Spiral ham is a popular main course for Easter dinner and Christmas dinner or any special occasion. It pairs perfectly with your favorite holiday side dishes. Spiral-sliced ham is precooked so all you have to do is heat and serve. Since no one wants dry ham, learn how to heat a precooked spiral ham that's juicy and flavorful.
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Spiral ham is the perfect meat for holidays. It's precooked so it's pretty much hands-off once it goes into the oven. That means you will spend less time in the kitchen and you will have more time to spend with friends and family. A juicy ham is great for special occasions and my family requests this ham recipe for Sunday dinners too. It's a big cut of meat so it's also a great way to have lots of leftovers during the week.
Ham is flavorful, tender and juicy, but can be prone to drying out. With this recipe and cooking method, you'll learn how to heat a precooked ham perfectly. Say goodbye to dry, chewy ham! The pineapple and ginger ale create a sweet moist environment so you can enjoy succulent ham with all of your favorite holiday side dishes.
Ingredients
- Ham – Select a 6-8 pound bone-in spiral cut ham from your grocery store. For a small ham dinner, you can also get a half ham. Be sure to select a ham that is precooked.
- Canned Pineapple – Crushed pineapple works really well. You can run pineapple chunks through a food processor if you don't have crushed pineapple on hand. Make sure to only used canned pineapple as fresh pineapple could break down the ham too much and make it mushy.
- Ginger Ale – The soda adds a slight ginger flavor and a sweetness to the ham.
See recipe card for quantities.
What is a Spiral Ham
A spiral-cut ham is a whole ham that has been cut into slices with a special machine. The ham slices are fairly thin and even but allow the ham to maintain its shape for serving. This fully cooked ham may be bone-in or boneless. I prefer a bone in ham as a boneless ham will dry out much quicker. Sometimes precooked hams are also called city hams. Many spiral hams also come with small sauce packets which is a sweet glaze to brush on the ham at the end of cooking.
How to Heat a Precooked Spiral Ham
- Place the pre-cooked ham cut side down into a shallow roasting pan and add the crushed pineapple and ginger ale.
2. Cover the ham with foil and bake in a 325 degrees F preheated oven for 13-16 minutes per pound or until the ham reaches 140 degreed F.
3. Remove the foil and add the glaze packet if desired. Cook uncovered for 15 more minutes.
4. Remove from the oven, slice, serve and enjoy.
Hint: If using the glaze packet that came with the ham, follow the instructions to make the glaze and add it with a pastry brush during the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
Variations/ Substitutions
- Cook In The Crockpot - Place the ham in a slow cooker along with the crushed pineapple and ginger ale. Cover and cook on the lowest setting. for 3-4 hours or until the temperature of the meat reaches and internal temperature 140 degrees F.
- Use The Glaze Packet - Brush the ham with the included glaze packet during the last 15 minutes of cooking. You can also discard the packet and make a homemade brown sugar glaze.
- Use Juice – Replace the crushed pineapple with pineapple juice, apple juice or orange juice.
- Add Mustard for a Tasty Glaze– Slather the top of the ham with dijon mustard or yellow mustard.
Tips for Carving a Spiral Ham
The beauty of a glazed spiral ham is that thin, perfect slices have already been cut. Carving the ham is as simple as using a meat carving knife to cut of desired portions. Lay the ham on its side and cut as close as you can to the bone. Be sure to save the bone for soup or broth later on.
Equipment
A large baking dish or roasting pan is ideal for cooking your delcious spiral ham. Look for one with tall side that will allow for more of the pineapple juice and ginger ale to come up the side of the ham.
You can also use heavyweight disposable roasting pans. When using disposable pans, I prefer to place them on a baking sheet just in case any liquid sneaks out.
Covering the ham with heavy-duty aluminum foil keeps the ham moist and can even decrease the cooking time. Heavy duty foil holds up better than thinner aluminum foil.
Storage/ Leftovers
Leftover spiral ham can be stored in an airtight container or large freezer bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers can also be frozen in freezer bags for up to 6 months. For easy use, cube leftovers and freeze them in 1-cup portions.
Leftover ham can be used in soups, salads, sandwiches and a variety of recipes. The leftover ham bone is good for soups and adds so much flavor. My son loves when I add a few slices of holiday ham to his grilled cheese sandwich. It makes it so much more special.
You might also enjoy these tasty leftover ham recipes:
- Yellow Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich
- Tortellini Alla Panna with Ham and Peas
- Mom's Ham Salad
Spiral Ham Cooking Tips
- Select a bone-in spiral ham for juicier meat.
- Cooking low and slow is the key.
- Wrap tightly in foil until the last few minutes of the cooking time.
- If adding a glaze, add it 15 minutes before the end of cooking.
- Save the bone to use in soup or broth.
FAQ
Precooked spiral ham is safe to eat cold although I prefer to heat it up first. It is also great to serve at room temperature after it has been heated up.
The size of spiral hams can vary slightly but most precooked hams are between 6 and 11 pounds each. You can also buy a half ham which is smaller. They will need to be heated for 13-16 minutes per pound in a 325 degrees F oven. To avoid drying out the ham, check with a meat thermometer and heat to an internal temperature of 140 degrees F at the thickest portion of the ham.
Spiral ham is precut and may or may not have a bone. Whole hams are not sliced and typically include a bone. Whole hams are less prone to drying out but can be difficult to slice for serving.
Assuming you will be serving the ham along with several sides, you should plan on at least ½ pound (8 ounces) per person.
