If you are looking for the perfect dinner recipe that everyone will love, look no further than this super easy Instant Pot Boneless Ham recipe, made with brown sugar and pineapples.
A Quick and Easy Dinner Recipe Using the Instant Pot
Most people really, really love ham. Can you blame them? It’s delicious and is often the hit for most holiday dinners as well. While I love to serve ham during the holidays, I’m also a big fan of using my Instant Pot to serve it year round also.
Who knew that Instant Pot Ham with Brown Sugar and Pineapples went perfectly with your taste buds any time of the year?
If you don’t have an Instant Pot and prefer Crockpot Recipes, you may also like my Crockpot SpiralHam.
The great thing about this Instant Pot recipe is that it makes enough to feed your entire family, with the possibility of some of it being leftover. (possibly…)
It’s so comforting knowing that I can let my Instant Pot take over the hardest parts of cooking and I get to come back at the end and serve up this beautiful ham, taking all the glorious credit.
The Instant Pot is one of my favorite kitchen tools, thanks to its speed and convenience. After a busy day at work or looking after your family, there’s nothing better than throwing everything into the Instant Pot and letting it work its magic.
If you are looking for something else to serve alongside your Instant Pot ham, we recommend some healthy greens or roast potatoes. Alternatively, you could make a fresh salad or a bowl of rice to serve alongside this dish. This delicious fresh ham will go with almost anything, so don’t worry too much about what you serve it with. It’s a great option for a Sunday lunch for your whole family or a special meal around the holidays.
While you may feel a little guilty for not spending so much time in the kitchen, you’ll enjoy having extra time to spend with your family. Don’t worry, you won’t mind letting your Instant Pot do all the work with how simple and delicious this Instant Pot Ham recipe is.
After all, when you are cooking a ham to feed your family and friends, it’s nice to know that you can have time to socialize while the ham is cooking perfectly in your new favorite kitchen appliance!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Boneless Ham:
- 1/4 or 1/2 boneless ham
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 can, 20 oz, pineapple chunks and juice
Tip: Although I used a quarter size ham for this particular recipe, I suggest using a half size ham as long as it fits into your IP. I have the 6 quart IP.
Simple directions to prepare the Instant Pot Boneless Ham:
- Place the ham into the instant pot, with the skin side facing up.
- Add 1 can of pineapple chunks and a half cup of honey into the Instant Pot.
- Add 1 Cup of Brown Sugar on top of the other ingredients in your Instant Pot. These are all of the ingredients you’ll need, as it’s such a simple yet effective recipe.
- Close the Instant Pot and seal the lid.
- Close the pressure release valve.
- Set the instant pot to manual, high pressure for 8 minutes. Start the cycle, and you’ll be ready to leave the Instant Pot to work its magic. In the meantime, lay the table or prepare any side dishes you need for your lunch or dinner.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, quick release the pressure and open the lid of your Instant Pot. Serve with the side dishes of your choice, and enjoy!
The brown sugar and pineapple make the ham amazing. Your family is gonna love this! Make this Instant Pot Brown Sugar and Pineapple Ham part of your Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas dinner; you won’t regret it.
Slice ham before serving and serve with pineapple and juice. Enjoy!
FAQs About the Instant Pot Boneless Ham
What Can You Serve With Instant Pot Boneless Ham?
It’s completely up to you what you serve with this dish, and it can go with almost anything. We think it would be great with roast potatoes, rice, or a side salad, but if you are celebrating a special occasion, add a whole host of different dishes on the side. If you are serving this at Easter, add corn casserole, stuffing, deviled eggs, cranberry, and mashed potatoes.
Can You Freeze the Ham?
Yes, you can freeze this ham once it’s cooked. We recommend using a vacuum sealer to freeze your ham, or you could use airtight freezer bags or containers. You can keep it in the freezer for between two to three months, and then just thaw it out and reheat it when you are ready to enjoy this delicious dish again. Alternatively, you could save the leftover ham and create the Instant Pot ham and bean soup we listed below.
How Long Will The Leftovers Last in the Fridge?
If you place your leftover ham in the fridge, you’ll want to eat it in the next four days. You could also use this leftover ham in a casserole or in soups, or you can dice up the ham and use it on salads or other dishes.
What If I Don’t Have an Instant Pot?
If you don’t yet have an Instant Pot, don’t worry, you can still enjoy this delicious recipe. We recommend covering the ham when you cook it in the oven, and then just follow the recommended cooking time on the packaging of the ham you’ve purchased. It’s obviously a lot more time-consuming to use this method, but you can still enjoy this dish without the Instant Pot.
