Honey Baked Ham Recipe (2024)

A stunning Honey Baked Ham is a classic holiday centerpiece that is an easy recipe to make at home. It is a real crowd pleaser with a sweet, crispy brown sugar ham glaze atop the juicy, spiral sliced ham and a ham gravy that will have you reaching for a straw! It is that good!

In this article you'll find everything you need to make a Honey Baked Ham for your holiday dinner:

What kind of ham to buy
How to cook the ham without drying it out
How to make the BEST brown sugar Honey Baked Ham Glaze
How to make the most amazing ham gravy
What kitchen tools I use when making my homemade Honey Baked Ham and so much more.

With my help you'll make a beautiful and delicious Honey Baked Ham for your holiday celebration without fail!

HOLIDAY HAM WITH BROWN SUGAR GLAZE

In many homes, it is a holiday tradition to serve a Honey Baked Ham with a sweet and savory ham glaze deliciously clinging to the tender, juicy ham. In our house, it wouldn't be a holiday without a Honey Baked Ham, but I really don't like shelling out the big bucks for those fancy hams, so I save my hard earned dollars and make my own Honey Baked Ham at home for a fraction of the cost! It's so easy! Let me show you how...

HONEY BAKED HAM INGREDIENTS

10 lb Honey Cured, Spiral Sliced, Fully Cooked Bone-in 1/2 ham
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup red wine
1/2 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

HONEY BAKED HAM INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 325°F. Using a roasting pan with a rack line it with heavy duty foil (foil makes for easy clean-up). Place ham, cut side down, on the rack. Cover ham (and roasting pan) with heavy duty foil. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
Prepare brown sugar ham glaze while ham is baking
After an hour turn the ham so it is on its side. Separate the ham slices & brush the prepared ham glaze all over the ham.
Place the honey glazed ham back in the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes until the ham is heated through and the ham glaze has crisped up nicely on the outside.
Remove honey baked ham from the oven and place the ham on a serving platter. Pour pan drippings into a 4 cup fat separator. Pour the ham gravy into a gravy boat, leaving the fat behind.

NOTE: If you don't own a fat separator, allow the fat to rise to the top and skim it off, then pour the ham gravy in a dish to serve with the honey baked ham.

WHAT KIND OF HAM SHOULD I BUY?

You need aHoney Cured, Spiral Sliced, Fully Cooked Bone-in 1/2 ham. Spiral sliced hams are typically found near the bacon and other ham products in the meat section of your local grocery store. If you have any problem finding one just ask a store employee for help.

Precooked, Spiral Sliced Hams are usually available anytime of year, so if you are making a honey baked ham for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a special Sunday supper with the family, you should be successful in finding the ham for your special occasion.

A HAM GLAZE PACKET CAME WITH THE HAM. WHY DON'T I JUST USE THAT?

The spiral sliced ham usually comes with a packaged ham glaze. I always toss it out. I know that sounds wasteful, but my homemade brown sugar glaze is so much better and doesn't have any added preservatives.

HOW TO HEAT A SPIRAL HAM WITHOUT DRYING IT OUT?

To ensure your spiral sliced ham won't dry out when reheating follow my helpful tips:

Heat the ham at a low temperature (325°F)
Place ham cut side down on a roasting rack - this helps preserve the moisture
Cover the entire ham with heavy duty foil. I recommend using enough foil to cover the ham and the roasting pan to really lock in the steam
Heat the ham, securely covered, for about 6 minutes per pound at 325°F. Then remove the foil, brush on the brown sugar ham glaze, and bake another 30 minutes or until the ham is heated through and the ham glaze is slightly crispy on the outside

HOW MUCH HAM DO I NEED?

When making a bone in Honey Baked Ham you should estimate 1/2 to 3/4 pound per person. I err on the side of caution and consider 3/4 pounds per person, so a 10 lb spiral sliced bone-in ham will serve about 14 people.

