it covered for 45 minutes while the ham is cooking. Serve the fruit on top of the ham. Delish.
I have made this in the oven minus the maple syrup, and it is great! 🙂
We had this at Easter and loved it, so now we are having it again to celebrate falls arrival. It is our favourite ham recipe.
This is definitely a must for the holidays!
Do I buy a fully cooked ham for this?
Bekah, yes, use a pre-cooked ham.
My grandson is allergic to pineapple. Do you think it would work with apple juice?
Sharon, I think apple juice would work. I’ve not tried it but I think it would be fine.
Definitely, works well with any juice!!
So helpful! We also have pineapple allergy…..
Apple Cider would probably taste better. It’s more authentic and natural and not loaded up with sugar. It also has more of a tang to it. Sounds better already………..
i use apple cider and it is amazing!!! trying it in the oven for easter this year- my crock pot is too small!
I just made this last week for the first time. I didn’t have pineapple juice so I used orange juice and it turned out wonderful. Thank you for the recipe, Holly!
I have done this but instead of pineapple juice I have used ginger-ale.
We had a potluck at work today. Last night I was on facebook and my neice posted your recipe. I was looking for something to take. I saw her post and thought bingo! It was so easy to put together. Everyone loved it. Thank You for sharing your Granny’s recipe.
If you have a ready to cook ham I wonder how long it would take??
I don’t like maple. Do I substitute something else or just fix it with the remaining ingredients?
instead of the maple syrup I have used brown sugar and a little yellow mustard mixed in. I mix the 3 together then pour it over the ham to cook it. Everyone loves it
I made this exactly as written for Thanksgiving and everyone in my family loved it. There wasn’t any left at the end of the meal except for the juice and bone! Both of which, my grandson took home bean soup and baked beans. This is definitely going into my recipe book!
I can’t find a spiral-cut ham, would a regular ham work fine or do you need the juices running down between the slices?
Bart, I haven’t tried it with a regular ham. I would imagine it would work fine though. After it’s done cooking and you’ve sliced it I would pour the juices over the slices so you really get the flavor 🙂
I made this, so good I am making again but wonder what to do with all the delicious broth that’s left over?
Can I use a frozen ham or do I have to thaw it out? I have never cooked ham before and a little confused.
I would not use frozen. Thawed ham would be best!
If I am using a smaller ham (2-3 lb, just for my family of five), should I cut the cooking time in half?
Yes, I’d cook it for 2 to 3 hours.
Could you substitute the pineapple juice for coca-cola?
Kendall, I’ve never tried it. If you do please let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Yes. You can use anything with a high sugar content — some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had uses Moxie. I bet that would be great with the ham as well.