This recipe for ham roast has a distinctive, rich flavor that’s both salty and sweet. The outer edges of this baked ham caramelize during cooking — offering a slight crunch. The meat inside is tender and juicy. The honey mustard and brown sugar glaze adds the perfect amount of sweetness. We love this ham as a traditional main course for Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving.
A good holiday ham shouldn’t feel complicated—and this one isn’t. This is the exact method I use every year to keep a spiral-cut smoked ham juicy, evenly heated, and lacquered in a glossy, sticky brown-sugar-honey-mustard glaze.
Ingredients You Will Need For This Honey Mustard Holiday Ham:
What Kind of Ham to Buy
This recipe is specifically for pre-cooked spiral-cut smoked hams weighing 8–10 pounds. Larger hams (16–18 lb) need double the glaze and extra bake time, but the method stays the same.
The goal isn’t to cook the ham from scratch—it’s to warm it gently, keep every slice moist, and infuse it with a glaze that caramelizes beautifully in the last stretch of baking. I walk you through exactly how to cover it, when to glaze it, and how to keep it from drying out.
Avoid fresh hams– they cook like pork roasts and require a completely different process. They won’t look or taste like the traditional holiday ham you expect.
Where to find them? Most grocery stores carry 8–10 lb hams around the holidays; big-box stores carry the 16–18 lb size, often pre-sliced.
Make This Holiday Ham
Prep the Oven, Roasting Pan & Ham
This step sets you up for success. Spiral-cut hams dry out easily, so I always add water to the roasting pan and seal the foil tightly to trap steam. After years of testing holiday hams, this is the single most reliable way to keep every slice moist.
What you’ll do:
- Preheat oven to 325°F and position the rack.
- Unwrap the ham, discard the flavor packet (I never use it), and place the ham cut-side down in a large roasting pan.
- Add one cup water to create gentle steam during the first bake.
- Prepare a large sheet of heavy-duty foil for covering.
Making The Honey Mustard Ham Glaze
This glaze is balanced to cling to the ham instead of sliding off, and the ingredient ratios are based on repeated testing of spiral hams from different brands and sizes.
What you’ll do:
- Melt butter.
- Mix in brown sugar, honey, spicy brown mustard, salt, pepper, and ground cloves.
- If using whole cloves later, reduce ground cloves to ⅛ teaspoon for the right aroma without overpowering the glaze.
- Set aside until the ham is ready to glaze.
First Bake
Covering the ham tightly is essential—this isn’t optional for spiral cuts. You’re reheating an already-cooked ham, and the goal is even warming without losing moisture. The foil creates a steaming environment that keeps the slices juicy.
What you’ll do:
- Cover the ham tightly with heavy-duty foil, sealing all edges.
- Bake for about 1½ hours, or until only 30 minutes of cook time remain.
- Remove ham from oven and set the foil aside for later.
Glaze & Final Bake
This is where the ham gets its shine and flavor. Brushing the glaze between the slices and basting with pan juices creates deeper flavor instead of just coating the outside. I’ve tested this method with multiple hams, and this timing gives the glaze enough time to caramelize without burning.
What you’ll do:
- Brush glaze generously over the ham, letting it run between slices.
- Add whole cloves if you love the classic holiday look (totally optional).
- Bake uncovered for the final 30 minutes.
- Spoon the pan juices over the ham two to three times during this stage.
- Ham should reach an internal temperature of 140°F.
Rest, Slice & Serve
Resting prevents the juices from running out as you slice, which makes the ham noticeably more tender. This is the same resting technique used for roasts and turkey and is especially important with spiral hams.
What you’ll do:
- Spoon some roasting juices over the top for extra shine and moisture.
- Tent the ham loosely with foil.
- Let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Ham is a traditional main course for Easter, Christmas, New Year’s Day and Thanksgiving. We love it with all the traditional holiday side dishes, including green bean casserole, creamy mashed potatoes, and dinner rolls.
You could also add a little bit of sweetness to your meal with succulent slices of freshly grilled pineapple or pineapple coleslaw.
Making Ham Ahead of the Holidays
One of the best parts about serving a glazed spiral ham is how well it works for make-ahead entertaining. I’ve tested this method several times for holiday dinners, and the ham stays incredibly moist when it’s reheated correctly.
