This honey glazed ham is a spiral cut ham, coated in honey and spices, then baked to golden brown perfection. An easy holiday ham recipe that looks super impressive and is sure to get rave reviews from family and friends.
You can never go wrong with a ham for a special occasion, whether it’s pineapple ham, coca cola ham, or this delectable honey glazed version.
When it’s time for me to host family and friends for the holidays, I always make this honey glazed ham. It’s a show stopping main course that happens to be easy to make.
How do you make honey glazed ham?
This recipe starts with a homemade glaze made of brown sugar, honey, mustard and spices, which simmers on the stove until thickened. Pour half of the glaze over a ham, then 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.
Tips for the perfect ham
- I prefer to make this recipe with a bone-in spiral cut 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.
- I typically use light brown sugar and clover honey for the glaze. You can use dark brown sugar for a stronger flavor. Other honey varieties will also work, such as blackberry, buckwheat, orange blossom or wildflower.
- I recommend preparing the 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.
HOW LONG DO YOU COOK A HONEY GLAZED HAM?
A ham needs to cook for about 15 minutes per pound in the oven at 350 degrees F. This is for a standard bone-in half ham around 7-8 pounds in size.
HOW MUCH HAM PER PERSON?
You can plan on serving about 3/4 pound of ham per person for a bone-in ham, or 1/2 pound of ham for a boneless 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 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. Be sure that the thermometer does not touch the bone, as this can lead to an inaccurate reading.
HONEY 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 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, 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.
Once you see how easy this ham is to make, you’ll be preparing it for every holiday!
Side dishes to serve with your ham
Honey Glazed Ham Video
Honey Glazed Ham
Ingredients
- 8 lb bone in spiral cut ham
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of cloves
- pinch of allspice
- cooking spray
- fresh herbs and fruit for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, honey, mustard, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice to a pan. Place the pan over medium heat.
- Bring the pan to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes or until glaze is syrupy.
- Place the ham in the pan and pour half of the glaze over it. Cover the ham tightly with foil. Reserve the other half of the glaze for later use.
- Bake the ham for 2 hours. Uncover the ham.
- Pour the remaining half of the glaze over the ham. If the glaze has started to harden, you can microwave it for 30 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 fruit. Spoon pan drippings over the ham. Slice the ham, then serve immediately.
Sandi says
I made this and all I can say is WOWZA. It was a huge hit with even my picky eater.
Cathy says
The honey glaze is perfection!
katerina says
This honey glazed ham looks incredibly delicious!! I can’t wait to try it!
Kate says
This looks incredibly delicious! My family would love it!
Haley D. Williams says
This recipe is how my mom makes it and it tastes amazing every time. I’m so glad I have a written recipe now because she never writes hers down 🙂
Beth says
My family is going to love this recipe especially my picky son! Can’t wait to make this recipe!
Toni Dash says
This is so good!! My kids will surely love it!
Rahul says
Your ham looks so delicious Sara! Can’t take my eyes off that glaze. Honey baked perfection