Save yourself some serious money during the holidays by making your own Honey Baked Ham recipe at home! Tender ham is cooked with butter and honey, then slathered with a sticky sweet and smoky glaze that’s broiled until it gets a great sugary crust!
This Copycat Honey Baked Ham is one of those recipes we have love to have for holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter. A couple of our other favorite Easter recipes are my Honey Butter Roasted Carrots and Broccoli Salad. This is one of my Easter recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
HONEY BAKED HAM
In our family, we always got a big Honey Baked Ham for the holidays… a ham for Easter and either a ham or turkey breast for Thanksgiving. One of my relatives used to work for Honey Baked, so we could score them at a pretty good discount… but even with that reduction in price, they were still pretty expensive!
An 8 lb bone-in half ham (like you can find in most grocery stores), from Honey Baked will run you over $75. Seventy Five!!! That’s a 300% markup from what I can buy at my grocery store.
So why not save some serious cash this holiday, and make your own version at home!
HOW TO MAKE HONEY BAKED HAM
I prefer my ham to be warm, so that’s what I’ll be detailing here.
- If warming in the slow cooker, trim ham to fit (if needed). Depending on your ham and your slow cooker, you may need to shave off a little bit to make the ham fit. If you’ll be warming your ham in the oven – omit this step.
- Combine butter and honey then massage into ham. I like to get some of the honey butter mixture in between the slices.
- Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours. Again, this is for warming the ham in the slow cooker – omit if warming in the oven.
- Combine dry glaze ingredients.
- Pat half of the sugar mixture on the warmed ham, then broil. Just for a few minutes, until bubbly and a little caramelized. Then remove from the oven.
- Add remaining sugar mixture to saucepan with water or ham juices. Heat this mixture to a boil, and boil for about a minute, then remove from heat and brush or pour the glaze over the ham.
- Broil ham again. Just for a minute or two, being careful not to let it burn!
- Let ham rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. This allows the glaze to fully harden and get that classically crackly crust.
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
- DRY THE HAM – The hams from the grocery stores come in those sealed bags, which contain water. Give the ham a little pat dry with some paper towels to make sure the butter and honey don’t just slide right off.
DO YOU HAVE TO COOK A HAM
It depends. Most hams you buy at a grocery store are pre-cooked and/or smoked, which means you don’t have to cook them. You certainly can if you want to, but it comes down to whether you want cold or warm ham to serve. Just double check the package when you’re buying… if it doesn’t say pre-cooked or smoked, head over to the meat counter and ask the butcher to be sure.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- BOURBON – Not traditional to a Honey Baked Ham, but oh so delicious! Instead of using water or ham juices to make the glaze, try using some of your favorite bourbon.
- OVEN – Bake ham, covered loosely in foil, at 275 F degrees on a foil lined roasting pan or super heavy duty rimmed baking sheet. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes per pound. Then glaze as directed in the recipe and broil.
- ROOM TEMPERATURE – if your ham is smoked or pre-cooked, you don’t have to warm it at all. Take the ham out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Massage the ham with the butter and honey mixture, then glaze as directed in recipe and broil.
MAKING COPYCAT HONEY BAKED HAM AHEAD OF TIME
I’ve not made this entire ham ahead of time, so I can’t guarantee the flavor and freshness if you make it that way.
However, you can combine all your dry glaze ingredients (sugar, seasoned salt, onion powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, paprika and allspice), and store in an airtight container.
STORAGE
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 4 days. Leftovers can also be frozen.
You’ll probably have quite a bit of ham leftover, so here are my personal favorites to use up those leftovers (aside from a classic ham sandwich!).
With Easter coming up, it’s the perfect time to watch your grocery store for the prices of bone-in half hams to go down. When you see them on sale, grab one! They can be frozen if need be. This way you can save even MORE on your main dish for the holiday get together!
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- Slow Cooker – this 7 qt slow cooker is big enough to hold most 8 lb spiral hams without too much trimming. Plus, it’s programmable!
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Recipe originally published in Feb. 2018 and has been updated in Mar. 2020 with additional information.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 8 lb bone-in spiral sliced half ham
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- pinch of allspice
Instructions
- Trim ham if needed, then place in slow cooker. Combine melted butter and honey, then massage over ham, getting in between the slices a little. Cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hours.
- At the end of the cooking time, preheat broiler to HIGH, and line a roasting pan with heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Combine sugar, seasoned salt, onion powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, paprika and allspice in a small bowl. Pat half of the sugar mixture over the top of the ham.
- Broil for several minutes, until bubbly and caramelized, then remove from oven.
- To a small saucepan, add remaining sugar mixture. Add 3 Tbsp of either water or ham juices from bottom of the slow cooker. A combination of water/ham juice and bourbon is a nice alternative! Stir, and heat to a boil. Boil for about a minute, then remove from heat.
- Brush or pour glaze over the ham, then broil again for a minute or two (careful... don't let it burn!). Remove from oven and let ham rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve warm or cold and enjoy!
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Preheat oven to 275 F degrees. Adjust oven rack to the lower third position. Line a roasting pan or large dutch oven with a long strip of foil (heavy duty works best).
- Position ham flat side down in center of pan.
- Brush with honey/butter mixture, if possible, getting some in between the slices.
- Bring sides of the foil up over the ham and cover loosely. If needed, add a sheet of foil over the top.
- Bake approximately 12-15 minutes per pound. An 8 lb ham will take approximately 1 hour 30-40 minutes.
