Honey-Glazed Ham

Article by Emily Saladino

Whether it’s part of a holiday feast or low-key family supper, boneless baked hams are crowd-pleasers. But how do you cook a honey-glazed ham, exactly? And what’s the secret to making the glaze super glossy? With Ree Drummond’s expert tips, your glazed ham recipe will turn out perfectly moist, flavorful, and festive every time.

How Do You Cook a Honey-Glazed Ham Like a Pro?

Score the ham. Use a sharp knife to cut a diamond pattern approximately 1/8-inch deep into the surface of the ham and stick cloves into its top. This helps the baked ham soak up the flavorful honey glaze—and adds visual appeal to boot.

Don’t use a spiral-cut ham. Ree prefers cooking honey-glazed ham that hasn’t been spiral cut because it stays moist in the oven. Make sure the ham is boneless; bone-in hams take longer to warm in the oven and aren’t as easy to slice and serve.

How to make an easy ham glaze. Ree’s four-ingredient honey glaze for ham comes together quickly on the stovetop. The bite of the grainy mustard and the tang of the vinegar balance the sweetness of the soda and honey.

Coat your measuring cup. To measure sticky ingredients like honey, coat the inside of your measuring cup with nonstick baking spray—the honey will slide right out.

Customize the recipe for ham glaze. If you love the taste of ginger, swap the ginger ale for ginger beer, which has a stronger ginger flavor.

Rest the glazed ham before serving. Resting the ham after it cooks locks in all the flavorful juices.

How Long to Cook Honey-Glazed Ham

Ree recommends baking a 5- to 7-pound boneless ham in an oven preheated to 325 degrees F for approximately one hour and 15 minutes. During that total cooking time, you’ll cover and uncover the baked ham and add the glaze in stages.

For the first hour, bake the unglazed ham on the wire rack of a roasting pan beneath tented foil at 325 degrees F. The ham is already cooked, so covering it and cooking it at a relatively low temperature helps heat it through without drying it out. Ree doesn’t add the glaze yet, though, to keep the sugars from burning.

After an hour, apply the ham glaze with a spoon or basting brush. Bake the ham for another 15 minutes, uncovered, at 325 degrees F. This seals in flavor and moisture, and helps the glaze set on the surface of the ham, so it stays glossy and caramelized.

Reheating a Baked Ham with a Glaze

To reheat your glazed ham recipe, put it in a roasting pan covered with aluminum foil for approximately 13 minutes per pound in an oven preheated to 325 degrees F.

Honey-glazed roast ham lasts for up to 3 days in a covered container in the fridge. Want new ideas for leftover ham? Try Ree’s scalloped potatoes and ham recipe, swap it for the deli ham in her mini quiches, or consider one of Food Network’s 36 leftover ham recipes.