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Slow Cooker Ham with Honey-Mustard Glaze

Updated: December 10, 2024 / By: Cassie Johnston / This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy

A hand bastes slow cooker ham with a white brush. The dish sits on a white tablecloth.

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My method for slow cooker ham results in a tender, juicy, über-flavorful ham with just a few minutes of hands-on time. The secret: an amazing homemade honey ham glaze that whips up using ingredients you have on hand. This rich and thick glaze adds tons of moisture and flavor!

In this post:

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Cassie Johnston (a light skinned brunette woman with glasses and a red streak in her hair) smiles toward the camera with a wall of photo frames behind her

Ready for the easiest ham ever? The slow cooker makes for the simplest juicy ham!

Here's why you'll love this recipe:

  • It makes the juiciest ham. By cooking the ham slowly at a low temp, and by keeping it covered, the ham retains all its moisture and juices. That means you get the juiciest ham possible!
  • The honey-mustard glaze is so dreamy. You could just cook the ham in the slow cooker in the honey mustard mixture, serve it, and call it there. But I like to go the extra step and simmer down the cooking liquid, glaze the ham, and then put it in the oven for a quick trip under the broiler. It gives it that glossy, glazed, sticky, delicious coating that is pretty much the thing dreams are made of.
  • It's simple to put together. We tend to reserve cooking juicy, tender ham for holidays, and while I love a good Easter or Christmas ham, I'm here to tell you that by using the slow cooker, making a ham is easy enough for even the busiest of weekdays!
Ham is thinly sliced. A silver fork sits in the bottom right corner.

Step-by-Step how to make slow cooker ham

1

Fill the slow cooker.

Put the ham in the slow cooker, and then heat all the glaze ingredients together on the stove top. Heat and whisk just until all the sugar is dissolved. Pour the honey-mustard glaze over the ham-you may need to separate the slices a bit to get the glaze between them.

Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on Low or 2-3 hours on High. Because the ham is pre-cooked, you just need to cook it long enough to warm it through.

2

Reduce the glaze.

Move the ham to an oven-safe dish to get it out of the way. Then pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a small saucepan and cook for 5-7 minutes. It should be thick and bubbly.

3

Broil.

Pour the glaze over the entire ham. Broil for 4-5 minutes, basting with the glaze every minute or so.

WATCH Me make slow cooker ham

Frequently Asked Questions about Slow Cooker Ham

Should I buy a boneless or a bone-in ham?

There are some pros and cons to going with either type of ham, so it's more of a personal decision than anything. Here's some info that might help you make a decision:

Boneless hams are...easier to work with (no bone to cut around) and smaller (making them easier to fit in a slow cooker), but they also tend to dry out more easily.
Bone-in hams are...larger and slightly harder to carve, but they hold moisture better, and as a bonus, you get a great ham bone that is perfect for Ham and Beans!

I've made this recipe with both boneless and bone-in hams, and I do prefer the flavor and moisture you get from a bone-in ham-but it's hard to beat the convenience of a boneless. It's really up to you, whichever you prefer.

Do I need to get a spiral ham?

Having a pre-sliced ham (also sold as a spiral-cut ham) will save you a lot of headaches when it comes time to carve, and it also has the added benefit of allowing you to get all the flavorful glaze in between all the slices. A pre-sliced ham is less important if you are getting a boneless ham, as those are much easier to carve than a bone-in ham.

What size ham should I get?

The general recommendation for ham serving sizes is that you need about ½ pound of boneless ham per person, or ¾ pound bone-in ham per person. I have found that a boneless quarter ham (about three pounds), is plenty to serve my family of three for dinner, and still have plenty of yummy leftovers for next-day sandwiches.

Wait, will a ham really fit in my slow cooker?

Now, I know what you're thinking-there is no way my slow cooker will hold a ham. And, well, that's true if you have a small slow cooker. But if you have a larger one (like my six quart one), you can absolutely fit a quarter ham with the lid on, and you can even fit a half ham if you make a fake lid with aluminum foil-it works perfectly.

I've found that most smaller hams (quarter hams) fit in a slow cooker pretty well. The largest ham I was able to fit in my slow cooker was a 7-pound ham. If you end up going bigger, you might have to trim off some of the end to fit it well.ay need to trim some of the end to ensure a good fit

Okay, but wouldn't it be faster to make my ham in the oven?

Yes, you can absolutely warm up a fully-cooked ham in the oven, and have dinner on the table in a shorter amount of time. But not only does the slow cooker keep the whole process so beautifully hands-off, it also keeps the ham from drying out. In the slow cooker, the ham is kept covered, and is cooked slowly at a low temperature. All this comes together to help retain moisture, so you end up with a juicy, delicious ham. 

How do I reheat the leftovers?

Unless you're having a huge gathering, you're bound to have some leftover ham. You can certainly eat it cold, but if you want to heat it up, you have two options. For heating up just one or two servings, you can warm up individual pieces in a skillet over medium heat. To warm a larger batch of slices, place the ham in a baking pan, add ½ cup of water, and cover with foil. Heat in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes.
Warm or cold, you can use your leftover ham in sandwiches or salads, serve it for breakfast, or stir it into soups.

