5-Ingredient Caramelized Pineapple Boneless Ham (Small Batch, Big Flavor)

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My 5-Ingredient Caramelized Pineapple Boneless Ham recipe is perfect for small households who want that delicious flavor of roasted ham, but in manageable portions and best of all, it’s only 5 easy, common ingredients.

Because, you know what nobody wants? To be eating ham sandwiches for the next two weeks, am I right? That’s the problem with those big beautiful bone-in hams – while I admit they’re super delicious and gorgeous once you put them on the table to serve, the amount of leftovers they give is enough to make you hate ham when you’ve finally finished them up.

With this ham recipe, we’re talking about using a small, pressed boneless ham that is usually about 3 pounds and comes vacume wrapped at the grocery store. It feeds around 3-4 people, leaves you with maybe a slice or two for a ham sandwich the next day (or a killer egg, ham, cheddar bread pudding casserole for breakfast), and it usually costs a fraction compared to the big, bone in hams at the store.

No bone to wrestle with, no major leftovers situation, and most importantly, it tastes incredible.

📋Ingredient List and Substitutions

• ✅Formed/pressed Boneless Ham – no sub here, this is the recipe!
• ✅Canned Pineapple Rings in Juice – crushed canned pineapple works, you’ll just have a chunkier glaze. I don’t like to use fresh pineapple unless it’s almost super ripe and the juice can be used but the won’t be as sweet or concentrated.
• ✅Brown Sugar – white sugar works but you lose the molasses depth; dark brown sugar is even better if you have it.
• ✅Dry Mustard Powder – I used Keens brand, but if you have a different brand you prefer (Colemans), go ahead and use it. Yellow ballpark is too pungent. Dijon will work at half the amount of the dry mustard.
• ✅Apple cider vinegar – regular white vinegar works but the flavour is slightly sharper but still great.

🥩What Kind of Ham Are We Talking About?

If you’re standing in the meat aisle a little confused, let’s clear this up. There are a few different types of ham that are typically sold at the markets:

✅Whole Muscle Bone-In Ham is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a full leg or half leg of the pig, with the bone in. These are the big impressive holiday centrepieces. They’re beautiful. They also weigh 8-10 lbs and cook for hours.

✅Boneless Whole Muscle Ham is the same thing, but the bone has been removed. Still a real muscle cut, still substantial, but easier to slice. Usually 4-6 lbs.

✅Pressed/Formed Boneless Ham is the type we’re using. This ham is usually smaller, boneless, and in a log or football type shape. When they’re made, they’re wrapped in a netting that gives them indentations on the outside when cooked at the plant, and they are almost always sold fully cooked. They run about 1.5kg (roughly 3 lbs), are inexpensive, and are absolutely perfect for this recipe.

**Eazy Note: Cottage hams are different. They’re a cut from the shoulder/butt of the pig, usually heavily smoked, quite salty, and smaller. Not what we want here.

💡Things You Should Know Before You Start Cooking Boneless Hams

• This ham is already fully cooked. You are not “cooking” it – you’re reheating it to a safe internal temp and building flavour. Going higher just dries it out, which is a waste.
• The broiler will burn your glaze if you walk away. I mean it. Sugar burns SO fast under a broiler. I’m talking about going from perfectly golden to charred in a snap if you’re not watching, so stay right there and watch it like a hawk. (There are more detailed instructions in the recipe card below.)
• The pineapple will looks a little funky when it comes out. This is fine! The molasses in the brown sugar stains the pineapple a deeper, amber colour. It tastes sweeter and richer than regular baked pineapple and is way better flavored than when it came out of the can. It’s a lil’ secret!
• Rest the ham before serving. Even small hams benefit from 10 minutes of rest under a loose foil tent before you plate it. The juices redistribute, the glaze firms up slightly, and it’s just easier to handle.

🚫Don’t Waste Those Pan Drippings!

I was going to list this under the “things you should know” heading, but I think this needs it’s own little heading.

After all the roasting and basting is done, you’ll have this gorgeous liquid in the bottom of the pan. The magical mixure of pineapple juice, ham juices, brown sugar, tang of mustard and vinegar, all of it mixed together and smelling incredible.

Now, you have options.

The easy move: Simply spoon or pour the drippings over your rice and ham, sort of like an ‘au jus’ type of thing. Done. Super tasty and amazing.

The slightly extra move (worth it): Pour the drippings into a small saucepan. For every 1 cup of liquid, whisk together 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth, then stir that slurry into the drippings over medium heat. Stir constantly as it heats up and you’ll see that it thickens fast.

Once it coats the back of a spoon, it’s done. No drinking this, it’s meant to drizzle over the plated ham and pineapple! It’s kind of like a thick, glossy, sweet and sour sauce and tastes like the best thing that’s ever happened. No joke.

🍯A Minute About The Glaze: What’s In It and Why

The glaze here is made from brown sugar, the juice from a can of pineapple, dry mustard powder, and apple cider vinegar. That’s it.

Brown sugar does double duty here. It sweetens the glaze AND it’s what caramelizes under the broiler for that gorgeous lacquered finish. White sugar will work if that’s what you have, but you’ll miss the molasses depth that brown sugar brings. It really does make a difference and it doesn’t matter if you use dark or light brown sugar. I like the darker brown sugar because it is a bit more molasses-y.

Pineapple juice from the can is your liquid base. Save every drop! Half goes in the bottom of the pan to steam the ham as it bakes, and the other half becomes your glaze. If your can of sliced pineapple comes in a light syrup, that’s ok and totally usable, but try and find pineapple packed in it’s own juice.

Dry mustard powder is mild but has a nice warmth that cuts through the sweetness. If you can’t find mustard powder, I’d be tempted to leave it out rather than sub with bottled mustard. If you have dijon mustard on hand, use that in sub of the powder, but I wouldn’t use ballpark yellow mustard because the flavor is too pungent, I think.

Apple cider vinegar adds a little brightness and acidity that stops the whole thing from being grossly sweet. Regular white vinegar works in a pinch and I’ve used both. Regular vinegar has a flavour is just a bit sharper without the apple undertone. Either way, it’s not a dealbreaker.

The prepared glaze should look like toothpaste … maybe a touch looser. Spreadable with a silicone brush but not dripping everywhere. If it seems too thick, add a tiny splash more pineapple juice.

🍽️What to Serve With It

I like to serve this pineapple brown sugar boneless ham with sides that can soak up that sauce.
✅Rice is obvious and perfect. The glaze soaks right into the rice and is delicious.
✅Roasted sweet potatoes, my Spicy Roasted Potatoes with Garlic recipe or a simple baked potato work great.
✅Steamed green beans or my 3-Ingredient Roasted Asparagus and Brussels Sprouts add some green freshness.
✅And honestly, a simple green salad with a tangy vinaigrette is a nice balance against all that sweet-salty goodness.
✅Lastly, for a nice ‘fancy’ bread component, these 3 Ingredient Garlic Bread Twists are a nice touch!

❓Recipe FAQs

That’s it, that’s the whole thing! A no-fuss, small batch pineapple brown sugar baked ham that elevates a smaller boneless ham to something special for smaller households.

If you make this, I’d love to hear how it turned out … please drop a comment below and let me know if you made any tweaks! And if you managed to have leftovers (no judgment if you didn’t), try an egg and ham breakfast casserole the next morning (sub in the ham for the sausage on my Breakfast Casserole recipe). You’ll thank yourself.

See you in the next one. 🍽️

~Joanne