Ham Salad! Such a great way to use up leftover ham. In just a few minutes you can have a batch of Old Fashioned Ham Salad. Quickly whip up this ham salad recipe (aka deviled ham spread) in your food processor – all you need are a few ingredients.
Grandma Lucille’s Ham Salad Recipe
Howdy! Chef Alli Here. Let’s Get You Cookin’….Shall We?? 🙂
Man, I ate ALOT of Ham Salad when I was growing up. My Grandma Lucille made it often and she served it with crackers or on little cocktail buns.
One day when she was making a batch of ham salad, she let me help her grind the meat and that was when I learned she didn’t use ham at all…it was BOLOGNA!
She said it was her little secret and that it saved a ton of $$. All I know is that it was delicious!
Grandma Lucille had a grinder that clamped right to the side of her counter. She would drop chunks of bologna into the top of the grinder and I got to turn the handle. (I sure wish I had her grinder – I think of it often.)
I remember how fun it was fun to watch the bologna coming out of the grinder into her bowl.
Whenever I make a ham (usually in my Instant Pot) I love having some left over so I can make a big bowl of ham salad.
Ham salad is great to have in the fridge – it just makes me feel good knowing it’s in there for my gang when they get hungry. They can make sandwiches in nothing flat, and for those of us who are trying to eat low-carb, ham salad is delicious wrapped in a lettuce leaf.
I’ve also served ham salad for a luncheon on mini croissants and also in Athens Phyllo Cups – such a beautiful appetizer that’s so easy. Plus, I like the texture of the creamy ham salad with the crispy phyllo cup.
3 things to love about this recipe –
- You can serve it as an appetizer with crackers or on buns as a sandwich.
- It’s a great way to use up leftover ham.
- Everybody loves it!
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make ham salad –
- Cooked ham, ground
- Mayonnaise
- Sweet pickle relish
- Worcestershire sauce
- Spicy brown mustard
- Prepared horseradish
- Pure maple syrup
How to Make Ham Salad in 3 Easy Steps
**Full, printable recipe card below – just scroll on down within this post to find it!
- To make the ham salad dressing, combine the mayonnaise, relish, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, horseradish, and syrup in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
- Add the minced (ground) ham to the prepared dressing, gently folding it in until nicely combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed. Serve on cocktail buns or with crackers.
Is deviled ham spread the same thing as ham salad?
Ham salad and deviled ham are very very similar – some would say they are the one and the same…it kind of depends on where you are from.
Both deviled ham spread and ham salad are made of very similar ingredients – a mayonnaise-based dressing with relish and ground ham, served on crackers on cocktail buns.
Recipe Tips for Making Old Fashioned Ham Salad – It’s So Easy!
- What if I don’t own a food processor? No worries. Just pull out your cutting board and your chef’s knife and get to mincing. It takes a bit longer, but it’s totally worth the effort. Or, if you have a food grinder, like my Grandma Lucille did, that works even better!
- This recipe calls for pure maple syrup. Is that the same thing as pancake syrup? Great question, and no it’s not. Pure maple syrup is a concentrated (pure) form of syrup that’s actually sap from a maple tree, much unlike pancake syrup that is highly processed. I try to keep pure maple syrup on hand at all times for using in my recipes as a sweetener – love the flavor!
- Why does this recipe call for horseradish? Prepared horseradish is grated horseradish root and must be stored in the fridge. You will find this ingredient in the meat section of the grocery store, or near the deli meats and bacon area, typically. Horseradish is great in any dish that needs a little ZING! It’s a solid condiment to keep on hand.
More Summer Salad Recipes to Enjoy –
- Creamy Chipotle Pasta Salad with Shredded Chicken and Smoked Gouda
- Summer Corn Salad
- Tortellini Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Basil
- Crunchy Corn Salad
- Sweet Corn and Baby Pea Salad with Jicama
- Delta Cornbread Salad
- Grandma Lucille’s German Potato Salad
- Classic Macaroni Salad
- Chicken Salad with Red Grapes and Walnuts
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Orzo Pasta Salad with Grilled Steak
- Broccoli Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
- BLT Pasta Salad (Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Pasta Salad)
Printable Old Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe –
Old Fashioned Ham Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups finely minced or ground cooked ham, I process mine in the food processor (this is about 1 lb. of cooked ham)
- 1/2-2/3 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
- 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbs. spicy brown mustard
- 1-2 tsp. prepared horseradish
- 2-3 Tbs. pure maple syrup
Instructions
- To make the ham salad dressing, combine the mayonnaise, relish, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, horseradish, and syrup in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
- Add the minced (ground) ham to the prepared dressing, gently folding it in until nicely combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed. Serve on cocktail buns or with crackers.
Notes
- What if I don’t own a food processor? No worries. Just pull out your cutting board and your chef’s knife and get to mincing. It takes a bit longer, but it’s totally worth the effort. Or, if you have a food grinder, like my Grandma Lucille did, that works even better!
- This recipe calls for pure maple syrup. Is that the same thing as pancake syrup? Great question, and no it’s not. Pure maple syrup is a concentrated (pure) form of syrup that’s actually sap from a maple tree, much unlike pancake syrup that is highly processed. I try to keep pure maple syrup on hand at all times for using in my recipes as a sweetener – love the flavor!
- Why does this recipe call for horseradish? Prepared horseradish is grated horseradish root and must be stored in the fridge. You will find this ingredient in the meat section of the grocery store, or near the deli meats and bacon area, typically. Horseradish is great in any dish that needs a little ZING! It’s a solid condiment to keep on hand.
Nutrition
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Chef Alli
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