This easy Baked Ham with pineapple brown sugar glaze is delicious, beautiful, and perfect for anytime from a simple Sunday dinner to holiday entertaining for Easter or Christmas. It's always a crowd favorite!
Some of our other favorite holiday meals include Rack of Lamb, Baked Crab Legs, and Prime Rib.
Why I love this recipe:
- Pineapple Glaze – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness to really compliment the baked spiral ham.
- Easy – Since the ham is already precooked, we are just warming it and adding a glaze. It feels fancy, but it couldn't be easier!
- Leftovers – The best thing about this meal is taking advantage of the leftovers! I always freeze the ham bones for Ham Bone Soup then enjoy the ham in Ham and Cheese Sliders, Ham Fried Rice, Charro Beans, and Chicken Cordon Bleu!
How to make Baked Ham:
Bring to room temperature: Remove from the fridge for 1-2 hours. This will decrease the amount of time it needs in the oven, ensuring the ham doesn't dry out while warming.
Make the Glaze by combining all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir until smooth. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, with a syrup consistency.
Bake: Place ham in a foil-lined roasting pan or baking dish. Brush a little glaze all over the outside of the ham then cover it well with foil and bake at 300 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Add more glaze: Remove ham from oven then brush rest of glaze over it. Increase oven temperature to 400 and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and tent with foil for 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with funeral potatoes or mashed potatoes, a wedge salad, and homemade rolls!
Tips for the Perfect Ham:
- What Ham To Buy: My favorite ham is a pre-cooked, bone-in, spiral sliced ham. The bone-in hams are usually more flavorful, and I love how the slicing is already done. Since it's pre-cooked, you can enjoy it cold on a homemade roll sandwich or warm it in the oven with a glaze. Make sure to use the leftovers for Ham Bone Soup.
- Where To Buy: I recommend buying the Kirkland hams at Costco. They are delicious and such a great price!
Storage and Freezing Instructions:
To Store: Place leftover ham in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Use the leftovers in roll sandwiches, Ham Bone Soup, Ham Asparagus Rolls, or Ham Fried Rice!
To Freeze: Store leftover ham in an airtight container for 1-2 months. Thaw completely overnight in refrigerator.
Serve Baked Ham with:
- Funeral Potatoes (Cheesy Potatoes)
- Au Gratin Potatoes
- Best Homemade Rolls
- Gourmet Baked Mac and Cheese
- Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
- Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Wedge Salad
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Recipe
Baked Ham
Ingredients
- 8-10 pounds bone-in fully-cooked, spiral-cut ham
- 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits , or crushed pineapple
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Remove ham from refrigerator 1-2 hours before baking, to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Make Glaze: Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a saucepan combine pineapple tidbits, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until mixture has thickened.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Remove ham from packaging and throw away the glaze packet and the plastic disk that covers the bone.
- Glaze ham: Place the ham flat/cut side down, in a deep baking dish or roasting pan. I like to line my pan with aluminum foil to make for easier clean-up. Brush just a few spoonfuls of the glaze onto the ham, all over the outside. Reserve the remaining glaze for later. Cover the ham tightly with a tent of aluminum foil. This will help keep the ham from drying out.
- Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 110 degrees. Note, the ham is already cooked, so we’re just just trying to reheat it.
- Remove the ham from the oven and remove foil tent (set it aside for later). Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Brush the remaining glaze all over the ham. Return to the oven and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.
- Rest: Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe March 2018. Updated August 2019 and December 2021 and November 2023.
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Hi Lauren quick question do you use the juice from your pineapple tidbits when making your glaze? Thanx, Happy Thanksgiving.🦃
Yes, with juice! Best of luck!
Thanks for the sharing, I used pineapple ring on the top, and it’s beautifully done,
only thing is some said the ham is too salty, which I have no control, because it’s precooked,
Do they sell “light salt” ham? or is there anyway we can do to reduce the salty taste?
I used this recipe for our Easter ham and plan on using it again during the holidays. Thanks for sharing!
I followed the recipe but my glaze didn’t thicken what do you suggest?
Did you add all of the sugar? Continue to cook it even longer. It will eventually thicken 🙂
Beeler ham and this recipe was amazing. Soooo moist. Bringing it to room temperature was a good idea. I didn’t tent it, I used my mom’s old roasting pan and it came out perfect!!!
I’ve been looking for a good pineapple glaze, and this looks perfect. My question is do you think it would be okay with pineapple rings instead of the tidbits? Maybe I could chop up a couple for the glaze and then add the rigs before covering it? My family with freak out without rings.
Thanks so much.
Jeri
Definitely–just chop some of them up!
Do I need to baste the ham once it’s in the oven?
No, just follow the directions as stated. The ham will get basted again when it’s removed from the oven in step 9 and 10.
What’s wrong with the glaze that comes with the ham? Just throw it away? Why that waste. Don’t they sell spiral hams without the glaze pockets.
Most pre-sliced spiral hams usually have the glaze packet. You’re welcome to use it–I think homemade is better.
I like to use part of the glaze mix, then add my own “oomph!”. It’s the best of both worlds. Then, I save the remaining mix for later.
The reason you throw the glaze packet away is because you have no idea what is in it. I’ve been a cook and baker for over 40 years and I jump at the chance to get rid of “pre-packaged” crap every chance I get as should everybody.
Is there a way to make some of this (or all of it) a day ahead of time? What steps could I do a day early and then how would you reheat it the day of?
Thanks!!
Hi Shauna, I’d suggest making the glaze ahead of time. There’s no reason to heat the ham ahead because it’s already pre-cooked. It should be heated just before eating 🙂
Made this recipe and there were no leftovers. Everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing.