How to Make Honey Baked Ham

Honey Baked Ham is a delicious addition to your holiday meals. Hams from places like The HoneyBaked Ham Company are very expensive. Yes, they are very tasty, but you can make one for about one-third of the price if you catch your ham on sale.

homemade spiral sliced honey baked ham.


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Honey Baked Ham copycat recipe

Have you ever wondered how to make Honey Baked Ham? Honestly, these are some of the best-tasting hams you can buy. But you may not live near where you can easily purchase one. And they can be a little pricey. These spiral hams are the perfect addition to Easter, Thanksgiving, or even your Christmas dinner. Just imagine the wonderful leftovers you can prepare with the ham bone.

When you are on a budget, it can be somewhat of a stretch to spend a king’s ransom on just one part of your meal. So, if you have ever wondered how to cook a honey baked ham at home, let me show you how.

About the Honey Baked Ham Co.

In 1957, Harry Hoenselaar opened the first Honey Baked store in Detroit, Michigan. He aimed to produce the best-tasting ham in the world.

He did so by selecting only the highest-quality smoked ham on the bone and creating a special curing procedure that brings out a one-of-a-kind taste, enhanced by a crunchy sweet glaze.

Today, the Honey Baked Ham Co. is still a family-owned business serving customers at over 400 retail locations in the US and online. Read more about the history of HoneyBaked Ham Company.

Special spiral slicing

Harry’s spiral-slicing process has been patented, making his Honey Baked Ham an easy-to-serve centerpiece for holiday dinners. You can purchase your own bone-in ham at the grocery store that has been spiral sliced.

homemade honey baked ham with crunchy glaze.

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.  

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
  • Onion powder
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ground nutmeg (freshly ground, if possible)
  • Ground ginger
  • Ground cloves
  • Paprika
  • Precooked bone-in spiral-cut ham
honey baked ham ingredients.

How to make honey baked ham at home

  1. Combine sugar and spices in a small bowl.
combining honey baked ham glaze mixture with a whisk.
  1. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Place ham open meat side down onto the pan.
ham with open meat side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.
  1. Sprinkle the ham with the seasoned sugar mixture.
  2. Press the sugar onto the outside of the ham.
pressing glaze mixture into the outside of a ham.
  1. With a blowtorch, gently heat the seasoned sugar mixture on the ham until browned.
blowtorch and glaze coated honey baked ham.
  1. Serve immediately or warm the ham in the oven prior to serving.
copycat Honey Baked Ham on a wood board.

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 just 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 inside your house. It’s often windy outside and you will find that your blow torch 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!

a slice of homemade honey baked ham in front of the ham.

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 their ham a little warmer than that. If you fall into this group, here is how to heat a honey baked ham the right way. 

  1. Slice the ham into serving portions. Heating an entire ham can dry it out. 
  2. 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,
  3. Make sure to consume any honey-baked ham that you heat immediately and throw out any leftovers. 

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. 
  • 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:

  1. 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 you thaw it. 
  2. Wrap each piece of ham tightly in aluminum foil individually and put it into a large freezer bag. 
  3. Store in the freezer for up to six weeks
  4. Defrost the ham in the fridge overnight and eat within two days. 
copycat Honey Baked Ham with crunchy glaze.

Leftover ham recipes

Favorite holiday main dishes

Be sure to check out more of my ham recipes and the best main dish recipes here on CopyKat!

homemade spiral sliced honey baked ham.

Honey Baked Ham like HoneyBaked Ham

You can make an amazing honey baked ham with a crunchy glaze at home. 
4.88 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: honey baked ham
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 649kcal

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.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 649kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 2692mg | Potassium: 648mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 2mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. John Fuller

    4 stars
    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.

    • John Fuller

      4 stars
      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.

  2. sharyn

    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.

    • Stephanie Manley

      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.

  3. Tracy

    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!

  4. Craig

    5 stars
    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!

  5. Janna

    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.

  6. Barbara

    5 stars
    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!

  7. Sandi

    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!

  8. Granny of two Sweeties

    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.

  9. Carolyn

    Best to serve at room temp. Don’t mix the spices with the sugar, glaze with sugar first then sprinkle on the spices.

4.88 from 16 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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