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.
Steph says
Perfect! Delicious glaze! My whole family loved this recipe.
Michael Bahn says
Okay, this is a winner! We have done two hams this way and both turned out excellent. We used the oven heating method. We did a half white sugar/half brown sugar mix because we had some leftover brown sugar. The recipe has a wonderful array of seasonings which nicely amp up the flavor. You can increase or decrease amounts of seasonings to your particular desired flavor. An 8 to 9 lb. ham is a good size so you don’t get too much leftover and get ham-bored. We saved the glaze mix that came with the ham for making sweet/spicey porkchops of our own recipe. Using the remaining bone for pinto beans per Sheila’s idea looks interesting … we’ll try it.
Terri Hulbert says
Really Delicious and incredibly easy!
Holly Yavanian says
OMFG. Amazing. I had some chunky ass ham, not even spiral cut. But this mix and the glaze! Never buying honey baked ham ever again! Absolutely amazing! Thank you for saving me $70 twice a year!
Tori Taff says
OK, I am practically stopping people on the street and raving about this recipe! It is identical to (if not better than) a HoneyBaked Ham. My family had a late Christmas celebration this year due to Covid, and we talked about that dang ham all evening– did the oven version, followed directions exactly, came out perfect. Have already shared the recipe with four friends!
Sheila says
Best ham ever! We use leftovers in croissants for sandwiches and save the bone to be added when cooking pinto beans. This is now my ONLY ham recipe. Thank you for sharing!
KB says
AMAZINGLY AMAZING…! ย I will never darken the door of The HoneyBaked Ham Co. again!!!
Thank You! ย Thank You! ย Thank You!
Rosa says
Excellent recipe. Was half gone before I could take a picture. I made it for Christmas and they want It again for New Years. Will try to take a picture then. Thanks for sharing it.ย
Marie says
Honey Baked Hams are so expensive. Thanks so much for the recipe. It was a huge success. Tastes just like I remembered. I am grateful. It has become a new family favorite. Move over turkey!
Tammy says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I have enjoyed Honey Baked Ham since I was a kid and couldn’t wait to sneak chunks of the crunchy glaze as often as I could when Mom wasn’t watching. I used this recipe for our Christmas Ham yesterday and we were all amazed at how awesome it came out. It was a real treat to feel like we were having a real Honey Baked Ham (actually even better) when we are on such a tight budget. Thank you again, this really made our Holiday supper very special!
Christi says
This recipe did not work for us at all. Bought a Smithfield spiraled ham, which is rated one of the better hams, followed the crockpot recipe exactly and then the broiler for a few minutes. It was so dry and not Juicy at all, we threw all the leftovers in the trash. ย If I make a ham again I think I will stick to the glaze packet and ham instructions on the tag.ย
Marie Strand says
Smithfield spiral ham is already smoked so it didn’t have to be cooked just broiled for future reference.
Lori Gulbis says
I made this for a christmas dinner. Everyone said it is as good, if not beter than the Honey Baked store. I loved it, and i9t very earsy to make. I will make it again.
Joseph M. says
I have been making this recipe for 3 years now and every time my guests canโt get enough of it. ย I canโt thank you enough for this holiday favorite. ย
Robin M says
I have trouble with the first step after “cooking” the ham. When I pat the dry rub mix on, it does not bubble up and just ends up burning the ham on the back side and in the front. I had to put juice on the top to save it and this happened twice, so clearly I am doing something wrong.
Kristine Ratliff says
Delicious! I am a Honey Baked Ham snob. Iโve eaten Honey Baked ham on Christmas Eve for probably 40 years. This year, I wanted to simplify due to the pandemic. This exceeded my expectations! My husband said it was better than Honey Baked. Thanks so much!
Jennifer E Styron says
I have a question. If my ham is not sliced, can I slice it ahead of time (before cooking) or should I wait to do that after the ham is cooked?
The Chunky Chef says
You can do either ๐
Barbara Quick says
It is better to slice it before cooking, that way the honey will get into the individual slices. Haven’t tried it yet, am cooking today. Merry Christmas.
Zachsmom125 says
I made this recipe 1st time for Thanksgiving. It was devoured and had been requested for Christmas and New Years meals. ABSOLUTELY scrumptdeliumptious!!! ;0) I am praying I’ll have some leftovers from these upcoming meals, I love the ham salad after as well, I did NOT share!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
Ashley Melton says
Looking forward to using this recipe! Any idea if this could work in an Instapot?
The Chunky Chef says
I hope you love it! Without testing and retesting it in the Instant Pot myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Azalea Boehm says
Can brown sugar be substituted for 1 1/2ย cupsย granulated sugar?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested it, but I think it could be.
Denise Sheelar says
Hi
I have a smoked ham but it is not spiral. How can I use this and achieve similar results?
Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
It’s practically impossible to slice your own spirals into an uncut ham, but the basic premise of this recipe, with the crunchy glaze on the outside, will still work, no matter what the kind of ham ๐