Honey Baked Ham
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Impress your friends and family with this delicious homemade Honey Baked Ham recipe! It’s perfect for holiday dinners, like Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas, or special occasions throughout the year. It’s roasted with a sweet honey glaze, then finished with a caramelized brown sugar crust on the outside. This ham is juicy, sweet, flavorful, and surprisingly easy to make at home!
Table of contents
Create the perfect centerpiece for any holiday dinner table, with this honey baked ham recipe. For years, my family would pick up a store-bought honey glazed ham for holiday meals. Then one Easter we decided to make our own with a spiral ham from the grocery store. And the game was changed forever!
This homemade copycat recipe of a honey baked ham is actually really easy to make, and it’s a fraction of the cost of buying it premade. Now, this perfectly sweet and juicy ham sits on the middle of the dinner table for every Easter and Christmas meal, and it’s everyone’s favorite dish!
A tasty honey glaze with dijon mustard and pineapple juice adds a hint of tangy, tart flavors and a delicious sweet layer of flavor on the ham. But the real secret here is the caramelized brown sugar crust at the end. This is the signature step that creates a true copycat version of the honey baked ham classic!
Ingredients
For the full ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Bone-In Spiral Sliced Ham – this recipe will work for any size ham, but using the measurements in this recipe, you’ll want a ham that’s 8-12 pounds. If your ham is smaller, around 4-6 pounds, you’ll want to cut the ingredients in half for the glaze. I recommend using a spiral sliced ham, as it’s already sliced, and it’s what you’re most likely to find at a traditional grocery store. The ham will also be fully cooked, so you’re not glazing and “cooking” the ham, you’re basically glazing and heating the ham up in the oven.
- Pineapple juice (optional) – the pineapple juice is poured in the bottom of the roasting pan, and will keep the ham moist during the cooking process. You’ll also use the drippings from the ham that combine with the pineapple juice in the bottom of the pan, to make the glaze to finish the ham. You can use water instead, but the glaze won’t have as much flavor.
- Butter – melted and combined with the honey and mustard, this ingredient gives the ham a rich, buttery flavor as it roasts in the oven.
- Honey – the key ingredient to making this sticky sweet honey glazed ham.
- Dijon mustard – the acidity and tanginess of the dijon mustard helps balance out the sweetness in this dish. It’s a secret ingredient that you should always add to your honey baked ham!
- Brown sugar – to create the sweet caramelized crust on the outside of the ham.
- Spices – salt, garlic powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, paprika and allspice combine to season the glaze for the ham.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Line the bottom of a roasting pan with a large piece of aluminum foil (for easy clean-up). Pour pineapple juice, or water, into the bottom of the lined roasting pan. Place a spiral ham, flat side down, on a rack in the roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, honey and dijon mustard.
- Use your hands to massage the honey butter mixture over the entire ham, including in between the slices. Cover loosely with a piece of foil. Bake in a preheated 275°F oven for 12-15 minutes per pound of ham. For a 10-12 pound ham, this will be between 2-3 hours.
- While the ham is cooking, combine brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, paprika and allspice in a bowl. Set this mixture aside.
- After the cooking time on the ham is complete, remove the ham from the oven. Turn the oven from bake to broil on low. Move one rack in the oven to the lowest position. Remove the other racks, so that you can place the ham back in the oven on the lowest possible rack.
- Tilt one corner of the roasting pan up, so that the liquid flows to the other corner. Reach a tablespoon or small measuring cup in the roasting pan and remove ¼ cup of the liquid from the bottom of the roasting pan. Place this liquid in a small saucepan, along with half of the brown sugar spice mixture.
- Cover the tops and sides of the ham with the remaining half of the brown sugar mixture. (I like to use heat-proof gloves for this.) Place the ham back in the oven on the lowest oven rack to broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the sugar starts to caramelize over the ham, but does not burn. Watch the ham in the oven during this time. Do not walk away! Remove the ham from the oven when it’s light brown and bubbling on the outside.
