Easy Homemade Ham Salad

Easy Homemade Ham Salad is the perfect classic ham salad spread. This homemade version tastes better than any store-bought version.

Sure, you can make this with leftover holiday ham, but why wait?

We will show you a great way to use packaged ham to make a delicious old-fashioned ham salad recipe. 

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What Makes Old Fashioned Ham Salad So Good?

I should name this recipe Gloria’s ham salad. Gloria makes an amazingly tasty, quick, and easy ham salad without eggs. I was recently at a party and Gloria brought the most delicious ham salad I’ve had. I wasn’t the only person at the party who thought this was the most amazing ham salad imaginable. I knew with one bite, I had to ask her for her recipe and share this recipe with you.

You don’t need to have leftover ham to prepare this recipe. I love that she uses simple slices of ham to make this homemade old-fashioned ham salad. She also uses many unique ingredients in it, and I thought it would be a great recipe to add to the website.

In no time at all, you can enjoy this easy-to-make ham spread.

When you start with great-quality ingredients, you get results that are quite good. I had one of the best ham salad sandwiches in recent memory and best of all, this was made with this easy ham salad.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

This recipe is unique; the brown sugar, and Gherkin pickles add a lot of flavor. This isn’t your ordinary ham salad.

Ham Salad Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

• Ham
• Brown sugar
• Red onion
• Gherkin pickles
• Pickle juice
• Mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
• Salt
• Ground black pepper

How to Make Ham Salad

1. Place ham slices and brown sugar in a pot with enough water to cover the ham. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Remove the ham from the water and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Place the ham, red onion, gherkin pickles, juice, and mayo in a food processor. Pulse several times. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Ingredient and Recipe Notes

Gloria started her delicious ham salad spread with a package of sliced ham. While packaged ham slices are nothing to get excited about, this lunch meat is transformed by cooking.

She first cooked the ham in water with brown sugar. This helps to remove some of the saltiness of the ham. The brown sugar adds a nice touch to the flavor. I have made this with smoked ham and some of the cheapest ham you can buy, and both worked great.

She uses gherkin pickles. These are small, sweet pickles. You could use sweet pickle relish, but I think using the gherkin pickles adds a unique flavor. I guess you could also use India Relish (made by Heinz), which could also work well. Pickle juice adds to the taste.

She claimed her real secret was also grating red onion in the salad. You get a subtle onion flavor by grating the onion into the salad, yet many people can’t quite figure out that you grated onions in there. This is a great tip for when you want the flavor but not a bunch of finely chopped onions in your dish.

Why cook the ham again? Ham is already cooked.

Gloria, the lady who gave me her recipe, said she thought that cooking the ham again with brown sugar added flavor to the ham salad. After having sampled a fair amount of her ham salad, I agree that it does indeed add to the flavor of it.

Ham Salad Recipe Variations

Of course, you can mix other ingredients into this ham salad recipe to make it your own. Customizing your recipes is one way to enjoy exactly what you and your family will love. Here are a few suggestions to make this ham spread recipe one you will love.

• Chopped dill pickles
• Chopped onions and celery
• Boiled eggs
• Cheese
• Dijon Mustard
• Green onions

Making the Best Ham Salad Sandwich

What makes for a delicious sandwich? Starting with good quality ingredients. Here are just a few tips for creating your best ham salad sandwich ever!

• Use good bread – try a different hearty bread like wheatberry or sourdough.
• Use condiments like mayonnaise – did you know the fat of the mayonnaise or other sandwich spread like Miracle Whip keeps the bread from getting soggy? No one wants wet bread. Sure fresh tomatoes and freshly washed lettuce are great, but not if they make your bread soggy.
• Spread condiments and the filling right to the edge – don’t just put the filling in the center. Spread it out so every bite is the same. Do the same with the condiments like mayonnaise. No one wants a sandwich with dry bread.
• Use fresh veggies – Use tomatoes at the peak of their ripeness.
• Cut the sandwich into triangles – Did you know people will eat 50% more if you simply cut your sandwich into a triangle?
• If you can, get someone else to make your sandwich – a sandwich made by someone else always tastes better.

What to serve with the best ham salad recipe?

You can serve this with tuna salad, egg salad, or pimento cheese salad. You may want to bring a tray of sandwiches to a party. I recommend serving this with potato chips or even some homemade Chex Mix.

How to store leftovers and how to freeze ham salad

No one wants to miss out on a good ham salad. You can store this in either your fridge or your freezer. 

• Refrigerate – place the ham mixture into an airtight container, and place this in your refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days. 
• Freeze – freezing ham salad isn’t ideal because mayonnaise-based dressings can separate and become watery when thawed however, if you want to preserve it for an extended period.
  • Divide your ham salad into smaller portions, as you may not want to thaw the entire batch each time.
  • Place each portion in an airtight freezer bag. Try to remove as much air as possible from the bag to prevent freezer burn.
  • Put the bags in the freezer as soon as possible. The quicker you freeze it, the better the quality when you thaw it.
  • When you’re ready to use a portion, thaw it in the refrigerator. Please don’t use the microwave or hot water for thawing, as it can cause the salad to become mushy.
  • Frozen ham salad will last for up to 3 months for best quality.

Love ham? Be sure to check out these recipes with ham

• Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
• Dennys Moons Over My Hammy
• Make Your Own Honey Baked Ham
• Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets
• Breakfast Casserole with Ham

More Tasty Salads

• Egg Salad
• How to Make Chicken Salad Chick Chicken Salad
• Chicken Salad with Pineapple and Almonds
• Broccoli Raisin Nut Salad
• Creamy Beet Salad
• Carrot and Raisin Salad
• Deli Crab Salad
• Easy Corn and Black Bean Salad

Be sure to take a look at my copycat salad and pork recipes.