Baked Ham Recipe with Orange Honey Ham Glaze

Why You’ll Love My Baked Ham Recipe

This baked ham is easy enough for any cook, but an impressive centerpiece for the holidays. This recipe takes almost no prep, but it comes out looking beautifully caramelized and festive.

The orange honey glaze is simple but so flavorful. A few pantry ingredients create a sweet, bright, slightly sticky glaze that coats every slice.

Spiral-sliced ham soaks up the flavor beautifully. The glaze drips down between the slices, seasoning the ham from the inside out with almost no effort.

Tender, juicy, and never dry. The gentle roasting method keeps the ham moist while the citrus glaze adds a gorgeous shine.

Perfect for leftovers. This ham makes incredible sandwiches, omelets, egg muffins, breakfast hash, soups, sandwiches and mashed potato cakes.

Ham is very popular main course for many holidays, and I like to variate out hams and make other types like my baked ham with cherry glaze or bourbon glazed ham are also delicious options for the holidays.

What Ham To Use and Key Ingredients For Ham Glaze

Ham: So for dinner ham recipe, I recommend the fully cooked, spiral sliced, bone-in ham. I recommend the bone-in ham if available, because it has a little more flavor and is actually more tender. (And I use the bone to make soups like ham and bean soup or split pea soup.) Make sure to get the ham that is already cooked (could be labeled “city ham”) because the goal is to reheat it and get flavor infused into it.

Substitution: Boneless ham will work just as well and if it is spiral cut, it will be easier on you. If spiral cut is not available, make sure to use a large and sharp knife to slice the ham after it was reheated in the oven.

Orange Marmalade: this is the base for the orange ham glaze here. The reason I recommend using orange marmalade (vs. jam) is because marmalade is made with orange peels and created is less just sweet but more rich and complex flavor.

Dijon mustard – don’t substitute yellow mustard because it has a very different, more sour and vinegar forward, flavor than a Dijon mustard. It does change the flavor profile of the glaze.

Substitute – if you need a substitute for Dijon mustard, go with gourmet or spicy mustard.

Honey – honey compliments the orange and ham flavor very well without changing the flavor profile.

Substitute – I don’t recommend substituting for maple syrup but if you have to use something else, I’d suggest using agave syrup as a honey substitute.

How To Make Baked Ham

Once you have the glaze done, preheat the oven to 325°F. Set a rack inside the roasting pan and place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the rack that is big enough to wrap the ham.

Expert tip: Spiral-sliced hams tend to dry out faster because the pre-cut slices expose more surface area to the heat, so keeping the ham covered for most of the baking time is essential for staying tender and juicy. Note that you may need to use a couple of sheet of foil depending on the size of the ham.

Step 1: Take ham out of the package and discard the packet of glaze that came with it. Add a couple of spoonfuls of glaze on the bottom of the foil and place the ham on top of the glaze, flat side down.

Step 2: Use about half the glaze and spoon it over the ham, all over the top and sides and let it seep a little between the cuts. Reserve remaining glaze for later. 

Step 3: Wrap ham tightly in foil and bake for about an hour covered. (Check the cook times below.)

Step 4: Take ham out of the oven and open the foil. Raise oven temperature to 400°F. Glaze the ham all over and put it back in the oven, uncovered, for about 20-30 more minutes. The internal temperature close to the bone should be 140°F when it’s ready.

Step 5: Take out the ham and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. You can glaze it a little more if you wish.

**Note: If your ham is labeled “cook before eating,” cook ham at 350°F until internal temperature reaches 160°F.

How Long To Bake A Dinner Ham?

Since the ham is already fully cooked, the goal is to simply re-heat it throughout:

• Baking ham for about 15 minutes per pound at 325ºF should do the trick. Bake time slightly varies if baking half or whole ham.
• When calculating bake time, estimate 15-20 minutes per pound for half ham that’s 5-8 lbs. Estimate 10-15 minutes per pound for whole ham that’s 10-14 lbs.
• Most importantly, internal temperature should be at 140°F closest to the bone. (For boneless, measure it in the center of the thickest part.)
• For the sticky, beautiful glaze on the outside, about 20-30 minutes before ham is done, increase the oven temperate to 400°F and bake uncovered with remaining glaze.
• If your ham is labeled “cook before eating,” cook ham at 350°F until internal temperature reaches 160°F.

How To Make Ham Glaze

This glaze is amazing and perfect for the holiday ham. It’s really easy to prepare in about 15 minutes.

• Step 1: Simply combine all the ingredients for the glaze in a sauce pot and whisk together until fully combined.
• Step 2: Bring the mixture to simmer over medium heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often.

Note: Some of the liquid will cook out and the glaze will be thicker.

Expert Tip: This recipe does make enough glaze for a whole ham. If you have ham glaze leftover, you can use it for dipping or serve it on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use jam instead of marmalade?

While yes, you can use jam, note that jam is purely sweet and won’t provide as much flavor complexity to the glaze. It also tastes sweeter.

Can I make the glaze ahead of time?

Absolutely! Prepare ham glaze according to the recipe, cool and store covered in the refrigerator. You can reheat while ham is almost done the initial cook.

Should I use bone-in or boneless ham?

Both will work, but I always recommend a bone-in, spiral-sliced ham for the best flavor and texture. The bone helps keep the ham extra juicy, and the spiral slices let the orange honey glaze seep down between each layer. Boneless ham is easier to carve, but it tends to be a little less flavorful and can dry out faster.

Do I need to buy a fully cooked ham or a raw one?

For this recipe, you’ll want a fully cooked “city ham” (that’s the type sold most commonly in grocery stores). Your goal is simply to gently reheat it and infuse it with the glaze. If your ham is labeled “cook before eating,” that means it’s not fully cooked yet, and you’ll need to roast it at 350°F until it reaches 160°F internally instead of 140°F.

Do I need to score the ham if it’s spiral-sliced?

No, you don’t need to score a spiral-sliced ham. The slices allow the glaze to slip between the layers on their own. Scoring is only necessary for an uncut, unsliced ham, which needs the diamond cuts so the glaze can penetrate the surface and caramelize properly.

How Much Ham Per Person?

Fully cooked ham comes in bone-in and boneless options. Estimate about 3/4 pound per person for bone-in ham and 1/2 pound per person for boneless ham. Don’t forget, there are many things you can make with leftovers, so aim for a couple extra pounds just in case. 

What To Do With Leftover Ham?

Sandwiches and breakfast side to the eggs is always our go-to ways to use up leftover ham.

I also have several leftover recipes like the amazing ham and brie grilled cheese sandwich, instant pot ham and bean soup, chicken cordon bleu pasta, ham dip, ham and cheese breakfast pastries, chicken cordon bleu dip, or ham and cheese mashed potato cakes.

Storing and Reheating Recommendations

Storing – Make sure to store your baked ham in the refrigerator, in an air-tight food storage container. Properly stored, it will last up to 4 days.

To reheat, you can heat up individual portions in the microwave, just until heated through. If you want to heat up a lot of ham at the same time, it’s best to do it in the oven. Slice the ham and spread in in a baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and heat at 350° until heated.

Serving Suggestion For a Complete Ham Dinner

For easy sides to serve with this baked ham, try some of my family favorites like balsamic roasted carrots or honey roasted carrots, mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes, they all pair beautifully with the sweet citrus glaze.

A bright and crisp haricots verts, roasted Brussels sprouts, or Italian roasted asparagus adds a fresh, vibrant touch to the plate.

If you want something more comforting, mac and cheese or cauliflower mac and cheese will make a comforting dinner for the whole family.

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Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in October, 2018.