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    Home » Holiday Favorites » Easy Honey Glaze for Ham

    Easy Honey Glaze for Ham

    Published: November 29, 2021 · Jill Baird · 5 Comments

    how to make honey glaze for ham

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    Jump to Recipe
    image for glaze for holiday Ham
    how to make a honey ham for the holidays
    how to make a spiral ham, easy honey ham recipe

    This brown sugar Honey Glaze for Ham is the perfect way to finish a spiral ham for any occasion.  Flavored with orange juice and warm baking spices, it’s super simple and takes just about 5 minutes to make.

    Jump to:
    • Easy Honey Glazed Ham
    • Ingredients in Honey Glaze for Ham
    • How to Make Honey Glaze for Ham
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Tips
    • Storing and Reheating Glaze
    • Honey Glaze for Ham Recipe

    Easy Honey Glazed Ham

    Spiral ham wouldn’t be complete without a sweet, spiced glaze to coat the whole thing as it finishes in the oven.  This perfectly balanced Honey Glaze for Ham is made with brown sugar, honey, orange juice and warm spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  

    The end result is a shiny, sweet, incredibly moist ham that works for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, or any family dinner.  Just brush it on during the last 20 minutes of heating and voila - perfection.  You can also use this honey glaze recipe to make any number of ham glazes, using some of our suggestions below.

    If you are a spiral ham newbie, hop on over to our complete guide on How to Cook a Spiral Ham for step-by-step instructions and answers to your most frequently asked questions.

    how to make a honey glaze for ham, A ladle spooning ham glaze in a sauce pot.

    Ingredients in Honey Glaze for Ham

    • Brown Sugar - we usually use light brown sugar for this recipe.  If you want a slightly stronger flavor, you can do with dark brown sugar.
    • Honey - the better the honey, the tastier the glaze.  Try to find pure honey.  Or, substitute maple syrup to make a maple glaze instead.
    • Orange Juice - use fresh squeezed or bottled orange juice.  Pineapple juice also makes a delicious substitute. 
    • Spices - for this recipe, we use cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  Other options to try would be using pumpkin pie spice, ginger or even a little cardamom.

    How to Make Honey Glaze for Ham

    1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the brown sugar, honey, orange juice, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
    2. While stirring, bring to a rapid boil and boil for about 5 minutes.
    3. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, then brush or drizzle the glaze over the ham about 20 minutes before it has finished cooking.
    honey glaze sauce recipe for ham boiling in a pot.

    How to Heat a Spiral Sliced Ham

    1. Prepare the ham.  Remove all of the packaging, including the plastic disk on the underside of the ham.  ??Place ham in a 9" x 13" glass baking dish, or similar shallow roasting pan, and cover tightly with foil or a lid.
    2. Add to a preheated oven.  Place in a preheated oven and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes - 1 hour 50 minutes, or about 10 minutes per pound of ham.   
    3. Glaze the ham about 20 minutes before it is done.  Brush or drizzle your glaze over the ham about 20 minutes before it has finished cooking.
    4. Return to the oven to finish.  After glazing, return the ham to the oven, uncovered, and bake ham for an additional 20 minutes until the glaze is a little crispy and the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F.
    5. Remove from the oven.  Once the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F in the thickest spot, remove the ham from the oven.
    6. Let it rest.  Let the ham rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing.
    7. Serve.  Spoon the juices over the honey baked ham just before serving.  Enjoy!
    ham honey Glaze being drizzled over sliced honey baked ham, for easter dinner or Christmas dinner.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I heat a spiral cut ham in a slow cooker?

    Yes!  Just apply the honey glaze, then cook a ham on low for about 4 hours.  Halfway through, you may want to stop and baste the ham with the juices at the bottom of the crockpot.

    What can I use instead of honey for glaze?

    Maple syrup is a great alternative to honey.  Or, for something a little different you can substitute fruit preserves, such as cherry, apricot or plum.  Basically anything sweet and syrupy can be used in place of honey for your ham glaze.

    Why do you add the glaze at the end of cooking?

    You always want to add the glaze to your ham towards the last 15-20 minutes of cooking time so that the glaze doesn’t burn.  You want the sugars to caramelize slightly, but any further and they will begin to burn.

