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Home » Dinner » Glazed Ham for the Holidays

Published: March 31, 2022 Last Modified: April 1, 2022 By Sara 60 Comments

Glazed Ham for the Holidays

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Brown Sugar Glazed Ham Recipe | Holiday Ham | Ham Glaze | Christmas Ham #christmas #thanksgiving #easter #ham #dinner #dinneratthezoo
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham Recipe | Holiday Ham | Ham Glaze | Christmas Ham #christmas #thanksgiving #easter #ham #dinner #dinneratthezoo
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham Recipe | Holiday Ham | Ham Glaze | Christmas Ham #christmas #thanksgiving #easter #ham #dinner #dinneratthezoo

This glazed ham is coated in a sweet brown sugar and honey glaze, then baked until golden brown and caramelized. The ultimate holiday ham that’s super easy to make and always gets rave reviews.

You can never go wrong with ham for the holidays and this glazed version is both beautiful and delicious. Serve your ham with loaded mashed potatoes and bacon wrapped green beans for a festive meal that your family and friends will love.

A glazed ham on a platter with herbs and cranberries.

Ham is a classic main course around the holidays, and the nice thing about buying a ham is that most of the work is already done for you. Hams come pre-smoked, fully cooked and spiral cut, all you have to do is add some flavorings and you’re ready to go. This glazed ham has a rich and delicious glaze that gets perfectly caramelized in the oven. Best of all, it’s super easy to make!

Glazed Ham Ingredients

Bowls of ingredients including butter, sugar and seasonings.

This is a simple recipe that features a smoked ham coated in a glaze made with common ingredients including butter, brown sugar, honey, apple cider and spices.

How do you make ham glaze?

Place the glaze ingredients in a pan and simmer until a thick, syrupy mixture forms. Brush half of the glaze over the ham while it heats up. The rest of the glaze gets added at the end of the baking time and the oven temperature is increased to ensure a browned and crispy exterior.

Process shots showing how to make glaze and pour it over a ham.

Tips for the perfect dish

  • You’ll need to reserve half of the glaze to use after your ham is mostly cooked through. You can store the glaze at room temperature or in the fridge. The glaze may start to harden as it sits – simply microwave the glaze in 30 second increments until it’s liquid when you’re ready to use it.
  • Leftover ham will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for 2 months.
  • While I prefer to use a spiral cut ham for this recipe, you can also use an uncut ham and score it in a cross hatch pattern before you glaze it.
A brush adding glaze to a baked ham.

Recipe FAQs

How long do you cook a glazed ham?

A ham needs to cook for about 20 minutes per pound in the oven at 325 degrees F. This is for a standard half ham around 7-8 pounds. If you choose to cook your ham in a slow cooker, it will take about 3-4 hours on low heat.

How much ham per person?

You can plan on serving about 3/4 pound of ham per person for a standard bone-in half ham. If you’d like a lot of leftovers at the end of your meal, you can increase this amount to 1 pound of ham per person.

How do you know when ham is done?

The overwhelming majority of hams are already cooked, all you’re actually doing is warming your ham through to the proper food safe temperature. A ham is ready to eat when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham reads at least 145 degrees F.

What do you do with leftover ham?

Got leftover ham? That’s a great situation to be in because there are so many different things you can make with leftover ham. I have compiled a whole list of 18 Leftover Ham Recipes for your perusal.

How do you cook a glazed ham?

There are two common ways to cook a ham. You can bake a ham in the oven, or cook it in a crock pot. You can actually heat your ham through either way for this recipe, but if you choose to use a crock pot, you’ll have to transfer your ham to the oven for the final step of the recipe.

Sliced glazed ham on a serving plate with a garnish of berries and herbs.

Glazed Ham Variations

I typically make this recipe as written, but sometimes I use other ingredients depending on what I have on hand.

  • Juice: Instead of apple cider, try using pineapple juice, cranberry juice or orange juice.
  • Spices: Skip the cinnamon and nutmeg, and try pumpkin pie spice, allspice with a pinch of cloves, cinnamon with a pinch of ginger, or even a bit of 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.

What to serve with ham

I recommend serving a variety of side dishes with your ham, including a potato dish, a green vegetable, and an additional starch like stuffing. Here are some of my favorite side dish options.

