20 Ham Recipes You Need To Try
The salty, sweet, tasty flavor of ham makes it an all-time American favorite. While there are recipes that call for you to cook a raw, uncured piece of ham, many of them are made with ham that's already cooked. This makes them super easy. Baked hams are a good example. They look outstandingly mouthwatering, but all you really need to do is glaze them and pop them in the oven to heat up — the ham itself is usually pre-cooked. You definitely don't have to be an expert in the kitchen to come up with impressive ham dishes.
Here are our 20 best ham recipes that you might want to add to your culinary toolbox. You might enjoy an egg and ham breakfast quiche or want to present a nostalgic baked ham extravaganza for an al fresco buffet party to remember. If you've got leftover ham, it's great for adding flavor to soups or simply makign a ham and mustard sandwich on thick white bread.
1. Easter Ham
This impressive-looking Easter ham is straightforward to make. Cut across the top of a cooked ham, creating a diamond design so that you can stud the meat with cloves. When you bake it, make sure you cover the ham with foil — otherwise, it'll dry out.
For the second, uncovered bake, glaze the ham quickly so it doesn't lose too much heat. And stay close to the oven as you'll need to brush on the brown sugar, marmalade, and spicy brown mustard mix a few times while the ham is cooking. Serve with cheesy mash and veggies.
Recipe: Easter Ham
2. Ham And Cheese Sliders
You can't go wrong with a ham and cheese combo. But you can make it even more appetizing with this yummy slider recipe. Make them with Swiss cheese and honey-roast ham, or whatever ham and cheese you like.
What elevates these hot sandwiches is spreading the bread rolls with mustard with a little pickle juice mixed in. This, as well as chopped dill pickles, adds the perfect tang. Melted butter crisps up the tops of the rolls nicely too. They are so good they'll slide right off the plate.
Recipe: Ham And Cheese Sliders
3. Baked Ham
Play around with the amount of mustard and honey you use to make the glaze for this baked ham recipe. And add some cayenne pepper if you like a little heat. The best way to do the glazing is to use a silicone brush. Add fresh parsley during the last phase of baking.
This recipe is for a boneless spiral-cut ham, but you can use a bone-in one instead. While the flavored meat is delicious when eaten warm after resting for a short time, it's also wonderful served as leftovers.
Recipe: Baked Ham
4. Spiral-Sliced Honey-Glazed Ham
A lot of glazed ham recipes include spices such as cloves and cinnamon, but this one keeps it really simple. Aside from spiral-sliced ham, you only need Dijon mustard, honey, and brown sugar.
Don't just brush the glaze on top, but also add it between the slices. When the ham is cooked, dab any dry parts of the hot ham with some more of the glaze. Use the juices at the bottom of the pan too — you want each bite to be juicy with a sweet and savory flavor.
Recipe: Spiral-Sliced Honey-Glazed Ham
5. Ham And Bean Soup
There's something satisfying about using leftover ham and pantry staples to make a hearty soup. You can also use a ham hock, as this recipe does, which makes for an affordable bowl of warming comfort food. Use fresh tomatoes if you don't have tinned, and swap out the beans for whatever cans you have. And use dried rosemary if you don't have any fresh sprigs.
Take the tender meat off the bone and add the succulent ham back to the soup before serving this smoky, flavorful broth with a parsley garnish.
Recipe: Ham And Bean Soup
6. Baked Spiral Ham
Spiral ham comes cooked and pre-sliced so there's no messing around with sharp knives. It is, however, worth the effort to make your own glaze. For this recipe, you simmer pineapple juice, maple syrup, cloves, and cinnamon on the stove to make the glaze until it becomes glossy and thick enough to coat the ham.
Don't worry about taking out the spices, including the cinnamon sticks, when you glaze the ham. And make sure you spoon on more of the glaze from the pan once while the ham heats up. Garnish with pineapples.
Recipe: Baked Spiral Ham
7. Quick Deviled Ham Salad
You've probably heard of deviled eggs, but what about deviled ham? The easiest way to make this salad is to add cubed ham along with chopped onion, celery, and dill pickles to a food processor. Don't pulverize them though, as you want a chunky texture to add to some creamy mayo.
Give the mix a kick with some mustard, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce if you like. And serve on a large lettuce leaf, as a sandwich filling on toasted bread, or as a dip with crackers.
Recipe: Quick Deviled Ham Salad
8. Glazed Slow Cooker Ham
There's no quick way to cook this glazed ham in a slow cooker. But it doesn't take too much effort. If you love a recipe with a quirky combination of ingredients, this is one for you. You slow-cook the ham with cola, carrots, and cinnamon sticks.
If you're making this ham in advance for a special meal then you can stop after slow-cooking and complete the roasting stage later. This is when you add a glaze made from Dijon or wholegrain mustard, honey, Chinese five spice, and red wine vinegar.
Recipe: Glazed Slow Cooker Ham
9. Hearty And Easy Ham Pot Pie
If you're a fan of chicken pot pie and simply adore crispy puff pastry, then try this ham version. You can never have enough pies in your recipe repertoire. If your pastry sheet doesn't quite fit your pie dish, roll it out a little with a floured rolling pin.
A good tip is to make the filling beforehand and let it cool down before finishing off the pie. This makes it easier to attach the pastry top. Make slits so that the steam can escape.
