Beautifully caramelized Baked Ham with Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze for the holidays or Sunday supper. Feeds a crowd and takes only minutes of hands on prep time.
Easter is a very important holiday in Christendom. Here in the US, it usually coincides with Spring Break and families gather together for the celebration. With so many under one roof, preparing foods that feed a crowd makes sense. This Baked Ham with Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze makes an impressive main dish and takes only minutes of hands on preparation time.
Slow Cooker vs Baked
Ham is a much look forward dish at our home. So far, I have shared two slow cooker versions on this blog. These slow cooker hams are great. They are always moist and delicious. You simply set it and forget it. If you are busy with other dishes, slow cooker ham is the way to go.
If you need a center piece, then Baked Ham should be your choice. It requires a little more effort but not too much. The work here mainly involves brushing the glaze onto the ham.
A Successful Attempt on a Baked Ham
This time round, I decided on a baked version and I am glad I did. My Baked Ham with Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze turned out beautifully. I am especially pleased and proud of the caramelization of the glaze on the ham which made it look amazing! Best of all was the fact that everyone agreed that it was deliciously moist and very flavorful.
The Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze is made with just four ingredients – pineapple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and whole cloves boiled into a thick and syrupy consistency. It is then brushed onto the ham and into the folds of the cut slices at the very beginning and the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking. The oven does the rest of the work.
Products Used in Making This Baked Ham with Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.
• Wilton Recipe Right 9×13 Oblong Pan with Cover
• Dole Pineapple Juice, 46 Ounce (Pack of 6)
• Simply Organic Cinnamon Sticks, 1.13 Ounce
• Simply Organic Whole Cloves, 2.05 Ounce
Beautifully caramelized Baked Ham with Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze for the holidays or Sunday supper. Feeds a crowd and takes only minutes of hands on prep time.
- 1 bone-in fully cooked spiral cut ham (about 10 lbs/4.5 kg)
- 1 cup pineapple juice (240ml)
- ½ cup brown sugar (90g)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
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Take ham out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before baking to allow it to come to room temperature. Remove ham from packaging. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a deep baking dish with fat side up.
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Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until pineapple juice is reduced by half. It should be thick and syrupy.
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Brush half of the glaze onto the ham and into the folds of the cut slices. Reserve the other half of the glaze for later.
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Place ham in a preheated 325°F (165°C) oven and bake for 1¼ to 1½ hours.
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Carefully remove the ham from the oven and brush the remaining glaze onto the ham. Return to the oven and continue to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until internal temperature of ham reaches 160°F (71°C).
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Allow ham to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions for Baked Ham with Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze
I served this ham with roasted Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, carrots, and baby kale salad. It was a tasty meal! Listed below are other side dishes for you to consider.
• Fingerling Potato Salad
• Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes with cabbage)
• Hasselback Potatoes
• Pan Fried Smashed Fingerling Potatoes
• Twice Baked Potatoes
More Ham Options
If you enjoy ham, you are in the right place. Below are a few more ham options for you to consider. Each one has a different glaze or sauce to suit your mood and taste buds.
Simply click on the image to get to the recipe.
Boneless Ham
Sometimes it is easier to use a boneless ham for a smaller family or crowd. I really like this Hasselback Pineapple Ham. It has a lovely presentation and the glaze is similar but it uses ground instead of whole spices. There is a video with this recipe showing you how to cut the ham, slot in the pineapple slices, and secure them together so that it does not fall apart. This recipe serves 4 to 5 persons.
Spiral Cut Baked Hams
Here are two other spiral cut baked hams for you to consider. The one with the Marmalade Almond Crust has a marmalade jam and brown sugar glaze. The crust consists of almond meal, crushed cereals, and dried spices. The other ham with the Asian flavors has a glaze made up of hoisin sauce, plum sauce, brown sugar, and dried citrus peel.
Slow Cooker Hams
The Pineapple Cranberry Ham has a sweeter sauce with the addition of dried cranberries. The other one is a classic slow cooker ham using apple juice as the liquid in the sauce.
my goodness, looks so delicious, and mouth watering good. Happy Easter
That ham is so gorgeous it’s begging for me to just dig in with a fork and knife !
Do I have to use a spiral ham? I have a bone in shank ham in the fridge already. Is this recipe still applicible?
Please use your bone-in shank. It should be just as delicious. 🙂
Should this be covered while it cooks?
It is not necessary to cover the ham unless it gets too brown. If that happens, tent it loosely with aluminum foil.
Hi, I want to make this tonight. I only have ground cloves instead of whole cloves. How much would you think I should use?
Please use just 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. Enjoy… 🙂
What type of cloves are you using?