  • Glazed Carrots
  • Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
  • Mashed Sweet Potatoes
  • Pomegranate Roasted Brussels Sprouts
  • Cranberry Jello Salad

Slow cooker glazed ham

This ham is a great candidate for the slow cooker. Place the ham in a slow cooker and pour half the glaze over the top. Cook for 3-4 hours on low heat. Transfer the ham to a pan and pour the remaining glaze over the top. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until browned.

This glazed ham is sure to become a favorite with your family as it has been with mine!

Glazed Ham Video

A glazed ham on a platter with herbs and cranberries.
Print Pin
5 from 35 votes

Glazed Ham for the Holidays

This glazed ham is coated in a sweet brown sugar and honey glaze, then baked until golden brown and caramelized. The ultimate holiday ham that’s super easy to make and always gets rave reviews.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 488kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 8 lb bone in spiral cut ham
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup apple cider
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • cooking spray
  • cranberries and herbs for garnish optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
  • Add the butter, brown sugar, honey, apple cider, cinnamon and nutmeg to a pot. Place the pot over medium heat.
  • Bring the pot to a simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes or until glaze is syrupy.
  • Place the ham in the pan and pour half of the glaze over it. Cover the ham with foil. Reserve the remaining glaze for later user.
  • Bake the ham for 2 1/2 hours. Uncover the ham.
  • Pour the remaining glaze over the ham. If the glaze has started to harden, you can microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it back up.
  • Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
  • Place the ham, uncovered, in the oven. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until glaze is caramelized and browned.
  • Transfer the ham to a serving platter and garnish with fresh herbs and cranberries. Spoon pan drippings over the ham. Slice the ham, then serve.

Notes

  1. You’ll need to reserve half of the glaze to use after your ham is mostly cooked through. You can store the glaze at room temperature or in the fridge. The glaze may start to harden as it sits – simply microwave the glaze in 30 second increments until it’s liquid when you’re ready to use it.
  2. This recipe calls for apple cider the juice, do not use apple cider vinegar as it is not the same thing.

Nutrition

Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 855mg | Potassium: 373mg | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1.2mg
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Filed Under: Christmas, Dinner, Thanksgiving

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    Comments

    1. Carrin says

      April 24, 2022 at 5:17 am

      5 stars
      Could I also use this on a non spiral sliced ham , then cut as I normally do once I get ready to serve.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 26, 2022 at 9:16 am

        You’d want to score the ham first and then it will work fine!

        Reply
    2. Kim says

      April 10, 2022 at 1:14 pm

      5 stars
      I make this ham 2x a year and everyone begs for more! Perfect seasonings on this recipe.

      Reply
    3. Amanda Wren-Grimwood says

      April 5, 2022 at 12:21 am

      5 stars
      I love glazed ham and this recipe is so delicious. Will be making this version again.

      Reply
    4. Anita says

      April 4, 2022 at 7:56 pm

      5 stars
      I love how easy the recipe is to follow. My ham turned out perfect and sooooo delicious. I won’t be needing any store-bought ham from now on.

      Reply
      • Aglo says

        November 12, 2022 at 11:13 am

        I don’t like the pineapple ham for its sweetness. How sweet is this glaze compared to that?

        Reply
        • Sara says

          November 14, 2022 at 9:06 am

          This is a sweet glaze. You may want to consider using half the amount of glaze for a ham that’s less sweet.

          Reply
          • Olga says

            November 21, 2022 at 6:15 am

            Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider? Does it change the taste of the original recipe much?

            Reply
            • Sara says

              November 21, 2022 at 7:44 am

              Apple juice will work perfectly fine!

    5. Anjali says

      April 4, 2022 at 6:54 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so hearty and satisfying! Can’t wait to make it the next time we have family over!

      Reply
    6. Heather Johnson says

      April 4, 2022 at 6:46 pm

      5 stars
      this ham turned out perfect! i really loved it – plannning on making it again for easter!

      Reply
    7. Sara says

      April 4, 2022 at 5:34 pm

      5 stars
      This was so easy to make and so flavorful! I swapped out the brown sugar for coconut sugar and it was still amazing! Will be making this again for sure.

