The Ultimate Apple Cider Glazed Ham: Your Perfect Holiday Centerpiece Recipe

Prepare to impress your family and friends with this absolutely irresistible Apple Cider Glazed Ham. Crafted with just a few simple, wholesome ingredients, this ham emerges from the oven incredibly juicy, tender, and bursting with a harmonious blend of sweet and savory flavors. We’re confident this recipe will quickly become your trusted go-to for oven-baked ham, perfect for any special occasion!

This magnificent glazed ham is a showstopper on its own, but it truly shines when paired with classic holiday sides. We particularly love serving it alongside creamy mashed potatoes, where the rich ham juices can mingle with the fluffy potatoes, and vibrant green beans almondine, offering a delightful textural contrast. The combination is pure culinary bliss.

If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional holiday roasts like turkey, or simply want to add another spectacular dish to your festive spread, a baked ham is an absolute must-make for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any large gathering. This apple cider glazed ham is not only wonderfully sweet and savory but also incredibly easy to prepare, making it a stress-free option that generously feeds a crowd. Its alluring aroma will fill your home, setting the perfect festive mood.

Why This Apple Cider Glazed Ham is a Must-Try

What makes this apple cider glazed ham stand out? It’s the perfect balance of flavors and textures, designed to be both simple for the home cook and impressive enough for special occasions. Here’s why you’ll fall in love with this recipe:

Effortlessly Delicious: Despite its gourmet taste, the steps are straightforward, making it achievable for cooks of all levels.
Perfectly Balanced Glaze: The apple cider, brown sugar, and honey create a sweet, tangy, and deeply caramelized crust, while the Dijon mustard provides a crucial savory counterpoint that prevents the glaze from being overly sweet.
Incredibly Moist and Tender: The slow baking process, coupled with frequent basting, ensures every slice of ham is succulent and flavorful, never dry.
Feeds a Crowd: An 8-10 pound ham is ideal for holiday gatherings, ensuring there’s plenty for everyone, plus delicious leftovers!
Versatile for Holidays: Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, Easter brunch, or a Sunday family meal, this glazed ham is always a welcome addition.

Essential Ingredient Notes

To achieve the best possible Apple Cider Glazed Ham, understanding your ingredients is key. Here’s a deeper look at what you’ll need:

Ham: You’ll want an 8-10 lb bone-in spiral cut ham for this recipe. A spiral-cut ham is pre-sliced, which not only makes carving a breeze but also allows the delicious apple cider glaze to penetrate deep into the meat, ensuring maximum flavor in every bite. Bone-in hams also tend to be more flavorful and moist due to the marrow and connective tissues. Many hams come with a honey packet; make sure to discard this as we’ll be making our own superior glaze from scratch!
Apples: Sliced apples placed at the bottom of the roasting pan serve multiple purposes. As they bake, they release moisture, contributing to the overall juiciness of the ham and creating a fragrant, apple-infused steaming environment. They also prevent the ham from sticking and can absorb some of the drippings, adding another layer of subtle apple flavor to your pan juices, which are essential for basting.
Apple Cider: This is the star ingredient for our glaze. Look for 100% apple cider in the juice aisle of your local supermarket. It provides a natural sweetness and a subtle tang that complements the savory ham beautifully. Do not use apple cider vinegar, as it is too acidic. If you can only find apple juice, ensure it’s unsweetened or adjust the brown sugar in the glaze accordingly.
Light Brown Sugar & Honey: These two sweeteners form the sticky, sweet base of our irresistible glaze. Brown sugar adds a deep, molasses-like flavor and contributes to the beautiful caramelization. Honey adds a floral note and a lovely sheen. The combination creates a rich, complex sweetness that adheres perfectly to the ham’s surface.
Dijon Mustard: This ingredient is crucial and should not be omitted! Dijon mustard provides a sharp, tangy counterpoint that balances the sweetness of the brown sugar and honey, preventing the glaze from becoming cloyingly sweet. It also acts as an emulsifier, helping the glaze ingredients combine smoothly and stick to the ham. If you don’t have Dijon, stone-ground mustard can work, but avoid plain yellow mustard as its flavor profile is too different.
Salt and Pepper: Simple seasonings are all you need to enhance the natural flavors of the ham and the richness of the glaze. Adjust to your taste preferences.

Expert Tips for a Flawless Glazed Ham

Achieving a perfectly juicy, flavorful, and beautifully caramelized ham is simple with these expert tips:

Consistent Basting is Key: After the initial 1.5 hours of covered baking, make sure to baste the ham every 15 minutes. Use both the pan juices and the remaining glaze. This continuous basting is essential for keeping the ham moist and infusing it with layers of flavor, while also building that irresistible caramelized crust.
Thaw Frozen Ham Properly: If your ham is frozen, it’s critical to thaw it completely in the refrigerator before cooking. Allow approximately 24 hours of thawing time for every 5 pounds of ham. Rushing the thawing process can lead to uneven cooking and a dry ham.
Choose Bone-In for Superior Flavor: While boneless hams are convenient, bone-in hams are significantly more flavorful. The bone itself adds depth to the meat and helps retain moisture during the long cooking process.
Achieve Perfect Caramelization with Broiling: Once your ham reaches an internal temperature of 140°F (60°C), don’t hesitate to broil it for 3-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it during this time, as glazes can burn quickly. This step creates that beautiful, sticky, golden-brown crust that everyone loves.
Resting is Non-Negotiable: After removing the ham from the oven, cover it loosely with foil and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring every slice is incredibly moist and tender.
Use the Right Roasting Pan: A sturdy roasting pan with a rack is ideal. The rack elevates the ham, allowing hot air to circulate evenly around it and preventing the bottom from getting soggy. It also collects the precious pan drippings for basting.

