This Ham Glaze adds the most beautifully delicious, sweet, sticky exterior to any baked ham recipe!
Sweet and savory, this ham glaze recipe uses ingredients you likely have on and takes just a few minutes to prepare.
What You’ll Need To Make Ham Glaze
The ham glaze below needs just a handful of ingredients.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar caramelizes to create a delicious, sticky exterior. It can be replaced with honey, maple syrup, melted apricot jam, or apple jelly.
- Juice: Orange or pineapple juice adds flavor and makes the glaze easy to brush onto the ham. It can be replaced with almost any juice, including apple juice.
- Mustard: I add Dijon mustard for flavor, along with a pinch of clove or ginger. Any variety of Dijon or grainy mustard can be used.
When to Glaze the Ham
Ham glaze contains sugar, which allows it to brown to make a sticky, sweet coating. If the glaze is added too early, it will burn.
Glaze the ham about 20-30 minutes before it’s done baking—approximately when the ham reaches 115 to 120°F with a meat thermometer.
To glaze the ham, use a brush to apply the glaze on the outside. I recommend scoring the ham to allow the glaze to seep in if you’re not using a spiral ham.
Ham Glaze Tips
A ham glaze is easy to make and adds the most delicious flavor to an oven-roasted ham.
- Score the ham: For the best results, score the ham or thin skin on top to allow the glaze to get into the meat, especially if you aren’t using a spiral ham. Spiral cut hams don’t need scoring as the glaze seeps between the slices naturally.
- Remove the rind if needed: Most store-bought hams come without the rind. If your ham has a tough, thick, leathery rind, remove it, as it won’t soften during cooking. Look for a fat layer underneath, and if it’s present, you can score it for better results.
Did your family enjoy this homemade Ham Glaze? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
The Best Ham Glaze (Easy)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice or pineapple juice
- 2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard or grainy mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch ground cloves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together.
- Brush over a spiral cut or scored ham (see notes) about 20-30 minutes before the ham is done or when the ham reaches 115 to 120°F. Continue baking according to your recipe or until the ham reaches 138°F.
- If desired, brush a second glaze overtop once the ham is done cooking and broil for 3 to 4 minutes to caramelize the glaze.
- Remove from the oven and let the ham rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dressing, Sauce
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The delicious glaze was easy to prepare, and my family said it was the best ham ever. I used a navel orange and strained the pulp from the juice. I reheated it at 325, 15 minutes per pound, and kept it covered with foil even after applying the glaze. Turned out perfectly! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
Could you do this in a slow cooker?
Yes, I use this slow cooker ham recipe.
Quick and delicious glaze to complete our ham. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe.
hey, I’m back here for the 3rd time! (and I’ve made this recipe about 8 times now, but I only come back here when I forget the measurements ) I absolutely LOVE this glaze, it tastes very similar to the one my dad used to make. The only thing I change to make it exactly like my dad’s is that I add a little cup of pineapple+juice (like the little dole fruit cups that toddlers are obsessed with). I’ve baked this both covered and uncovered– it turns out great either way. I like to add a little extra clove because I love the warmth it brings and my house smells AMAZING the rest of the night. This is my go-to recipe and I’m sure I’ll be back again, thanks for posting this!
Do you use dark brown sugar or light?
You can use either, I usually use light in this recipe.
Thank you!
Amazing!! Everything was perfect last night and so easy to prepare.
Delish
Can you heat up the ingredients for a “dipping” sauce?
Hi Tracy, I have never used it as a dipping sauce but I think that would be delicious!
Super easy, quick and savory plus sweet…I love it!!
So glad you love it, thanks for leaving a comment!
Delicious. It really spruced up the plain ham I got from Costco. I don’t usually write reviews, but this was so delicious I felt it warranted a review.
