This Slow Cooker Honey Glazed Ham is fall-off-the-bone tender with a sweet and spiced glaze—ready in just a few hours with minimal prep. Perfect for a low-stress holiday meal or a comforting Sunday dinner with the family.
If you’re hosting a holiday meal or simply want an effortless yet impressive main course, this Slow Cooker Honey Glazed Ham is your answer. With just a handful of ingredients and a trusty crockpot, you’ll create a flavorful, juicy ham that practically makes itself.
The combination of brown sugar, warm spices, and a generous drizzle of honey makes each bite sweet, savory, and perfectly caramelized. Whether it’s for Easter, Christmas, or a comforting Sunday dinner, this hands-off recipe ensures your oven stays free and your ham turns out perfectly every time.
Why This Recipe Works
Set It and Forget It – The slow cooker does all the heavy lifting, giving you tender flavorful ham without the hassle of babysitting the oven.
Holiday-Worthy Flavor – A spiced brown sugar and honey glaze infuses deep flavor throughout the meat making it tastes like the coveted Honey Baked Ham (for a fraction of the price.
Free Up Your Oven – This slow cooker ham is perfect for busy holidays when your oven is already loaded with appetizers, side dishes, and desserts.
Ingredients
- Bone-In Ham (6.5 lbs.) – Bone-in adds rich flavor and helps keep the ham moist while slow cooking.
- Brown Sugar – Creates a sticky-sweet glaze that balances the saltiness of the ham.
- Cinnamon, Ground Clove, Nutmeg – These warming spices add a festive, aromatic depth to the glaze making it mimic the store bought very expensive version.
- Honey – A golden drizzle that finishes the ham with glossy sweetness and a touch of floral richness.
How to Make Ham – Video
This was one of the first videos I ever made. It was a labor of love and made 12 years ago! Crazy to think how far my cooking, videography, and editing skills have come. This will help give you an idea just how to make this slow cooker ham recipe.
FAQS
No, a spiral cut ham will dry out in a slow cooker. You must use a whole ham for this recipe.
You can trim the top of the ham with a sharp knife and place the extra pieces in the slow cooker to cook alongside.
You can cook the ham earlier in the day and keep it on warm until serving. Leftovers store well and reheat beautifully.
If your ham turns out a little dry, don’t worry! Slice it thinly and spoon some of the glaze or cooking juices over the top before serving—it will help restore moisture and flavor. You can also cover the sliced ham with foil and warm it gently in a low oven with a splash of broth or apple juice to rehydrate it.
Absolutely—if you love extra sauce, double the spice rub and honey for more to drizzle at the end.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks when making honey glazed ham at home.
- Liner – Use a slow cooker liner for quick and easy cleanup.
- Trim carefully – If the ham is too large—don’t toss the trimmings, they’re just as tasty! Save it for later to heat and use in leftovers.
- Baste with juices – I like to use the juices from the bottom of the slow cooker for extra moisture and flavor on the ham.
- Leftovers tip – Make ham sliders, breakfast casseroles, or stir it into mac and cheese the next day.
- Save the bone – You can use your bone for flavoring soups like split pea soup or even beans later.
If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Honey Glazed Ham
Equipment
- Measuring Spoons
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 6.5 pounds bone-in ham
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Place the ham flat side down in a 6 quart slow cooker. If the ham is too tall for the slow cooker, run your knife on the top of the slow cooker trimming away excess meat (place the excess meat in the slow cooker).
- In a medium-sized bowl mix brown sugar, cinnamon, ground clove, and nutmeg together. Rub the brown sugar mixture on the ham until its all used. Then drizzle ¼ cup honey on top of the ham. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 on high.
- Remove the cooked ham from the slow cooker, carefully trim, and pour additional brown sugar honey glaze on top of ham.
Notes
- Use a slow cooker liner for quick and easy cleanup.
- Make sure it fits – When purchasing your ham, make sure it will fit in your slow cooker!
- Trim carefully if the ham is too large—don’t toss the trimmings, they’re just as tasty!
- Baste with juices from the bottom of the slow cooker for extra moisture and flavor.