- Place the saucepan with the drippings and brown sugar mixture on the stove over high heat. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. After the mixture boils, let it simmer for 1 minute, then remove it from the heat.
- Brush this mixture over the ham, then place the ham back in the oven on the lowest rack, under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Once again, watch the ham during this time to make sure that the glaze caramelizes on the ham without burning.
- Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before serving.
How to slice the ham
Cutting a spiral sliced ham is pretty simple, since most of the meat is pre-sliced. You’ll need a sharp knife, preferably a chefs knife, as well as a carving fork and pairing knife.
- Place a carving fork in the back of the ham. Slice around the bone in the middle of the ham with a pairing knife. Cut as close to the bone as possible, so you don’t leave any ham behind. The slices will naturally start to fall off the ham. Place the slices of ham on a serving platter.
- With the remaining unsliced portion of the ham, once again, place a carving fork in the back side of the ham, about 1/2 inch from the back end. Use a large chefs knife to slice the remaining ham however thick or thin you’d like the slices. If the slices are still stuck on the bone, use the pairing knife to remove the slices from the bone.
- Save the ham bone, and any meat still attached to it, to make flavorful pinto beans.
Recipe tips
- Always watch the ham while it’s under the broiler in the oven! Broiling the ham is key to getting the wonderful caramelized crust on the outside. But it’s also really easy to burn the sugar instead of caramelizing it. If the ham begins to look dark brown on top, immediately remove it from the oven so that it does not burn.
- Always broil the ham on the bottom rack of the oven! When cooking a large 10-12 pound ham in a roasting pan, if you place it on the middle rack of the oven, the top of the ham will be too close to the broiler element in the oven and it’s more likely to burn on top.
- Ditch the brown sugar glaze packet that comes with the spiral sliced ham. If you purchased a ham that came with a seasoning packet, I recommend discarding it and using this recipe instead. This is what will give you a true copycat Honey Baked Ham recipe!
- You can make this recipe ahead of time. If you’d like to keep the sliced ham warm before serving, place it in a slow cooker on warm with 2-3 tablespoons of liquid from the roasting pan. This will keep it moist, tender and hot, until you’re ready to serve the ham.
- When purchasing a bone-in ham, you’ll want to purchase approximately 1/2 pound of meat per person. Some of that weight will be in the bone and the end weight after cooking the ham will be less.
- If using a frozen ham to make this recipe, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator 3 days before making this recipe. This will allow it to thaw completely.
- If you don’t have a roasting pan, place the ham on top of a wire rack inside of a rimmed baking sheet, or baking dish.
- Always rest the ham for at least 15 minutes before slicing. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and will give you perfectly juicy honey baked ham.
What to serve with it
Honey baked ham is delicious around the holidays, but it’s easy enough to make any time of the year. It makes for an impressive dinner for friends or family, celebrations or birthdays. I love to serve the ham with scalloped potatoes and vegetables, but it really is delicious with any of these scrumptious side dishes!
How to store and reheat
Store leftover ham in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days. You can reheat the ham, or eat it cold.
To reheat leftover honey baked ham slices in the oven, wrap them in foil and reheat them at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, or until warm.
What to do with leftovers
Turn leftover honey baked ham into delicious meals for the entire week with these easy recipes!
- Ham Fried Rice
- Cranberry Brie Ham Sliders
- Apricot Ham and Cheese Sandwich
- Potato and Ham Hash (Three Ways!)
- Sous Vide Egg Bites
- Monte Cristo Rolls
- Crustless Ham and Zucchini Quiche from Bowl of Delicious
- Black Eyed Peas Soup from Chili Pepper Madness
More impressive main dishes
After you master making your own honey baked ham, try these other impressive main dish recipes that have been tested and perfected in my kitchen!
Honey Baked Ham
Impress your friends and family with this delicious homemade Honey Baked Ham recipe! It's perfect for holiday dinners, like Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas, or special occasions throughout the year. It's roasted with a sweet honey glaze, then finished with a caramelized brown sugar crust on the outside. This ham is juicy, sweet, flavorful, and surprisingly easy to make at home!
