Easy Brown Sugar and Honey Glazed Ham Recipe [+ Air Fryer Ham]

The Best Ham Glaze Recipe Ever!

This ham glaze recipe is gently spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and sweetened with brown sugar and honey. Not too spiced or too sweet.

The browned butter in this recipe really brings some great flavor. Browned butter makes almost anything better! Finally, Dijon mustard and garlic round out the amazing flavor.

This is definitely the best ham glaze recipe I’ve ever had and it’s perfect for any ham, any time! You have got to try it!

Best Ham for This Ham Glaze Recipe

I’ve personally used this ham glaze recipe with delicious results on a huge pit ham and smaller 5-pound boneless hams.

The ham pictured is a 5-pound boneless Applewood Smoked Ham and is a great size for about 10 servings.

Note: Halve the glaze recipe for a small 5-pound ham if you want to. I often just use the full ham glaze recipe for the small hams too though, because the glaze is awesome.

Making the Brown Sugar Glaze

The butter is browned sufficiently when it turns a golden-brown color and you smell the nutty aroma. It can go from browned to burnt pretty fast though, so keep an eye on it!

Don’t simmer the glaze for long or it will be too thick and harden. As soon as it comes to a gentle simmer, remove it from the heat. As it cools, it will become the consistency of thick honey.

This Ham Glaze Recipe is a Big Hit

I will definitely be using this ham glaze recipe again for Easter and Christmas, and maybe Thanksgiving too. It is always a big hit with all the family and extended fam. My brother-in-law said it is the best ham he’s had in a while and maybe even ever!

Timetable for Cooking Ham

To get a good idea about how long you might need to cook your ham, you can refer to this Timetable for Cooking Ham from the USDA. A meat thermometer is super handy too.

My 5-pound boneless ham baked for about 90 to 100 minutes, then another 30 minutes with the glaze.

Cook Ham in Your Air Fryer

For a smaller ham, you can whip it up in no time in your air fryer! Follow all the same directions above, but you’ll likely need a 2-3 pound ham, depending on size. And you can cut this ham glaze recipe in half (although, no one will complain if you a lot extra!).

I like to use this silicone pan for my ham. It is nice because it will catch all the juices from teh ham and the glaze and keep your air fryer nice and clean!

Then I simply cover it with foil and cook it for about 20 minutes at 350˚F/176˚F. While it cooks, I make this amazing ham glaze!

Then remove the foil and top the ham with the glaze and cook for 10 more minutes. SOOO good! You can even slice it up and put glaze on every slice and cook it up that way. Your family will be thrilled with this ham glaze recipe!

More Ham Recipes:

• Easy Ham Pasta Skillet Recipe
• Sweet Baked Ham Recipe
• Ham & Scalloped Potatoes
• Ham and Cheese Braid

See our favorite side dish recipes to go with your delicious ham.

Check out dessert recipes for after dinner!

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Easy Brown Sugar and Honey Glazed Ham Recipe [+ Air Fryer Ham]

This ham glaze recipe is perfect for any ham, any time! Gently spiced with cinnamon and cloves and sweetened with brown sugar and honey. Definitely my favorite ham glaze! It will be a big hit for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!

4.69 / 5 ( 70 Reviews )

Print Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Serves: 6

Adjust Servings: 6

US CustomaryMetric

Equipment

• Air Fryer
• Oven

Ingredients

• Ham at room temperature
• water enough to cover bottom of pan but no more than 1/4-inch deep
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

Oven Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking dish or roasting pan with foil.
• Use a knife to score a 1-inch diamond pattern over the whole ham, allowing more surface area for the glaze. Place ham in baking dish with some water to cover bottom of pan, no more than 1/4-inch of water.
• Cover ham with foil and plan to bake until ham reaches 140 degrees F with thermometer inserted into thickest part, about 15-20 minutes per pound, depending on the type and size of ham. (See Timetable for Cooking Ham for detailed cooking time estimates.) Glazing will happen during the last 30 minutes or so of baking time.
• As the last 30 minutes of baking time approaches, brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, until it begins to turn golden brown and aromatic. Swirl it around in the pan occasionally to help it brown evenly. Stir in the brown sugar, honey, mustard, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for a minute or two until it becomes fragrant and just begins to simmer. Right as it begins to simmer, remove from heat and set aside. As it cools, it will become the consistency of a thick honey.
• Remove ham from oven about 30 minutes before done and increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Brush or spoon 1/3 of the glaze over the ham. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Brush or spoon another 1/3 of the glaze and some pan juices, then bake another 10 minutes. Repeat with pan juices, remaining glaze, and bake.
• Ham is done when internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F. Broil for 2-5 minutes if you want more of a glaze crust, but don't let it burn. Let ham rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Air Fryer Ham Instructions:

• Follow all directions from above, but cook covered ham at 350˚ for 20 minutes in air fryer. Then remove foil and add glaze and cook for 10 more minutes. Slice and add more glaze, cook for 2-5 more minutes, if desired, and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 21646kcal | Carbohydrates: 362g | Protein: 1729g | Fat: 1435g | Sodium: 95385mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 353g

Recipe Adapted From: Cafe Delites