This copycat honey baked ham is an easy show-stopping main dish that’s perfect for holidays or special gatherings. A spiral-cut ham is brushed with a sweet honey glaze and baked to perfection for a tender, sticky-sweet finish.
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This post, including the recipe, is not associated with nor endorsed by The Honey Baked Ham Company, LLC. This post is not for a product or service. Honey-baked ham in this post refers only to a copycat recipe for ham baked with honey.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Rich and savory with a sweet, sticky honey glaze, a little warmth from the spices, and just a hint of tang to balance it out.
- Recommended Tools: All you need is a roasting pan, a bit of foil, a pastry brush for that glossy glaze, and an instant-read thermometer to make sure it’s perfectly cooked every time.
- Love Your Leftovers: I love having extra slices on hand because I can tuck them into easy sandwiches or add them to cozy soups all week long, making every leftover feel just as delicious as the first meal.
Ingredients for Honey Baked Ham
- Ham: Buy a fully cooked, bone-in spiral ham for the best flavor and moisture.
- Honey Glaze: The glaze brings that classic honey sweetness, while butter adds richness. Brown sugar deepens the flavor with caramel notes and helps it brown beautifully. A touch of Dijon (if you like) balances it all with a little tang.
- Variations: Add a citrus twist with a little orange zest or a spoonful of marmalade, swap the cloves for cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg, or stir in a tiny pinch of cayenne for a sweet heat kick.
How Much Spiral Ham Per Person?
When buying bone-in spiral ham, plan on about ½ lb per person (or ¾ lb for generous leftovers). I often purchase a bigger ham for leftover ham recipes and use the bone for ham bone soup or split pea soup.
How to Cook a Honey Baked Ham
- Place the ham, cut-side down, in the roasting pan, cover with foil, and bake.
- Brush the ham with the glaze, turn the oven up, and bake until the ham reaches 140°F.
- Remove from the oven and rest at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Honey Baked Ham FAQ’s
- Keep It Moist: Bake cut-side down so the slices stay moist and the juices pool in the pan. Rest 15 minutes before slicing to keep the baked ham juicy.
- Prevent It From Drying Out: Keep the ham covered with foil while warming.
- Prevent Overcooking: Use a thermometer and pull the ham at 135°F before glazing.
- For the Perfect Glaze: Add glaze near the end only, since honey and sugar can burn.
- For a Deep Browning: For deeper browning, broil briefly at the end, watching closely the whole time.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
Refrigerate: Store honey baked ham in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze sliced ham for up to 2 months. Add a spoonful of pan juices before freezing to keep slices moist.
Reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Warm covered at 300°F with a splash of broth or water in the pan.
Leftover Ideas: Add to sandwiches, breakfast scrambles, fried rice, soups, sliders, or scalloped potatoes. Save the leftover ham bone for soup like this ham and bean soup. Find my favorite leftover ham recipes here.
What to Serve with Honey Baked Ham
Did your family love this Copycat Honey Baked Ham? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 spiral ham 8 to 10 pounds, fully cooked
Glaze
- 1 cup honey
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard optional
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Remove the packaging and plastic disk from the bottom of the ham and discard. Place ham in a shallow roasting pan, cut side down, and cover the ham and pan with foil.
- Bake for 12 to 16 minutes per pound until it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F.
- While the ham is baking, in a small bowl combine honey, butter, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and cloves. Mix well.
- Once the ham reaches 135°F, remove it from the oven. Turn the oven up to 425°F. Brush the ham generously with the honey glaze, I recommend 2 to 3 coats of glaze.
- Return to the oven and cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until ham reaches 140°F and the glaze is browned.
- Remove the ham from the oven and rest at least 15 minutes before cutting. Spoon juices over the ham before serving if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Ham, Main Course, Pork
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This post, including the recipe, is not associated with nor endorsed by The Honey Baked Ham Company, LLC. This post is not for a product or service. Honey-baked ham in this post refers only to a copycat recipe for ham baked with honey.
Hi
Can I bake ahead of time ? Like one day before Christmas day ?
