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.
Patty Lewis says
I love honey baked ham!! This Easter as usual I ordered my ham… it was so expensive! My Giant food store had a special if you spend so much you get a free spiral cut ham. Iโm making that one today! I opened up the ham and the Glaze was missing! I have to have Glaze in the ham. Years ago I used to make my ham with ginger ale, brown sugar, lemon and a few slices but it isnโt a Glaze. So Iโm following your recipe as I type. ย The ham is 4.38 lb I kept the amounts the same. I recently bought a small kitchen blow torch so Iโll be able to try that out!ย
I donโt have the onion powder ๐ so hopefully that wonโt mess this up too much.ย
What really surprised me was not brown sugar? White sugar? Iโm really surprised with that. ย How do you get the color Glaze to be dark?ย
Iโll let you know what the family thinks! Sadly this fee ham is very fatty inside I wasnโt happy about that so there will be a lot of loss there.ย
Thanks for the recipe!ย
The Chunky Chef says
I felt the white sugar gave the ham more of a honeybaked ham taste, but feel free to substitute brown sugar if you’d like ๐ Hope you love this version!
Diana says
I just made this and it was easy and yet decadent. I also used the same sugar on a turkey breast I also made at same time. I liked a little more spice, so I doubled only the spices. Everyone LOVED this recipe. My turkey friend said it tasted like just like a HBH and was the best turkey she ever had. Thank You and post more recipes please!
T.s says
Although I’m sure this ham tastes delicious as I search Google for people’s renditions of HoneyBaked Ham I have to laugh since I have been a former employee of HoneyBaked Ham Company, there is actually no honey involved in the HoneyBaked Ham although there is several spices that ithey call “Royal” the process is to smoke the ham,then spiral cut it,then they pour the Royal onto the ham and then pour sugar over the ham as it is on a rotisserie they take a blowtorch to it to make it a hard candy shell
The Chunky Chef says
I know there’s no honey in the HBH recipe, but we like the flavor. I never said this was THE Honeybaked ham recipe, just MY version of it. Feel free to use your own version.
Gabby says
HBHโs sweet honey glaze has honey in it as a powder so I bet that sugary stuff on a HBH includes some honey powder as well. I also bet youโve hit the nail on the head. This is going on my ham TOMORROW and I am SO excited!! ย Thank you thank you thank you!
Holly D says
T.S I wouldnโt mind knowing more about this for my kid who really wants to cook a ham for a contestย
Mom to 8 says
Thank you for this recipe. I accidentally missed the deadline for ordering our traditional HB Ham this past Christmas. With trepidation, I tried your CC recipe…worried I would never live down my mistake. Fortunately, the ham was met with overwhelming praise by my family. I just printed the recipe to use for our Easter celebration. We no longer need to make the expensive ham purchase. Much obliged!!
Chris says
Amanda I found you by happy accident. The ham in your photo looks yummy. Itโs a crunchy sugar coating like Honey Baked ham and not a syrup right? I always serve Honey Baked at room temperature. Do you think I could forget baking the ham and just use your recipe for the coating? Also Iโd like to do it a day ahead and then refrigerate until a few hours before dinner. Do you think that would work? Excited to try this!
The Chunky Chef says
So happy you found my site! Yes, it’s more of a crunchy coating. Even when you make the sugar glaze, after broiling and cooling slightly, it crisps up nicely. You could absolutely forgo cooking the ham, it won’t hurt the recipe at all ๐ I haven’t tested making it ahead of time, so I can’t say that it will taste exactly the same, but it shouldn’t negatively effect it. Hope you love it!
Shirley S Tarpley says
I made this ham for Christmas 2018 and it was a big hit. It was so delicious.
Kris Tetz says
BEST. HAM. EVER! I usually buy the ham with the glaze packet, but for 3 people, we always have too much leftover. My boys are very picky and weโre not excited about me experimenting with their Christmas ham. Their thoughts, โif it ainโt broke….โ. Despite their protests. I decided to buy a smaller ham and try my hand at a homemade glaze. ย After researching many recipes and scouring reviews, I settled on this recipe. I added a shot of bourbon to the boiled glazed, and poured ย the leftover glaze from the bottom of the roasting pan in a gravy boat to served it along side. Theย verdict, the boys said this was the best ham theyโd EVER had. My son asked if he could keep the ham in his room. ๐ For the first time ever, ALL of the leftovers were gone! ย Iโve been instructed to never buy a Honey Baked ham or use any other glaze ever again. This is definitely a keeper!ย
Mary Beth Herrick says
Maybe it’s my crockpot but 4 hours was too long.
But the glaze is spot on.
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, unfortunately, every crockpot runs a little differently.
Jocelyn says
Thanks for this ! If my ham is 3.89 lbs do I follow these measurements exactly or halve them?ย
The Chunky Chef says
You can halve them, or keep them as is for extra glaze!
Sheila says
Used this recipe yesterday. Was wonderful. My daughter said it was better than Honey baked ham. I did the oven method and did 2 hams about 9 lbs each so tripled the recipe. Just one hint…when broiling in an electric oven I would twist and turn the pans with the ham in them in different directions every 30 seconds to a minute to get a more even carmelizing all the way around on the hams to help keep the direct top of the ham from burning.
Lois says
Is the 4-5 hours for a pre cooked ham? If not how long for a pre cooked ham?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes itโs for a precooked ham, just to fully warm it.
Chris A. says
Can I pre-slice the ham before these steps if i donโt have the spiral sliced version or do I have to wait and cut it at the end?
The Chunky Chef says
You can do it either way ๐
Stephanie says
This was delicious! I was skeptical about warming the ham in the crockpot and 2 of my friends gave a hard side she go seeing it in there, but in the end this was a crowd favorite. There was not a single piece leftover. Making this again for Christmas.
Gabriella says
Hello! Quick question again– if I am doing with this with a raw turkey, is that okay? I’m assuming I just cook it longer. Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
You’ll need to check the cooking directions on your turkey packaging for how to best cook it to a safe temperature, then add the glaze and go from there.
Christi Bowers says
Gabriella, Did you try the turkey? Iโm curious how it came out?ย
gabriella says
Hello! Do you believe that this would work well with a 3 lb turkey? Can’t wait to try!Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never tested this recipe with a turkey, so I can’t say for certain, but I think it would work just fine.
Barbara says
Wow Iโve never seen a 3 lb turkey
Deb C. says
Had this for Thanksgiving . Was so good , we were all fighting for leftovers AND the sauce on the bottom !
Nicolette Pellegrin says
I did this for my husbands family for thanksgiving and everyone was droolinggggggg!!!! They asked if I could do it again for Christmas and then my husband asked if I can do it for us at home. Us and our seven and one year old. Haha. Itโs seriously delicious!!!!ย
Valerie says
I prepared this ham to serve alongside turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner and it was very well-received! I warmed the ham in the slow cooker, transferred it to a foil-lined baking sheet for the broiling and glazing steps, and then returned it to the slow cooker to hold until dinner was ready. I used a 5 lb. boneless supermarket brand ‘spiral-sliced’ ham and cooked it on LOW for 2-1/2 hours before the glazing step. Delicious!
ROSE says
Cannot wait to try. Having 10 people for a dinner party this week. Is it possible to prepare the ham and then slice and put in a sterno warming tray to keep warm while other sides are being prepared? I plan on having alot of sides that, unfortunately, also require oven space. In my next life I will have a double oven.
The Chunky Chef says
Yes I think that would work just fine ๐
Elizabeth Parker says
Very good ham I am sending the name of this site to a family member thank you for your recipe it is very delicious