Recipe: Hearty And Easy Ham Pot Pie
10. Copycat Honey Baked Ham
Love The Honey Baked Ham Company? You might want to follow this copycat recipe. You need an aromatic combination of spices, honey, butter, and brown sugar to make the glaze for a spiral-cut ham, preferably a bone-in one. Follow food safety guidelines and make sure the temperature in the cooked meat reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit so that it's hot enough to serve.
Use a baking tray or skillet with high enough sides so that the juices won't overflow. Use these to make a sauce with the remaining glaze for extra flavor.
Recipe: Copycat Honey Baked Ham
11. Crustless Ham And Cheese Quiche Muffins
These crustless quiche muffins are super-light. Baked in a muffin tin without a pastry base, they aren't as heavy or difficult to make as a traditional quiche, making them perfect for brunch. However, they still taste splendid, with diced ham adding a salty, meaty flavor that works wonders with the plainness of the egg and milk.
Let them cool before taking them out of the tin. Serve these with some toasted bread for breakfast or with a salad at lunch.
12. Whiskey Glazed Ham
Sweet and smoky flavors complement the taste of ham. This recipe gives baked ham a rich, luxurious allure with a homemade whiskey glaze. Cinnamon, cloves, orange, and brown sugar are perfect ingredients to add to the whiskey and look great atop your ham. Brush on the glaze so that it covers the entire ham, including the front.
Black Forest ham is delicious, but you can use any type you like. And if you don't have whole cloves, then ground cloves are fine. Garnish with rosemary, orange peel, and cinnamon sticks.
Recipe: Whiskey Glazed Ham
13. Copycat Starbucks Ham & Swiss Panini
This copycat recipe of a Starbucks panini with sliced ham and Swiss cheese is so good. The only other ingredients are mustard mixed into butter. With this dish, less is more.
After a few minutes in a panini press, you'll be able to taste the exquisite pairing of ham with melted cheese. Make sure none of the ingredients are sticking out of the panini bread, otherwise, the cheese might leak out. Layer the ham both under and over the cheese to maximize its flavor.
14. Glazed Pineapple Ham
You don't get a much more retro-style recipe than a glazed ham with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. It's a nostalgic classic that looks incredible in the middle of the spread at a special meal or on a buffet table.
It's easier to stick the fruit on top of an uncut ham, but you can use a spiral-cut one if you prefer — it just might be trickier to keep the garnishes in place. To enhance the taste of the glaze, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, ground cardamon, or a shot of bourbon.
Recipe: Glazed Pineapple Ham
15. Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup
Have you heard of pea and ham soup? This hearty recipe is similar except it's made with navy beans. It's a fantastic Instant Pot soup that you can easily rustle up in a hurry. It's up to you if you blend it or not, but it tastes best if it's not too smooth.
Keep leftover ham from another dish in the freezer so that you've got some ready to make this soup whenever you feel like it. One of the best ways to serve it is with a hunk of olive bread.
Recipe: Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup
16. Classic Red Eye Gravy
Southern dishes are renowned for being comforting and substantial. And what's heartier than a country-style ham steak with biscuits for the first meal of the day? Frying the ham gives it a wonderful caramelized crust.
What really makes this dish different is the gravy, which is made from coffee and brown sugar. It's really a thin jus rather than gravy, but you can thicken it up by adding some butter or whisking in a starch slurry if you'd like. Pour the gravy over the ham, biscuits, or both. It'll certainly wake you up.
Recipe: Classic Red Eye Gravy
17. Ham And Cheese Cloud Egg
Making cloud eggs is a fabulous egg hack. Whisk the white and bake it separately so it looks like a cloud, with the sunny yolk added later. Adding chopped-up thick deli ham takes your taste buds to cloud nine.
To amp up the flavor, add dried onion and grated cheddar too. If you want to go all-out with the taste, then mix in some minced garlic and cayenne too. This will give the dish a little kick, which is perfect for serving with a Bloody Mary.
Recipe: Ham And Cheese Cloud Egg
18. Bacon Sausage Ham Breakfast Skillet
Talk about a meaty feast — this awesome skillet dish is loaded with breakfast ingredients. Fry diced ham with bacon and sausage links cut into bite-sized pieces until they are nicely browned. Add these to a skillet along with sautéed bell pepper, onion, and diced potato. All you need now are some whisked-up eggs, grated cheese, and cooked bacon.
Sprinkle with chopped green onions when it's ready and serve with hot sauce. If you want, make some other breakfast goodies to go with it, such as cinnamon rolls.
19. Honey Mustard Ham Steak
If you don't want to bake a whole ham, get the same wonderful taste from ham steaks. Just make sure you use fresh ones that haven't been cooked already. The key to these steaks being juicy is to flip them every minute while frying and baste them each time you do so.
The classic pairing of honey and mustard adds a sweet heat to salty ham that's beyond delightful. Brown sugar enhances this with some smokiness when fried, while apple cider vinegar adds a sour note that tastes incredible.
Recipe: Honey Mustard Ham Steak
20. Classic Cheesy Ham Tetrazzini
Especially during the holiday season, you may have leftover ham sitting in your fridge. And if you're looking for inspiration beyond a sandwich, then what about a sublimely cheesy ham tetrazzini? The basics of this pasta dish are cooked ham, spaghetti, shredded cheddar, and peas all enveloped in a white sauce cooked in a skillet.
Since ham is so versatile, it'll complement any cheese you like. Swiss cheese is a good choice. And if you love a green vegetable but want to switch out the peas, what about asparagus instead?
Recipe: Classic Cheesy Ham Tetrazzini