Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham

This delicious smokey and sweet Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham is made with just 10 minutes of prep time and is the perfect main course for your holiday dinner!

while platter with baked ham with pineapple and cherries

Baked Ham with Pineapple Honey Glaze

Special occasions are a time for family and friends, so it’s always nice to be able to spend less time in the kitchen and more time socializing.

This tasty pineapple glazed ham is easy to prepare and so flavorful with the best brown sugar, honey pineapple glaze that caramelizes perfectly.

Using a boneless spiral-cut ham, rather than bone-in ham, makes it super easy to serve. It’s also a great way to get the juices to fall in between each slice.

What Type of Ham Should Use?

The easiest is boneless, precooked spiral sliced ham. (Or you can slice yourself).

As with any meat, bone-in cut may have a bit more flavor and moisture, so it really is up to you.

It’s a personal preference but in my opinion using a pre-cooked, smoked ham is the way to go.

What To Serve with Holiday Ham

There are endless possibilities for side dishes that can accompany this pineapple-glazed ham. Along with a ton of other healthy and easy Thanksgiving side dishes, here are a few ideas to get you started:

Ingredients/shopping list

ingredients for honey baked ham with pineapple - uncooked ham, pineapple rings, honey, brown sugar, pineapple juice and cherries.

Boneless Ham: 4-6 pounds is what I use and it serves about 10 people. Even if serving fewer people, you’ll never run out of ways to use up leftover ham.
Canned pineapple rings: Placed on the top of the ham so that as it cooks the juices penetrate the meat and the sugar on the rings caramelize boasting incredible flavor.
For the glaze: Brown sugar, honey, and pineapple juice, reserved from the can of rings come together easily to make a thick, pourable glaze that adds color and a crust around the edges of each slice.
Maraschino cherries: An optional decoration that has been a staple tradition on ham for decades.

Variations/ Substitutions

1: Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the glaze ingredients to strike a sweet and tangy balance. (spicy brown mustard is also wonderful)
2. For a flavor variation, add ¼ teaspoon of any or all of these spices to the glaze: cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika, and ground cloves.
3: Omit the cherries if you’re not a fan. They are optional!
4: Orange juice and pineapple juice combined have amazing flavor. Use them both for a twist.

How to Make Honey Glazed Ham

This easy recipe will come together in a few steps and then it’s hands-off cook time before finishing with the glaze!

unbaked ham with pineapple rings on top in a baking dish.

unbaked whole sliced ham topped with pineapple rings with cherries in the middle of each ring.

Step 1: Prepare the ham by placing pineapple ring slices all around the surface of the meat, securing them with toothpicks, and placing a maraschino cherry in the middle of each ring.

Step 2: Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan to keep it moist as it cooks. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

stainless steel pot honey and brown sugar.

juice being poured into a stainless steel pot with brown sugar mixture.

Step 3: In a small saucepan, cook brown sugar, honey, and pineapple juice over medium heat until it thickens.

honey brown sugar glaze heated in a silver pot.

small glass bowl with honey glaze with a basting brush in the mixture.

closeup of pineapple rings with cherries in the centers being brushed with honey glaze.

Step 4: Once the 45 minutes is up for the ham, remove it and brush the entire surface of the ham, pineapple, and all, with the honey mixture.

uncooked honey glazed ham topped with pineapple and cherries.

Step 5: Cook for another 10 minutes and repeat the brushing of the glaze mixture 3 more times until the pineapple begins to brown.

sliced honey baked ham topped with pineapple rings and cherries.

Step 6: Once it’s finished, remove it from the oven and enjoy!

white platter with sliced baked ham with sliced pineapple.

Tips

Checking for doneness. Use a thermometer for an accurate reading. It should be 120 degrees at the thickest part of the meat.
Glaze everywhere! Brushing the glaze overtop the ham is one thing, but don’t be shy. Make sure to get it into all the cracks and crevices flavoring every inch of those slices!
For serving, you can either keep the pineapple rings (and cherries) on the ham while you present it to the table or remove them and serve them on a platter on the side.
Omit the sugar. It does give the glaze its stickiness and thick consistency, but if you’re worried about overdoing it on the sweetness, you can skip it.

FAQ’s

How to store leftover honey ham?

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.

How to reheat it?

If you’re reheating a large portion, you can use the oven. Make sure it’s on low, as you don’t want to dry it out.

The microwave can also be used if you are heating a single serving.

What to do with leftovers?

Use whatever you’ve got left and make an upgraded ham and Swiss for lunch! Dice it up and add it to soups like split pea soup and ham and potato soup. You can also make this ham and cheese puff pastry, or just enjoy leftover ham slices warmed up with your breakfast eggs and toast.

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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. closeup of sliced honey baked ham topped with pineapple with cherries in the centers.