Need to know how to make honey glazed ham? Our tried and tested recipe breaks it down for you into easy steps, including a video tutorial. Join the thousands of people who make and enjoy this recipe every holiday season.
Honey glazed ham has been a staple at our Christmas Eve dinner for as long as I can remember. At first we used to buy the honey baked ham, but once we figured out how easy it was to glaze a pre-cooked ham ourselves we have never looked back.
Get ready to save yourself a bunch of money, and have everyone you know asking for the recipe.
If you need ideas for what to serve with your honey glaze for ham recipe, try our easy crock-pot mashed potatoes or our pomegranate apple salad. Oh, and don't forget our fan-favorite Christmas punch.
Table of contents
How To Make Honey Glazed Ham
Honey glazed ham is actually made using a pre-cooked ham you can buy at the grocery store. It is great because if you're cooking for two you can use a small part of a ham and it still works wonderfully. For this recipe I used a 5lb. ham.
Okay before we get started let's answer a few frequently asked questions when it comes to Honey Baked Ham.
How Do You Score a Ham?
Scoring a ham is so easy. Basically all it is is making small cuts in the skin of your meat allowing your glaze to sink in deeper and flavor the ham. See this image below.
I like to criss cross my cuts as pictured above, but you can also just cut smooth shallow grooves in one direction.
How To Make Honey Baked Ham
There are lots of different glaze recipes out there for honey glazed ham but in my opinion this is the BEST.
What Goes in a Ham Glaze?
Here are the ingredients you need to make this easy glaze:
- Dark Corn Syrup
- Honey
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
Simply heat all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat until all of the sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Then use during baking to brush over the ham.
Sugar Rub
Adding this sugar rub is optional, but it takes this recipe over the top.
Here is what you need to make it:
- ½ Brown Sugar
- ½ Sugar
Once your honey glazed ham is baked until warm through, remove ham from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
As soon as ham is cool enough to handle (or you can do this using heat resistant gloves) rub the sugar mixture all over the exterior of the ham. Return the ham to the oven and let it broil for about five minutes allowing the outer skin to caramelize.
I guarantee you this sugar rub will take your ham over the top and wow your guests.
How do you cook a pre-cooked ham?
The general rule of thumb is to bake your ham in the oven for about 15 minutes per pound of meet. So for a five pound ham you are looking at around an hour and 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Because the ham is pre cooked it doesn't need to reach that temperature to be safe to eat, that is just about the temperature when the ham will be warmed through.
Honey Glaze For Ham Recipe
You ready for the easy recipe? Let's do this.
If you make this recipe and like it we would love for you to leave us a comment and review. They mean so much to us.
Well, there you have it. Will you be giving honey glazed ham a go this holiday season? If so, try making it with one of these yummy sides.
What to Serve with Honey Glazed Ham
Here are a few of our favorite things to serve with this Ham for special occasions.
| Green Bean Casserole Best Broccoli Seasoning Ever Balsamic Glazed Carrots Tuscan Pasta Salad | Funeral Potatoes Skillet Baked Potatoes Grandma's Famous Homemade Rolls Creamsicle Fluff |
We also like to make this Ham Potato Salad with the leftovers!
Honey Glazed Ham Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Roasting Pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and adjust your oven rack to accommodate a large roasting pan. If using a roasting pan with a rack, pour two cups of water into the bottom of the pan under the rack.
- Score ham (if you need instruction on how to do this see below in notes), place ham on rack (or on a foil lined pan).
- In a small saucepan, heat the corn syrup, honey, brown sugar and butter. Stir until mixture is smooth and sugar is completely dissolved. Keep glaze warm while baking ham. Brush glaze over ham, and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Baste or brush ham every 20-30 minutes with the honey glaze.
- Combine sugar and brown sugar together in a small bowl.
- Remove ham from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. As soon as ham is cool enough to handle (or you can do this using heat resistant gloves) rub the sugar mixture all over the exterior of the ham.
- Return the ham to the oven and let it broil for about five minutes allowing the outer skin to caramelize. Remove from oven, and let sit for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Do You Score a Ham?
Scoring a ham is so easy. Basically all it is is making small cuts in the skin of your meat allowing your glaze to sink in deeper and flavor the ham. (See picture in post body or in video.)How do you cook a pre-cooked ham?
The general rule of thumb is to bake your ham in the oven for about 15 minutes per pound of meet. So for a five pound ham you are looking at around an hour and 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit.- Since ham is pre cooked you do not need to heat to a certain temperature for food safety, but if you are using a thermometer 140 degrees is typically warmed through.
- Leftover ham can be eaten cold and is great on sandwiches or in salads.
Nutrition
Hope your dinner party is top notch.
xo,
This recipe was originally published December 8th, 2019 and has been updated with video and more detailed information.
Kristyn
We LOVE this ham!! It tastes amazing, isn't hard to make, & always a hit!! It's a staple at most of our holiday meals!
Paige D
I've made this several times and I plan on making it again for Easter. It's always cooked perfectly and my family loves leftover ham!
Sha
This is way better than store-bought ham! So delicious and flavorful. Perfect for special occasions!
Olivia
Thank you for sharing this recipe! The steps were super easy to follow and the ham turned out perfectly!
Jess
This is everything that I needed and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
Jessica
This was absolutely delicious! I struggled with making ham for years until this recipe, and now I'm the one who makes it every holiday!
Amy Cluck-McAlister
That looks delicious! What kind of ham did you use? The spiral hams I've gotten are more fatty then the one pictured, which I don't really like.
Jessica
I just bought this one at the deli counter of the grocery store, and because it was smaller it didn't even have a bone in! This recipe is great because it will literally work with any cut of pre cooked ham!
Amy Cluck-McAlister
Thank you. I'm going to try it. :)
Lynnette Beste
Delicious and easy! Love it!