I love baking a spiral cut ham, but I don’t love the icky glaze packets that come with them. Instead, I knew I could create a delicious and fresh ham glaze recipe made from simple real-food ingredients. I wanted it to be sweet, but not overly sweet, like so many recipes are. And I wanted it to be simple … just something I could easily mix together while the ham is baking, then finish it off by brushing this perfect ham glaze over top. Using this recipe, I’ve made the best ham I’ve ever made in my entire life. It’s so good and results in a delicious orange glazed ham for holiday dinners and table centerpiece for special occasions.
Recipe Highlights
Simple ingredients: I call for everyday real-food ingredients that come together to make a fresh, naturally sweet ham glaze. Other than an orange, all of the ingredients are everyday pantry staples that are regulars in most cupboards and spice racks.
Less sugar: I designed this ham glaze to be perfectly sweet. It has far less added sugar and sweeteners than other recipes, while still providing a glaze that gets nicely caramelized in the oven.
Perfect consistency: One of the great things about this ham glaze is that it’s not so thick that it can’t be brushed and spread all over the ham. And it’s not so thin as it runs right off the ham and into the bottom of the roasting pan. It’s a happy medium that coats a ham well.
Ingredients Needed
There are no specialty ingredients or spices required. Here are some notes about the basic ingredients needed to make my orange honey glazed ham.
- 1 large orange – I pick a big and juicy orange that I use for both the orange zest and the fresh orange juice. If orange is not the desired flavor profile, apple juice or pineapple juice may be used instead of the orange juice.
- Brown sugar – This sweetener is the best for achieving the best molasses-type flavor and getting some good browning on the baked or smoked ham.
- Honey – I think few things are as special as a honey baked ham, so I wanted to be sure to capture the sweet flavor without making it too cloyingly sweet. I call for just ¼ cup honey that, when combined with the brown sugar, achieves that perfect caramelized texture and balanced sweetness.
- Dijon mustard – Typically I use Dijon, but any type of mustard will work, such as yellow mustard or brown mustard.
- Apple cider vinegar – A little vinegar helps balance the sweetness of the glaze, as well as brightening all the other flavors.
- Additional spices – I call for black pepper, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves.
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Making The Glaze
This orange and brown sugar ham glaze comes together quickly. I typically make it after I get the ham in the oven (since I don’t brush it over the ham until near the end of baking time). I’ve also made it a few days in advance and just stored it in a covered container in the fridge until it’s time to brush it on the ham. Here’s how to make this delicious glaze:
- Combine ingredients: I combine all of the ingredients directly in a small saucepan and gently whisk them together. I also zest the orange first to get 1 to 2 teaspoons of finely shredded orange peel, then I cut the orange in half and squeeze out as much juice as I can. I place both of those in the saucepan along with the light brown sugar, honey, mustard, vinegar, and spices.
- Heat and reduce: I place the saucepan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. I bring the ingredients just to a boil, then I reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer until the brown sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens to a glaze consistency. To test that it’s thick enough, I dip a spoon in the mixture. When it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without dripping right off then I know it’s right. I’m always careful to heat it gently and slowly, and not to cook it for too long, otherwise it would eventually harden and burn.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
How To Use
This ham glaze is made to be brushed and basted over top of a spiral-cut ham, a small whole ham, or a half ham to make a glazed ham recipe. I recommend baking a ham in a roasting pan with 1 ½ cups water until it reaches 140℉, which takes 12 to 15 minutes per pound. Then, when there is just about 30 minutes of baking time left, I brush the glaze all over the ham, allowing it to drip down into the cuts (on a spiral cut bone-in ham) or the cross-hatch scored outer skin (on a whole or half ham). Then I return the mostly cooked ham to the oven, uncovered, and let it bake until it reaches the correct 140℉ temperature and the glaze gets caramelized, which takes about 30 minutes.
Use the leftover ham to make a variety of recipes, from ham and cheddar muffins to ham and bean soup. The orange and brown sugar glazed ham is also delicious just to serve as cold or reheated leftovers for sandwiches or to make the best freezer breakfast sandwiches.
Frequently Asked Questions
I typically pour the glaze directly from the saucepan over top of the entire top surface of the ham so it can run down into the nooks and crannies and all over the ham. Then I use a silicone brush to brush the glaze all over before placing the ham in the oven.
The size of a ham can vary greatly, so the cook time depends on weight. A good rule of thumb is to bake a spiral-cut ham until it reaches an internal temperature of 140℉, as measured with a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part, which can take 12 to 15 minutes per pound.
When making an Easter holiday ham, I tend to add other traditional holiday meal recipes, such as scalloped potatoes, green beans, and other Easter side dishes.
If using this glaze to make a Christmas ham, I’d pair it with roasted sweet potatoes, cranberry, biscuits, and other standard holiday table sides.
More Marinades, Glazes, And Sauces
Ham Glaze Recipe
Make a showstopping main dish for holidays and special occasions with this easy recipe for ham glaze. It’s made with fresh real-food ingredients and easy-to-find spices for a glaze that makes the best ham recipe.
Ingredients
- Zest and juice of 1 large orange (1–2 teaspoons zest and about ½ cup juice)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup pure honey*
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ tsp dried ground ginger
- ⅛–¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, black pepper, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cloves.
- Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the glaze ingredients just to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the volume has reduced by about ⅓ and the glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon for a few seconds without dripping off, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Use the ham glaze to brush over a ham when it has about 30 minutes of baking time left.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
This recipe makes ½ cup ham glaze, which is enough to coat an 8- to 10-pound ham. Use it to make a glazed ham.
* May use maple syrup in place of the honey. If doing so, increase the amount to ⅓ cup and simmer the glaze a bit longer, since maple syrup is thinner than honey.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/10 of the glaze
- Calories: 56
- Fat: 0 g
- (Sat Fat: 0 g)
- Sodium: 109 mg
- Carbohydrate: 13 g
- (Fiber: 0 g
- Sugar: 12 g)
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Dietary
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
