This copycat honey baked ham recipe is the most tender succulent ham you’ve ever had!
Honey baked ham is a juicy spiral cut ham is smothered in a sweet honey glaze. It’s oven-baked until the meat is perfectly tender and the glaze turns sticky and delicious!
A spiral ham recipe is the perfect holiday ham for Christmas or Easter served with Scalloped Potatoes, Ambrosia Salad, and our favorite Sweet Potato Casserole!
This post, including the recipe, is in no way associated with nor endorsed by The Honey Baked Ham Company, LLC. This post is not for any product nor service. Honey baked ham in this post refers only to a copycat recipe for a ham baked with honey.
This copycat honey baked ham recipe starts with a spiral ham which allows all of the delicious glaze to add flavor to the slices of ham. While I do often make a brown sugar glaze, there really is nothing quite like a homemade honey baked ham recipe served with hashbrown casserole, roasted carrots, and homemade dinner rolls!
How to Prepare a Honey Baked Ham
Most hams (and spiral hams) are pre-cooked when you purchase them. Double check the package that it says fully cooked or pre-cooked.
Ham is easy to make since you’re really just heating it up. I use a spiral ham for this recipe because it’s very easy to cut but even more importantly, all of that yummy glaze gets into the meat. You can make copycat honeybaked ham without a spiral ham too, simply score the ham before adding the honey glaze.
Variations
- Swap out the honey with maple syrup for a maple glazed ham.
- Add a splash of orange juice or pineapple juice to the glaze if you’d like.
- This recipe calls for a pinch of ground cloves (whole cloves won’t work), you can substitute other warm spices.
How much Spiral Ham per Person
When buying the spiral ham, you’ll want to account for 2-3 servings of ham per pound if you’re purchasing a bone in ham. I always lean towards 3 pounds so I have leftovers for soups and casseroles like my fave Broccoli Cheese Casserole with Ham, ham sandwiches, and of course scalloped potatoes with ham!
How to Cook Honey Baked Ham
Copycat honey baked has a great ham glaze with both honey and a bit of brown sugar. The glaze gets beautifully caramelized! Since the glaze can be sticky, I like to line my pan with thick foil (or no stick foil) on the bottom for easy clean up.
- Place the ham cut side down and bake uncovered. If there is a plastic disk on the ham, remove and discard it.
- Bake until the ham reaches 135°F.
- Brush with the glaze mixture and turn the oven up high caramelize the glaze.
- Remove from the oven when the temperature reaches 140 degrees F.
- Rest about 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
How long to Cook a Spiral Ham
A spiral ham is usually fully cooked and just needs heating (double check on the package you buy). A lower temperature allows the ham to cook through and become tender and juicy. If the temperature is higher, the edges can dry out before the center is warm.
- A fully cooked spiral ham will take about 13-16 minutes per pound in a 250° F oven.
- If making Crockpot Ham an 8-10 pound ham will slow cook for 4-5 hours.
- A partially cooked ham needs longer, about 20 minutes per pound when roasting.
Be sure to check your label to make sure your ham is fully cooked for the copycat honey baked ham recipe below. Ham should be cooked to an internal temperature of 140° F, and just like Pork Tenderloin, use a meat thermometer to ensure it’s not over or under! To really make a perfect copycat honey baked ham at home, I suggest using a thermometer like this one.
Tips for a Juicy Ham
- Don’t overcook the ham, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature.
- The glaze should be added towards the end or it will burn.
- Turn up the heat while you glaze the entire ham cook until lightly caramelized.
- The ham can be cooked under the broiler for a few minutes if needed.
Leftovers
You can buy ham well before you bake it! Check the best before date on the package but it’ll often keep in the fridge for a month or more before cooking if it’s sealed! This allows you to watch for coupons or sales.
- You can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. After that, you’ll want to freeze them.
- Can you freeze honey-baked ham copycat? Yes! Cooked cubed or sliced ham will last in the freezer for 2 to 3 months if well sealed.
- Leftover cooked ham is perfect to enjoy in soups, stews, casseroles, and sandwiches!
- Save the leftover ham bone for Ham Bone Soup.
- Find our favorite leftover ham recipes here.
More Ham Recipes You’ll Love
- Crock Pot Ham – Set it and forget it!
- Apple Glazed Baked Ham
- Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup – easy comfort food.
- Ham and Corn Chowder – the perfect soup for leftovers.
- Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze – Classic perfection!
Copycat Honey Baked Ham
Ingredients
- 1 spiral ham 8-10 pounds
Glaze
- 1 cup honey
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard optional
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Remove the packaging and the plastic disk from the bottom of the ham. Place ham in a shallow roasting pan, cut side down.
- Bake for 13-16 minutes per pound until ham reaches 135°F.
- Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl and 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 do 2-3 coats of glaze).
- Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes or until ham reaches 140°F and 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 Main Course
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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?
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!