39 Delicious Ham Recipes To Make Your Holiday Meals The Best Ever
These are good any way you slice it.
In our eyes, the food calendar typically goes like this: Easter gets lamb, Thanksgiving gets turkey, but when it comes to Christmas? It’s all about that holiday ham. Whether you’re looking for a classic showstopping dinner centerpiece or just want to incorporate that quintessential porky flavor into all of your holiday meals, we’ve got tons of recipes for you here, from breakfasts to apps to mains.
When you think of a Christmas ham, we bet you’re imagining a big roast, playing the role of centerpiece on a Hallmark-worthy dinner table. We’ve certainly got those recipes here, like our cherry bourbon glazed ham or our best-ever glazed spiral ham, as well as some made simpler in your Crockpot or Instant Pot. But! We’re more aware than most how hectic the holidays can get, and that though Christmas is technically one day, there’s a whole lot more where we also need to get festive meals on the table for our family and friends. In that spirit, we’ve included a variety of recipes here that utilize leftover ham, deli ham, and even ham bones to great effect.
Looking for a ham-filled breakfast? Try our ham, egg, & cheese roll-ups (perfect for that newly low-carb family member), our buckwheat galettes with ham & egg, our eggs Benedict bake, or our crescent breakfast squares. What about lunch? Make it special with the best ham sandwiches you’ll ever have, like our ham & cheese sandwich, our sheet pan Italian subs, or our club sandwich. Don’t forget about the sides too. Ham is a great supporting character, like in our ham & bean soup, our ham & cheese tortellini, or our scalloped potatoes & ham. Ham is also great paired with chicken for dinners that are easy enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough for unexpected holiday guests. Check out our chicken cordon bleu, our antipasto stuffed chicken, our our chicken cordon bleu casserole to see what we mean.
Now you’ve got all your ham needs met this Christmas, it’s time to set your sights on sweets. Check out our best Christmas cakes, our favorite Christmas cookies, and our top holiday cocktails too.
Copycat Honey Baked Ham
Honey Baked ham is grand, deliciously smoky, and has a signature caramelized crust all over. Sadly, it’s something you have to plan to order in advance and can be a little on the pricey side. If you didn't have time to order a ham, want to save some money, or just try a homemade version of this classic centerpiece, this copycat recipe is for you.
Get the Copycat Honey Baked Ham recipe.
Ham & Cheese Spinach Puffs
Stuffed with ham, spinach, and Gruyère, these cheesy pastries are calling your name. These puffs are most delicious fresh out of the oven, but if you want to work ahead, you can even make the filling and even cut out the pastry squares the day before.
Get the Ham & Cheese Spinach Puffs recipe.
Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham
This zingy retro classic glazed ham is a stunner set in the center of a table, and just a few easy sides short of a fantastic feast. Beyond the eye-popping pineapple rings and bright maraschino cherries, the glaze lends a shine and texture to the ham’s caramelized crust too.
Get the Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham recipe.
Sheet-Pan Easter (Or Any Holiday) Dinner
Think you don’t have enough time or space to cook a holiday dinner? Think again. Featuring cheesy potatoes au gratin, maple-glazed ham, garlicky asparagus, and paprika-spiced carrots, our streamlined version of this notoriously complicated meal is as simple as 2 sheet pans and 30 minutes in the oven.
Get the Sheet-Pan Easter Dinner recipe.
Hawaiian Roll Sliders
Hawaiian rolls are a guilty pleasure of ours: They're buttery, soft, and full of just-sweet-enough flavor. These sliders, layered with ham, Swiss, and caramelized onions, will quickly become a MUST at any Christmas party you throw.
Get the Hawaiian Roll Sliders recipe.
Baked Ham With Brown Sugar Glaze
When it comes to a Christmas dinner main, you can’t beat a baked ham. Beautifully browned and shiny, it makes for an eye-catching centerpiece at any holiday gathering.
Scalloped Potatoes & Ham
Cheesy scalloped potatoes meet salty baked ham for a wonderful side dish. Hot tip: Use leftover ham from dinner and make this for Christmas brunch the next morning.
Get the Scalloped Potatoes & Ham recipe.
Cherry Bourbon Glazed Baked Ham
Get ready to plan a dinner party around this ham alone! The tart cherries and bourbon work together to bring a slight sour and oaky tartness to the spiral ham, and the glaze has just enough cayenne pepper to deliver a subtle smoky heat.
Get the Cherry Bourbon Glazed Ham recipe.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Once the chicken here is layered with cheese and ham and then rolled, it's kind of large. Frying it seemed like too much, so we baked it instead (you're welcome). It bakes into a beautiful, golden, and crispy piece of meat that's perfectly swirled on the inside. It's mesmerizing!
Get the Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe.
Sheet-Pan Italian Subs
Need to feed a hungry holiday crew fast? Nothing better than these packed Italian subs—they're assembled and baked on a sheet pan so everyone can eat all at the same time.
Get the Sheet-Pan Italian Subs recipe.
Best-Ever Glazed Spiral Ham
Some hams will come with a glaze packet. That’ll do, right? Think again. Making your own glaze is super-easy and SO much more delicious than a store-bought packet.
Get the Best-Ever Glazed Spiral Ham recipe.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
All the flavors you love in chicken cordon bleu are here in this cozy casserole. There's ham, Swiss cheese, a hint of Dijon, and, of course, chicken, without any of the fussy stuffing, dredging, and searing of the original. 😍
Get the Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole recipe.
Maple Glazed Ham Steak
Spiral hams are delicious, but they yield so much meat. When you're craving ham but don't want to fuss with a full roast like that, ham steaks are the way to go! Instead of roasting and glazing a whole ham, just make everyone their own perfectly cooked, savory-sweet steak.
Get the Maple Glazed Ham Steak recipe.
Croque Monsieur Breakfast Casserole
A croque monsieur is a delectable French sandwich with ham and Gruyére, with a silky béchamel sauce poured over top. Turning it into a breakfast casserole makes it easier to put together and share with a crowd. Yum!
Crescent Breakfast Squares
We love ourselves a good crescent roll dough hack, and for good reason. This one is extremely simple and comes together in just about an hour. It’s a simple way to avoid any complaints about the way the eggs are cooked.
Get the Crescent Breakfast Squares recipe.
Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
If you’re a fan of potato soup, you’re going to love this upgrade— loaded with chunks of tender potatoes, salty-sweet ham, and tender vegetables, this creamy soup is the comfort food you know and love, with a little something extra.
Get the Creamy Ham and Potato Soup recipe.
Ham & Cheese Pinwheels
These ham and cheese pinwheels are made easy using store-bought crescent roll dough. They are chock-full of melty cheese and savory-sweet ham, topped with fresh parsley and toasty poppy seeds for texture and flavor you and your holiday guests will love.
Get the Ham & Cheese Pinwheels recipe.
Ham & Cheese Sandwich
This ham sandwich is great for many reasons. It's got a beautiful golden crust (thanks mayo!), a quick and simple honey mustard sauce, and briny pickles for crunch. Make it with leftover spiral ham, and you've got yourself a prize-winning, low-key Christmas lunch.
Get the Ham & Cheese Sandwich recipe.
Ham & Bean Soup
Though ham soup is often thought about in terms of what to do with leftover ham, we think this soup is spectacular enough to stand on its own. It's warm and comforting and endlessly filling.
Get the Ham & Bean Soup recipe.
Crockpot Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Take some stress off your plate this Christmas and make this classic holiday ham right in your slow cooker! Bonus: It leaves plenty of room in your oven for all those delicious side dishes.
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