Can You Reduce the Salt Content in This Dish?
Due to the way in which ham is cured, this dish can be quite high in salt. We recommend looking at the labels when you are choosing your ham in the grocery store and opting for one that is lower in sodium if this is something that’s important to you or your family.
How Much Ham is Needed Per Person?
We recommend serving everyone between ½ lb and ¾ lb of ham, depending on their appetite. Of course, you could get away with a smaller portion if you have a wide range of other food options on your holiday dinner spread.
Can This Recipe Be Made with Another Fruit?
For anyone that doesn’t enjoy pineapple, fear not, as you can replace it with oranges. Another good option is apple cider, which goes perfectly with the taste of ham. You could also replace the honey with maple syrup for a different taste.
More Great Ham Instant Pot Recipes
Did you enjoy this recipe? Well, there are plenty of more great ideas and recipes you can create in the Instant Pot. These are just a few of our top ham Instant Pot recipes.
Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
If you are looking for a delicious winter soup recipe using the Instant Pot, try out this ham and bean soup in the Instant Pot. You’ll combine diced onions, carrots, and celery, which are cooked until soft using the sauté mode on the instant pot. You’ll then add garlic, which will help to add more flavor to the dish. Diced ham is then added for a few minutes before you add in beans, chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, crushed red peppers, and salt to taste.
To cook the dish, you’ll use the high pressure mode for 30 minutes. After that’s done, simply let it do a natural release for roughly ten minutes, followed by the quick release. This dish is packed with flavor, but of course, you can adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes and what you have in your home at the time. We love using the Instant Pot for soups, as it creates the perfect consistency each and every time.
Ham and Beans Instant Pot
If you love ham and beans but find you don’t have enough time after work to cook this popular dish, try out Instant Pot ham and beans. This dish requires minimal ingredients but will create a filling dinner for your whole family. You’ll need Northern or Pinto beans, which are rinsed and sorted, and then two cups of either leftover ham or three ham hocks. Add these two ingredients with dried minced onions, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot, and cover everything in about two inches of water. You’ll need to cook this dish for about 60 minutes on the high pressure manual setting, but don’t allow the warming cycle to go on. Allow it to naturally release for 15 minutes before using quick release.
This is one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes and it is sure to be enjoyed by your whole family. Kids and teens alike will love this dish, and we think it’s a great option when you are catering to picky eaters. The Instant Pot does everything by itself, resulting in the perfect caramelized topping for your ham. In comparison to cooking this dish using another method, you won’t believe how little effort is involved in the process. We hope you enjoyed this Instant Pot ham recipe, and be sure to come back soon for more simple Instant Pot recipes to impress your family and friends this year.
Slow Cooker Bean FAQ
Is it safe to cook pinto beans in a slow cooker?
It is safe to cook pinto beans in the slow cooker. However, it is not safe to cook raw kidney beans in the slow cooker. This is due to a protein within the raw beans called phytohaemagglutinin, or kidney bean lechin.
Pinto beans also have this protein, but not at high enough levels to be dangerous for eating.
This protein can cause toxicity in humans from just a few undercooked or raw kidney beans, so these beans should be thoroughly cooked at a high temperature to avoid this toxin.
Do you need to soak beans before slow-cooking them?
The best advantage of using a slow cooker to cook beans is that you don’t have to soak them ahead of time! Simply place your dried beans in the crockpot, add water until the beans are submerged by two inches, and then add any salt and other seasonings you want.
How long do you cook beans in the crockpot on low?
The amount of time it takes to cook beans depends on the size of the beans – small beans will cook faster than larger beans. Beans will take around six hours on a low setting and three hours on a high setting. It’s a good idea to cook beans as long as possible to make sure they’re tender.
What do you eat with pinto beans and cornbread?
Pinto beans with a side of cornbread is a popular one-pot meal that doesn’t really require any other dishes to complete it as a quick weeknight meal. However, if you want to make your beans and cornbread a little fancier, here are a few other dishes you can include in your spread to liven things up:
- Fried chicken
- Grilled pork chops
- Cooked collard or turnip greens
- Garden salad
- Fried okra
Beans and cornbread fall into the soul food genre of cuisine, so any side dishes or entrees you’d see in a meat-and-veg country style restaurant would likely go well together with this meal.
You can also add a smoked ham hock or some cured country ham to your pinto beans while they’re cooking to add a richer, more savory flavor to them. This is a smart way to add a little meat to your meal without having to cook a third dish.