Thanks so much for leaving a comment, Meg! Glad you enjoyed this recipe :)
So feeling a little dense here, did I miss something…first time cooking a ham , and for soon to be in-lawn no less (yeah what was I thinking) and want to get it right. You said most stores remove the skin/rind, then you say if not to take it off, then you say to score it….is there a skin and a rind?
Apologies for the confusion Tina; most hams do have the thick leathery rind removed. If the outer layer is thin, it likely doesn’t need to be removed, just scored. A spiral ham does not need to be scored. I hope that helps.
This was the juiciest ham I’ve ever made; thank you! I subbed apple juice, like another commenter, because it’s what we had, and used a little less sugar. Omitted the cloves. Added chipotle garlic seasoning and black pepper for some heat. Baked in the Foodi for 15 minutes (1.6 lb), stopped halfway to brush again. <3
I absolutely hate mustard. Is there any way I could omit it or replace it with something else? Thanks!
Hi Lily, I have only made this recipe as written but you could try substituting for horseradish or possibly Worcestershire. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Love the glaze, so easy to put together, especially when you have a crowd coming. It’s well be my go to recipe from now on.
I am so glad you enjoyed this glaze recipe Hazel!
Great recipe but why does everyone feel the need to tell the entire history of everything before just getting to the recipe. Do your monolog at the end if you have to, stop holding people prisoner to your life story.
There’s no life story included with this recipe Jack, just stuff about the recipe itself. That being said, you can use the “JUMP TO RECIPE” button I’ve included at the top of every page to get right to the recipe.
I rather enjoy reading the origins and heritage stories. Albeit, I’m a bit of a nerd, so learning about other cultures intrigued me. Thanks for the recipe, and cooking is about the love Sir. I find it very relaxing, my wheelhouse…
You are looking for a recipe of other people because you can’t possibly make your own, yet here you are instead of appreciating it is being ungrateful. Your entitlement does not work anywhere. Better yet make your own recipe.
Wow Jack, how rude are you? Just a nasty thing to say. Someone is sharing a nice recipe with you, how did you get to that?
Jack, maybe you are responding to the wrong recipe?? There wasn’t any entire-history of a food written here, just a few descriptive and instructive paragraphs (that you don’t even have to read if you don’t want to), so no worries. And, just like all recipes online these days, this recipe has a “Jump to recipe” button at the very top of the page that you can click on that, well, jumps to the recipe if you don’t have time to quickly read the information before it. They’re pretty nifty actually in times of need. For whatever recipe blog you were actually referring to to, maybe give the “jump to recipe” option a try. It takes 1 second and then you’re on your way. Happy trails friend, and bon appetit!
I thought this was super easy and very good…I actually substituted apple juice instead of the other juices because that’s what I had on hand.
Thanks for sharing your tip! So glad you loved it.
Thanks for the recipe. I needed one on the fly. You gave the exact recipe, where others where frustrating. because they included the whole ham preparation jumbled together. So a very good, clear easy to make choice. Thanks
Glad to be able to help Scott! Thank you for the feedback!
Made this glaze on-the-fly for a ham steak. Used pineapple juice, agave syrup, stadium mustard, a shake of garlic powder and and corn starch for thickening . Poured over the hot ham steak in the frypan and let it thicken. It was great.
I tried this brown sugar glaze recipe of yours and I used Balsamic Vinegar, It is delicious!
made this for the first time on Thanksgiving. My 15 year old daughter is very picky. She loves the glazed ham and asks for it all the time.
Ham is a favorite in my family too Linda! So glad your family enjoyed it.
How long do you cook a Ham ?
You can find our baked ham recipe here. A bone-in fully cooked ham cooks for about 12-14 minutes per pound.
My husband likes cold ham and doesn’t like the way baked ham changes texture. Can I purchase a fully cooked ham and glaze it and either cook it at a really high temperature or broil it only? Any suggestion?
Hi Candy, if the package says that you can eat the ham without cooking it, I see no reason why you couldn’t do that! The outside would start to warm. If you broil it, please watch it very carefully. It can burn quickly.