- Leftovers tip: Make ham sliders, breakfast casseroles, or stir it into mac and cheese the next day.
- Save the bone for flavoring soups or beans later.
Laura
This is the BEST ham I have ever had!! My brown sugar mix didn’t stick to my ham so most of it fell to the bottom of the crock. I added a small can if crushed pineapple and a small jar of maraschino cherries. After the ham was done, I thickened up the juice (with the cherries) and used it as a gravy. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! So glad I found this video! Thank you!
Katie
Hi Laura, I’m so glad you loved this recipe. Everyone who tries my slow cooker ham recipes tends to also fall in love with them. I have three recipes on the blog… definitely check out the other two! I’ll have to try your version one of these days! 🙂
Justin
I’m confused about why an already cooked ham needs 8 hours in the slow cooker. I will probably finish mine in the oven because I like crispy sweet crust.
Katie
Hi Justin. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I cook the whole ham in the slow cooker for 8 hours because I want it to get all the flavors of the “rub”. The key is to get a whole ham and not a pre-sliced. Pre-sliced will be extremely dry. I realize the ham is already cooked, but I like my ham hot. I don’t like a cool center. The point of this recipe is ease of entertaining! That’s why I do it in the slow cooker.
Jessica
I am so excited to try this for easter!! Our oven recently decide to stop working so I was looking for a different way to cook a ham for easter. And this way definitely looks an sounds the best!! Thank you so much for sharing:)
Katie
I hope you were able to try this recipe.
kristen
Hi! I jut found this recipe from a link on Cafe Mom. This is fantastic! I make my ham with brown sugar and Coke, and this should work perfectly instead of hovering over the oven constantly. Also, I would just use a butt instead of my usual shank so it would fit better. Thanks – can’t wait to try it. 🙂
Katie
Hi Kristen, Glad you like my recipe and hope you get to try it!
suz
like the recipe and using the bag for easy clean-up, yippee! Family likes raisins, so I’ll throw them in sometime. I also saw your recipe for slow cooker cobbler, which I will use during maine blueberry time and I have a house full. thank-you
Katie
Glad you like both recipes Suz!
Apple
This (almost) looks simple enough that even I couldn’t mess it up, but I do have one question–and pardon the “duh-ness” and stupidity of it, but I’m curious as to what you mean by “trim” the ham? I’ve never cooked one before–is trimming a ham something a novice can do? Thank you–this recipe looks easy, simple and delicious!!
Katie
Hi–sorry I couldn’t get to this sooner. I had a baby on 3/29 and just getting caught up on comments. I trimmed off the top of the ham so it would fit in my slow cooker. You’ll see what I did in the video. Hope you had the chance to try the recipe.
Angie
Is it necessary to use a slow cooker bag? Could I just grease the pot instead?
Katie
Hi Angie–no its not necessary just easier for clean up! I’m sure you could grease the pot and it will still work just fine. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
ellen
do you use the shank or butt part of the ham…
Katie
I use the pre-cooked sprial ham with bone-in.
Nutmeg Nanny
Doesn’t it seem like each year passes quicker than the last?! So sad. This brown sugar honey glazed ham perks my mood up though 🙂 a delectable ham is one of my favorite parts of Easter and this one looks amazing.
Katie
Brandy it honestly is scary how fast time is flying by! This ham helps it a little bit!
Cassie | Bake Your Day
This is my kind of ham! I have never thought about doing a ham in the slow cooker either. It looks so perfect!
Katie
Cassie, making your ham in the slow cooker will change your life forever!!!
Janet
LOVE this video – well done!
You only called the KitchenAid slow-cookier a “Crock Pot” once – I would have said crock pot every time!
You are such a pro!
xo
Katie
Thanks Janet… grr… the last time I watched it before processing I didn’t catch any! Oh-well goes to show I’m not perfect! lol.
Ashley Bee (Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine)
Twice in my life, I’ve actually liked ham steaks. If done well, and isn’t too salty, ham is a-okay. Not sure my distaste for it. I’ve never seen it in a slow cooker though!
Katie
Ashley, I’m similar to you–I think you would like it cooked this way. Give it a try (the next time you entertain).