Make the Glaze Ahead – You can prepare the glaze up to two or three days in advance, and it actually develops deeper flavor as it rests in the fridge. When you’re ready to use it, simply warm it gently until it becomes pourable and brushable again.
Make the Ham a Day Before – If your oven is packed on the holiday itself, baking the ham the day before works extremely well. Cook it according to the recipe, let it cool, and store it tightly covered with some of the pan juices. When reheating, keep the ham covered and warm it at 300°F so the slices stay tender instead of drying out.
Prep in Advance Without Cooking – Another great time-saver is doing all the prep the day before: unwrap the ham, place it in the roasting pan, and mix the glaze. Store both in the refrigerator separately. On the day of, all you need to do is bake the ham, brush on the glaze, and finish it in the oven.
Storing Leftovers
- Fridge: Four to five days, tightly wrapped
- Freezer: Up to two months
- Reheating: Warm in a covered dish at 300°F with a splash of water
Leftover ham is fantastic in scalloped potatoes, omelets, fried rice or soup.
Recipe for Ham Roast
Ingredients
- 8 pound bone-in spiral-cut smoked ham
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, or ⅛ teaspoon if using whole cloves
- 1 cup water
- whole cloves, optional garnish
Instructions
- Remove or lower your middle oven rack in your oven before preheating. Preheat the oven to 325°F. You will need a large roasting pan and an extra-large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Remove all the packaging from the smoked ham. If it came with a seasoning packet, I typically just discard it. Place the ham into the roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together the unsalted butter, light brown sugar, honey, spicy mustard, salt, black pepper, and ground cloves. If you plan to use whole cloves, you can cut back the amount of ground cloves in your glaze to ⅛ teaspoon. Set aside.
- Add the water to the bottom of the roasting pan and cover the ham tightly with the large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Make sure that you seal the edges well so that no steam escapes. This helps to ensure that your ham stays moist and heats through evenly.
- Bake for about 1 ½ hours (or all but the last 30 minutes of bake time according to the size of your ham). Remove the ham from the oven and remove the piece of aluminum foil from the ham. Set the foil aside.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the entire surface of the ham allowing the glaze mixture to drip between the slices of the ham.
- If you want to add the optional whole cloves to garnish your ham, carefully and randomly poke the whole cloves into the ham. Place the ham back into the oven, uncovered, for the remaining 30 minutes of cook time. Two or three times during the last 30 minutes of bake time, spoon some of the juices from the roasting pan over the top of the ham to baste your ham and keep it moist.
- Your ham should have an internal temperature of approximately 140°F. Allow your ham roast to rest on the counter, lightly tented with the reserved piece of aluminum foil, for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can find these hams in the refrigerated meat section of your local grocery store. They are roughly 8-10 pounds per ham. You will need to allow about 13 minutes per pound of bake time.
- You can find larger-sized hams at the big box stores that are roughly 16-18 pounds. They often come already spiral sliced and will also contain a flavor packet. I discard the flavor packet and use the glaze in this recipe. You would need to double the amount of glaze if cooking a larger ham.
- Remember, these smoked hams are already cooked through. You are actually just warming them through and flavoring them with this honey mustard glaze. You DO NOT want a fresh ham for this recipe. Fresh hams need special cooking instructions, and while they are delicious, they will not look like the traditional holiday ham that is so famous.
- I highly recommend using a disposable aluminum roasting tray and heavy-duty aluminum foil for cooking these hams. I like to place the disposable roasting tray onto a large rimmed baking sheet to make transportation to and from the oven much easier. It is a bonus that it makes clean-up super easy too.
- I like to reserve the juices from the roasting pan to spoon over the roasted ham, being sure to get the juices into all those score marks to add extra moisture and flavor to my ham. My family even likes to spoon some of the juices onto their individual servings on their plate, like you would gravy over turkey.
- I like to use a standard wildflower or clover honey (like what you can get in the honey bear bottle at the grocery store) for this recipe. When you use the more unique, or gourmet, honey, then their flavors tend to not blend as well with the mustard. This is one of those times when the basic ingredient is the best choice for the recipe.
- This glaze is very easy and can be customized with your favorite mustard. I often substitute a dijon or yellow mustard for the spicy golden mustard.