Whole cloves
I made this for my Christmas ham and it was delicious! I’m sure it will be my “go to” for glaze henceforward.
Many thanks for sharing.
Thank you for coming back to let me know. I am so glad to hear the recipe worked out beautifully for you. We love it at our house. Merry Christmas and happy Holidays! 🙂
I have a 13 lb spiral ham. How much brown sugar and pineapple juice should I use? Is one cinnamon stick and 4 cloves still enough?
Thank you!
Try using 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, and 6 cloves. Better to have more glaze than less.
I am only cooking a 2lb ham and it will only take 30-40 minutes to bake. Will the shorter cooking time cause this glaze not to work to perfection? Any suggestions?
Tess, the glaze should work for your 2 lb ham. I am guessing you are using a boneless ham with not much fat in it. You may just have to brush on a little oil in the final 20 minutes of baking.
If I’m baking a 2lb ham how much brown sugar and how much pineapple
I would use 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup pineapple juice. It is okay to have a little extra glaze on hand.
I absolutely love the flavor of ham with this glaze. It was perfect!
Thanks for coming back and letting me know. I am very glad you enjoyed the ham and its glaze. 🙂
Have you ever made this in the crockpot? I would think it would be fine the way the recipe is written & cook on low about 6-8 hours for a large ham. What do you think? I just don’t have enough ovens, so I have the turkey frying, some side dishes in my 4 & 6qt crockpots & the other things I have in the pans the day before. That way on Thanksgiving or Christmas all I have to do is slide pans in and out and it’s all cooked on time.
No, I have not tried this recipe in the crockpot but you can definitely do that. It will taste great, just not have such a beautiful glaze. I have another recipe for the crockpot that you may want to check out. Here is my Slow Cooker Pineapple Cranberry Ham.
Can you use ground cinnamon instead of the sticks?
Try using 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Is it possible to use butt portion of the ham? What if I attach some pineapple slices to the outside?
Yes, you can use the butt portion and by all means attach those pineapple slices. Just make sure to give the ham an even layer of glaze underneath those pineapple slices.
I just received a spiral “honey” ham, (which I don’t always like), do you think this glaze would hurt or help the honey ham.
I think the glaze will definitely help. For one it will give it a better finish. 🙂
Kids loved it. Said it was better than their grandmother’s Apricot glaze, which had been the gold standard in the family! Looks like there’s a new glaze in town. Recipe was easy, cheesy and so good.
I am very happy to hear that you all enjoyed the ham. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. Happy Easter! 🙂
Awesome Bone In Ham – I cooked mine in a smoker one hour and forty five minutes. The last twenty minutes were cooked with the Honey Glaze. Linda, this is a Blue Star Dinner
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Cooking the ham in the smoker sounds like a great idea. 🙂
I don’t have cloves can I use any other item.
You can just leave it out as long as you have the cinnamon in there.
You should be proud of this ham – I’ve followed your recipe exactly and it turned out amazing. Don’t tell her, but I had several people tell me on the sly that it was even better than my mother’s baked ham and her ham is famous. Kudos!
Wow…that’s high praise! Thank you! Very happy to hear you enjoy the recipe as much as we do. I make it at least once a year either for Christmas or Easter.
Making your glaze recipe now for a 12 lbs spiral ham. I noticed in the comments that someone also had a 12 lbs ham…. so I used the 1-1/2 pineapple juice and the 3/4 brown sugar per Your instructions…. and the glaze Never thickened at all, I simmered it for 30 Minutes total next I added 1 tsp cornstarch while it simmered more…. Took it off the heat and put it into the refrigerator to let it cool down faster while I wait for my oven to heat up…. I am hoping it thickens up some…. it was like running water consistency. That to me, does not appear to be the same as “thick and syrupy” as Your directions indicate.
Got Any suggestions as to how to get it to thicken up?
Like it is in Your instructions and your video, which helped me so much but I don’t seem o have the correct consistency.
I really was fearful of burning the brown sugar in the “glaze” if I kept it on the heat too much longer. I’ve made brown sugar carmel syrups before so I understand the consistency You are indicating but it never got there…. and I have had brown sugar burn on the stove top before…. even when mixed with other liquids. I can smell when the brown sugar begins to burn….. that’s why I did not continue to try and reduce the “glaze”.
I am not sure why your glaze did not become syrupy. Did the pineapple juice reduce at all? Perhaps you can remove the lid from the saucepan so that the juice can evaporate as it boils down.
If I’m using a butt portion ham, should I score the top
or slice the ham before baking?
Either way is fine but if you score or slice the ham, you will taste more of the glaze.
Im using a spiral ham.Do you lay the same face down or on its side?
It is best to place it face down. If you place on its side, the slices of ham will fall away and it will not look pretty.