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Craving that sweet, smoky Honey Baked Ham flavor without the sky-high price tag? This easy copycat Honey Baked Ham Recipe gives you the same irresistible caramelized crust and juicy tenderness, at a fraction of the cost.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Loved this recipe! Made it for Christmas and will make it again this Easter. My family loved the ham and the sauce it made!! Thank you!!!!.” – Judee
“Thank you, Best ham recipe I’ve had. Love it 😀 !!!” – Gloria
“This was even better than the one I bought at the store last year. Definitely going to save all that money and just make this again for the holidays.” – Stephanie
A Holiday Tradition
Honey Baked Ham was a centerpiece at many Christmas Eve and Easter dinners growing up. My parents usually purchased it at one of our favorite places, the Honey Baked Ham store. What I didn’t realize at the time was how expensive it could be! Now that I’m in charge of my own holiday dinners, I’ve found a way to make a sweet, sugary copycat Honey Baked Ham at home. The price is right, and baking it in the kitchen makes my house smell absolutely divine!
Serve this Honey Baked Ham with our Homemade Mashed Potatoes, a side of Frozen Corn (made the right way), and a festive Christmas Salad, for a delicious and comforting holiday meal!
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
- 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- A Holiday Tradition
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Honey Baked Ham
- Cooking Ham in the Oven
- Heating a Pre-Cooked Ham in the Oven
- Crock Pot Option
- Recipe Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing and Reheating
- What to Serve With Honey Baked Ham
- Leftover Ham Recipes
- Honey Baked Ham Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Spiral Ham – I always use a fully cooked, bone-in spiral sliced ham. The spiral cut makes it easy for the glaze to seep between the slices, and the bone adds flavor and tenderness.
- Glaze – A sweet and savory mix of honey, brown sugar, butter, spicy brown mustard, and warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and paprika). This is what gives the ham its signature caramelized crust. If you want to add a little kick to your glaze, try using
- Hot Honey – you can also do regular honey but the hot honey is seriously so good!
How to Make Honey Baked Ham
- Prep the Ham:
Preheat your oven to 200°F. Line a roasting pan with foil and place the ham inside.
- Make the Glaze:
In a small saucepan, mix the butter, brown sugar, honey, and spices. Warm over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves.
- First Baste:
Brush about one-third of the glaze all over the ham, making sure to get between the slices.
- Bake Low and Slow:
Cover the ham and bake for 5 hours. Halfway through, baste again using half of the remaining glaze. Bake until the ham reaches 140°F.
- Final Baste:
Remove the ham and turn the oven to broil. Brush on the rest of the glaze, covering the top evenly.
- Broil and Serve:
Place the ham back in the oven, uncovered, and broil until the glaze bubbles and caramelizes. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Cooking Ham in the Oven
Baking a ham is the best way to get that perfect caramelized crust while keeping the ham nice and juicy. Check out the recipe card below for all the details. The trick here is low and slow. Since ham comes precooked, all you really need to do is warm it through and allow the honey and brown sugar mixture to coat the meat thoroughly. It’s a lengthy process, but thankfully easy and worth the patience, once you take your first bite!
Heating a Pre-Cooked Ham in the Oven
For this copycat Honey Baked Ham recipe, I cook the ham for 5 hours at 200-degrees F. However, if you are in a hurry, you can speed up the process by raising the temperature to 275-degrees and cook for 2-3 hours. No matter the temperature or the amount of time you cook it, you want to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer before serving. You want the internal temperature of the thickest part of the ham to be 140-degrees F.
Crock Pot Option
If you want the ease of cooking your ham in the crock pot, you can! Just make sure to line your crock pot because it’ll get messy with all of that delicious sauce. Cook on low for 5-6 hours and then pop it in the oven under the broiler to crisp up the top. Try our Slow Cooker Ham with Maple and Brown Sugar too. It’s so delicious!
Recipe Tips
- Line your roasting pan with foil. The brown sugar mixture is delicious, but it makes a sticky mess! Save yourself some clean-up time and line the pan. Then, all you have to do is toss it afterward!
- Cover the ham with foil or a lid when cooking. You want to keep all those juices in the ham.
- Use a heavy duty roasting pan if you can. We love the Magnalite Roasting Pan.
- Baste your ham with the honey mixture halfway through the baking process. If you really want to have a strong glaze, baste it several times throughout the baking process.
