Save yourself some serious money during the holidays by making your own Honey Baked Ham recipe at home!ย 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 Hamย is one of those recipes we have love to have for holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter.ย A couple of our other favorite Easter recipes are my Honey Butter Roasted Carrots and Broccoli Salad.ย This is one of my Easterย recipes I know youโll 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. ย 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. ย Seventy Five!!! ย 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).ย Depending on your ham and your slow cooker, you may need to shave off a little bit to make the ham fit.ย If you’ll be warming your ham in the oven – omit this step.
- Combine butter and honey then massage into ham.ย ย I like to get some of the honey butter mixture in between the slices.
- Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours.ย ย 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.ย ย Just for a few minutes, until bubbly and a little caramelized.ย Then remove from the oven.
- Add remaining sugar mixture to saucepan with water or ham juices.ย ย 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.ย Just for a minute or two, being careful not to let it burn!
- Let ham rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.ย 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.ย 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. ย Most hams you buy at a grocery store are pre-cooked and/or smoked, which means you don’t have to cook them. ย You certainly can if you want to, but it comes down to whether you want cold or warm ham to serve. ย 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!ย 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. ย Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes per pound. ย 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.ย Take the ham out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.ย 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.ย 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. ย When you see them on sale, grab one! ย They can be frozen if need be. ย 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. ย Plus, it’s programmable!
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERSโ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DONโT FORGET, IF YOUโVE 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!
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Chef Tips
- Preheat oven to 275 F degrees. ย Adjust oven rack to the lower third position. ย Line a roasting pan or large dutch oven with a long strip of foil (heavy duty works best). ย
- 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. ย If needed, add a sheet of foil over the top. ย
- Bake approximately 12-15 minutes per pound. ย 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.
Amy says
I have made this recipe many times now for holidays and the whole family loves it! My kids have started to request it year round! I grew up loving honey baked hams, but this is truly so much better. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Melissa says
I used your recipe yesterday and it was yummy. Family liked it. I made a few mistakes…like turning crockpot on high to get it going and then forgetting it for 2-3 hours, but was still just fine if a little drier than it would have been if I’d just left it on low. Thanks for the recipe, it’s now in my book to use again!
Krista says
My go-to holiday ham recipe. Itโs perfect!
Barbara says
This is my 3rd year making this for Easter lunch. This was absolutely delicious and the family raved about it. The one thing I will share is that the ham was at 145 degrees in 3 hours 10 minutes in my slow cooker on low. I used a probe thermometer and was able to pull off the heat as soon as it was 145 degrees. Last year I went the full 4 hours and it was over cooked and dried out! So word of wisdom use your kitchen thermometer. The seasoning in the sugar and glaze was spot on! We Saved a hundred dollars making this and not going to Honey Baked Ham! Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic Copy Cat recipeโฆ
Mickey Grossman says
It’s good, but not like Honey Baked Ham. I should have done the wet glaze first then the dry. I think it would have given a better crunchy coating.
Diane says
So easy and SO delicious!
Brittney says
This is my 2nd time making this ham. Itโs so delicious and my favorite ham recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Shaniqua says
My MIL would always buy the original and while it is good, I could never justify the cost, especially to feed my family of 6 plus my bonus children. My chef son says this recipe is better, and he prefers it to the store bought ham! It’s Easter Sunday and I’m making it again, including for my MIL who swears I started ordering it just like her lol .
Christine says
I have made this ham several times and everyone loves it. I double the ingredients since my ham is usually at least 12 pounds. So delicious!!
Diane says
I make this twice a year, and it’s fantastic!
Phyllis says
I have used this recipe several times now when I am entertaining guests and on holidays. This is my favorite honey baked ham recipe and definitely a lot cheaper than buying one. I canโt express my gratefulness for you sharing this recipe ๐๐ฅฐ๐ด
Janet says
Amazing!! Love it tastes just like the honey of a ham! Thank you
Ashley says
Absolutely delicious! I’ve been craving it.
I didn’t have honey on hand so I substituted maple syrup. I followed directions in the recipe with the note of having it at room temperature.
Be mindful to have the ham on the lowest rack for step 6 with the broiler.
Cindy Christopher says
Everyone lives this and asks for it.
Kathy says
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner with a ham that was a gift. It was the best ham Iโve ever had. Truly delicious and very easy. Thank you for sharing the instructions for the oven version as well as the crock pot.
Itโs going to be my go to ham recipe going forward.
Jules says
We made this for Christmas Eve dinner and my whole family loved it! I did use a tablespoon of bourbon in the glaze & would use a little more next time. Thanks for the recipe.
Phyllis Field says
I used Bourbon Vanilla Extract in the sauce from Trader Joeโs. I love all the spices listed in this recipe. Delicious!!!
Denise says
Awesome recipe! Thank you!
Karin says
As Americans living in Canada, we were sad to not be having a honey baked ham for Christmas dinner, as is tradition in my husband’s family. But this recipe was spot on and perfect! Accidentally bought a butt portion instead of spiral cut, so I scored the ham all over about 1/2″ deep. If I had more patience, I might have pre-sliced, but the scoring worked great. Followed recipe exactly otherwise. Thank you for this recipe!
Cindy says
I have made this many times in the last few years. It has always been a big hit. It is requested I bring the ham now among my family.
Over Cooked says
I had high hopes but we ended up with two hams (two crock pots) completely dried out and ruined. 8 lb spiral sliced hams, set on low, checked at 3 hrs and they were already terribly overdone. I followed the recipe precisely. Maybe 2 hrs would have been ok but with spiral sliced hams all of the edges will dry out no matter what you do. We had our entirely family over and we had to throw away a full ham and carve out what we could choke down. Iโd stay far away from this recipe.
Richard says
If you used precooked hams, I imagine cooking for 3 hours would be problematic. “if your ham is smoked or pre-cooked, you donโt 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.”
Josh Higdon says
Hahaha! The one person. Always one. Don’t buy pre cooked hams and cook them for 3 hours. The recipe has nothing to do with your ineptitude in the kitchen.