Easy Baked Ham

Transform your ham into something spectacular with a pineapple brown sugar glaze. This Simple Glazed Ham is perfect for any holiday dinner or just a special weekend meal. 

This recipe for baked ham is one of the easiest recipes for ham. It is baked low and slow in the oven with a sweet and savory glaze that gives this ham the most incredible flavor. It makes the most spectacular holiday meal when served with Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans Almondine, and a Strawberry Spinach Salad.

For a quick family meal or a smaller holiday gathering, I typically make Instant Pot Ham. However, when I am entertaining a larger crowd or desiring leftovers, this is my go-to recipe for Baked Ham.

Not only is it glazed with the most delicious sweet and savory glaze, but the technique is also incredibly simple. There is no basting, no broiling, no baby-sitting this ham. The ham cooks low and slow in the glaze, keeping this ham tender, moist, and full of flavor. Trust me, this is one ham everyone will remember!

Which Ham is Best?

This recipe is designed for a cured, precooked ham, also referred to as a city ham. Do not purchase an uncooked ham or a cured, uncooked ham which is referred to as a country ham.

You can purchase a whole or sliced ham, boneless or bone-in. I prefer a spiral sliced ham with a bone. Not only is it easier to serve and I love that the glaze can drip in between the slices, but the bone can also be used to make a delicious Ham and Bean Soup.

As for how much ham you need, you should plan on ½ of a pound per person for bone-in-hams and ⅓ a pound per person if boneless hams.

Ham Glaze

The glaze on this ham is OUT OF THIS WORLD! It sweet and savory and made with a few unique ingredients. Not too sweet, not too savory, this glaze is really the perfect balance.

• Pineapple Juice: Pineapple juice naturally sweetens the glaze and the acidic sweetness pairs perfectly with the salty ham.
• Apricot Preserves: This may sound like an odd ingredient, but the apricot sweetens the ham and adds so much flavor to this glaze. I use All Fruit Apricot Preserves, to cut down on added sugars, but you can use any brand you like. If you can't find apricot preserves, feel free to use honey in place of the preserves.
• Dijon Mustard: The Dijon adds a sharp note to the glaze.
• Horseradish: Trust me on this, the tiny bit of horseradish opens up your palate to really taste the flavors in this ham. It does not overpower the flavor of the glaze.
• Brown Sugar: Just a tad to add to the sweetness in this glaze. Plus the brown sugar gives notes of rich molasses flavor.
• Spices: I use a tiny bit of nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. These are traditional spices found in a ham glaze and add classic notes that are common in holiday ham recipes.

How to Make Baked Ham

The key to a really great ham is to NOT overcook it. And to cook in a moist environment. That is why the Instant Pot, works great for cooking ham, but for a large ham, we can easily create an environment in the oven that will keep this ham moist and juicy.

My number one tip for a really juicy ham is to cook the ham with the glaze, wrapped in foil.  As the ham bakes, it stays moist, thanks to the foil, and the glaze seeps into the ham, flavoring the entire ham--not just the outer layer. Plus this makes the process of baking the ham so much easier with less clean-up.

• Make the glaze by whisking the ingredients together over medium heat until combined and sugar dissolved.

• Place the ham on the foil.

• Gently pull apart slices and pour the glave over the ham, drizzling in between the slices.

• Wrap the ham and glaze in foil and place on a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Pour water in the bottom of the roasting pan--this will help to create the moist heat for the ham to cook in.

• Bake.

Easy-Peasy!

If you want the crispy edges on the exterior of the ham, you can unwrap the foil and broil for a few minutes. However, I find this step completely unnecessary and can often dry sliced ham out VERY quickly.

How Long Should You Bake Ham?

Because the ham is precooked, we are essentially just reheating.

According to the USDA, ham is safe to eat after being reheated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The best way to determine how long to bake is to insert a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the ham and set an alarm for 140 degrees.

When baking ham at 325 degrees, you should plan on 15 minutes per pound for bone-in ham and 20 minutes per pound for boneless ham.

Ideas for Leftover Ham

• Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets
• Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
• Easy Monte Cristo Sandwich
• Cheesy Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
• Ham and Swiss Roll
• Ham and Egg Breakfast Casserole

When entertaining a crowd or looking for a memorable ham glaze, this is the recipe you need to use! It is simple to make and always delicious!

Easy Baked Ham with Pineapple Glaze

This recipe for baked ham is one of the easiest recipes for ham. It is baked low and slow in the oven with a sweet and savory glaze that gives this ham the most incredible flavor.

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 16

Calories: 257kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 7-10 pound ham see notes about type of ham

Ham Glaze

• ▢ ⅓ cup pineapple juice
• ▢ ¼ cup apricot preserves
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon prepared Horseradish
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

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Instructions

• Remove ham from the refrigerator for 1 hour before baking.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a small saucepan, whisk together the pineapple juice, apricot preserves, Dijon, horseradish, brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice together. Heat over medium heat and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is well combined.
• Place ham on heavy-duty foil. Pour glaze over ham, allowing glaze to drip down between slices, if using a sliced ham. Insert oven-safe digital thermometer if using and then wrap ham in foil.
• Place a roasting rack in a large roasting pan. pour in 1-2 cups of water--enough to cover pan. Place ham on the rack.
• Bake ham until an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit is reached, or for 15 minutes per pound for bone-in ham and 20 minutes per pound for boneless ham.
• Remove ham from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes. Unwrap foil and serve.

Equipment Needed

• Roasting Pan with Rack
• Oven Safe Digital Thermometer

Notes

• If you can't find apricot preserves, feel free to use honey in place of the preserves.
• Use a microplane to freshly grate whole nutmeg. If you do not have whole nutmeg, omit the nutmeg altogether. Do not replace with ground nutmeg. 
• Leftover ham will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 2532mg | Potassium: 654mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 2mg

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