Pressure Cooker Ham. This recipe is so simple and fast, and delivers succulent, ultra-juicy, fall-apart-tender ham every time! I’m a food scientist sharing all of my secrets.
Pressure Cooker Ham
This method could arguably be the best way to heat up a ham. I love how incredibly fall-apart moist it turns out. You can pressure cook a toupie, bone-in or spiral ham by simply cutting the bigger options down and nestling in the pieces to fit. Couldn’t be easier!
Here’s why you’re going to LOVE cooking ham in the pressure cooker for Easter, Christmas, or any holiday dinner:
- Cooking ham in a pressure cooker takes a fraction of the time it would take in the oven.
- The ham is so tender. The pressure cooker keeps all that moisture in, so you can expect super moist and juicy ham without the oven’s drying heat.
- You can still glaze it. Preheat the broiler for a few minutes and pop the ham in for just a few minutes to caramelize a ham glaze, if you love those sweet, crispy bits as much as I do.
If you love meltingly-tender pork, you must also try my Crockpot Pork Loin and Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe.
The Simple Pressure Cooker Ham Recipe
The reason I love this method so much is because it is just so easy.
No fussing with aluminum foil, worrying about drying out, or staying home for hours waiting for a ham to slowly oven-bake.
It’s almost an embarrassment to call this a recipe. Let’s just say it is going to be a short ingredient list!
Pressure Cooker Ham Ingredients
Here’s all you need for instant (pot) ham:
- Ham: You can do any ham (like a small boneless Toupie ham, a larger bone-in cut, or even a spiral ham). See below for notes on prepping a larger cut.
- Liquid. Anytime you pull out the pressure cooker you need to add liquid. The ham itself comes pre-seasoned and has a lovely smokiness. The results are perfectly delicious and flavourful with just water in the bottom, but feel free to swap in apple juice, pineapple juice, cider, or an unsalted broth if you like.
OPTIONAL: if you love a spiced ham, feel free to poke in some whole cloves all over.
How to Heat a Ham in a Pressure Cooker
Ham in North America is almost always fully cooked unless you go to a butcher and specifically asked for an uncooked ham. So although I am repeatedly referring to “cooking” the ham, we are actually just using the pressure cooker to reheat it.
Here’s what to do:
- Find the rack / trivet insert that came with your appliance and place it in the bottom of the pressure cooker bowl. If you don’t have one, you can coil up some aluminum foil to lift the ham off of the bottom.
- Next, cut your ham as needed to fit it into your appliance. A ham is an oblong shape regardless of the size you buy. A larger ham especially will have to have a good chunk cut off the longer end in order to fit it into a pressure cooker. I have an 8-Quart Instant Pot and found an 8 1/2-lb ham fit comfortably after trimming the sides and nestling them in.
- Finally, cook the ham. Pour in the water, seal the lid, and set the pressure to high.
Prefer to go low and slow? Here’s my best easy Crockpot Ham recipe.
How Long Does a Ham Take to Pressure Cook?
- When planning cook time, expect 6 minutes per pound of ham. (It took my 8 1/2-lb ham 50 minutes to be heated through.)
- Factor in 30 minutes for the appliance to reach high pressure if you’re cooking a large ham straight from the fridge.
- Don’t forget the rest time. All meats benefit from a resting period after cooking to allow the moisture to redistribute for maximum juiciness. You can piggy-back this with the steam release by using the natural steam release method.
- Grab your meat thermometer. The internal temperature of a fully-cooked ham should reach 145ºF (simply for it to be heated through).
How to Glaze a Pressure Cooker Ham
If you’d like to glaze your ham, heat your broiler during the final few minutes of pressure cooking.
Transfer the ham to a foil-lined baking sheet (this makes for easier clean-up). Brush the outside with my favourite glaze for ham recipe and broil until bubbly and caramelized.
What to Serve With Instant Pot Ham
- If serving this ham as a main course, my favourite hearty side dish is scallopped potatoes or my best mashed potato recipe.
- A simple steamed vegetable, like asparagus, snap peas or carrots, makes an easy fresh accompaniment.
- For a holiday dinner, you don’t want to miss these Life-Changing Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup.
Storage + Leftovers
Leftover ham can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or pack slices into freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
The best part of ham for me is the leftovers!
- Try my insanely-delicious Ham and Lentil Soup. The smoky, rich umami flavour infuses the entire pot. So good.
- This ham and bean soup is next-level hearty and delicious.
- Ham bone soup is another all-time favorite. It can be made even if you don’t have much meat left!
- Whip up some Ham and Cheese Waffles, add some cubed ham to this Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, or stir it into kid-friendly mini quiches.
Other Favorite Pressure Cooker Recipes
- Instant Pot Roast Beef (melt-in-your-mouth tender!)
- My BEST Instant Pot Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice
- Juicy Frozen Chicken Instant Pot Recipe
- Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Steak Recipe
Moist and Juicy Pressure Cooker Ham (Perfect Every Time!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ½ lb ham (any kind: boneless, bone-in or spiral)
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Fit the rack / trivet insert into the bottom of the pressure cooker bowl. See notes below if you don't have one.
- Cut your ham as needed to fit it into your pressure cooker and place it on the rack inside the pressure cooker.
- Pour in the water, seal the lid, and set the pressure to cook on high for 6 minutes per pound (51 minutes for an 8 1/2-lb ham).
- Release the pressure. Use the natural release method for 10-15 minutes (this will serve as the resting time for the ham to redistribute juices). Then switch to the quick release if desired to release remaining pressure.
- Grab your meat thermometer. The internal temperature of a ham should reach 145ºF (simply for it to be heated through, since they come fully cooked anyway).
Notes
- Expect an additional 30 minutes for the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker to come to high pressure if the ham is fridge cold. Add this time on to the total cook time when planning your meal.
- If you don’t have the trivet/rack insert, you can coil up some aluminum foil to lift the ham off of the bottom.
- To GLAZE: Transfer the ham to a foil-lined baking sheet (this makes for easier clean-up). Brush the outside with my favourite glaze for ham recipe and broil until bubbly and caramelized.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for this! Fantastic recipe, tried it out for Easter and we loved it. My only issue was (and I could’ve done it wrong) – I cut the ham into smaller chunks and after the instapot, it shredded on me completely. So we had it as shredded ham, lol! Is that normal?
Hi Priyanka! So glad you enjoyed the flavor! Yes, that makes sense — pressure cooking tenderizes the connective tissue in ham, and smaller chunks have much more surface area exposed to the steam, so they’ll break down a lot more than a single larger piece would. Next time, just trim the ham to fit (removing a chunk from the long end if needed) and nestle the pieces in whole — you’ll get those beautiful sliceable pieces. Shredded ham is still delicious though — perfect for sandwiches and fried rice!
I have cooked many holiday hams in my life, smoked, bbq, oven baked, tented, basted, etc. The results of this pressure cooker method were by a landslide the best I’ve ever experienced. I used a 10lb Ham and in just 1 1/2 hrs total time it was the easiest and moistest ham ever. Never heard so many compliments! I will never cook my ham any other way. Thank you for sharing this method!!!
E.Manz
Hi Eric, I absolutely agree with you. The first time I tried this method my jaw hit the floor. There’s just no comparison with how juicy it turns out.
never knew i could make ham like this. turned out great and wasn’t even hard. thanks!