I do buy my ham on the large side, as well, because I love having leftover honey baked ham for sandwiches such as my Baked Ham and Cheese Slidersand Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwich. Leftover Honey Baked Ham also makes myMacaroni Saladextra delicious and don't even get me started on how good it is in this Easy Ham Egg and Cheese Breakfast Casserole!

HONEY BAKED HAM SIDES

For holiday dinners I like to have a couple of starches and a variety of vegetables, as well some homemade dinner rolls. Here are some of my favorite side dishes to serve with Honey Baked Ham:

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes- made in the slow cooker!
Orzo Pasta with Spinach and Parmesan- very easy side dish recipe everyone loves!
Steamed Vegetables with Garlic Butter- fresh, simple, & loaded with flavor!
Roasted Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower- I make this often as it is a family fave!
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Dressing- Seriously one of the most delicious ways to eat Brusselssprouts!
Butternut Squash Dinner Rolls- make up the dough before you put the ham in the oven and let them rise while the ham is cooking. Bake the rolls after you take the ham out of the oven before serving. You will LOVE how soft and delicious these rolls are!

HOW LONG WILL HONEY BAKED HAM KEEP?

Store leftover honey baked ham in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. I recommend using an air-tight container when storing your leftover ham. If you need to keep the ham longer than that you can freeze the ham for 3 to 4 months.

What kitchen tools do I need to make a Honey Baked Ham Recipe?

You may already have many of the tools needed to make this recipe, but for your convenience I've listed the tools I use when making my Honey Baked Ham Recipe. Just click on the item name and find the product I use on Amazon.

Disclosure: Life Tastes Good is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. Please note: The following links are affiliate links to products I use and love.

****PIN MY HONEY BAKED HAM RECIPE for later****

ingredients:

10 lb Honey Cured, Spiral Sliced, Fully Cooked Bone-in 1/2 ham
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup red wine
1/2 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a roasting pan with heavy duty foil and place rack on top of the foil (foil makes for easy clean-up). Place a 10 lb honey cured, spiral sliced, fully cooked bone-in ham, cut side down, on the rack. Cover the ham with heavy duty foil, being sure to wrap the foil around the edges of the baking sheet to cover the ham completely, and place the baking sheet in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
While the ham is baking, prepare the brown sugar ham glaze in a saucepan set over medium heat. Combine 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) with 1 cup honey, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/8 cup red wine, and 1/2 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper. Stir well to combine and continue to cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens into a glaze. About 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
After an hour in the oven, remove the ham and turn the it so it is on the oven rack on its side to open up the spirals. Be careful, it's hot. With the ham spiral slices separated, brush the prepared ham glaze all over the ham being sure to coat in between each slice. Some of the ham glaze will drip down into the pan and that's a good thing! It will mix with the ham juices to create the amazing ham gravy that will make you wish it was socially acceptable to drink it through a straw!
Place the honey glazed ham back in the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes until the ham is heated through and the ham glaze has crisped up nicely on the outside.
Remove the honey baked ham from the oven when it is thoroughly heated and the ham glaze is slightly crispy on the spiral edges. Place the ham on a serving platter and pour the pan drippings into a 4 cup fat separator. Pour the ham gravy into a serving dish, leaving the fat behind.

NOTES:

1. If you don't own a fat separator, allow the fat to rise to the top and skim it off, then pour the ham gravy in a dish to serve with the honey baked ham.

2. The spiral sliced ham usually comes with a packaged ham glaze. I always toss it out.

3. Save the ham bone to make ham stock. It is the most delicious stock!

calories
645

fat (grams)
33.6

sat. fat (grams)
15.7

carbs (grams)
26.6

protein (grams)
61.9

sugar (grams)
26.3

https://www.ourlifetastesgood.com/2016/03/honey-baked-ham-recipe.html

Created using The Recipes Generator

Nutrient values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product availability and food preparation. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

This post was updated on 3/13/2019 to provide you with more information on purchasing and making a homemade Honey Baked Ham with brown sugar glaze