Maple Glazed Ham

Sharing is caring!

Maple Glazed Ham includes just 4 ingredients, including orange marmalade, pure maple syrup, and butter. Equally as wonderful, it requires only a few easy steps and your oven does all the magic.

Make this ham recipe for any holiday meal, special occasion or an everyday delight.

Maple Glazed Ham Recipe

Move on over turkey.  You’re very tasty. But Maple Glazed Ham is a showstopping masterpiece.

Especially this ham that is all caramelized, sticky, and luscious on the outside. And tender and moist on the inside. YUM. 

This easy ham with orange marmalade and maple syrup is by far the easiest meat to cook for your holiday meal.

Since my family really enjoys maple glaze with ham, I double the recipe and serving with the sliced ham.

Maple glazed ham recipe ingredients

• Ham: I used a fully cooked hardwood smoked Smithfield half ham (you can use any brand), also known as a half-ham. The label noted it is called a shank portion with a bone. You can substitute a spiral-sliced ham if preferred.
• Orange marmalade: Marmalade is a thick, flavorful jam that has pieces of orange peel throughout. I have substituted peach jam and apricot jam in place of the orange marmalade and either makes a delicious glaze.
• Pure maple syrup: Not to be confused with pancake syrup, maple syrup is a pure single ingredient that is rich and flavorful, harvested from maple trees; a little goes a long way.
• Butter: I prefer cooking with unsalted butter, but you can use what you have on hand in this recipe.
• Chopped pecans: pecans are completely optional, but very delicious as part of the maple glaze since they add some crunch and texture.

Recipe tips

• Use a lot of foil when making this ham. It helps keep the ham moist as it cooks and also makes for pan easier clean up since the ham juices and the glaze stay contained in the foil.

• If you cook the ham ahead of time to reheat later, I like to reserve some of the ham juices that accumulate during the cooking process. Lay the slices into your baking dish, then pour some of the ham juices over the ham; cover and refrigerate. The ham juices will keep the ham moist when you reheat before serving.

How to make maple glazed ham  

Cook the Ham

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Remove all packaging material from the ham, discarding the glaze packet that is usually included.

Lay out two very long sheets of extra-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil, crisscrossing them over each other to create an X.

Place the ham, flat side down, onto the center of where the foil crisscrosses.

Wrap the ham very tightly in the foil, using more foil if needed to cover the ham completely. Place the wrapped ham into a roasting pan, flat-side-down.

Bake the ham at 15 minutes per pound of ham until the ham is hot throughout and has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. 

As an example, an 8 pound ham will take about 2 hours to fully cook.

Prepare the Maple Glaze

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by combining the orange marmalade and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium high heat.

Bring the glaze to a boil, then remove it from the heat. 

Add the butter, whisking until melted; reserve the glaze, keeping it warm.

If you want to include pecans, stir them into the glaze in at this point.

Glaze the Ham

Two-thirds of the way through the baking process, remove the ham from the oven.

Unwrap the ham, folding the foil back and away from the ham.

Make sure to keep the foil in tact around the base of the ham to hold in the ham juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the foil.

At this point of the baking process, the ham will look pretty unimpressive but don’t worry!

The next step of glazing the ham is when all the magic happens.

Using a silicone basting brush or a small spoon, liberally slather the ham with half of the prepared maple glaze.

Keep the remaining glaze warm to serve with the sliced ham, as desired.

Continue to bake the ham, uncovered, for the remaining time until it reaches 145 degrees F. internal temperature at the center when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer. 

The ham should be nicely caramelized and sticky all over the exterior.

Remove it from the oven once the ham is hot at the center and the exterior is shiny and caramelized.

Serve the Ham

Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let it rest for 10-15 minutes, leaving the ham juices in the bottom of the foil. You can use these later, if desired.

Slice the ham into thick slices and serve with more maple glaze, as desired.

How much maple glazed ham per person

Whole bone-in hams usually weigh around 10-18 lbs. and feed 20-36 people. 