Serving Suggestions:
Ham pairs well especially well with air fryer red potatoes, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes and green vegetables like Air Fryer Broccoli or Parmesan Crusted Asparagus. To make a complete holiday meal, serve with Mac and Cheese or Cranberry Pecan Salad with Blue Cheese. You can also check out my list of Easy Side Dishes to go with Baked Ham or 21 Side Dishes for Pork Chops that also pair beautifully with glazed ham.
If you like this spiral ham recipe, please leave a 5-star rating below.
RECIPE
Pineapple Glazed Spiral Ham
Ingredients
- 1 6-8 pound spiral ham (bone- in)
- 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple
- 1 cup gingerale
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham in a large roasting pan, cut size down.
- Spread pineapple all over the ham then pour gingerale over it. Loosely cover the ham with aluminum foil and bake for 13-16 minutes per pound or until the ham reaches 140 degrees using an instant read meat thermometer.
- Remove foil and glaze ham with packet glaze if desired. Place back in the oven uncovered for another 15 minutes or until outside of ham is brown.
- Remove from oven, slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Megs says
I was looking for a recipe for spiral ham that I would love to make this Easter. I cannot wait to try it. Your pics and instructions make it look easy and it sounds absolutely delish. I will let you know how I go!
Colleen says
The gingerale sounds intriguing! I'm going to give this a try for our Easter Ham. Thanks for sharing!
veenaazmanov says
Very informative and helpful. The combination of Pineapple and Gingerale very yummy and flavorful.
Sharon says
The pineapple and ginger ale adds so much flavor to a pre-cooked ham—the perfect holiday main dish.
Kristina says
This turned out delicious. I think the ginger ale made a big difference in flavor and tenderness. Will be my go to for holidays.
Madelyn says
The pineapple-ginger-ham flavor combo was great here. The ham turns out really tender and juicy.
Loreto and Nicoletta says
This is just great, my son always wants ham and I am cooking Easter lunch solo this year. Would be great to have an easy dish to prepare! Love that it is all sliced, Thanks for sharing and love the beautiful caramelization and color!
Dani says
Served this Spiral Ham with Pineapples for an early Easter Celebration Dinner. I actually cooked it in the Slow Cooker which was perfect. No mess to clean up and the ham was perfectly cooked. Thank you for the detailed instructions
Linda says
This is the easiest ham recipe I've tried, and it is guaranteed to taste so good! I love the idea of crushed pineapple and how juicy it is
Natalia says
Thanks for sharing such a straightforward recipe that turned out fantastic! Followed the instructions and it was a breeze! The ham was tender and flavorful. Definitely going to make it again!
Dianne says
I am curious why you add the ginger ale after you spread the pineapple on the ham instead of before… it seems a little backwards to me. Would it be more effective to pour the Gingerale directly on the ham instead of directly on the pineapple?
lisa says
Hi Dianne,
You really could do either. If I do it lightly most of the gingerale goes in the pan.
Lisa
nancy says
i didn't know you can use gingerale this way. What a cool tip
cyndy says
Perfect timing for Christmas - my family loves ham and it's so much easier (and more economical) to make your own glaze. I wouldn't have thought of gingerale - great idea!
Ann says
My family definitely prefers ham over turkey. So much easier, tastier, and great leftovers. Thanks!
lisa says
Ann,
So does my family! And leftovers are great for making split pea soup.
Happy holidays!
Lisa
Holley says
I love the gingerale and pineapple addition! Makes the ham perfectly sweet and juicy! Thanks for sharing!
Lauren says
I don't make ham often but decided to give it a go for a family holiday party. It was the first time using ginger ale - turned out great! Everyone said it was really good!
Greg says
The pineapple (bromalin) will break-down the meat so be sure not to let the ham sit in it for too long. longer than 1 hour can turn the meat into a mush that most people will not want to eat.
lisa says
Hi Greg,
It could happen only if using fresh pineapple so that is why I used canned pineapple in this recipe.
Lisa
Colleen says
We decided on a spiral ham for Easter and I really appreciate all these great tips. Thanks for posting!
Mikayla says
My great grandma always used pineapple and a brown sugar syrup, I decided to give your method a try and it really worked great, Thanks.
Jacqueline Debono says
This is a super useful post. I just got a spiral ham for our Easter lunch on Sunday and will definitely try this pineapple and ginger ale recipe.
Tammy says
Perfect Easter dinner! This looks absolutely delicious! Great tips on prep...I just love spiral ham too!
Leslie says
This is the perfect recipe for making a juicy spiral ham! So much flavor and juices! Love everything about it.
DK says
I never thought to cook spiral ham with ginger ale, but this recipe definitely works! Love the aroma and the juiciness of the resulting ham!
Kathryn says
I love spiral hams and this was delicious! I loved the flavor and it made delicious sandwiches the next day. Making this again asap!
Carrie Robinson says
Just in time for Easter dinner! 🙂 What a delicious way to cook a ham.
Lima Ekram says
The timing on this could not have been better! It will be so handy for Easter!
kushigalu says
Juicy and delicious ham. Thanks for the detailed recipe.
Lauren says
Had an early Easter dinner this year and made this ham recipe. It was so good! We did use the packet as well as the pineapple. Worked out great!
Sharon says
I tried this method for heating a precooked spiral ham, and I'm so glad I did! The ham came out of the oven beautifully caramelized and incredibly tender.
Veronika says
We make a version of this every year but yours might be our new favorite! Loved the addition of ginger ale.