This simple pressure cooker ham has just 3 easy ingredients and can be made in a pressure cooker or slow cooker for stress free holiday entertaining.
HOLIDAY HAM RECIPE IN UNDER AN HOUR
Whether it’s Easter brunch, Christmas dinner, or just an every day meal, food prep should not be stressful. I know, I know, sometimes it just is! But you can eliminate any added stress with this easy pressure cooker ham recipe.
By buying a fully cooked spiral sliced ham, you can eliminate the worry of under-cooked meat. Instead you’re simply heating the ham and adding flavor. We like the Kirkland Hickory Smoked Spiral Sliced Ham which we usually get for around $15 for an 8-9 pound ham. It’s sometimes even on sale! It’s a bone in ham, but thin enough to easily fit in our Instant Pot.
To prep the ham simply place it in the pressure cooker, and dump on a can of whole berry cranberry sauce, and a can of crushed pineapple in juice. Pull the slices of ham apart a bit, to push some of the cranberries and pineapple in between the slices.
If you’re using an Instant Pot like we have, cook your ham for 20 minutes on the meat setting. Plan on about 15 minutes for the ham to get up to pressure to cook, and another 3 minutes for manual quick release of the steam, or 15 minutes if you let it release on its own.
SLOW COOKER HAM RECIPE OPTION
If for some reason you’d prefer to have a longer cooking time, you can cook this same pressure cooker ham recipe in a crockpot. Just follow the recipe as written, and cook it on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. In the Instant Pot, just use the crockpot setting and make sure to have the steam vent in the open “venting” position so you don’t have any pressure build up.
We’d love to see photos of your holiday ham! Just share them on the Eating Richly facebook page so we can drool over them together.
PRESSURE COOKER HAM SUPPLIES
Here’s what we use to make pressure cooker ham. By clicking one of these links, we get a small commission on anything you buy from Amazon, without it costing you any extra. Thanks for supporting our family business!
PIN TO SAVE PRESSURE COOKER HAM RECIPE:
UPDATE: While most people have loved the recipe, a few have commented that the ham was just too dark for their liking. I’ve reduced the cooking time on the meat setting to 20 minutes. Since the hams are already smoked/cooked, you’re really just heating them through, and 20 minutes is still plenty of time.
3 Ingredient Pressure Cooker Ham
This simple pressure cooker ham has just 3 easy ingredients and can be made in a pressure cooker or slow cooker for stress free holiday entertaining. Recipe from Food.com
Ingredients
- 1 8-10 pound spiral cut ham, hickory smoked, bone in
- 1 14 ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, do not drain
Instructions
- Place the ham in your pressure cooker.
- Dump the cranberry sauce and pineapple on top.
- Use freshly washed fingers to gently tuck some of the cranberries and pineapple in between the slices of ham.
- Seal your pressure cooker and cook on the meat setting for 20 minutes.
- Quick release pressure if desired, or let it release naturally.
- Use a couple big spoons to carefully remove ham to a serving platter. You may also want to use a slotted spoon to scoop pineapple and cranberries out to serve on top of the ham.
Notes
You will have fewer calories and lower/sugar carb content than listed if you eat the ham without eating the pineapple and cranberries in the pot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
20 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 487Saturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 2159mgCarbohydrates: 12gSugar: 11gProtein: 39g
LOOKING FOR MORE INSTANT POT DINNER RECIPES? HERE’S A FEW OF OUR FAVORITES –
You are killing me, I am literally salivating! This looks scrumptious and now I have to get some ham stat!
I love that there are only 3 ingredients! It looks delicious.
If it’s already cooked, to me, 40 minutes sounds so long? Are you sure? Could it be done in less? Or it’s that just the way for all the flavors to meld?
I made this before church this morning. I took my IP loaded up down to the church kitchen. I plugged it in and let it cook during church. I followed the recipe exactly. It was delicious. It didn’t look all that pretty though, but people ate it up and it seemed the men liked it especially. I cooked a 7.5 lb spiral sliced ham for 42 minutes. Natural release. The ham turned kind of darkish, which for me made me think it would be tough or countrified. It wasn’t however, very flavorful and moist. Sure was easy.
It does turn dark, but stays amazingly tender and flavorful! So glad it was a hit!
Sounds perfect! Do you use the trivet?
I don’t, I just put it right in the pot.
Can I add brown sugar?
Sure, it’s already a bit sweet, but you can definitely add it.
Are you doing this in an 8 quart instantpot?
Mine is a 6qt.
Tried your recipe with my 10.5 lb christmas ham in my new 8 qt instant pot ham was overcooked to the point it was the worst i ever tasted 30 bucks down the drain
I’m sorry to hear that Fred! I know it’s SO frustrating when a recipe doesn’t turn out, especially with a pricey ingredient. Several other people who have made the recipe said that it was dark but not overcooked or dry and tasted great. I wonder if it might be that your ham was bigger? Also, my Instant Pot is 6qt, I don’t know if that is a factor. Was your ham basically submerged in liquid when you opened the pot, like in the photo in the post? Just trying to help troubleshoot so it doesn’t happen again.
Made it form Christmas dinner. It was sooo good.
I’m so glad! Thanks for letting us know Levi
10 pound ham is too big for 6qt Instant Pot. FYI.
You may have to cut it depending on the shape of your ham. Our 9-10 lb spiral cut hams from Costco always as is, cut side down.
Amazing! We got a baby 3 pound ham and used little cans of both pineapple chunks/cranberry. We used our IP medium meat setting and it turned out sooooo gooood. Thanks for the recipe
Do you have to add water to the instant pot?
I have the original Instant Pot that doesn’t do the burn warning. You may want to add a cup of water or so to avoid that.