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.
Christopher Herndon says
What’s something I can use instead of clove?
The Chunky Chef says
Nothing is going to perfectly replicate the flavor of cloves, but you could try adding an equal amount of allspice
Ansley says
Should I use the lid to the roasting pan too or just the foil? Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
I wouldn’t use the lid, the foil should do just fine 🙂
Katherine W says
I’ve made twice and it is delicious! Everyone each time has ranted and raved about how tasty it is. Thankyou for sharing!
Kasanita Vi says
How do we cook it without a slow cooker?
The Chunky Chef says
There are oven instructions listed in the “chef tips” section of the recipe.
Chrystal says
I’ve been making this ham recipe for the past 3 years and it always turns out delicious!
Jenn Turk says
Hi, thank you for the recipe. I have a question about the dry ingredients. I realized too late that I accidentally used 1/2 tsp measurements for ALL the spices. Do you think this will make a huge difference in the overall flavoring of the glaze? I hope I didn’t ruin my thanksgiving ham.
The Chunky Chef says
The ginger and paprika should be fine, the cloves might be a little stronger than usual, but as long as you like the flavor of cloves, you should be okay 🙂
Jenn Turk says
Thank you so much for your quick response! I decided to redo the sugar mixture so it wouldn’t be overpowered by cloves. Another ?… does the foil have to completely cover the sides of the ham?
The Chunky Chef says
No problem! The foil is just to line the roasting pan, so you’re not cleaning up cooked sugar on the bottom of the pan 🙂
Gilda says
Hi do i still need to cook if ham says fully cooked?
English says
No, if it says fully coked, you’re good
Selena says
You’re not cooking it, it just takes that long to warm fully.
The Chunky Chef says
If you don’t mind room temp or chilled ham, then no, you can glaze and broil without “cooking” it. But all spiral sliced hams are smoked, so they’re already fully cooked, you’re just warming it up.
Debra Bryant says
My husband worked for them….there is no honey in the recipe at all.
The Chunky Chef says
Yes I’m aware. I never claimed this was THE recipe from the company, just a version that tastes pretty darn close.
Lauren says
I’ve been using this recipe in the crockpot for years – my hubby and kids love it. We have a new member to the family finally old enough to have honey and I’d like to make a bigger ham – for yummy left overs – in the oven. Has this recipe been used with a larger ham and are there any recommendations? Love this recipe, thanks for the years of yummy ham.
The Chunky Chef says
So happy to hear how much you all enjoy this recipe! Oven directions, as well as how long to cook per pound is listed in the “chef tips” section right below the instructions in the recipe.
Ayden says
Can you utilize a mixture of brown and white sugar? Or both?
The Chunky Chef says
I like to use granulated, as it’s what helps give the glaze that crispy crust. But you could certainly experiment with a combination 🙂
Pamela Emmett says
I always find your recipes to be spot on, so I am hoping you can help me with this current (weird) dilemma.
I realize that the texture of the glaze will change, but I was hoping to glaze and broil my spiral ham a day or two early, and then place it in a crockpot to warm for Thanksgiving morning. (I have limited time and I need to travel). I am hoping to glaze a ham a day or two before to allow the flavor to absorb. Then, on Thursday morning (while visiting my son re-heat the ham in a crockpot.
Every crockpot recipe I have researched, wants the broil to be the final step.
Do you have any suggestions?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Pamela, while I haven’t tested this, I know when you order a ham from HoneyBaked it comes already glazed and just wrapped in foil. So I think it would be fine to glaze it ahead of time. Where you might run into trouble is that the crockpot will have condensation build up on the lid as the ham warms, so when you remove the lid, that liquid will drip all over the ham, possibly messing up the crunchy glaze. To counteract that I would place a couple of paper towels over the top of the crockpot, then place the lid over that. That way the towels will catch the liquid. Keep in mind I haven’t tested any of this, so I can’t say for certain how well it will work. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it goes 🙂
Pamela Emmett says
Thank you! I made the oven version last year and it was spot on. I am just trying to simplify things this year.
Kimberly says
I’m not sure if you will see this in time but can I use a brown sugar double glazed smoked ham for this?
The Chunky Chef says
You can use any spiral sliced ham for this recipe, but I don’t recommend using any of the glazes that come with the ham, if you’re planning on making the glaze in this recipe.
Rhonda says
I have always done the oven version but want to try the slow cooker this year, should I put the ham flat side down in the slow cooker?
The Chunky Chef says
I usually do mine on the side, but however it will fit in your slow cooker will work 🙂
Thomas D says
I am a professionaly chef. Just dopping a note here that this recipe is absolute fire. great work Amanda!
Jr says
I have a question, am I using a fully cooked ham or uncooked ham?
The Chunky Chef says
In my area, spiral-sliced hams are smoked, so they’re fully cooked.
Rachel says
What is “seasoned salt”? Is that like lawry’s?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, Lawry’s is the name brand, seasoned salt is the type of seasoning 🙂
Leah Soper says
I’m trying this recipe this year. I’m tired of paying $90-$100 each year, so wish me luck
Sharon says
I love this recipe. I always pick up a couple of store brand spiral hams when they go on sale and throw one in the freezer. This recipe turns out perfect every time. Certainly much more budget friendly than buying the Real Honey Baked Ham. And tastes the same.
Thank you for this recipe.
Mary says
What would the length of cookin time be if I purchased a 4 pound presliced ham?
The Chunky Chef says
I couldn’t say for certain, as I’ve only made this recipe in the slow cooker as directed. I would think it would take less time, but without testing it, I can’t guarantee that. You could always opt for baking it, as indicated in the “chef tips” section of the recipe, and bake it for 12-15 minutes per pound.
Audrey says
I have made this sadly only twice because of the work put into it but it is easily my family’s favorite dish I make. It is so rich in flavor and are almost the only leftovers I can get my family to eat.
Alice Kope says
This recipe was great! My husband is a huge fan of Honey Baked Ham and he couldn’t stop eating this ham. I followed Mickey Grossman’s suggestion and glazed the ham first and then did the sugar coat afterwards. I definitely got that lovely sugar cracklings on top. And thank you for the notes to adjust the low roasting time for smaller hams… worked perfectly. I think I have found my new hams for Christmas and Easter (and avoid the long lines/wait at the HBH store).