What pairs well with beans?
Beans are one of the oldest foods that humanity cultivated, and there are a bunch of iconic American entrees that pair well with them. Here are just a few of the classic dishes you can serve along with your slow-cooked beans:
- Pulled pork sandwiches
- Baked ham
- Hot dogs and hamburgers
- Fried chicken
- Macaroni and cheese
Along with these foods, there are also a few drinks that go well with beans. Lager beers and light wines like Zinfandel taste great with slow-cooked beans. These beverages can also help cut the grease in common bean side dishes like fried okra or cornbread.
Are beans and cornbread good for you?
Beans and cornbread make up a very healthy meal because these two ingredients together make up a complete protein. This makes beans and cornbread a filling and nutritious meal for vegetarians and vegans.
For people who are health-conscious and trying to cut back on animal products in their diet, beans can add protein without the necessity for animal protein. As far as meatless Monday meals go, beans and cornbread is a definite favorite for many people.
The only health risks associated with slow-cooked beans are with the meals they’re served with. Beans tend to be a side dish for fried foods or foods with a lot of butter in them.
To avoid over-indulging, make sure that the beans make up the largest portion you get served rather than fried meat or macaroni.
Do you put vinegar in pinto beans?
Adding a splash of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar to your pinto beans in the slow cooker can help make the flavors brighter. This reaction is because vinegar is an acid that helps equalize and balance the other flavors in the dish such as salt, umami, bitter, and sweet.
Another benefit of adding vinegar to your pinto beans is that it helps to break down complex sugars in the beans that can cause digestive issues that beans are known for such as flatulence and bloating.

Instant Pot Ham With Brown Sugar and Pineapple
Ingredients
- 1/4 or 1/2 boneless ham
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 can 20 oz, pineapple chunks and juice
Instructions
- Place ham into the instant pot, skin side up.
- Add pineapple, honey and brown sugar.
- Close the instant pot and seal the lid. Close the pressure release valve. Set the instant pot to manual, high pressure for 8 minutes. When cooking cycle is done, quick release the pressure and open the lid.
- Slice ham before serving and serve with pineapple and juice.
OTHER INSTANT POT RECIPES
- Instant Pot Jambalaya – A Southern Favorite
- Instant Pot Salisbury Steak
- Instant Pot Tacos – Perfect for Taco Tuesdays
- Instant Pot Beef Stew -Perfect for Cold Days
- Instant Pot Meatloaf
- Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings (#1 on Google)
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Tami Cocuzzi says
This did not work. I had to put it back in the pot for another 9 minutes.
Winona Rogers says
Hi Tami, it all depends on the size ham you use, and also whether or not it was boneless.
JENNIFER WENGER says
Me too. I’m at 18 minutes so far and still not done–boneless. I’m trying another 5 minutes. This better be damn good. LOL
Elizabeth Foster says
What can you use in place of pineapple chunks not a fan?
Winona Rogers says
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you for stopping by. You could use papaya, guava, or mangos if you prefer not to use pineapple chunks. Enjoy!
Beth says
Followed recipe exactly. Best ham I have ever had! Five stars for sure. Thank you
Winona Rogers says
Awesome Beth! Thank you so much for leaving this feedback. It is always appreciated. Have a great weekend.
Crystal Peters says
What size ham did you use? I have a 1.5 lb id like to use. Wondering how long I should cook for?
Winona Rogers says
Although I used a quarter size ham for this particular recipe, I suggest using a half size ham as long as it fits into your IP. I have the 6 quart IP. I would adjust the time by 1-2 more minutes.
Donna Loewen says
Can I use crushed pineapple…I don’t have chunks.
Winona Rogers says
I don’t see why you couldn’t? Winona
Ann says
How many pounds is 1/2 a ham?
Ursula Bell says
We made this for our Christmas dinner last year and it was amazing. I have a request to make it again tonight so here we go! It was SO good and so simple to make. I love dummy proof recipes. 😀
Denise says
If you are using a frozen 1/2 ham, how long should I cook it for?
JENNIFER WENGER says
Wow, the times are way off on this recipe. It took 23 minutes to heat up the ham to 135 degrees. (I kept adding 5 more minutes over and over again) At that point I was just done trying to cook it higher and it was fully cooked anyway. Boneless, 2.5 pounds. I don’t know how anyone could cook this ham to 145 degrees in 8 minutes unless it is tiny and only 2 inches thick.