 

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📖 Recipe

A hand bastes slow cooker ham with a white brush. The dish sits on a white tablecloth.

Slow Cooker Ham with Honey-Mustard Glaze

Use this amazing ham glaze recipe and your slow cooker to make a juicy, flavorful ham anytime!
4.45 from 300 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Pork Recipes
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 241kcal
Author: Cassie Johnston

Ingredients

  • 1 spiral-sliced boneless ham fully cooked (between 4-7 pounds)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon or spicy brown mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup water

Instructions

  • Place the 1 spiral-sliced boneless ham in the basin of a slow cooker.
  • In a small saucepan, combine the ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup honey, 2 tablespoons Dijon or spicy brown mustard, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 2 cloves garlic, and ¼ cup water over high heat. Heat until just warm enough to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over the ham, making sure to separate the slices to let the glaze get between.
  • Cover the slow cooker tightly with the lid, or, if the ham is too large, make a tight cover with aluminum foil.
  • Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or high for 2-3-just until warmed through. 
  • Preheat the broiler, transfer the ham to an oven-safe dish, and set aside. Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Heat cooking liquid on medium-high for 5-7 minutes, or until thick and bubbly. Brush onto ham, and broil for 4-5 minutes, removing to baste with additional glaze every minute or so.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 0.2mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 62g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
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Sliced slow cooker ham rests in a white dish. A sprig of rosemary sits in the top left corner of the dish.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS RECIPE

Cassie Johnston

Cassie is a holistic nutritionist, cookbook author, and all-around food lover. She grew up cooking dinner with her parents every evening, and her passion for home cooking has been strong ever since. Cassie is the author of two published cookbooks (Cooking with Greek Yogurt and Chia, Quinoa, Kale, Oh My!) and dozens of recipes published in major magazines and newspapers. Cassie has been sharing her award-winning recipes on Wholefully since 2010. She loves dark chocolate, homegrown tomatoes, motorsports, and anything that sparkles. She lives in Indiana with her family on a small homestead.

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4.45 from 300 votes (299 ratings without comment)

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53 Comments

    1. Hi Connie! Here's what we say about that in the post: "Do I need to get a spiral ham? Having a pre-sliced ham (also sold as a spiral-cut ham) will save you a lot of headaches when it comes time to carve, and it also has the added benefit of allowing you to get all the flavorful glaze in between all the slices. A pre-sliced ham is less important if you are getting a boneless ham, as those are much easier to carve than a bone-in ham." As long as your ham is fully cooked (most grocery store hams are), then this recipe will work!

      Reply

  4. This may be a silly question, but after you wrap the ham in foil, you put the lid on the crockpot, right? And if the lid doesn't fit, I can use foil to cover it, right? Planning on cooking this tomorrow!

    Reply

  5. This recipe looks amazing, just one question, is this recipe instructing to cook an already cooked ham for 8 hours? Surely 8 hours in a slow cooker wud be sufficient to cook a raw joint of ham?

    Reply

    1. I haven't tried it with a raw ham. I would guess that the time would be sufficient, but I can't guarantee that or how it would affect the flavor.

      Reply

  7. I have put ham in a crock pot for years and used tin foil to wrap it in because I put mustard (cover it with mustard and then I put brown sugar on the mustard and ham and then put pineapple slices all over it). Cook on low until done. Cooking time will vary depend on the size of the ham.

    Reply

  8. I've prepared ham in the crockpot many times and it always turned out moist, flavorful, and delicious. After reading several comments here stating that the ham turned out dry and brown I realized the one simple action that made the difference for my hams. I always wrapped the ham in heavy duty aluminum foil and then placed it in the crock pot. I cut 2 long strips of foil, laid them crosswise one strip over the other in a + formation, then laid the ham on top of the crossed foil strips. Next I brought the strips up around the sides of the ham, then added the glaze (the foil strips pulled up around the sides form a bowl type structure to hold any glaze that runs off), then pulled the foil strips on up and over the ham and folded the edges down to seal in the juices and moisture. . I never had a dried out, browned ham when I used this method. I plan to make a ham and follow this recipe except use the foil as described here. I hope this technique is helpful for those who ended up with a brown, burned ham.

    Reply

  12. 6-8 hours on low was way toooooo loooong. My ham was entirely dried out, bordering on burnt. Additionally, every Tim you remove the lid to baste your ham, the crock pot pot heats up again to counter the lost heat. I will not be making this again. Found a similar recipe where the cook time was exact,y half and there is no periodic basting. Sorry!

    Reply

  13. I made this tonight. I had a small ham, no bone. I loved it but it was too sweet for my hubby, but he still ate it. If you don't like sweet sauce for ham you won't like this. I think the cooking times are too long and would reduce them. I cooked my ham on low for about 3 1/2 hours and that was a little long. But the recipe calls for phone-in and that usually takes longer.

    Reply