- The whole cloves studding the ham is an optional garnish that not only will give your ham added flavor but also makes a beautiful presentation. If you like the flavor of the cloves but not the work or look of the whole cloves, you can just add ¼ – ½ teaspoon of ground cloves to your glaze mixture.
Nutrition
Comments
Bright says
Such a great recipe that’d definitely make a delectable dish.
I have not made a glaze for my ham before, so, I’m gonna try this out!
Penny says
This recipe is as I remember very similar to how my mom did a ham for Easter every year! Not only a feast for the eyes, but for the tummy too. Thanks for the memories. Will save recipe for when I have a large group to feed. Thanks!
Cekeste says
• What sides would you serve with this ham roast?
When we serve ham for big holiday dinners, I always make brown sugar carrots, garlic mashed potatoes, and pepperidge farm stuffing for sides. And of course, cranberry sauce! Though my daughter is the only one who eats it, lol. I may be adding a sweet potato side to our line up as well this year.
Penny says
When I do a ham like the recipe featured, I do it at Easter and serve it with my Mom’s recipe for Baked Broccoli and Baked Pineapple. Makes for a fabulous feast. Thanks.
Diann Harris says
I sometimes serve both roast and turkey….sometimes only turkey….sometime I serve ham and turkey…..depends upon the prices and quality of roast vs. ham.
Bobbi Ball says
This is the same, recipe, I grew up with, minus the mustard. We always have ham for New Years. The old adage, root ahead for the new year. I will be doing it with mustard this year. Love your recipes!!
Bobbie says
We usually have ham both Thanksgiving and Christmas! My favorite way to have it is with NO glaze, and my baked mac & cheese is a perfect side!! 🙂
Christine Czupryna says
I make a ham every Christmas Day to go along with my Lasagna. This recipe is a bit different then mine so will definitely try this one!
Christine Czupryna says
Sounds delicious and can’t wait to try it come Christmas! 🎄
LeeAnn says
Sounds great! Can’t wait to try it Thanksgiving on my ham.
Christine Czupryna says
Sounds delicious and can’t wait to try it come Christmas! Never tried using mustard in my glaze but it may just give a good twang to it! 🎄
Anne Parker says
I make a ham for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I use the same glaze you do that has been handed down through the family.
Daryl Byers says
I serve ham every Thanksgiving. Love this recipe
Jana says
I have served ham at Thanksgiving but have also served it on Christmas to offer more options to our traditional fare. I will be trying this recipe!
Ann Maddix says
We usually serve a ham at Christmas with cherries and pineapple.
I do not add a glaze
I would serve it with sweet potato Casserole and green been Casserole
Pam McClammy says
I grew up always having ham with both Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday dinners. I have continued the same tradition with my family as well and they all do the same with their families too. Ham is my personal favorite meat of the holiday’s.
Cathy McCourt says
I have ham at Thanksgiving & Christmas..I also make a glaze for my ham… there is only myself so a ham is best..
Maureen says
I always make ham for Christmas. My husband has to have it. I’m always looking for a new glaze because the one I have just doesn’t cut it. This recipe sounds delicious and I will have to try it this year,
Thank you for another Christmas recipe, It was exacly what I was looking for.
Sandra Sullivan Boudreau says
i’ve made this glaze and it’s fantastic. i like a ham for Easter and then one other time during the year, just for fun!!
Barbara Schnoor says
I serve both ham and turkey at Thanksgiving and usually ham at my Christmas brunch.
Kathleen Cogswell says
Making for Christmas 🎄 i
Kelly B says
My family always serves ham at Christmastime – mostly on Christmas Eve. I love adding my own homemade glaze to a ham roast. It completely elevates it! We always eat a fresh salad with a mustard vinaigrette, roasted carrots for color, and potatoes dauphinoise on the side.
Susan O’Leary says
Looks delicious! I have never made a glaze from scratch( only from a packet that came with a ham). I will serve mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans and dinner rolls with this ham.
Rick Schwartz says
This recipe looks terrific. I’d much rather glaze my own ham than trust someone else. At least I know exactly what’s in it. I have had ham for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but mostly the latter. It’s basically a tradition at our house.
Donna says
This recipe looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it! I always make a ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I also want to try the green bean recipe with this! I’ve tried making glazes before, but they didn’t work out very well. Will try this soon!
I gave it 3 stars because I haven’t tried it yet.