Storage & Creative Leftover Ideas

Having leftovers of this magnificent ham is truly a gift that keeps on giving! To store, simply place any leftover ham in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. This ham makes the absolute best leftovers, opening up a world of culinary possibilities for days to come!

Classic Ham and Cheese Sandwiches: The very next day, transform slices of this flavorful ham into gourmet ham and cheese sandwiches. The sweet and savory notes elevate a simple classic.
Hearty Ham and Bean Soup: Use the leftover ham bone (if you used a bone-in ham) and diced ham meat to make a comforting and incredibly flavorful ham and bean soup.
Quick Ham & Egg Breakfast Burritos: Dice leftover ham and scramble it with eggs, cheese, and your favorite veggies for a quick and satisfying breakfast burrito.
Savory Ham & Potato Hash: Pan-fry diced ham with cooked potatoes, onions, and bell peppers for a delicious hash, perfect topped with a fried egg.
Cheesy Ham & Scalloped Potatoes: Layer thin slices of ham with creamy scalloped potatoes for a decadent casserole.

A perfectly glazed ham, ready for carving.

Tried this sensational Apple Cider Glazed Ham? Please take a moment to leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or share your thoughts with a review in the comments section further down the page. Your feedback helps other home cooks! And don’t forget to connect with me on Facebook or Pinterest for more delicious recipes and cooking inspiration!

5 from 2 votes

Apple Cider Glazed Ham

By Julie Maestre

This apple cider glazed ham is made with a few simple ingredients, resulting in a juicy, tender, and incredibly delicious holiday centerpiece. It’s perfectly balanced with sweet and savory notes, ensuring it will become your favorite baked ham recipe!

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 2 hours

Total: 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 8

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Ingredients

▢ 8-10 lb bone-in spiral cut ham
▢ 3 apples, sliced in half
▢ 1 & ½ cups light brown sugar
▢ ½ cup honey
▢ ¼ cup Dijon mustard
▢ 1 cup apple cider, separated
▢ salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a medium-sized bowl, combine the light brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir these ingredients together thoroughly until a well-combined mixture forms.
Pour half of the apple cider (½ cup) into the sugar mixture and whisk vigorously until the glaze is smooth and free of lumps. Place the sliced apples at the bottom of a large roasting pan. Position the spiral-cut ham on top of the apples. Pour the remaining ½ cup of apple cider evenly over the entire ham.
Using a pastry brush, generously brush the ham with half of the prepared apple cider glaze, ensuring every crevice and surface is coated. Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil to trap in moisture and bake in the preheated oven for 1.5 hours.
After 1.5 hours, carefully remove the foil from the ham. Re-apply more of the remaining glaze to the ham and return it to the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes. Repeat this basting and baking process two more times (totaling 3 additional glazing sessions, 15 minutes each), or until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140°F (60°C) when measured with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part without touching the bone.
Once the ham reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the oven. For a final, beautiful sheen and extra caramelization, brush it with any last remaining glaze. You can serve it immediately for a tender, juicy ham, or for an even more pronounced caramelized crust, place the ham under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. Watch it very closely to prevent burning.
Transfer the glazed ham to a carving board, tent it loosely with foil, and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. This resting period is crucial for the juices to redistribute, ensuring a supremely moist and flavorful ham. Enjoy your spectacular Apple Cider Glazed Ham!

Notes

Basting for Moisture and Flavor: After the initial 1.5 hours of covered baking, make sure to baste the ham every 15 minutes with both the pan juices and the glaze. This is crucial for keeping the ham moist and building layers of flavor and a beautiful crust.
Proper Thawing: If starting with a frozen ham, ensure it’s fully thawed in the refrigerator before cooking. Allow approximately 24 hours of thawing time for every 5 pounds of ham.
Bone-In vs. Boneless: For the most flavorful and moist result, I highly recommend using a bone-in ham. The bone contributes significantly to the taste and helps the ham stay juicy.
Perfect Caramelization: To achieve that desirable golden-brown, slightly crispy crust, broil the ham for 3-10 minutes at the very end. Keep a watchful eye to prevent burning, as glazes can caramelize quickly under the broiler.
Rest Before Carving: Always allow your ham to rest, tented with foil, for 15-20 minutes after baking. This allows the juices to settle and redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring a more tender and juicy result.
Leftover Creativity: Don’t let any ham go to waste! This recipe yields fantastic leftovers perfect for ham and cheese sandwiches, ham and bean soup, breakfast scrambles, or even ham sliders.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Julie Maestre

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Course: Entree, Holiday Dinner, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Calories: 951

Keyword: apple cider ham, baked ham, glazed ham, holiday ham, easy ham recipe, juicy ham, Christmas ham, Thanksgiving ham

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