- Continue with steps 2-7 as directed.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Julia M. Rivera says
This is my go to recipe foe Spiral Ham. It turns out just perfect. For Christmas I gift my girlfriend a spiral ham and give her a nice decorated jar with the seasonings and printout the instructions and it’s a hit with her family and also with mine @chunkychef
Alison says
I made this ham for Thanksgiving, and it turned out delicious. Making it again tomorrow for New Year’s Day. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Annie M says
WOW!! Chef Amanda – that was the Best Ham recipe Ever!!!
Baked mine in the oven and followed your recipe exactly.
So Good!!! will definitely save it in my cookbook it’s our new Ham recipe from now on!
So delicious and Moist. Everyone Loved it. Never had real “HoneyBaked” Ham before, but I guess we never will.
Trey Taylor says
Has anyone tried this recipe on a smoker?
Silvia says
Used this for our Christmas ham and it was wonderful. The ham was precooked and we usually eat it cold, so I just put the dry glaze, broiled it then put on the cooked glaze and broiled again and it was better than Honey Baked. Thank you for sharing this!
Mike Edmonson says
My first go at this resulted in a bit of a dried out ham. I’m envious to try this again, but without heating it up in the slow cooker. To be honest, I used Swiss Colony Ham sent to us by my parents that already somewhat of a glaze, so I want to try again with a smaller Smithfield to test it out. Also, perhaps shorten the broiling time or cook the glaze after the ham is out of the broiler the first time.
Cassidi says
I never rate recipes. So, this is a first for me but the recipe was too good not to. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. I had to adjust a little because my ham wouldn’t fit in my slow cooker and I had to use my oven but that’s the only thing I switched up. This was literally the best ham I’ve ever had. I’m a huge Honeybaked Ham person. I’ve gotten them for every Christmas for as long as can remember but I honestly think this was even better and the family agrees. This the the ham were going with from here on out.
John Lopez says
I made this ham last year.
Best ham ever. everyone commented.
Olivia Ortega says
Best ham ever. Thank you for sharing. Out of curiosity, I’d there a reason you add the seasonings after it’s been in crockpot as opposed to when its in the crackpot? It’s delicious. I was just curious. Thanks.
Carol says
Way too many advertisements on this blog. Takes too long to reach recipe when your in a hurry. Recipes look good but frustrating to navigate.
The Chunky Chef says
Unfortunately this website costs thousands of dollars a month to operate, so ads are a necessary evil. However, even though I make less money, I offer a “jump to recipe” button at the very top of every page that will bypass the post and the vast majority of ads, and take you right to what you came here for.
Gary Olson says
Water, ham juice? A touch of medium white in the bottom of the crock pot, wine in the honey glaze mixture, wine in the basting mixture. Really brings forward the flavor of the ham and the honey.
N.A. says
Love the recipe but could do without the back story and build up. Just get to it already.
The Chunky Chef says
You’re just a lovely peach huh? If you can’t scroll, there’s a “jump to recipe” button at the very top that bypasses all the “back story” (aka helpful information), and takes you right to the recipe.
L. R. says
Haven’t even made the recipe but this woman earns the 5 stars by how she handles these cooking blog trolls! Everyone tells a story. Everyone has ads. It’s called search engine optimization and her excellent use of it made finding this recipe possible in a sea of junk!
K.d says
You know you don’t have to read the backup story, right? You can just jump to the recipe🙄
Joy Suiter says
What is wrong with people? You’re getting this recipes for free. Stop your petty complaining!
Bella says
I LOVE this recipe, it is perfect every time. I made it for Thanksgiving and everyone put in their request for Christmas Eve. I had my daughter pick up the ham for Christmas dinner and she picked up a smoked ham. Can I make it with a spiral smoked ham? Do I need to purchase another ham? Please Help! Thank you and Happy holidays
The Chunky Chef says
That’s totally fine, most hams you buy at a grocery store here in the US are smoked, and that’s what this recipe was tested and developed with. Happy Holidays!!
Cyndi says
Excellent recipe. My family loves it.
Andrea says
I used to get *the* Honey Baked Ham every year as a holiday gift at work. When I left my job, I tried this recipe and my family thought this one was even better! Honey Baked Ham Co who?!
Barb C says
I will NEVER spend on a “Honey Baked Ham Co” ham again! This is positively delicious and easy to do! Thank you “Amanda, The Chunky Chef” you are my hero for helping me to produce a crowd pleasing holiday meal at an affordable price!!!
Judy Meadows says
Would you recommend crock pot version over the Oven method? Just curious if you have done both and which you preferred? i want to do whichever will be the best. Thank You
The Chunky Chef says
I think they both taste equally delicious. Although I typically use the slow cooker method, since our oven is generally pretty full around the holidays 🙂
Schwaller, Kim says
Can you make this with a smaller ham ?
The Chunky Chef says
Absolutely! It may not need as long to warm up in the slow cooker though.
Wendy says
Have you tried this in the instant pot?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe in an Instant Pot, but if you give it a try, I’d love to know how it goes 🙂
Kelly says
Hi,
Why use white sugar instead of brown sugar?
The Chunky Chef says
It gets that crispy, crackly crust that Honey Baked Hams are known for. Brown sugar is more moist, so it likely won’t crisp up as much.
Marie says
Hi! Can you use non spiral cut ham instead?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, but you might want to slice it yourself, so the butter and honey can get into each layer 🙂