Albert says
Do you serve ham at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or both? Thanksgiving
Have you made a glaze for your ham before? Yes
What sides would you serve with this ham roast? Mashed Potatoes or baked potato dinner fries.
This recipe looks really easy and delicious. I will definitely try it next year!
Janice says
I serve ham along side turkey at thanksgiving and Christmas ! My family love both
Jennifer says
I usually cook and serve ham at Christmas. I am so excited to try this recipe as I love a more savory ham rather than sweet. Happy Holidays to you all 😍🎄🍖
Helen says
Ham is the star of our Christmas table!
Judy says
I love to serve Ham, it is so versatile, and also turkey,
I don;t glaze my hams, and our sides, are mash pototoes, turnip, sweet potatoes candied
and usually brocolli and cauliflower. Love family dinners
Love Spaceships and Laser Beams, because recipes are easy and usually what is on hand, nothing to have run out and buy
Mike Muise says
I love ham at Christmas Thanksgiving and various time’s of the year. This is going to be one of the recipes I am going to try. Thanks again
Heather Smith says
I serve ham during Christmas. My mom does for both!!
Evangeline vice says
A wonderful way to serve ham.
Shaunda Snider says
I serve ham at Christmas 🤶
Teresa Gerber says
I use a glaze my Mother used, but this sounds delish so will try!! Thanks!!
DK says
1) Ham is always a favorite at Thanksgiving/Christmas ( We have 2 to 3 entrees depending on the number of people)
2)Apple-Bourbon Ham Glaze is a family favorite, but also choose different glaze recipes such as citrus, black cherries, peach, pineapple, apple cider, herbs, whole mustard/garlic/onion, maple syrup, dark-spiced rum/cloves etc — as the family vote dictates.
3)We change side dishes (no marshmallows or cans of soups allowed) at holiday meals— to keep the meal updated. . .although we must have mashed golden potatoes (new recipe this year) — stuffing (also variation to keep up with trends —- this Thankgiving wild rice stuffing and another)
Sweet potato casserole, winter/autumnal salads, brocchillni, roasted root vegetables, roasted carrots, green beans//mushrooms/leeks etc. — varied cranberry relish recipes etc etc
LOVE your Ham Roast Recipe!!!
Sharon Briggs Carter says
I serve ham at Christmas. Yes, I always make a glaze and I serve twice-baked sweet potatoes and baked beans with bacon on top.
Susan Kline says
We serve the ham (minus any glaze) for Easter. Thanksgiving is turkey; Christmas can be turkey, roast beef, or one of several other choices.
Sheila Gromatzky says
I love ham but never have put a glaze on it. I think I will try this recipe this year. We usually have ham at Thanksgiving & Christmas!
Thank you!
BARBARA CUMMINGS says
Love the sound of crispy on the outside, yummy.
Dale Lindsey says
Love this recipe. It’s the only way my late husband would eat ham. Thank you for sharing this.
Jan Wegner says
My family likes scalloped potatoes with ham and green bean casserole. We love to have leftover ham to make a GREAT ham soup afterwards (and almost enjoy it more than the ham at the first meal).
Nancy says
Yum!
Jo-Anne Kumitch-Huxter says
We always have turkey and ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Always send extras home with everyone so they can enjoy another meal the next day.
Anna says
The leftover sauce would make a very delicious ham gravy. My family loves it and always ask for gravy with ham.
Cookee says
A great recipe, I will be making some changes to my recipe thanks to your help.
Couple of ideas:
I have cooked mine in an oven bag, saves mess also.
Try adding flat ginger ale instead of water to steam.
Use ham juice/gravy (after Removing fat) to use as liquid to cook rice…Yum
Also my Dad would cook green beans and potatoes in some of the juice, plus add pint or quart to a big pot of post holiday bean soup. It can be frozen to, but only 3 months.
Have a wonderful Ham Holiday !!
Love this recipe site, so very many good meals and desserts to cook. Thank you!!
Janine Kirin says
This was a great ham glaze recipe! I had to substitute molasses for the honey because I didn’t have any but it was delicious! Highly recommend!
Joanne says
Omg…I feed almost 80 kids from kindergarten to grade 12…all came for seconds and some thirds! They loved it! My kitchen smelt amazing and the ham was delicious!