If you’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying a Honey Baked Ham from the renowned HoneyBaked Ham Company, you know just how delicious and convenient they can be. However, these hams often come with a hefty price tag that can put a strain on your holiday budget. Fortunately, with this easy copycat recipe, you can create your own Honey Baked Ham at home for a fraction of the cost.
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Why this recipe works
- Using a pre-cooked, spiral-cut ham simplifies the preparation process and ensures even cooking
- The blend of sugar and spices creates a well-balanced, flavorful crust that mimics the original
- Applying the sugar mixture with a blowtorch allows for precise caramelization and a crackly texture
- Making your own Honey Baked Ham at home can save you money without sacrificing taste
What makes HoneyBaked Ham so good?
For many families, honey-baked hams are a treasured part of their holiday traditions, and the best honey-baked hams are the ones from HoneyBaked.
HoneyBaked’s crackly, sweet, and savory crusted hams are legendary, and not just for their outstanding flavor. These hams make serving a crowd easy, and because they are so versatile, using up leftovers is never a problem. Â
Why this is the copycat recipe for HoneyBaked Ham you should try
The only bad part about HoneyBaked hams is that they take such a huge bite out of any party budget. But you can turn an inexpensive spiral-cut smoked ham into something spectacular with this recipe and save money for other holiday splurges.
Don’t give up on this recipe because you feel intimidated by the glazing process. It is much simpler than you think and worth the effort.
Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need for this copycat honey baked ham recipe:
- Sugar – Forms the base of the sweet and savory crust
- Onion powder – Adds a subtle savory note to balance the sweetness
- Ground cinnamon – Contributes warmth and depth to the spice blend
- Ground nutmeg – Provides a slightly sweet, nutty flavor (freshly ground is best)
- Ground ginger – Adds a mild spiciness and complements the other spices
- Ground cloves – Delivers a strong, aromatic flavor that enhances the overall taste
- Paprika – Lends a mild, sweet pepper taste and a vibrant red color to the crust
- Precooked bone-in spiral-cut ham – Serves as the base for the copycat Honey Baked Ham
How to make honey baked ham at home
- Combine sugar and spices in a small bowl.
- Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place the ham open, meat side down, onto the pan.
- Sprinkle the ham with the seasoned sugar mixture.
- Press the sugar onto the outside of the ham.
- With a blowtorch, gently heat the seasoned sugar mixture on the ham until browned.
- Serve immediately, or warm the ham in the oven before serving.
Scroll down to the recipe card below for detailed instructions and video.
Does ham need to be cooked?
One question I have received multiple times is: Do you need to cook your ham when making this recipe? The answer is no if you buy a cured ham.
Most hams are already cured, which means they are ready to eat. It’s your personal preference whether to serve your ham warm or cold.
I like to heat my ham in a 300-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes. This will not give you a hot ham, but it takes the refrigerator chill off of it and warms it up to something a bit warmer than room temperature.
Using a blow torch
One suggestion I have is to prepare the ham at home. It’s often windy outside, and you will find that your blowtorch will always go out.
I use a blowtorch I got from the Home Depot. It was inexpensive and works great. You can spend money on those gourmet ones, but they are three times the price.
My philosophy is, why spend extra cash when you don’t have to? You can save so much money when you make honey-baked ham from scratch.
Don’t be intimidated by cooking with a blow torch. It’s easier than you think! Once you unlock the secrets of blow torch cooking, you will soon be a master at creme brulee!
How to heat a honey-baked ham
The best way to enjoy HoneyBaked ham is at room temperature or straight from the fridge, but some people prefer it a little warmer. If you fall into this group, here is how to heat a Honey Baked ham the right way.Â
- Slice the ham into serving portions. Heating an entire ham can dry it out.
- Wrap the slices of ham in aluminum foil and place in a 300°F oven until warm. Depending on the thickness of the ham, reheating should take between 5 and 15 minutes.
- Make sure to heat any honey-baked ham immediately and throw out any leftovers.Â
How long can honey-baked ham stay in the refrigerator?
After you glaze the honey-baked ham, it will last in the fridge for up to a week as long as the use-by date on the original packaging is not sooner.
What side dishes go with this ham?
Besides making the perfect sandwich, you can enjoy honey-baked ham in many ways. Here are a few:
- With eggs. Chopped and stuffed inside an omelet, as part of Eggs Benedict, or fried and served with sunny-side-up eggs, you can beat ham and eggs.
- In a ham salad. Using honey-baked ham in a ham salad recipe adds a whole new depth of flavor.Â
- For a quiche. Make a Quiche Lorraine with any leftovers for another festive meal.
How to store leftover ham
Honey-baked ham can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week when it’s wrapped tightly in aluminum foil or in an airtight container. Just remember that when serving honey-baked ham, slice off only what you want to eat and immediately return the rest to the fridge to prevent spoilage.
You should throw away any honey baked ham that remains on the buffet table after a party.
