17 Showstopping Christmas Ham Recipes

dr-pepper-ham-4769007-06 — The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

Ham is a traditional dish on Christmas menus. Get inspired to prepare this sweet and salty meat in new ways with our best Christmas ham recipes. We've included our favorite ways to prepare a holiday ham with recipes that are suitable for all manner of celebrations, whether you are feeding a crowd, or hosting a smaller family gathering.

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01 of 17

Glazed Spiral Sliced Ham

The Spruce Eats

A spiral ham is a popular cut that comes pre-sliced and cooked with a packaged glaze. Add a second one to take spiral sliced ham up a level, cooking it cut-side down as directed in this recipe, to keep meat moist and tender as it roasts.
02 of 17

French Baked Ham With Spiced Apples and Pears

The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

Holiday guests will love the combination of sweet, smoky, and spicy in this French-style baked ham with apples and pears. The gorgeous maple syrup glaze will fill your home with an irresistible aroma as the ham bakes and browns.
03 of 17

Jack Daniels Glazed Ham

The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

Combine Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey with brown sugar, orange zest, cloves, and allspice to create the flavorful glaze for a fully cooked smoked ham half. Serve garnished with orange slices for a festive presentation.
04 of 17

Dr. Pepper Ham

The Spruce Eats-Leah Maroney

Dr. Pepper is the starring ingredient in the sweet, syrupy glaze for this finger-licking holiday ham. Make it easily by cooking down the Southern soda with some orange juice and mixing in brown sugar and mustard. Use to coat a spiral-sliced ham and bake in the oven until the exterior is caramelized and glistening.

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05 of 17

Baked Ham With Cola and Maple Glaze

Diana Rattray

Glistening baked ham with a glaze that includes canned cola is a holiday-worthy Southern tradition. Create a sweet and savory glaze with cola, maple syrup, brown sugar, and mustard, plus a little ground cinnamon and ginger for just the right amount of spice.
06 of 17

Brown Sugar Glazed Baked Ham

Claire Cohen

Add cloves to a fully cooked ham and pop the dish into the oven. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, baste the meat with a glaze made from brown sugar, apple juice, maple syrup, and mustard, for an easy holiday centerpiece bursting with autumnal flavors.
07 of 17

Broiled Ham Steak With Sweet Mustard Glaze

The Spruce-Katarina Zunic

Broiled ham steak with a simple mustard glaze makes an easy Christmas day dinner for smaller families. Use a pre-cooked ham steak for this recipe that takes only 15 minutes to prepare under your oven's broiler.
08 of 17

Instant Pot Baked Ham

Diana Rattray

Instant Pot baked ham is a great time-saving recipe when you're hosting a smaller holiday crowd. Start with a fully cooked, bone-in ham for an entree that ready in only 30 minutes. Pineapple, brown sugar, and honey combine to create the sweet and tangy glaze.

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09 of 17

Orange Glazed Ham

Lauri Patterson/Getty Images

Orange glazed ham is an excellent special occasion centerpiece that looks fantastic on your Christmas dinner table, especially served on a platter surrounded by vibrant citrus fruits. It is easy to prepare, by glazing a fully-cooked ham with a tasty mixture of orange juice, marmalade, mustard, and spices.
10 of 17

Baked Ham With Pineapple

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Baked ham decorated with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries makes a festive and beautiful centerpiece for your Christmas feast. Use a smoked picnic ham (a cured shoulder cut) for this recipe. Honey adds sweetness to the glaze, which nicely offsets the smoky flavor of the meat.
11 of 17

Slow Cooker Honey and Ginger Ale Ham

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Ginger ale is used as the cooking liquid for a fully cooked ham and vegetables in this easy one-pot holiday meal that uses your slow cooker. Cook the meat low and slow all day in the appliance along with potatoes and carrots, adding a simple spiced honey glaze for the last hour of cooking.
12 of 17

Baked Ham With Sweet Bourbon-Mustard Glaze

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Use a mixture of Kentucky bourbon, molasses, orange juice, and Dijon mustard to baste a fully cooked ham while it bakes, for tender, ultra-flavorful meat. Boil the liquid separately to reduce it, once the meat is finished cooking, for using as a syrupy finishing glaze.

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13 of 17

Baked Ham With Fruit Preserves Glaze

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Baste a fully cooked ham with apricot, peach, or pineapple preserves to make this delicious ham dinner. Serve it on a festive platter with fruit slices and sprigs of fresh herbs to garnish.
14 of 17

Honey Glazed Ham

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Honey, cardamom, and orange juice add rich flavor to this ham. Go ahead and slice it to serve with the whole cloves still attached for a pretty presentation at the table, but remember to tell your guests not to eat the cloves.

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15 of 17

Peach Glazed Ham

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Fruity preserves and spicy hot mustard add marvelous flavor to peach-glazed ham. This is an excellent recipe to use on plain hams or spiral sliced hams.
16 of 17

Honey Butter Ham

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This honey butter ham of your childhood us boosted with some Dijon mustard, for a welcome spicy note. Place the glaze from the roasting pan in a gravy boat and pass it with the ham, for the perfect finishing touch.

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17 of 17

Marmalade Glazed Ham

Marmalade Glazed Boiled Ham.
The Spruce / Elaine Lemm

Garlic, orange, cloves, and Dijon mustard combine to make a spectacular glaze for this delicious marmalade glazed ham.

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