Instant Pot Spiral Ham

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This stunning, juicy Instant Pot Spiral Ham has hints of citrus from orange marmalade and sweetness from pure maple syrup, all ready to eat in under an hour. Grab your 8-quart Instant Pot, and let’s get cookin’!

This recipe was originally shared on November 3, 2020, and updated with new pictures on January 25, 2025.

Instant Pot Spiral Ham Recipe

You’ll never believe how easy it is to get succulent and tender ham with glaze using your Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker.

And, as anybody who’s ever made a holiday dinner for a group of people knows, it’s super nice to cook your ham in the Instant Pot, or ham in a roaster, so you can have your oven space free to cook all the side dishes.

Whether for a small family dinner or a huge holiday gathering, this Instant Pot ham recipe is now one of my favorite go-to methods for getting a beautiful ham on the dinner table. If you like this recipe, you may also like my Maple Glazed Ham.

Ingredients

• Spiral-cut half ham: You will see on the label that these hams are fully cooked at the time of purchase.
• Orange juice: May substitute apple or cranberry juice
• Orange marmalade: May substitute apricot or apple jelly
• Pure maple syrup: Don’t use pancake syrup! May substitute honey, if needed.

How to Cook A Spiral Ham in an Instant Pot

Remove all the packaging material from the ham. Discard any glaze packet that may be included inside with the ham.

In a small saucepan or skillet over low heat, warm the marmalade and syrup, stirring to combine well. Keep the sauce warm.

Place the ham, cut-side down flat-side-down, onto the center of a wide foil sling. Make the sling by taking a long sheet of heavy-duty foil and folding it lengthwise into thirds.

Place a trivet into the bottom of an 8-quart Instant Pot. Add the orange juice to the Instant Pot.

Using the foil sling, lower the ham into the Instant Pot and place it onto the trivet. Fold the ends of the foil sling over the top of the ham.

Lock the Instant Pot lid into place. Using the manual button, choose the high-pressure setting for a cooking time of 12 minutes, bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure.

When the timer sounds, use a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then a quick release to remove any remaining pressure that may be left inside the Instant Pot.

To create a beautiful, caramelized exterior, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Carefully unlock and remove the Instant Pot lid. Using the foil sling, lift the ham from the Instant Pot to a shallow roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet.

Using a silicone basting brush, brush the warm, prepared marmalade mixture all over the exterior of the ham, applying just a bit of pressure to the brush to get the glaze into all the nooks and crannies of the exterior of the ham, as needed.

Place the ham, uncovered, into the preheated oven. Bake 15-20 minutes or until the exterior of the ham is caramelized and bubbly all over.

Serve the sliced ham with additional sauce on the side, as desired.

Why do I need a foil sling to lower my ham into the Instant Pot?

Well, the sling is not so much for putting the ham INTO the pot but more for taking it OUT of the Instant Pot once it’s cooked.

Once your ham has finished cooking, it is super HOT. Lifting it out of the pot is easy if you use a sling. All you have to do is grab the ends, lift it up and out, then place it onto a cutting board or baking sheet.

What will my ham look like when I lift it out of the Instant Pot?

Because there’s lots of pressure and moist heat involved when we cook with an Instant Pot, sometimes meat comes out of the pot looking a bit disheveled. Don’t be dismayed!

Once you slather this ham with the sauce and pop it into the oven for just a few minutes to caramelize, the exterior will look mouth-wateringly delicious.

Bring Out Your 8-Quart Instant Pot

If you family enjoys eating ham as much as mine does, you’ll want to invest in an 8-Quart Instant Pot since the standard 6-quart Instant Pot is a bit too small for most half hams.

I learned this the hard way when I tried to cook a spiral-cut half ham in my standard 6 quart Instant Pot – it would not fit! Such a disappointment due to my poor planning.

Yes, I could have shoved the ham into the 6 quart Instant Pot but I knew there wouldn’t be enough space remaining inside to allow the liquid to circulate to create the needed steam that causes the Instant Pot to pressurize.

What can I serve with Instant Pot Ham?

We love a good creamy potato dish alongside ham.  Creamy Mashed Potatoes Supreme with French Fried Onions is yummy.  Or, if you’re a fan of sweet potatoes, be sure to check out my recipes for Sweet Potato Crumble.

For more veggies, try this broccoli and cauliflower casserole with a light cream sauce.

More Favorite Recipes to Enjoy

This is the best Honey Baked Boneless Ham recipe that has a wonderfully sweet and crunchy exterior with all the tenderness of a traditional baked boneless ham.

This easy side dish recipe uses thinly sliced potatoes, diced ham, heavy cream, and a cheddar cheese sauce to make the creamiest and best Ham and Scalloped Potatoes in the Crock Pot.