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.
Lauren M Ahlberg says
Making this tomorrow for my in-laws! Quick question – my ham is 10lb, not 8 like in your recipe. Do I need to add time to the crock pot cook time, and if so how much longer?
The Chunky Chef says
I wouldn’t think you’d need any more time, as most hams come smoked and are already precooked. You’re really just warming it back up ๐
Marjorie says
Hello, my crock pot is not big enough, can I make this in an electric roasting pan?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t have an electric roaster, so this recipe wasn’t tested for that method. Not saying it wouldn’t work, just that I don’t have experience with it. There are oven directions up in the body of the post though.
LB says
IIf I am heating the ham in the oven, do I need to put water in the bottom of the roaster pan, or just place the ham wrapped in foil in the roaster pan?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never needed any water, the ham with the melted butter and honey in the foil stays nice and moist.
Angel says
Thank you for posting this wonderful spot on recipe. Have used it the two years!
Debora says
Sounds perfect! Iโm going to try this recipient for christmas dinner.
TJ Kopi says
Making this right now and my whole house smells ahhh soooooo amazing!! Used brown sugar, you could add a little molasses if using white sugar, great flavor. I also added a little corn starch for thickening. Ham is my hubby’s favorite meat. So, he’s going to get a pleasant surprise when he gets home,.
Sally says
This was my first ham to cook and it was a success.. Thank you โค๏ธ
Marty says
Everyone enjoyed the ham. The ham bone made an amazing split pea soup, the recipe also found on Pinterest
Claudine says
This recipe was a huge hit! Everyone loved it. Iโve tried many different ham recipes and this has been our favorite Itโs now a staple for the holidays. I cooked an 8lb ham in the crockpot on low for 3 hours then broiled it. For the sugar, I used 1 cup brown sugar and ย 1/2 cup white sugar.ย
Lisa Leonard says
Fantastic! We couldn’t stop nibbling on the stray pieces
Tori says
Made this for thanksgiving in my instant pot. Set it for high 26 minutes and walked away. It was divine.ย
JENNY says
Tories did you do a natural pressure release? TY
Elle says
I’ve never made a ham before and this recipe looks great. ย My only concern is: ย it seems like very little liquid is being put in the crock pot with the ham, in the beginning. ย It is just the 2 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp of honey. ย Is that enough? ย Do I need to add any other juice or water?
Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
It’s essentially steaming and warming the ham through, so just a little liquid is needed. The ham will give off plenty of juice as it heats up as well.
KATHY says
I made this for my sons Friendsgiving. I sliced a boneless ham and marinated it in this glaze for several hours. Baked it in the glaze and basted it every 15-30 minutes. Holy moly!! Ive used other HBH recipes in the past but this by far is the best! I like the suggestion to use on a turkey. Will give that a try for Thanksgiving. Fantastic recipe!
Shannon says
I am super excited to have found this recipe! I have loved honey baked ham but was so expensive! I will be making this ham for Thanksgiving dinner this year!
charlene daus says
I’m going to try this today
Tanya says
Omg this ham is so delicious and easy, my husband said it better then the honey baked ham u would buy. This is a must try for anyone who hasn’t already!
Kelly Hill says
If the hams already smoked, do you still have to cook it for the 4-5 hours? I’m just confused on that one issue. It’s my first time doing a ham for Thanksgiving and I just want to make sure I get it right. ๐ย
The Chunky Chef says
Like I mentioned in the body of the post, most hams from the grocery store are smoked, which is already cooked. The “cook” time is just to warm the ham through. If you don’t want a warm ham, you can massage the melted butter and honey onto the ham, then proceed with step 2 in the recipe to get that honeybaked ham crust.
Christi Bowers says
This recipe sounds amazing! I plan on making a ham for Christmas, but Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and with that being said, Iโm curious if your same recipe is good for turkey?ย
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but I think it would taste great on turkey ๐
Jodi Jordan says
This was super easy and really good! I also love that it didn’t cost a fortune!
Scarlet says
Oh, the crust on that honey baked ham looks so good and full of flavor. Yum. Pinning to try soon!