This slow cooker 4-ingredient Amish-style ham and apples is the sort of humble, practical dish that shows up at church potlucks and family reunions all over the Midwest. The method is wonderfully simple: you scatter dried apples over a raw ham roast, add just two pantry ingredients, and let the slow cooker do the work. As it simmers, the apples soften into a tangy-sweet topping while the ham turns fork-tender and savory. It’s the kind of sweet-and-salty comfort food that seems to vanish from the serving dish before anything else on the table.
Serve the ham sliced or pulled into chunks, spooning plenty of the soft apples and cooking juices over the top. It’s classic alongside buttery mashed potatoes or egg noodles to catch the sweet-savory sauce, and a simple green vegetable—like steamed green beans or a crisp salad—keeps the plate balanced. Leftovers make a terrific next-day sandwich on sturdy bread or a biscuit, with a little of the apples tucked in for contrast.
Slow Cooker Amish Ham & Dried ApplesServings: 6
Ingredients
1 (3–4 pound) boneless fully cooked ham roast (not sliced)
2 cups loosely packed dried apple slices
1 cup apple cider or unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
Directions
Place the ham roast, flat side down if there is one, in the bottom of a large slow cooker so it sits as evenly as possible.
In a small bowl, stir together the apple cider and brown sugar until the sugar is mostly dissolved. This creates a simple sweet base that will mingle with the ham juices as it cooks.
Scatter the dried apple slices evenly over the top and around the sides of the ham roast, letting some pieces fall down along the edges so they’re nestled against the meat.
Pour the apple cider and brown sugar mixture gently over the apples and ham, trying not to wash all the apples off the top. It’s fine if some apples float in the liquid and some stay perched on the roast.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours, or on HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the ham is heated through and very tender and the dried apples have plumped and softened into a spoonable topping.
Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let it rest for 5–10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the apples and cooking juices together in the slow cooker to form a loose, sweet-savory sauce.
Slice or chunk the ham and return it to the slow cooker, or arrange it on a platter. Spoon the warm apples and some of the juices generously over the top before serving.
Variations & Tips
For a slightly tangier finish, replace 1/4 cup of the apple cider with apple cider vinegar; this leans into the old-fashioned farmhouse flavor many Pennsylvania Dutch recipes are known for. If your dried apples are very tart, you can bump the brown sugar up to 2/3 cup, or if they’re very sweet, reduce it to 1/3 cup. A teaspoon of ground mustard or a pinch of ground cloves stirred into the cider and sugar mixture adds gentle warmth without complicating the recipe. If you prefer a leaner cut, use a smoked pork loin roast instead of a traditional ham; just watch the cooking time so it doesn’t dry out—start checking at the lower end of the range. Leftovers keep well and can be shredded into hash with potatoes, folded into omelets, or warmed and served over cornbread with the apples and juices as a rustic sauce.
