Baked Ham with Pineapple and Brown Sugar Glaze Recipe

This brown sugar ham is amazing! It’s so simple to make and tastes incredible. Baked ham with brown sugar glaze is so easy to make but it is going to taste like you spend hours in the kitchen. With only 15 minutes of prep, and a few minutes of glaze time, this ham practically bakes itself.

Baked Ham with Pineapple and Brown Sugar Glaze Recipe

While this ham recipe is most likely going to be made for a holiday meal it is so easy to make that you could make it for a week night dinner or a special dinner anytime you want to. There are so many side dishes that pair well with it and it is a baked ham recipe that my whole family loves.

Tender ham with the perfect brown sugar glaze makes this baked ham one of our family favorites. In our house we always have at least 2 holiday main dishes because people like different things, but always go with easy to make.

For this baked ham recipe you will be using a precooked ham, which if you are buying them at the store that is most of the hams that you will find. A precooked ham has been smoked so it is already cooked and the cooking process at home is basically just reheating the ham.

When you are buying a ham at the store, be sure to check the packaging to see if it is fully cooked or not.

Easy Holiday Main Dish Recipes

• Baked ham with Cranberry Orange Glaze
• Oven Baked Prime Rib
• Oven baked whole turkey
• Roasted Turkey Breasts

Can I Use a Spiral Ham in this Recipe?

I love using bone in ham for this recipe, but you can certainly use a spiral cut ham. When you are applying the glaze. make sure to get it down in between the slices for the best flavor. This lets the glaze get deep into the ham and gives it amazing flavor.

Can I Use Fresh Pineapple?

You should not use fresh pineapple in this recipe. Fresh pineapple has a lot of bromelain which is a meat tenderizer. It will turn your ham to mush.

Should I Cover Brown Sugar Ham While Baking?

Since you are baking a fully cooked ham, you should cover it for the first part of the baking process. This helps it to retain its moisture. Adding the water and the pineapple juice will ensure that there is enough moisture under the foil or lid to keep the ham juicy and moist.

The glaze will also help to lock in the moisture as it starts to caramelize.

Why do I need to tent the ham with aluminum foil? 

Tenting the ham with aluminum foil will help to keep the ham moist and juicy and infuse it with the orange juice flavors. It will also prevent the ham from burning while cooking.

How Long to Bake a Ham?

A precooked ham is already cooked, so when you are cooking it you are actually just reheating it. You will need to cook it for 10-14 minutes per pound. A fully cooked ham needs to be cooked to 140°F (as it is already cooked) and a “cook before eating ham” needs to be cooked to 160°F.

Tips for making the Best Baked Ham

• Place ham cut side down in the baking pan. Baking the ham cut side down will help keep it juicy when. baking it.
• Tent tin foil. You want to keep the ham from drying out and the glaze from burning and the best way to do so is to tent tin foil on the top of the ham while it is baking in the oven.
• Allow the ham to sit after baking, not just to cool a bit before eating it, but also the ham needs to rest for a few minutes just like any other meat before carving it.
• Use a bone-in ham if possible. A bone in precooked ham will give you the juiciest baked ham.

How to Store Baked Ham with Pineapple Leftovers

You want to keep the leftover ham in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator. It will last for about 3 to 4 days. You can also store it in the freezer. It will keep for up to 2 months. I recommend wrapping it in plastic wrap and foil before storing it in the airtight container or freezer bag.

Looking for ways to use the leftover ham? Try Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup Recipe or Oven Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe.

How much ham do you need per person?

When you are planning your meals you will want to have 1/2 a pound of ham per person if you are cooking a bone-in ham and 1/3 a pound per person if you are cooking a boneless ham. It is also important to keep in mind if you are going to be making a lot of side dishes or not. If you do not plan on having a lot of sides plan for more meat per person.

What to Serve with Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze?

Ham is such a versatile dish and can be served with so many different sides. You really can’t go wrong. Whether you are looking for something simple or something a little more special, the choices are endless.

I like to serve my ham with some simple sides. Sour cream mashed potatoes or Best Ever Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe, corn, or a salad are all great options. If you are looking for something a little more special, try hasselback potatoes or garlic green beans with bacon. I love to serve baked ham with my cornbread from scratch.

You can also serve this brown sugar ham with things like pasta salad, potato salad or other picnic style foods.

Ingredients

• Bone-in fully-cooked ham. Make sure the ham says precooked when you are purchasing it at the store.
• brown sugar. You can use store bought or homemade brown sugar.
• Crushed pineapple.
• pineapple juice
• apple cider vinegar
• Pineapple rings or fresh pineapple cut into rings. I prefer using canned but if you only have fresh it will work however, it can make the top of the ham soggy.
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• salt
• Cloves, optional

Step By Step for Baking a Ham with Pineapple

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Place a flat cooling rack in a roasting pan and pour 1-2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of pineapple juice in the bottom (see Note).

Place ham on cutting board and cut 1 inch deep ridges into ham in a criss cross pattern. Add 1 clove in each square.

Add to roasting pan cut side down and place 4 slices of pineapple in the water. Tent the ham with aluminum foil to seal in moisture and prevent ham from drying out.

Bake 10-15 minutes per pound till ham reaches internal temperature of 140 degrees.

Combine 1 cup pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a small sauce pan. Chop remaining pineapple into small pieces and add to pan. Bring to boil on medium heat. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes till mixture becomes syrupy.

After 90 minutes, remove ham from oven, set aside aluminum foil and glaze ham with 1/3 of the glaze. Return to oven without foil,  after 30 minutes, glaze again with 1/3 of glaze.

Approximately 15 minutes before ham should be done, (check ham packaging for instructions) remove and glaze with remaining glaze. Increase oven temperature to 425 to caramelize the glaze.

When internal temp has reached 140 degrees, remove and let rest for 10-15 minutes, cover with aluminum foil to retain heat.

Easy Recipes with Ham

• Ham and Cheese Egg Muffin Cups
• Ham Steaks with Pineapple Glaze
• Ham and Cheese Omelette