      Reply
    8. Laura A Kortes says

      January 3, 2022 at 2:24 am

      5 stars
      We made this last night, WONDERFUL! It was a glorious thing of beauty when I put it on the table ~ will be making this glaze with every ham!

      Reply
    9. Christy says

      January 2, 2022 at 4:27 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious and easy to make. Will definitely be my holiday ham recipe going forward.

      Reply
    10. Chrissy says

      January 1, 2022 at 2:46 pm

      5 stars
      Wow was this glaze delicious! Easy recipe also.

      Reply
    11. Ashley says

      December 4, 2021 at 7:14 am

      Hi! I love this recipe and ive used it the last couple of years. I was wondering though, instead of using foil to cover the ham could i just use the lid to the pan?? Or would foil be the better route to take?? Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 6, 2021 at 9:36 am

        The lid to the pan is also fine!

        Reply
        • Ashley says

          December 7, 2021 at 2:14 pm

          Thank you! Again I love to use this recipe for my christmas ham. Love it!

          Reply
    12. Lucy says

      November 21, 2021 at 8:49 am

      This is kind of a weird question, but what did you use to serve the ham on. I noticed you had some green garnishes underneath, but I am unsure of what they are?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 22, 2021 at 8:51 am

        It’s rosemary, sage and thyme!

        Reply
    13. Sydney says

      November 15, 2021 at 12:40 pm

      At what point did you cut the ham?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 16, 2021 at 8:12 am

        Are you talking about scoring the ham?

        Reply
    14. Jennifer says

      December 25, 2020 at 7:29 pm

      Excellent recipe! It was the best ham I’ve ever made! I used the suggestion of pumpkin pie spice. Otherwise followed it as written. It smells amazing while it’s cooking too. Made for a homey feeling on Christmas. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        April 3, 2021 at 11:14 am

        Hi! It’s Jennifer again and I will be making this excellent recipe again for Easter tomorrow. Can you please let me know if you used salted or unsalted butter? Thanks!!

        Reply
        • Sara says

          April 3, 2021 at 8:31 pm

          Either works but I typically use salted.

          Reply
    15. Liz says

      December 24, 2020 at 5:49 am

      Could I use a double smoked ham for this recipe?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 24, 2020 at 10:40 am

        Yes that will work!

        Reply
    16. Michelle says

      November 19, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      Kind of a dumb question. Should I be getting a precooked ham or uncooked?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 19, 2020 at 6:25 pm

        Precooked ham!

        Reply
        • Michelle says

          November 19, 2020 at 9:58 pm

          Thank you!’!!!!

          Reply
      • Brittany says

        December 22, 2020 at 7:28 am

        Can I use 2-4 lb boneless hams instead? How would that change the recipe/cooking time?

        Reply
        • Sara says

          December 22, 2020 at 3:55 pm

          You’d cook for about 15 minutes per pound for boneless hams, so around an hour. Make sure you use a large pan and the hams aren’t touching each other so that the air can freely circulate and heat them all the way through. Use the glaze as directed and just divide it between the two pans!

          Reply
    17. Amanda says

      April 11, 2020 at 11:02 am

      So I went to the store and all I could find was 13 lb hams that already have brown sugar added, I really want to make the recipe tomorrow for Easter can you please get back to me and let me know how to make it work with what I have?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 11, 2020 at 1:46 pm

        Is the ham already glazed? Most come with a separate packet of glaze that you can just discard.

        Reply
    18. Kristy says

      March 28, 2020 at 11:51 am

      5 stars
      The glaze on this ham was so delicious! I’m making it again this year!

      Reply
      • Gerry says

        November 26, 2021 at 10:08 am

        5 stars
        Great recipe I would make it again. I also smoked it for 1.5 hours on out Treager before baking it. Was the best glazed ham ever.

        Reply
    19. Marcy says

      January 25, 2020 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      Chose a no nitrate spiral ham and this was the best tasting ham ever! It even made the left overs the best lima bean soup. Will make again next Christmas!

      Reply
    20. Deb says

      December 23, 2019 at 3:38 pm

      5 stars
      This was way better than the honey baked ham store! From now on I’m making this!

      Reply
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