How to freeze honey baked ham
To freeze leftover ham:
- If you have more ham than you can use at one time, portion it into smaller pieces. Remember that you cannot refreeze the ham once it has thawed.Â
- Wrap each piece of ham individually in aluminum foil, then place it in a large freezer bag.Â
- Store in the freezer for up to six weeks
- Defrost the ham in the fridge overnight, then eat within 2 days.Â
Leftover ham recipes
- Easy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
- Ham and Cheddar Egg Bites
- Ham and Egg Casserole
- Ham Pinwheels
- Ham Salad
Favorite holiday main dishes
- Apple Cider Pork Loin
- Bone in Ribeye Roast
- Beef Roast Recipe
- Corned Beef in the Oven
- Fried Lamb Chops
- How to Cook a Filet Mignon Roast
- Instant Pot Corned Beef
Be sure to check out more of my ham recipes and the best main dish recipes here on CopyKat!
Copycat Honey Baked Ham
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 8-pound bone-in spiral-sliced precooked ham
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, onion powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and paprika. Mix well.
- Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place the ham sliced side down onto the foil. If you do not use aluminum foil, you may have burnt sugar on your pan, and it will take a while to clean off.
- Sprinkle the outside of the ham with the seasoned sugar, pressing the sugar onto the ham. You might not use all of the sugar.
- With a blowtorch, gently heat the seasoned sugar on the ham. Wave the flame quickly over the sugar – you want it to brown, not burn. Staying in one area, and slowly moving out from there will make this easier, as you will be heating the sugar in a continual direction. This process will take about 15 minutes, so be patient. If you prefer a thicker crust, you can sprinkle more sugar on top of the already browned parts of the ham. Be sure to brown the newly added sugar.
- When you are happy with the crust, you can either reheat the ham or serve it cold.
This method sounds to be very tasty but where is this honey connection. We, up here in Canada actually use real fresh honey for our honey baked hams. I have been using local honey for years on our glazed hams along with cloves forced into shallow slits we make in the hams. Summer Blossom honey is drizzled over the ham before putting it in the oven and then basted over the
ham during the cooking (heating) period of about an hour or so. This is what we call honey baked ham.
I do not know why Honeybaked ham calls this what they do 😉
How can make this with out a blow torch please!!??
You are going to use the blow torch to caramelize the sugar.
You may try the broil setting in your oven and keep an eye on it so as not to scorch the outside..
Once the upper surface gets a little crust then turn the ham over and broil the other side. I have used this method and it seems to work OK. Not many of these recipes refer to air fryer methods but you may want to try an air fryer if large enough to take in the ham, You will still have to rotate the ham part way through the process. A regular plumbers torch will do the job just fine if you have a plumber at hand. Very cheap to buy at any home building or hardware store. Don’t buy the plumber, just the torch.
Do you think your recipe for honey baked ham will be good on a turkey breast?
Thank you, Marsha
I think if you like that flavor it would work.
everyone has left a comment on how good this ham is, everyone loved it, will make it again. No one has posted what I would like to know. Does this cooked ham taste exactly like the hams that are for sale in the Honey Baked Ham stores. please someone anyone let me know. thank you.
Does the crust taste the same, yes. Does the ham, the meat taste the same? Most likely it will depend on the ham you buy, and how close it is to the Ham at Honey Baked Ham. Every meat processing facility has its own process. I don’t know how to help you narrow down on this. Personally, I would consider do you like your ham cured with salt, or cured with sugar, and then choose accordingly.
Really love it yummy!!! I loved this recipe so much .Its really awesome
Where is the honey.
Honey Baked is the brand name, there is no honey in the crust.
This saved me so much money for Easter!~ I will make again
Great! I buy my ham at Aldi now and turn it into something amazing. THANK YOU!!
Made this for Easter, my family loved it.
Is propane torch the correct one to use?
Yes it is.
Looking forward to making this for Christmas but I did have a question. In the written recipe it calls for onion powder but in the video you say garlic powder. Which is correct? Thanks!
I made an error in the video. Honestly either will work fine.
I made this ham on Easter and it was so delicious that I’m making it again today! Thanks for this recipe, tastes just like a Honeybaked ham at a fraction of the price. Plus I enjoy cooking!
I have been making this recipe for years, and we all just love it! We always talk about it being “time to torch the ham”. This is flavorful without being overly sweet and sticky, as some glazes are. We get a ham with great flavor at a modest price. Just make sure your spices are fresh. Sometimes I add a bit of allspice, too.
I used to buy 1/2 Honey Baked ham, but last year I discovered this recipe and made it ant it was a total success! This year I got my spiral ham at $0.89 a pound, so I will be making it again for sure, and saving a tone of money!
I need the receipe for the HoneyBaked Turkey. PLEASE……
Do I heat the ham to 150 before applying the glaze? How long and at what temp do you recommend heating a 10b spiral cut ham?
Thank you!
The ham is cured. You can serve it warm or cold. That is up to you.
I’m wondering how this would be with half brown sugar, and half granulated sugar?
Without seasoning? It would most likely be pretty good.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I did half brown, and half white sugar, and included the seasoning, and it was even better than the actual honey baked ham that I paid almost $80 for last thanksgiving.
I am all for saving some cash!
Great video demo…got my blow torch at Home Depot today. ThankU. Will buy both your books as soon as company leaves & I have a quiet moment.
Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy the ham.
Best to serve at room temp. Don’t mix the spices with the sugar, glaze with sugar first then sprinkle on the spices.