Instant Pot Ham is juicy, flavorful and so easy to make in the pressure cooker in under 30 minutes. It’s made with a delicious low carb, Keto, Paleo glaze and is perfect for your Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter table!
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Updated November 2019
No holiday table is complete without a roasted turkey or a delicious spiral baked ham. Making a spiral ham for your next holiday dinner is easier than you think.
This Instant Pot Ham is done in under 30 minutes in a pressure cooker and comes out juicy and full of amazing flavor. No more dry ham that cooks in the oven for hours. Plus it frees up the oven for other dishes or desserts taking a lot of the stress out of the holidays.
Since ham cooks so much quicker in the instant pot, that means you won’t have to wake up early to prepare your holiday meal. Keeping the oven off means a more hands-off holiday ham. And, you won’t have to heat up your kitchen during the warmer months. Don’t have a pressure cooker? Try my Slow Cooker Ham instead.
INGREDIENTS FOR INSTANT POT BAKED HAM:
- Spiral-cut ham – 4lbs fits perfectly in a 6-Quart Instant Pot
For the 4 ingredient low carb glaze:
- butter (use ghee for paleo)
- golden monk fruit (can also use coconut sugar or brown sugar if not paleo / keto)
- Dijon mustard
- minced garlic
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT HAM:
Most spiral hams are cooked already, so all we need to do is to heat it up, just like you would do in the oven. The Instant Pot makes it easier and faster!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS PRESSURE COOKER HAM:
- only 4 ingredients required for the glaze
- low carb, ketogenic friendly and gluten free
- less than 10 minutes of prep time for an easy pressure cooker ham recipe
- freezer-friendly & easy to make ahead of time
- A simple set and forget ham recipe that takes the stress out of hosting Sunday dinner / Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday gatherings
HOW TO COOK HAM IN THE INSTANT POT:
- Start by combining the butter and golden monk fruit sweetener in a small sauce pan or microwave-safe bowl and heat until melted and combined. Stir in Dijon Mustard and minced garlic until combined.
- Add water to Instant Pot, then insert the trivet inside. Place the ham on the trivet, with the cut side down. Brush the ham with the glaze covering all areas
- Close lid, press “manual” or “pressure cook” and set the timer to 9 minutes. The Instant Pot can take anywhere from 10- 15 minutes to come to pressure.
- Once the ham is cooked, allow the Instant Pot to release the pressure naturally (about 10 minutes).
- Carefully open the lid and transfer the ham onto a cutting board.
- Slice ham and serve with any leftover glaze.
- For a caramelized coating, place ham on a foil-lined baking sheet and heat under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, or until desired doneness.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COOK HAM IN THE INSTANT POT:
This depends on the size of your ham and Instant Pot. We set ours to cook at 8 minutes for a 4 lb spiral-cut ham that fits perfectly in my 6 Quart Instant Pot Duo Plus.
If you are using a larger 6 lb bone-in thigh ham or have an 8 quart, the time will still be 15 minutes but will take longer to come to pressure as well as fully release pressure.
TIPS FOR THE BEST INSTANT POT BAKED HAM:
- If you don’t need a sugar free / keto glaze, feel free to use honey for a Honey baked ham or maple syrup for a Maple glazed ham
- Change up the flavor with some warm spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
- Add sweetness to your glaze with: cranberries, cherries or orange
- Place your instant pot ham under the broiler if you like a caramelized coating
WHAT TO SERVE WITH HAM:
For Keto Ham, you can serve with:
Low Carb Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe
Lemon Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
For Honey Baked Ham, serve with:
Berry Avocado Spinach Pasta Salad
CAN I FREEZE LEFTOVER HAM?
So how do you freeze leftover ham? Leftover ham can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, and for up to 3 months in the freezer. Place leftover ham in freezer bags and press out as much as air as you can. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Instant Pot recipes:
Pressure Cooker Pot Roast – Whole30 / Paleo / with Low Carb Options
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken with Garlic
Instant Pot Ham is juicy, flavorful and so easy to make in the pressure cooker in under 30 minutes. Made with a delicious low carb, Keto, Paleo glaze and is perfect for your Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter table!
- 4 pound spiral sliced ham
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , or ghee for Paleo
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons golden monk fruit sweetener , can also sub with coconut sugar, brown sugar OR favorite liquid sweetner (honey or maple syrup) if not paleo or low carb
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- Instant Pot
- Prepare the glaze: Heat butter and monk fruit sweetener in a saute pan or microwave safe bowl. Whisk in the mustard and garlic until smooth. Remove from heat.
- Insert trivet inside inner pot of pressure cooker. Pour in 1 cup water.
- Place ham on trivet and brush glaze on outside and inside the spirals of the ham.
- Close the lid and press the "manual" or "pressure cook" button and set timer to 9 minutes. The pressure cooker may take 10 minutes to come to pressure. Once cook time has elapsed, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release all the pressure (around 10 minutes).
- Carefully open the lid and transfer the ham to a cutting board. Serve with any leftover glaze.
- For a caramelized coating - set the oven to broil.
- Remove the ham from the pressure cooker and place on a foil-lined baking sheet and brush with leftover glaze.
- Place the ham under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the glaze is bubbly and caramelized.
- Slice ham and serve.
Did you try this recipe?
Liam -
Yum, This was amazing! My family wants this all the time! Thank you!