This ham salad is a blend of finely diced ham, mayonnaise, veggies and seasonings, all mixed together to form a savory and creamy salad. The absolute best way to use up leftover ham! Serve your salad as a sandwich, with crackers, or over lettuce.
When I have a lot of ham on hand, I make ham and bean soup, ham and cheese sliders, or this quick and easy salad recipe. It takes just minutes to prepare and can easily be customized to your tastes.
I always buy an oversized ham for the holidays so that I have plenty of leftovers. One of the easiest ways to repurpose leftover ham is with this delicious ham salad. It contains just a handful of ingredients, and is always a big hit.
How do you make ham salad?
Start by finely chopping ham by hand, or make quick work of this job by using a food processor. Stir in mayonnaise, finely diced celery and onion, pickle relish, mustard and a bit of parsley. Mix everything together until well combine. Use right away, or refrigerate for later enjoyment.
Tips for the perfect salad
- You can control the texture of this salad based on how finely you grind your meat. I prefer a chunkier salad, so I use the food processor to pulse my ham to get to the right consistency, or I chop it with a knife.
- Feel free to use the food processor to finely dice your celery, onion and parsley.
- You can serve this salad with a side of buttery crackers, spoon it into lettuce leaves for a low carb option, or mound it onto a croissant or bun with lettuce to serve as a sandwich.
- I find that the flavors in this salad are best if you use sweet pickle relish, as the sweetness offsets the salty flavor of the ham. You can also use dill pickle relish if you prefer, or simply add some finely diced pickle to the mix.
- Looking to save a few calories? It’s fine to substitute light mayonnaise instead of the full fat variety.
- I make this dish year round, it’s not just for leftover ham! If I don’t have leftovers on hand, I purchase a ham steak at the grocery store.
How long can you keep ham salad?
This salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep it in an airtight container for best results. Ham salad should not sit at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
Can ham salad be frozen?
I do not recommend freezing this salad, as it will be watery when thawed. You can freeze leftover ham to defrost at a later time to make this dish, just don’t freeze the prepared dish.
Flavor Variations
This salad is delicious as written, but you can add other ingredients to customize it to your tastes.
- Veggies: Feel free to add more vegetables such as diced red bell pepper, cucumber or even thawed peas.
- Herbs: Kick up the flavor with sliced green onions, chives, dill or fresh basil.
- Protein: You can also make this salad with smoked turkey or diced cooked chicken breast.
Ham salad is an absolute must-make recipe. It has the perfect blend of flavors that’s sure to please everyone.
More great ways to use up ham
Ham Salad Video
Ham Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ham approximately 3 cups
- 1/2 cup celery finely diced
- 1/4 cup red onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Finely dice the ham by hand, or place the ham in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Place the ham in a large bowl along with the celery, red onion, mustard, mayonnaise, pickle relish, black pepper and parsley. Stir gently to combine.
- Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Elizabeth says
Perfection on a plate! LOVE this use for leftover ham, especially on that delicious croissant!
Cheryl says
I made this for lunch today and we loved it!
Jamie says
Such a great idea! I think I’ll be serving this ham salad with some crackers on the side for an easy after school snack! Saving for later!
Alison says
Super easy and flavorful ham salad. I can see this being perfect when you have ham leftovers from a holiday meal!
Anjali says
I love how easy this salad was to make!! It was the perfect way for us to switch things up for lunch this week!
Tawnie says
This was SO good especially on the croissant! Will be making again.
Genevieve says
I love a good ham salad recipe and this one fits the bill!
Patricia says
So, so amazing! I haven’t had a great ham salad in so long! This is lovely!
Catalina says
It looks so inviting! I will definitely try your recipe!
Beth says
This looks so delicious and tasty! My husband is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to give this a try!
Toni Dash says
This is such a delicious salad!! Perfect lunch idea!
Erin says
This ham salad is incredibly delicious!
Suzy says
The best way to use up leftover ham! Was so tasty!