- When basting, use a silicone basting brush. The honey mixture is sticky and you don’t want little stringy fibers getting into your baste with other types of brushes.
- To give your ham that signature golden, caramel crust, put the ham under the broiler for a few minutes at the end. You can also use a kitchen blow torch to give it that caramelized touch.
- Make sure to let the ham rest about five minutes or so before slicing and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe I use a cooked spiral cut, bone-in ham. A spiral cut ham is super easy to use and glaze because it has been pre-cut into nice, thin slices. Spiral hams are easy to find at most grocery stores, especially around Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. You can also use a boneless ham, but I prefer bone-in because the ham slices are more tender and I love using the ham bone to make soups like split pea soup and ham and bean soup.
Cover it tightly with foil or a lid, and baste it during baking to keep it moist and flavorful. Cook low and slow for best results. You also want to check the temperature and remove from the oven when the ham reaches 140 degrees F. If the ham gets too hot, it will start drying out.
This ham is very flavorful on its own. If you are serving the ham as leftovers on a ham and cheese board, you can serve with dijon mustard, pepper jelly, or hot honey.
If your ham is pre-cooked, it should be heated to 140-degrees F before serving.
No, but it can help reduce baking time slightly. If you’re short on time, taking it out of the fridge 30–60 minutes before baking is helpful.
Yes! That quick broil step caramelizes the glaze and gives it the signature golden, slightly crispy crust that makes it taste like the original.
Pour any remaining glaze over the ham slices before serving or serve it on the side as a sweet dipping sauce.
A store-bought Honey Baked Ham can cost over $100, while making this recipe with a similar-sized ham from the grocery store is closer to $30.
Storing and Reheating
In the fridge:
- Uncooked ham will stay fresh for up to 7 days.
- After it’s baked, store leftovers up to 1 week.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place in a resealable bag, or use an airtight container.
In the freezer:
- Yes, you can freeze cooked ham! Pack in airtight containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 4 months for best taste. (It’s still safe after that, but the flavor/texture may decline.)
- Great for saving portions to use later in casseroles or soups.
Thawing & reheating:
- Thaw frozen ham in the refrigerator until completely defrosted.
- Reheat covered in the oven or microwave until warmed through (oven is typically about 30 minutes, depending on amount).
- Tip: keep it moist by covering well; you can add a small splash of liquid to the pan if desired.
What to Serve With Honey Baked Ham
This Honey Baked Ham is so delicious and versatile, that the possibilities of what to serve alongside a thick slice are endless! Here are some tried and true side dishes that we love to serve with ham:
Leftover Ham Recipes
- Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes
- Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Ham Fried Rice
- Crockpot Split Pea Soup
- Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich
- Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes
If you give this Honey Baked Ham Recipe a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out! Leave a comment below and let me know what you served with it, and any variations you may have tried! 🍯🍖👩🍳
Honey Baked Ham
Video
Ingredients
- 1 (8-10 pound) fully cooked bone-in spiral sliced ham
- 1 cup honey
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a roasting pan with foil or a roasting pan liner. Place ham in prepared pan. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients. Heat over medium-low until sugar is just dissolved. You do not need to bring it to a boil.
- Baste ham with about one-third of the honey mixture. Be sure to get in between all the slices.
- Cover and bake for 5 hours, basting a second time halfway through using half of the remaining honey mixture. Check the temperature often. When the ham reaches 140 degrees F, it is ready.
- Remove ham from the oven and set the oven to broil. While the oven is getting to temperature, baste ham one last time using the remaining mixture. Be sure to get a nice even coating over the top.
- Place ham, uncovered, back in the oven. Watch it closely! When the glaze starts to caramelize and bubble up, remove the ham from the oven. Allow ham to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Equipment
- Large Roasting Pan
Notes
- Save yourself some cleanup time and line your roasting pan. That glorious honey and brown sugar mixture is delicious but it makes a sticky mess! If you line your pan, then all you have to do is toss the liner out afterward.
- Use a heavy-duty roasting pan if you can. We love the Magnalite roasting pan. Cover the ham with foil or a lid when cooking. You want to keep all those juices in the ham.
- When basting, use a silicone basting brush. The honey mixture is sticky, and you don’t want little stringy fibers getting into your baste wit other types of brushes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’m sorry, I expected a better taste being i never used maple syrup but no difference than my recipe. Thank you for sharing as I’m always checking out new recipes.
Thank you again
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you. Just curious, what ingredients do you use in your ham recipe?