You can never go wrong with a ham for a special occasion, whether it’s ham with pineapple and cherries, coca cola ham, or this delectable honey glazed version. Be sure to add a side of homemade dinner rolls, Instant Pot cranberry sauce and Christmas salad for a fabulous meal.
Honey Glazed Ham Ingredients
To make honey glazed ham you will need a spiral cut ham, brown sugar, butter, honey, Dijon mustard, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. You may want fresh herbs for a garnish. If you have ham leftovers, check out my favorite leftover ham recipes like ham bone soup, scalloped potatoes and ham and ham salad.
How Do You Make Honey Glazed Ham?
To make this honey glazed ham recipe, first place butter, brown sugar, honey, mustard and spices in a saucepan. Mix everything together and simmer it on the stove until thickened. Place your ham in a roasting pan and pour half of the glaze over the ham. Next, cover the ham and bake it until it’s warmed through. Uncover the ham, and pour the remaining glaze over the top. Increase the oven heat, then bake the ham for an additional 15-20 minutes or until it’s caramelized and browned. Slice and serve the ham!
Tips For The Perfect Ham
I prefer to make this recipe with a bone-in spiral ham. You can also use a bone-in half shank, and score the top in a diamond pattern to let the glaze soak in. Another option is a boneless ham, but this cut is more likely to dry out which is why I always choose bone-in ham. I often use light brown sugar for the glaze. You can use dark brown sugar for a stronger molasses flavor. I typically use clover honey; however, other honey varieties will also work, such as blackberry, buckwheat, orange blossom or wildflower. I recommend preparing the ham glaze just before you use it. The glaze will harden in the fridge if you try to make it in advance. If your glaze thickens up more than you’d like, you can microwave it for about 30 seconds to loosen it back up again. First time making a honey glazed ham? Check out my full tutorial on how to cook a ham! Save your leftovers to make a big pot of ham and corn chowder or make sandwiches like my ham and cheese sliders for dinner the next night.
Flavor Variations
I typically make this honey glazed ham as written, but sometimes I use other ingredients depending on what I have on hand.
Juice: Instead of honey, try using 1/2 cup of apple cider, pineapple juice, cranberry juice or orange juice. Spices: Skip the cinnamon and nutmeg, and try pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon with a pinch of ginger, smoked paprika or even a bit of ground cardamom. Sweetener: Feel free to use maple syrup instead of honey. If you don’t have a liquid sweetener on hand, use an extra 1/4 cup of brown sugar instead. Honey Baked: If you want a traditional honey baked ham, try my recipe for honey baked ham. Garnish: You can use fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage or parsley for garnish. You can also use small fresh fruit like cranberries, figs, apples or grapes.
Once you see how easy this honey glazed ham is to make, you’ll be preparing it for every holiday! For more menu inspiration, check out my Christmas recipes or my list of 35 holiday entertaining recipes.
Honey Glazed Ham Video
