These slow cooker sweet mustard ham steaks turn three simple ingredients into a sweet, tangy, sticky glazed dinner with almost no prep. The mustard mellows with brown sugar as it cooks, while the ham stays tender and the edges turn glossy. Serve them with mashed potatoes and baby carrots for an easy meal that feels special.
Why You’ll Love It
- Just 3 ingredients — thick ham steaks, yellow mustard, and brown sugar are all you need.
- No-fuss slow cooker recipe — no searing, basting, or wrestling with a whole ham.
- Sweet and tangy glaze — brown sugar balances the mustard for a sticky, flavorful sauce.
- Great for leftovers — dice the ham into scrambled eggs, breakfast casserole, skillet hash, or pasta.
Ingredient Notes
Buy thick-cut boneless ham steaks—about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick. The thinner, little flimsy ones can dry out or get a bit ragged after a long spell in the slow cooker. You want four to six slices totaling roughly 2 1/2 to 3 pounds.
Plain yellow mustard gives the ham a familiar, old-fashioned glaze flavor. Dijon works too, if you like a little tangier flavor. Just keep the mustard amount the same.
Use packed light brown sugar, not the hard little brown-sugar brick that has been living in the back of the pantry. If you do have the brick situation, soften it first. Dark brown sugar gives a deeper molasses flavor, which is nice, though light brown tastes closer to a classic ham glaze.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 pounds thick-cut boneless ham steaks, about 4 to 6 slices, each 3/4 to 1 inch thick
- 1 cup yellow mustard, or Dijon if you prefer more tang
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar, packed down but no need to get fussy about it
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. This is not a glamorous step, but it makes cleanup much less irritating later, especially when the brown sugar has turned sticky around the edges.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mustard and brown sugar until you have a thick, smooth, glossy mixture. It will look more like a loose paste than a pourable sauce, which is exactly right. Keep stirring until there aren’t big dry pockets of sugar hiding in there.
- Spoon a thin layer of the sweet mustard mixture over the bottom of the slow cooker. This gives the ham a little cushion so it doesn’t stick, and it starts building that sauce underneath. Not much—just enough to coat the bottom.
- Arrange a single layer of ham steaks in the slow cooker, overlapping them slightly if you need to. Spoon some of the mustard mixture over the ham and spread it around so each slice gets coated. Don’t worry if it’s not picture-perfect; once it heats up, the glaze loosens and finds its way around.
- Continue layering the remaining ham steaks with more of the mustard mixture between the layers and over the tops. Make sure the exposed surfaces have glaze on them, then pour whatever sauce is left over everything. It may seem like a lot of mustard at this point, but it won’t be.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the ham is heated through and the sauce is bubbling, thickened, and glossy around the edges. Ham steaks are already cooked, so you’re warming them and letting the glaze do its thing—not cooking them into oblivion. Slow cookers vary widely in temperature.
- About 30 minutes before serving, gently spoon some of the hot sauce from the bottom of the slow cooker over the tops of the ham steaks. This is what gives them that sticky, lacquered look. Do it gently so you don’t tear up the slices; they’ll be tender by then.
- Transfer the ham steaks carefully to a platter, or just serve them straight from the slow cooker if you’re keeping life simple. Spoon plenty of the sweet mustard sauce over every slice. For a larger meal, set the cooker to WARM and stir the sauce occasionally so it stays smooth and glossy instead of settling into one thick sugary puddle.
Variations
For a sharper glaze, use Dijon in place of the yellow mustard. You can also swap in honey mustard, or use part yellow and part Dijon, as long as you still use 1 cup total mustard.
For a darker, more caramel-like sauce, use dark brown sugar instead of light. It has a little more molasses flavor and looks especially pretty on the table. If you want a touch of heat, stir 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes into the mustard and brown sugar mixture.
To serve more people, you can use up to 4 pounds of ham steaks and increase both the mustard and brown sugar to 1 1/4 cups each. Stretching the regular amount of glaze over a bigger batch leaves the top pieces well coated and the bottom ones neglected. Increase the glaze.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover ham steaks with the sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator. They reheat nicely in the microwave with a spoonful of sauce over the top. Cover the dish loosely so the glaze doesn’t splatter all over the inside of the microwave.
If the sauce thickens too much in the refrigerator, that’s normal. Warm it with the ham and it loosens right up. You can also dice the cold ham for eggs.
If your slow cooker runs hot and the edges of the glaze start getting too dark before the ham is ready, switch it to LOW sooner or stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to loosen the sauce. I wouldn’t add water unless you need it, though. The thick, shiny glaze is the whole point.
Final Notes
These ham steaks bring a comforting meal to the table with the sweet smell drifting through the kitchen and sauce bubbling at the edges while mashed potatoes wait in their bowl.
Serve it with buttered carrots, asparagus, or creamy mashed potatoes. Or pile it onto warm dinner rolls for little sandwiches, with the glaze dripping down the side a bit. Messy food is usually the good stuff anyway.
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Sweet Mustard Ham Steaks
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 pounds thick-cut boneless ham steaks About 4 to 6 slices, each 3/4 to 1 inch thick
- 1 cup yellow mustard Or Dijon mustard
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar Packed down
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mustard and brown sugar until the mixture is thick, smooth, and glossy with no large dry pockets of sugar.1 cup yellow mustard, 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- Spoon a thin layer of the sweet mustard mixture over the bottom of the slow cooker.1 cup yellow mustard, 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- Arrange a single layer of ham steaks in the slow cooker, overlapping them slightly if needed, and spoon some of the mustard mixture over the ham.2 1/2 to 3 pounds thick-cut boneless ham steaks, 1 cup yellow mustard, 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- Continue layering the remaining ham steaks with more mustard mixture between the layers and over the tops, then pour any remaining sauce over everything.2 1/2 to 3 pounds thick-cut boneless ham steaks, 1 cup yellow mustard, 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the ham is heated through and the sauce is bubbling, thickened, and glossy around the edges.2 1/2 to 3 pounds thick-cut boneless ham steaks
- About 30 minutes before serving, gently spoon some of the hot sauce from the bottom of the slow cooker over the tops of the ham steaks.2 1/2 to 3 pounds thick-cut boneless ham steaks
- Transfer the ham steaks to a platter or serve them from the slow cooker, spooning plenty of the sweet mustard sauce over each slice.2 1/2 to 3 pounds thick-cut boneless ham steaks, 1 cup yellow mustard, 1 cup packed light brown sugar