    Can I make honey glaze for ham ahead of time?

    Definitely!  You can make the honey glaze for ham recipe up to 1 week in advance, store in the fridge, and reheat slightly just until it is loose enough to brush or drizzle onto your ham.

    Tips

    • You can substitute pineapple juice or cherry juice for orange juice for a fun flavor variation.
    • Since spiral cut hams are already smoked ham and cooked before you purchase, you just need to heat the ham through.
    • This glaze works great on a whole ham or you can just drizzle a little brown sugar honey glaze on a small portion too. Just keep any remaining sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.
    • This honey glaze for ham recipe will thicken as it cools. Keep that in mind when making ahead of time.

    Storing and Reheating Glaze

    • Refrigerator: store honey glaze sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
    • Reheating: before using, you may want to warm the glaze to loosen it up.  You can reheat it in the microwave, or else transfer to a pot and warm slowly over low heat just until it is loose enough to drizzle or brush.
    Print

    Honey Glaze for Ham Recipe

    This brown sugar Honey Glaze Recipe for Ham is the perfect way to finish a spiral ham for any occasion.  Flavored with orange juice and warm baking spices, it’s super simple and takes just about 5 minutes to make. This Honey Glazed Ham Recipe is perfect for Easter Dinner, Christmas, Dinner or any Family Dinner.
    Course Condiments
    Cuisine American
    Cook Time 5 minutes
    Total Time 5 minutes
    Servings 12 cups
    Calories 118kcal
    Author The Carefree Kitchen

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Brown Sugar
    • ½ cup Honey
    • ½ cup Orange Juice
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves
    • 1 pinch Nutmeg

    Instructions

    How to Make Honey Glaze for Ham

    • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the brown sugar, honey, orange juice, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. While stirring, bring to a rapid boil and boil for about 5 minutes.
    • Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, then brush or drizzle the glaze over the ham about 20 minutes before it has finished cooking.
    • After glazing, return the ham to the oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 20 minutes until the glaze is a little crispy and the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F.

    How to Cook a Honey Baked Ham

    • Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
    • Remove all packaging, including the plastic disk on the underside of the ham.
    • Place ham in a 9" x 13" glass baking dish, or similar shallow roasting pan, and cover tightly with foil or a lid.
    • Place in a preheated 275 degree oven and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes - 1 hour 50 minutes, or about 10 minutes per pound of ham. About 20 minutes before it has finished cooking, remove from the oven and add the glaze.
    • After glazing, return the ham to the oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 20 minutes until the glaze is a little crispy and the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F.
    • Remove the ham from the oven, cover with foil to retain the heat, and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Spoon the juices over the ham before serving. Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 118kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 21IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

    Here are more of our favorite recipes for sauces and condiments:

    • Sausage Gravy
    • Roasted Marinara Sauce
    • Easy Alfredo Sauce
    • Homemade Buffalo Sauce
    • Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
    • More Holiday Recipes
    • More Ham Recipes

    If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest,  feel free to leave a comment and photo there too.  Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!

    Pinterest pin for Honey Glaze for Ham.

    This Honey Glaze for Ham Recipe is made with brown sugar, orange juice and warm baking spices. It's perfectly balanced and makes the most incredibly moist and delicious honey-baked ham for any occasion.

    « Holiday Veggie Tray
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shawn

      November 22, 2022 at 11:19 am

      I was asked to bring a ham for an office dinner on very short notice. This recipe was super easy and delicious. I like fresh fruit in most of my dishes so I added chopped apples and chunk pineapple in the baking pan to give it a personal touch.

      Reply
    2. Amy

      February 26, 2022 at 12:05 pm

      This is a fabulous ham recipe!

      Reply
      • Jill Baird

        March 06, 2022 at 11:14 pm

        I'm so glad you loved it, Amy! Thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
    3. Liz

      November 30, 2021 at 11:47 am

      Yay! I was looking for a glaze idea to send to my mom and this recipe is perfect. Thanks for the easy instructions!

      Reply
    4. Jess

      November 30, 2021 at 11:45 am

      I dont think I ever thought of adding orange juice to a ham glaze, but this is just amazing! thank you for sharing this recipe!

      Reply

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