Ingredients
- 10 pound bone-in spiral sliced ham
- 2 cups pineapple juice, or water
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°F.
- Line the bottom of a roasting pan with a large piece of aluminum foil (for easy clean-up).
- Place the ham, flat side down, on a rack in the roasting pan and pour 2 cups of pineapple juice (or water) in the bottom of the pan.
- Combine the melted butter, honey and dijon mustard in a bowl, then massage it all over the ham, getting in between the slices.
- Cover the ham loosely with foil and bake for 12-15 minutes per pound of ham. For a 10 pound ham, you'll need to cook the ham for at least 2 hours.
- While the ham is cooking, combine the brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, paprika and allspice in a bowl.
- After the cooking time on the ham is finished, remove the ham from the oven.
- Turn the oven from bake to broil on low. Move one rack in the oven to the lowest position. Remove the other racks, so that you can place the ham back in the oven on the lowest possible rack.
- Tilt one corner of the roasting pan up, so that the liquid flows to the other corner. Reach a tablespoon or small measuring cup in the roasting pan and remove ¼ cup of the liquid from the bottom of the roasting pan. Place this liquid in a small saucepan, along with half of the brown sugar spice mixture.
- Cover the tops and sides of the ham with the remaining half of the brown sugar mixture.
- Place the ham back in the oven on the lowest oven rack to broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the sugar starts to caramelize over the ham, but does not burn. Watch the ham in the oven during this time. Do not walk away! Remove the ham from the oven when it’s light brown and bubbling on the outside.
- Place the saucepan with the drippings and brown sugar mixture on the stove over high heat. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. After the mixture boils, let it simmer for 1 minute, then remove it from the heat.
- Brush this mixture over the ham, then place the ham back in the oven on the lowest rack, under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Once again, watch the ham during this time to make sure that the glaze caramelizes on the ham without burning.
- Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before serving.
- See the notes section below for how to slice the ham.
Notes
- This recipe will work for any size ham, but using the measurements in this recipe, you’ll want a ham that’s 8-12 pounds. If your ham is smaller, around 4-6 pounds, you’ll want to cut the ingredients in half for the glaze. I recommend preparing ½ pound of meat per person for a meal.
- To slice the ham:
- Place a carving fork in the back of the ham. Slice around the bone in the middle of the ham with a pairing knife. Cut as close to the bone as possible, so you don’t leave any ham behind. The slices will naturally start to fall off the ham. Place the slices of ham on a serving platter.
- With the remaining unsliced portion of the ham, once again, place a carving fork in the back side of the ham, about 1/2 inch from the back end. Use a large chefs knife to slice the remaining ham however thick or thin you’d like the slices. If the slices are still stuck on the bone, use the pairing knife to remove the slices from the bone.
- You can make this recipe ahead of time. If you’d like to keep the sliced ham warm before serving, place it in a slow cooker on warm with 2-3 tablespoons of liquid from the roasting pan. This will keep it moist, tender and hot, until you’re ready to serve the ham.
- If using a frozen ham to make this recipe, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator 3 days before making this recipe. This will allow it to thaw completely.
- If you don’t have a roasting pan, place the ham on top of a wire rack inside of a rimmed baking sheet, or baking dish.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free.
- Store leftover ham in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days. You can reheat the ham, or eat it cold. To reheat leftover honey baked ham slices in the oven, wrap them in foil and reheat them at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, or until warm.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 630kcal (32%)Carbohydrates 18g (6%)Protein 49g (98%)Fat 39g (60%)Saturated Fat 14g (70%)Polyunsaturated Fat 4gMonounsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 144mg (48%)Sodium 2771mg (115%)Potassium 700mg (20%)Fiber 0.2g (1%)Sugar 17g (19%)Vitamin A 49mg (1%)Vitamin C 2mg (2%)Calcium 30mg (3%)Iron 2mg (11%)
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