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This Christmas Ham with Apple Cider Glaze tastes like the holidays you remember. It’s packed with sweet, warm spices and all the classic Christmas flavors you grew up with.
A Peek Into Our Family’s Traditions
In our family, we take our Christmas traditions pretty seriously. It all starts two days before Christmas, with “Lillejulaften” (Little Christmas Eve). This is a nod to our Danish roots where we make classic dishes like Frikadeller, Brunede Kartofler, and Risalamande. On Christmas Eve, we switch gears completely and do Chinese food. I’m not sure how that tradition started, but we love it. It is simple, fun, and lets us enjoy each other’s company and play games without spending the whole night in the kitchen. We usually get takeout, but sometimes we’ll make easy favorites like Ham Fried Rice or Chow Mein to go along with the meal.
For Christmas dinner? It’s always glazed ham. Whether we do this Christmas Ham, a homemade Honey Baked Ham, or a simple Crockpot Spiral Ham, we must do a ham dinner on Christmas day. We always make it a nicer dinner with glassware and fresh linens. It’s pretty much the fanciest dinner we do all year. We will do appetizers like Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus, and sides like our Christmas Salad and Oven Roasted Potatoes. Give this Christmas menu a try this year and let me know what you think!
🩷 Erica
Key Ingredients
- Ham: I usually use a tavern ham or a spiral ham. Either works great, it just depends on what you are going for. I will go into more detail on each of these types of ham below.
- Apple cider: I love getting local cider when I can. Sometimes I can find a great fresh-pressed cider from local farms in my area, but it’s difficult to find later in the year. Costco has a great honey crisp apple cider too, but again, it can be tricky to find. Just use the best quality you can find and you will be set.
- Cider Glaze: For the glaze I like to use a cup of the cider after it has been reduced on the stovetop combined with a little honey, Dijon, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. This gives the ham a warm cozy flavor and will make your house smell incredible while cooking!
Tavern Ham vs Spiral Ham
A tavern ham is usually boneless, so you get more usable meat and it stays nice and juicy because you slice it yourself. The downside is that it does not have the same pretty, holiday centerpiece look as a spiral cut ham. A spiral ham is already sliced, which makes it very easy to serve and great for glazing since the sauce seeps into every cut. It can dry out a little faster, so it helps to keep it covered and basted. I like using a spiral ham when I plan to use the ham bone or leftover pieces to make something like Split Pea Soup or Ham and Bean Soup. Both types work well depending on whether you want maximum moisture and yield with a tavern ham or easy serving and good leftovers with a spiral.
How to Make a Christmas Ham (Step-by-Step)
- Simmer the apple cider with the cinnamon sticks until it reduces to 2–3 cups. Reserve 1 cup for the glaze.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place your fully cooked tavern ham (or spiral ham) in a greased roasting pan.
- Pour the remaining cider reduction all over the top. Cover with foil and place ham in the oven for 15 minutes per pound of ham (if 5 pounds, cook 75 minutes).
- Combine reserved 1 cup of cider reduction, dijon mustard, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a bowl and mix well. Brush over ham 3-4 times throughout the baking process (every 15 minutes or so).
- For the last 30 minutes, remove the foil and let the ham brown. Give it one more good glaze before it comes out of the oven.
- Let the ham rest for about 10 minutes, then slice and drizzle any extra glaze from the pan over the top. Serve with cranberry sauce if you want a sweet-tart topping.
Expert Cooking Tips
Score the ham lightly. If your ham is not pre-sliced, make shallow cuts in a diamond pattern. This helps the glaze soak into the ham better.
Baste often. Brush the glaze on several times while baking so it caramelizes instead of just pooling at the bottom of the pan.
Keep it covered. Tent the ham with foil for most of the bake to lock in moisture. Uncover only at the end so the outside can brown without drying out.
Use a thermometer. Warm the ham just until it reaches 140°F internally. Anything beyond that can make it dry out.
Save the drippings. The cider glaze that collects in the pan is liquid gold. Brush it on before serving or drizzle it over slices on the platter.
Frequently Asked Questions
It really does make a difference. Reducing the cider concentrates the flavor and helps the glaze cling to the ham instead of running off. If you rush it, the glaze won’t be as thick or flavorful.
Yes. You can reduce the cider and mix the glaze a day or two in advance. Just refrigerate it and rewarm it slightly before brushing it on the ham.
Mashed potatoes, rolls, roasted veggies, green beans, and a bright salad are all great. We also love serving it with cranberry sauce for a sweet-tart contrast.
You can, but cider has a deeper, richer flavor. If you use apple juice, make sure to reduce it fully so it thickens and sweetens enough to work as a glaze.
Recipes to Try with Leftover Ham
Have you tried this Christmas Ham? I’d love to hear what you think! Drop a comment below and let me know how you liked it. And don’t forget to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @favoritefamilyrecipes! 📸🎄
Christmas Ham with Apple Cider Glaze
Ingredients
- 64 ounces apple cider
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4-5 pounds fully cooked ham, we used a tavern ham for this recipe but a spiral ham works great too
- 1/3 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- cranberry sauce, optional
Instructions
- Place cider and cinnamon sticks in a large sauce pan and simmer over medium-low heat for 2 hours or until reduced to about 2-3 cups of liquid. Stir occassionaly. Remove reduction from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Place ham in a greased roasting pan. Set aside 1 cup of the cider reduction and pour the remaining cider reduction over the ham.
- Cover and place ham in the oven for 15 minutes per pound of ham (if 5 pounds, cook 75 minutes) or until the internal temperature reaches 120-125℉.
- Combine reserved 1 cup of cider reduction, dijon mustard, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a bowl and mix well. Brush over ham 3-4 times throughout the baking process.
- Uncover ham last 30 minutes of baking or until the internal temp of the ham reaches 140℉. Brush with glaze from the pan.
- Remove ham from the oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing. Brush on more cider glaze from the pan as it cools if desired. Serve with cranberry sauce (optional).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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