Tangy Pineapple Glazed Ham

Tender spiral sliced ham baked with a tangy pineapple glaze flavored with brown sugar, crushed pineapple, and honey mustard. Perfect for any holiday dinner!

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About Tangy Pineapple Glazed Ham

If there’s any dish that embodies everything to love about the holidays, it’s a glazed ham.

It’s the ultimate dinner to fit any occasion, and it only gets better when you jazz it up and make it a pineapple glazed ham.

What’s in pineapple glazed ham?

• Spiral cut bone-in ham – Popular during the holidays, this style of ham is already pre-cooked and only needs a bit of flavor and a slow reheating.
• Crushed pineapple – The namesake of the recipe! Gives delicious pineapple flavor.
• Honey mustard – The “tangy” part of this recipe. Acts as a flavor counter and enhancer to the tart pineapple.
• Light brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt – Classic baking ingredients or adding sweet and blancing flavors, plus helping with the consistency of the glaze.

What type of ham should you use?

When it comes to picking a ham, you’ll want to purchase a spiral-cut pre-cooked ham. You can also purchase a pre-cooked ham that hasn’t already been cut, but you will need to score the top of the ham before baking so that the glaze can still penetrate the meat. From there, you’ll typically find there are two options:

1. Bone-in hams are more flavorful, but may pose more of a challenge to carve (especially the closer you get to the bone). But for many, the extra work is more than worth it since you’ll also have the ham bone at the end, which is great to have for making soups or broths.
2. Boneless hams have the bone completely removed, which will have some impact on flavor and weight. In many cases, the shape of the ham is reformed to fit a conventional “ham” shape. The biggest benefits of boneless hams are that they have less waste (no bones to throw away) and they’re much easier to cut and serve.

If you’d like to read more about different cuts of hams and the differences in preparing them, check out this Better Homes and Gardens article.

How much ham do you need?

When planning your dinner, use these measurements as a general guide for how much ham you’ll need:

• Bone-in ham: About 1/2 pound per person
• Boneless: About 1/3 pound per person

How long does ham last?

Once prepared, ham leftovers should last anywhere from three to five days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze ham leftovers?

Yes, you totally can!

To freeze, store the ham in an airtight container or freezer bag. Once frozen, glazed ham will remain good for up to one to two months. If possible, save any juices from baking the ham; these will help add moisture when it comes time to reheat the ham.

How to reheat ham

If still frozen, allow the ham thaw in the refrigerator for one to two days. NOTE: Never thaw a ham on the counter; the outer layer of the ham will be at room temperature for too long, posing a food safety risk.

Once thawed, place the ham in a roasting pan and loosely cover it with aluminum foil. NOTE: If you saved the original juices from cooking, you can remove the roasting pan’s grate, place the ham directly inside the pan, and add the juices around the ham.

Reheat the ham at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes per every one pound of ham.

What to serve with pineapple honey glazed ham

• Colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes)
• Bacon Beer Cheese Stuffing
• Buttermilk Cornbread
• Parmesan Asparagus
• Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
• Cheesy Herb Stuffing
• Maple Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Waldorf Salad
• Creamy White Mac and Cheese
• Sweet Creamed Corn
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Green Bean Casserole
• Italian Green Beans
• Succotash
• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Buttermilk Cornbread
• Deviled Eggs

Notes & tips for this pineapple glazed ham

• I used a brand of ham I like (Hickory Farms) which comes with glaze and a baking bag, but for this particular recipe, I did not use them. If you’d still like to use the baking bag, just follow the baking instructions included with the packaging and use the below pineapple glaze instead.
• This ham can be baked in any type of pan, but I highly recommend a roasting pan. It’s amazing how much you’ll use it once you have one!
• If you don’t have or want a roasting pan, a 9×13 baking dish will work as well.

More great holiday dinner recipes

How to make glazed ham

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – Prep the ham by setting it in a roasting pan (spiral or scored side up) and insert an oven-safe thermometer.

Step 2 – Bake for about an hour and a half.

Step 3 – While the ham bakes, start preparing the glaze by adding brown sugar, salt, and cornstarch to a small saucepan, then whisk the ingredients together.

Step 4 – Add the honey mustard, lemon juice, and crushed pineapple to the saucepan. Turn heat up to medium and cook the sauce, whisking constantly, until it begins to bubble. Allow it to simmer for one full minute (while continuing to whisk), then remove from heat.

Step 5 – When ready, remove the ham from the oven and pour the pineapple glaze on top. Be sure to push the glaze in between slices or cuts so that the flavor can penetrate the meat.

Step 6 – Cook ham for another 30 minutes.

Step 7 – Serve and enjoy!