Pineapple Ham (Spiral Ham Recipe)

By Becky Hardin

Updated Sep 19, 2025

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This baked Pineapple Ham starts with a brown sugar glaze and a generous helping of crushed pineapple. I bake it all in the oven to create sweet, caramelized slices of ham fit for any holiday or get together. This is my favorite spiral ham recipe to serve for Easter, Christmas, or any other time we need a show stopping main course.

Easy Spiral Ham Recipe

When my Mom made this for Christmas dinner a few years ago, I was hooked. It’s a classic spiral ham recipe with that sweet and savory combo we all know and love. It’s simply perfect for your holiday menu. It’s easy—spiral ham is pre-cooked and pre-sliced, which makes it really easy to cook, slice, and serve. It’s flavorful—the mixture of brown sugar, cola, mustard, and pineapples creates a sweet and delicious glaze. And it’s juicy—basting the ham throughout the baking process ensures it stays moist and delicious.

If you want to skip the oven, follow the instructions in our Instant Pot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham.

Recipe Card

Pineapple Spiral Ham Recipe

4.55 from 537 votes

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Author: Becky Hardin

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This spiral ham is covered in pineapple chunks and a sweet brown sugar glaze, then baked into a juicy, sweet dish.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

For the Pineapple Ham Glaze

• ▢ 1 cup dark brown sugar packed, light brown sugar is a good substitute
• ▢ 12 oz. cola or Dr. Pepper
• ▢ 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1½ tbsp grainy mustard
• ▢ 1 tsp ground ginger
• ▢ ½ tsp onion powder
• ▢ ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ ¼ tsp kosher salt

For the Spiral Ham

• ▢ 1 6-9 lbs. spiral-sliced city ham
• ▢ 20 oz. crushed pineapple (1 large can*)

Video

Instructions 

For the Pineapple Ham Glaze

• Combine all glaze ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring often, 20-30 minutes, or until glaze is the consistency of syrup. Remove from heat and set aside.
  1 cup dark brown sugar, 12 oz. cola, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard, 1½ tbsp grainy mustard, 1 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, ¼ tsp kosher salt

For the Brown Sugar Pineapple Spiral Ham

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Use a sharp knife to score the surface of the ham with ½-inch-deep slices spaced 1 inch apart. Cover and bake for 1 hour.
  1 6-9 lbs. spiral-sliced city ham
• Brush half the glaze over the ham, being sure to spread some down into each cut. Spread the crushed pineapple over the ham, again pressing down, and then pour half the remaining glaze over the surface. Bake the ham, uncovered, 15 minutes then repeat glazing as follows:
  20 oz. crushed pineapple
• Continue cooking and glazing/basting the ham (once you have run out of glaze, just baste with the glaze from the bottom of the pan) every 10 minutes until the internal temperature registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer. This could take a total 40-60 minutes.

Becky’s Tips

*You must use canned or cooked pineapple for this recipe. Fresh pineapple contains enzymes that will turn your ham to mush!

Serving: 0.5poundCalories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 43gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 2765mgPotassium: 737mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 39IUVitamin C: 57mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

How to Make Pineapple Ham Step-by-Step

Make the glaze: Combine 1 cup of packed brown sugar, 12 oz. of cola, 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce, 1½ tbsp of Dijon mustard, 1½ tbsp of grainy mustard, 1 tsp of ground ginger, ½ tsp of onion powder, ¼ tsp of crushed red pepper flakes, and ¼ tsp of kosher salt in a medium-sized saucepan.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce it to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for 20-30 minutes, or until the glaze is the consistency of syrup. Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside.

Bake the ham: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Using a sharp knife, score the surface of a spiral-sliced ham with ½” deep slices spaced 1″ apart. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Glaze the ham: Brush half of the glaze over the ham, spreading the glaze into each cut. Pour 20 oz. of crushed pineapple over the ham, then pour half of the remaining glaze over the surface. Bake the ham uncovered for 15 minutes.

Keep glazing the ham: Continue cooking and glazing/basting. Once you run out of glaze, continue basting with the glaze from the bottom of the pan, every 10 minutes, until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140°F on an instant-read thermometer. This should take about 40-60 minutes.

Serve: Serve the ham and enjoy!

How to Store

The easiest way to store leftovers is to fully carve the ham into slices. I place the slices in a resealable bag or stack and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. We keep it in the refrigerator up to 4 days.

If you want to save the pineapple chunks, scoop them up and place them into a separate container, and refrigerate. It’s fine to store the ham and pineapple together, but it can get a bit messy so I prefer them separate.

To freeze, carve ham into slices. Wrap stacks of slices in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place in a freezer-safe resealable bag. You can freeze leftovers up to 2 months.

When ready to reheat, thaw a stack of slices in the fridge. Then heat ham in the oven at 325°F until fully heated through.

Serving Suggestions

Whether I’m serving this oven-baked spiral ham for the holidays or for a nice family dinner, it goes so well with most of our favorite side dishes. I love to serve it with crockpot potato casserole for a quick side. It also pairs beautifully with pineapple bread pudding. For something extra hearty, I love serving it alongside cheesy loaded scalloped potatoes, rich and creamy with every bite. And, a classic corn casserole rounds everything out.

More Spiral Ham Recipes

Honey Glazed Ham Recipe (Baked)

Orange Glazed Ham

Pecan Bourbon Glazed Ham

Honey Mustard Maple Glazed Ham