I know you’ve seen this before: A glossy, glazed ham with bright yellow pineapple rings with cherries in the center to look like tropical flowers. This impressive dish has been served at holiday tables for years and years, and probably by your great great grandmother! Canned pineapple was a new and exciting ingredient in the early 1900’s, and home cooks found many recipes using it in women’s magazines and newspapers. In 1925, the first printed recipe for baked ham with pineapple showed up, and the rest is history. Pineapple rings just belong on ham now, and that’s that! Even without that historical pop culture influence, I think pineapple ham would have eventually caught on anyways. The sweetness and acidity of pineapple complements the smoky, saltiness of ham perfectly. Make a holiday ham easily with this Instant Pot Honey Ham Recipe, or make a copycat Honeybaked Ham if you want to make a ham without pineapple.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Ham: To make a pineapple studded ham, choose a 6-7 pound pre-cooked ham that is not already pre-sliced. I prefer a boneless ham as it’s easier to slice, but you can use a bone in ham as well. Pineapple Rings: 1 large can of pineapple rings is perfect for this recipe. Reserve the juice from the can for the glaze. Maraschino Cherries: Make your life easier by getting the cherries without the stems. You’ll need just a small 4 ounce jar. Brown Sugar and Pineapple Glaze: I’ll break down the ingredients for this below. The glaze is what makes this ham better than all others.
Pineapple Ham Glaze Ingredients
Brown Sugar and Honey: These two sweeteners do their job to make the glaze sweet, but also add a lot of caramelly, earthy flavor. Dijon Mustard: The tangy, savory, and sophisticated warmth of dijon mustard is delicious with ham (and all types of pork), and works to balance the sweetness in this ham glaze. Spices: the warm sweetness of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves is the finishing touch for our pineapple ham glaze.
How to Make a Baked Ham with Pineapple
Top Tips
Use foil: Cooking the ham under foil for the first part of cooking keeps it moist. Don’t burn the pineapple: The sugar on the ham glaze will burn if left under the broiler for too long. Keep an eye on it to avoid that. Buy the right ham: This recipe is for a pre-cooked ham, which most will be. Read the packaging to be sure though.
How to Buy a Ham
Here are a few tips if you’re shopping for a ham and not quite sure what to get. Ham, in general, is going to be a cut of meat from the bag leg of the animal, but there are many variations of that available in stores. Raw, Cured, or Smoked – Raw ham must be cooked for longer and can retain more moisture. If using cured or smoked, you just need to heat it up as it’s already fully cooked (like our recipe here). A smoked ham has been cured and then smoked. Shank end or Butt End – A ham is sliced into 2 parts that are sold separately. The shank end is fattier but comes with just one straight bone, and the butt end is leaner but has more bones. You can decide which you prefer. Whole or Spiral – Spiral cut ham is easier to find and serve, but a whole ham can be juicier but tricky to carve and work with. How much to buy – Plan about half a pound of meat per person if using a boneless ham, and ¾ of ham per person if using bone-in ham.
What to Serve with Pineapple Ham
This holiday main deserves all of your best holiday side dishes! Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes or Crockpot Mashed Potatoes, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus bundles, and Broccoli Casserole would be my first choices. Other sides that go well with ham are Instant Pot Red Potatoes, Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole, Glazed Carrots, and Velveeta Mac and Cheese. This easy and impressive holiday ham recipe will be a family favorite immediately. You’ll be so glad you decided to try this classic dish. © Little Sunny Kitchen