And if so , How should I warming up( temp) whole baked Ham in oven ?
Thank you .
Hi Yuri, is your ham precooked or partially cooked? Many hams are precooked and you are only warming them through before serving. In this case I wouldn’t bake the day before. I would just follow the recipe the day of. I hope this helps.
Can the ham be baked in a oven bag instead of foil.
Yes, that would work just fine. It would not get the same caramelization but will still be delicious.
This looks delicious. Our family likes spicy and I usually bake Emirl’s spiced ham. I want to try your recipe with everything the same except switching the honey to Mike’s Hot Honey. What do you think?
That sounds delicious, Mimi! I think that would taste great.
Too much mustard. Made our ham taste like hotdogs.
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe, Chris!
Hi, the ham will taste like more sliced cold deli ham if you do not bake it. Baking a “fully cooked ham” enhances everything about that ham and it becomes BAKED HAM, instead of a fully cooked ham that you can pull pieces off and eat.
Bake you ham by her instructions. As many times, as I’ve baked one, I’m going to try her recipe right now. Happy baking!
I’m a little confused since I’ve never made hm, but if it’s fully cooked, why do the instructions say to cook it before putting on the glaze? Sorry if this is a dumb question!
Good question Elise! I would double check with the packaging on your ham, but typically it’s more for preference and enjoyment to heat up (or cook again) your ham. I hope this helps.
This was delicious! The only thing different that I would do the next time is make only 1/2 of the glaze. I threw half of it away, because you only need about half the amount called for.
We love serving the glaze with the ham, but it’s a great idea to make half if you find there is enough. Enjoy Laureen!
Hello,
I have made this for Thanksgiving and it is very good! However, I want to try it in my crockpot, can you please let me know if I can put the glaze on and then add to crockpot? Otherwise, it will be covered with the mustard and brown sugar. I really like the honey, just not sure.
Thank you,
Hi Andrea, you can definitely make this in a crockpot. You can use this glaze but follow the cooking instructions from our CrockPot Ham Recipe.
I used your Copycat Honey Baked Ham recipe for Easter lunch. The ham tasted good but it was not up to temperature using your recipe! I had a 9lb. Spiral Ham, bone-in fully cooked ham but 3 hours later @225 degrees as your recipe states was only at 117 or so degrees. I was so embarrassed to advice my guest that dinner was not done. I bumped the temperature up to 325! Finally after another hour and a half the temperature was at 135.
Please amend your recipe so no one else encounters this issue.
Cathy, the recipe calls for the ham to be baked at 250°F, then at a higher temperature with the glaze. It shouldn’t take a 9 pound ham 4 ½ hours for the ham to reach temperature, so I can’t say for sure what happened. Was it frozen? Was it baked cold or room temperature? Have you checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer?
Hi. I plan to try this but I’m confused: the recipe says 325 not 225. Turning it up to 425 for the glaze.
The recipe has been modified for improved consistency since this comment was published in 2021. I would follow the recipe as written for best success. Enjoy Linda!
Hmm, I’m trying to decide between this & your baked ham with brown sugar glaze. They both use a bone-in spiral sliced ham, but this one is cooked uncovered at 250 while the brown sugar glaze ham is cooked wrapped in foil at 325….which way ensures a moister ham??? Thanks
As long as you ensure the ham finishes at about 140°F, either will be equally moist (this is for smoked ham). Cooking beyond that temperature will cause it to dry out.
Made this ham for my boyfriend, immediately after tasting it he said he would kill for the ham! 10/10 would cook again!
Hello I’ve never heard the term spiral ham although I get the general idea. Do you get the butcher to spiral it or how do you go about spiralling homemade :) ? Delveen
Most grocery stores sell spiral ham, especially around the holidays. I would ask at the meat department of your grocery store.
Holly I will use your recipe, but do it in the Instant Pot
I hope you love it Larry!
I love ham, so I’m gonna try this homey glazed ham..it looks so delicious. Thank you
Thank you May! I hope you love it as much as we do!