The best comfort food, this Instant Pot ham is fall-apart tender. You can use the oven’s space to prepare all the delicious side dishes because of the electric pressure cooker.
Thanks to the magical pressure cooker, Instant Pot ham is fall-apart tender and ohhhh so juicy, so say goodbye to overcooked, dry, and tough ham forever!
To be clear, this recipe does not result in an excessively sweet ham. I like ham that is slightly sweet with a hint of smoke and meat. It should taste like ham, not like meat candy.
If you prefer a more honey-baked ham flavor, I do have notes later in the post that will help you achieve that. You can also use the glaze packet that came with your ham if it has one.
How to cook a frozen ham in the Instant Pot
I’ve previously shared the account of my Aunt Hazel’s generosity here:
She was always able to feed guests who arrived at her home, no matter how many there were. No one left her house hungry, even though it was likely not going to be anything fancy. She always seemed to have a small ham in her refrigerator, which was one of her little secrets. She would prepare some coleslaw, heat the ham, and open a few cans of baked beans. Along with a pitcher of sweet tea, dinner was served!.
She had a lot of drop-in company, but I don’t have anything close to that, so I still like to be ready. Of course, there are nights when you want a quick meal with little preparation.
That’s one reason I love my Instant Pot. With just three ingredients and the removal of a frozen ham from the freezer, I can prepare dinner with hardly any effort.
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Usually, Aldi has small, reasonably priced sliced hams. I make an effort to always have one in my freezer. I also frequently keep a can or two of crushed pineapple in the pantry, but you are free to omit it and merely add liquid instead (chicken or vegetable broth would be suitable options).
Pre-sliced hams are great because they make preparing this meal even simpler. No need to slice it up on a dirty cutting board.
Although my aunt Hazel used to serve ham with coleslaw and baked beans, you could certainly serve it with other side dishes. Some options include mashed potatoes, rice, steamed frozen peas, steamed macaroni and cheese, tossed green salad, homemade cranberry sauce, and applesauce.
I just so happened to have some fresh corn on the cob and a baguette the night I took these pictures. Yum!.
The liquid or sauce from the pineapple is probably going to be quite plentiful. It can be stored in the refrigerator and used to make homemade sweet and sour sauce one or two nights later. I’ll share a more detailed “recipe” one of these days, but in general, you add more brown sugar, a little vinegar, some soy sauce, some ground ginger, and some garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Add about a tablespoon of smooth cornstarch, dissolved in a little cold water, to the boiling mixture. Cook until thickened. This is excellent served with homemade egg rolls or fried rice.
I’m always looking for more ideas so leave me a comment with your favorite. Do you have a go-to meal for unexpected guests or an easy meal for busy nights?
Why you will love Instant Pot Ham?
Everyone, from children to adults, adores ham and finds it to be a classy meat to serve. You really cannot go wrong by serving ham. Make a turkey, grill steaks, serve a roast, and ham will be a great match for the accompanying side dishes. It also goes well with ANY other meat.
Youll love this pressure cooker ham recipe because
Do Spiral Hams Need to Be Cooked?
Spiral hams are almost always pre-cooked. Just make sure you check the package to confirm.
So we’re not really “cooking” it in the Instant Pot. Instead, we want to make sure it’s thoroughly heated so we can enjoy hot, juicy brown-sugar ham!