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Create the perfect balance of sweet and savory with my gorgeous pineapple ham! My ham with pineapple recipe features a homemade brown sugar and pineapple ham glaze. This is the best ham for an Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas feast. Or, when you're simply craving a classic ham dinner! It's a showstopper guaranteed to impress your guests!
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Ham Pineapple Recipe
When ham goes on sale, I stock up on them outside of the holidays. My family and I love ham for dinner, so needless to say, I've cooked up plenty of ham recipes over the years! I love experimenting with new ways to cook ham.
One of my all-time favorites is this Pineapple Ham Recipe. Once you try it, I guarantee you will want to make this dish every year. It's sweet, savory, tangy, and, best of all, easy to prepare.
The ingredients are simple, the prep is easy, and the flavor is out of this world. Serve it up for a weeknight dinner or the holidays, and keep the leftovers to make my amazing leftover ham recipes. You'll have delicious meals for days!
Pineapple Ham Ingredients
- Spiral sliced ham: Spiral-cut hams come presliced all the way around. The meat peels off in thin layers. Bone-in hams are perfect!
- Canned pineapple rings: These pineapple rings go right on the ham, so you want them to be canned, not fresh. Fresh pineapple can be too acidic when placed directly on ham.
- Pineapple Glaze: See below for the glaze ingredients.
- Pineapple Juice: This keeps the ham nice and moist while it cooks and infuses it with further flavor.
Ham Pineapple Glaze Ingredients
- Fresh pineapple: Fresh works for the glaze because the pineapple is cooked down, so it loses some of its acidity and won't break down the meat.
- Pineapple juice: Thins out the glaze slightly while adding further pineapple flavor.
- Seasoning: A mix of cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar forms the seasoning. It's the perfect seasonal ham seasoning!
- Butter: Make sure to use unsalted butter. Ham can be salty on its own.
Sliced Ham with Pineapple Recipe
Pineapple Ham Glaze Recipe
- Add freshly chopped pineapple and pineapple juice in a small skillet over medium heat. Mix well.
- Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir to combine and continue cooking until the glaze begins to boil lightly.
- Turn the heat to a low and cook for another 10 minutes or until thickened.
- Finish off the glaze by adding butter and mix well until entirely melted.
- Use glaze immediately on the ham or store it in the refrigerator.
See my Brown Sugar Glaze for Ham for complete instructions and storing tips.
Pineapple Ham Instructions
- While the glaze cools, place pineapple rings along the bottom of a roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Add a roasting rack on top of the pan, then place spiral ham on top of the rack.
- Score the ham with ¼-inch deep cuts along the top to help it soak up the glaze.
- Brush the ham generously with pineapple glaze, including between the slices.
- Cover the ham completely with pineapple rings, using toothpicks to keep them in place.
- Pour the remaining pineapple juice into the bottom of the pan with the pineapple rings (do not pour it over the ham itself).
- Cover with foil and bake for 15-18 minutes per pound of ham.
- Remove from the oven, remove the foil and toothpicks, and set the rings aside.
- Allow the ham to rest for 15 minutes, then glaze it again. Slice and serve, then enjoy!
I love serving this recipe with cheesy au gratin potatoes!
Ham with Pineapple Expert Tips
- For extra sweetness, add maraschino cherries to the center of each pineapple ring before baking. My family loves ham with pineapple and cherries!
- To make the meal prep easy, you can prepare the glaze ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Just microwave it for a few seconds so it thins out and is easy to pour over the ham.
- Only use canned pineapple for the pineapple rings placed on the ham. This is important: fresh pineapple will break down the texture of the ham and make it mushy.
- Save the pineapple rings and the juices from the bottom of the pan to serve with the ham. They're sweet and delicious!
Pineapple Ham Recipe FAQs
Pineapple will only change the texture of ham if you use fresh pineapple. Make sure to use canned pineapple rings when baking ham, or the acidity of the fresh pineapple will break the meat down too much and make it mushy. Fresh pineapple is fine for the glaze, however, as it's cooked down.
Place canned pineapple slices on the ham right before baking it. Secure them in place with toothpicks so they remain in place while baking.
How to Store Baked Ham with Pineapple
- Pineapple Ham can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- It can be frozen for up to one month.
- When ready to use the frozen ham, thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- You can reheat the pineapple ham in the oven at a low temperature, 275°F. Use additional pineapple ham glaze to keep it moist.
What to Make with Leftover Ham
And if you love pineapple recipes, try my Pineapple Casserole!
Ham Recipes
Check out my favorite Ham Side Dishes!
If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
Ham with Pineapple Recipe
Equipment
- toothpicks
Ingredients
Pineapple Ham Glaze
- 1 cup Pineapple fresh - finely chopped
- 1 cup Pineapple juice
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 4-5 Cloves
- ½ cup Brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
Pineapple Ham
- 9 lb Spiral cut ham
- 1 can Pineapple rings in 100% juice
- Pineapple ham glaze
- 2 cups Pineapple juice
Instructions
Making Pineapple Glaze for Ham
- Chop fresh pineapple finely and add it to a small pot over medium heat along with 1 cup pineapple juice. Mix well.1 cup Pineapple juice,1 cup Pineapple fresh
- Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir to combine and allow it to reach a light boil.½ teaspoon Cinnamon,4-5 Cloves,½ cup Brown sugar packed
- Turn the heat down until it simmers, and let it cook for 10 minutes until thickened.
- Add 1 Tablespoon butter and mix until melted, then remove from the heat.1 Tablespoon Butter
Roasting Ham with Pineapple
- While the glaze cools, place pineapple rings along the bottom of a roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 325°F.1 can Pineapple rings in 100% juice
- Add a roasting rack on top of the pan, then place spiral ham on top of the rack.9 lb Spiral cut ham
- Score the ham with ¼-inch deep cuts along the top to help it soak up the glaze.
- Brush the ham generously with pineapple glaze, including between the slices.Pineapple ham glaze
- Cover the ham completely with pineapple rings, using toothpicks to keep them in place.
- Pour the remaining pineapple juice into the bottom of the pan with the pineapple rings (do not pour it over the ham itself).2 cups Pineapple juice
- Cover with foil and bake for 15-18 minutes per pound of ham.
- Remove from the oven, remove the foil and toothpicks, and set the rings aside.
- Allow the ham to rest for 15 minutes, then glaze it again.
- Slice and serve, then enjoy!
Notes
- For a little extra sweetness, you can add maraschino cherries to the center of each pineapple ring before baking. My family loves ham with pineapple and cherries!
- To make the meal prep easy, you can prepare the glaze ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Just microwave it for a few seconds so it thins out and is easy to pour over the ham.
- Only use canned pineapple for the pineapple rings placed on the ham. This is important: fresh pineapple will break down the texture of the ham and make it mushy.
- Save the pineapple rings and the juices from the bottom of the pan to serve with the ham. They're sweet and delicious!
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