The Heavenly Ham You'll Want to Make Year After Year for the Holidays

Its glossy glaze is so much better than the packet.

By
Melissa Knific
Melissa Knific
Melissa Knific
Melissa Knific is an author, editor, and recipe developer with a deep understanding of the home cook. She has contributed to the New York Times, TODAY Food, Delish, Bon Appétit, Simply Recipes, and among many other media outlets.
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Published December 22, 2025
Melissa Knific
A glazed spiralcut ham presented on a serving platter

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
  • Using a pre-sliced spiral-cut ham makes this holiday centerpiece incredibly easy to prepare.
  • A homemade maple, brown sugar, and orange glaze gives the ham rich flavor and glossy finish.
  • Baking the ham low and slow before glazing keeps every bite juicy and never dry.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m just going to come out and say it: I look forward to ham more than turkey during the holidays.

Maybe it’s because I’ve cooked dozens of turkeys over the years (usually in steamy July, when test kitchens are prepping their holiday recipes). Perhaps it’s the post-event dishes I’m most excited about—ham piled high on buttery biscuits, old-fashioned ham spread (a Midwestern fav of mine), and split pea or ham and potato soup just to name a few. Or is it that ham just… tastes better? Whatever it is, ham is my jam.

Also: Cooking ham is seriously so easy. (Yes, there are fresh hams, but I’m talking about the fully cooked, spiral-cut variety that just needs to be reheated.) Simply remove it from the packaging (which is often gold foil, a fun ham attribute that makes you feel like you’re in a scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), place it cut-side down in a roasting pan, heat it through, and glaze.

In the end, you have a glistening centerpiece that looks like a labor of love and tastes, well, heavenly.

Sliced roasted ham served on a platter with a carving fork and knife beside it

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

How to Keep a Ham Juicy

Ending up with a dry ham is a hazard—but it doesn’t have to be. For a juicy ham, just follow a few easy steps. First, heating it low and slow is key; you’ll need 15 to 20 minutes per pound at 325°F for a bone-in, spiral-cut ham. Reserve the high heat for the end when you’re ready to glaze it.

Additionally, it’s important to keep your ham tightly covered to trap all the moisture—you’ll uncover it in the final step. As a safeguard, add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan.

Tips for Making Glazed Ham

While ham quality can make a difference in flavor and texture, a glaze can be the wow factor. My take: Ditch the glaze packet (if your ham comes with one) and make a simple glaze from scratch. There’s plenty of time to do this while the ham is reheating in the oven. (Some hams come pre-glazed; in this case, brush the homemade glaze right over it.)

Sliced cooked ham served on a plate with green beans and a white napkin nearby

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

A handful of pantry ingredients is all you really need for a ham glaze. Maple syrup offers a nice seasonal touch and pairs well with the smoky and salty ham—just be sure to use the pure variety and not pancake syrup—but feel free to swap it with honey. Adding light or dark brown sugar brings out the caramel notes and helps further thicken the glaze.

The sweeteners are balanced with Dijon mustard, orange juice, and a splash of vinegar. For added flavor, I like to include a strip of orange peel and whole cloves and peppercorns, but you can add any of your favorite warm whole spices, including cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom.

These ingredients simmer until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Once this happens, stir in cold, cubed butter to thicken the glaze and make it glossy. When the ham is ready to glaze, pour and brush the glaze all over, making sure it drips between the slices. It’s a lot of glaze, but you’ll want to use every drop for a nice coating and a golden-brown hue. With the heat cranked, return the ham to the oven and bake until the glaze is bubbly and starts to darken in spots.

Lastly, it’s important to let the ham rest at least 15 minutes before serving. This final step allows the juices to redistribute so the meat remains juicy and tender. Waiting might be the hardest part, but following this advice—along with these simple instructions—will result in a ham that you’ll want to make year after year.

Glazed ham sliced and served in a roasting pan

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Heavenly Ham

Prep Time 60 mins
Cook Time 2 hrs 45 mins
Rest 15 mins
Total Time 4 hrs
Servings 10 to 12 servings

This recipe is for a spiral-cut bone-in ham. This ham variety is fully cooked and pre-sliced for ease. A fully cooked, unsliced ham will also work for this preparation, but the surface will need to be sliced in a cross-hatch pattern to allow the glaze to drip into the meat.

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Ingredients

  • 1 (8 to 10-pound) spiral-cut bone-in ham

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 medium orange

  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar or white vinegar

  • 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

  • 4 whole cloves, optional

  • 2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

Method

  1. Bring the ham to room temperature:

    Remove the ham from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

  2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F.

    Arrange an oven rack in the lower third of the oven.

  3. Roast the ham:

    Fit a roasting pan with a rack. Pour the water into the bottom of the pan. Cover the rack with aluminum foil.

    Remove the ham from its packaging and place it cut-side down on the foil-lined rack. Cover the ham and roasting pan tightly with more foil to enclose (this will trap the steam as the ham cooks). 

    Bake the ham until the internal temperature registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 1/2 hours (or about 15 to 20 minutes per pound).

    Cooked ham in a roasting pan with foil lining

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

    Simple Tip!

     If your ham is on the smaller side, start checking its temperature around 1 hour and 45 minutes into baking.

  4. Meanwhile, make the glaze:

    While the ham is cooking, use a vegetable peeler to remove a large strip of orange zest from the orange and place it in a small pot. Juice the orange into the pot. Add the maple syrup or honey, brown sugar, Dijon, vinegar, peppercorns, and cloves, if using. 

    Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring often, until the mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. 

    Turn off the heat and allow the bubbles to subside. Stir in the cold, cubed butter until melted. Pour into a heatproof measuring cup or small bowl with a spout and cover loosely with foil until the ham has reached temperature.

    Sauce pan with brown mixture being stirred by a light blue spatula likely preparation for a recipe

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
  5. Glaze the ham:

    Remove the ham from the oven and discard the top layer of foil. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Carefully turn the ham on its side on the rack and carefully pour and brush the glaze evenly over the surface and in between the slices of the ham. 

    Return the glazed ham to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the glaze bubbles and starts to brown, about 15 minutes.

    A glazed spiral ham being brushed with glaze in a roasting pan

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
  6. Rest and serve:

    Let the ham rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.

    Leftover ham can be stored, tightly wrapped with or without the bone, in the refrigerator for up to a week. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months; the easiest way to do this is to remove the slices from the bone and wrap them tightly (in portions, if there’s a lot) and then thaw in the refrigerator overnight when you’re ready to eat it again.

    To reheat, place the thawed slices in a single layer on a plate with a little water or broth, cover with a damp paper towel, and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, or until heated through.

    Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!

    A baked ham with slice cuts sits in a roasting pan lined with foil

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
540 Calories
17g Fat
31g Carbs
68g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 540
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 21%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 196mg 65%
Sodium 3102mg 135%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 11%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 26g
Protein 68g
Vitamin C 61mg 306%
Calcium 77mg 6%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 1273mg 27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.