Half bone-in hams usually weigh around 5-10 lbs. and feed 10-20 people.

When serving boneless ham, plan to purchase 1/3 -1/2 lb. per person.

You’ll need more ham per person when there is a bone as a part of the ham.

I always buy on the higher side per person to ensure I have ham leftovers.

Voila! Ham slices ready to serve.

How to cook a spiral ham without drying it out

A spiral-sliced ham is a cured bone-in ham that has been cut into horizontal slices.

The slices are still attached to the bone at the center of the ham. Spiral-cut hams are pre-sliced as a convenience to home cooks.

To serve, slice down through the slices, right where the ham connects to the center bone.

Spiral-sliced hams be covered with foil when cooked and at al lower oven temperature of 275-300 degrees F.

Spiral-sliced hams do tend to dry out very quickly when they are cooked.

It’s easy to overcook a spiral-sliced ham because the pre-cut slices are very thin.

Cooking a spiral-sliced ham at a lower temperature of 275-300 degrees F. allows the ham to get fully cooked to the center without over-cooking the slices outside the ham.

You can remove the foil during the last few minutes of the cooking time if you want the exterior of the ham to brown a bit.

It’s easy to overcook a spiral-sliced ham. 

You’ll know when this has happened as the slices will curl up, and the meat will be dry and chewy. 

Does leftover maple glazed ham freeze well?

Yes, chop up leftover Maple Glazed Ham and freeze it in 2 cup portions in freezer bags to store in the freezer.

This seems to be a good amount for most recipes.

Also, pulling the ham out of the freezer feels so good when I need to get dinner on the table.

How to Thaw a Frozen Ham

I usually allow 4-5 hours of refrigeration thawing for every pound of boneless ham.

I allow 6-8 hours for every pound of bone-in ham since the bone at the center makes thawing take a bit longer.

Defrosting time depends on the size of the ham.

As an example, a 10-pound boneless ham will need approx. forty hours (almost 2 full days) to fully thaw in refrigeration.

A 10 lb. bone-in ham will need approx. eighty hours (about 3 1/2 days) to fully thaw in refrigeration.

Always allow yourself a little extra thawing time to be on the safe side.

A fully thawed and unopened ham can safely stay in the refrigerator for 3-4 days after it’s thawed.

How long can I keep a ham in the freezer? 

Properly stored in the freezer, a ham will maintain the best quality for 3-4 months but will remain safe way beyond that time.

I recommend a ham stay no longer than 6-8 months in the freezer.

That said, I have cooked hams many times that have been securely packaged in my freezer for up to one year with zero problems.

How to Score a Ham

Place the ham on its side on a thick wooden cutting board. 

Using a sharp knife, start about 1″ away from the big end of the ham, slicing into the ham approx. 1/2″ of an inch, circling the ham in a line.

Continue to make additional cuts, circling the ham in 1″ intervals until you reach the other end of the ham.

Next, cut across the incisions you have just scored in the ham, slicing diagonally about 1″ apart, creating a criss-cross pattern over the exterior of the ha. 

Do you have to score the ham? 

Scoring a ham is actually very easy. Scoring means making shallow cuts into the fat layer that covers the ham. 

Because hams have a thick layer of fat that insulates the meat, the fat actually bastes the ham as it bakes. 

Scoring the ham will allow slits in the meat to gather the ham glaze as your baste or pour it over the ham, adding lots of flavor. 

Sweet meets salty – a delicious combination, for sure. 

Plus, scoring the exterior of the ham makes for a stunning presentation at your holiday table. 

How to glaze a ham

I think it’s easiest to use a silicone basting brush to glaze a ham since the bristles can get down into every nook and cranny of the exterior of the ham. 

Or, you can use a spoon to pour the glaze over the ham. 

Once glazed, return the ham to the oven, uncovered, so the glaze can caramelize.

This makes the syrup nicely sticky and the ham reaches the internal temperature of 145 degrees F. at the center. 

How do I know when my ham is fully cooked? 

It’s best to use an instant-read meat thermometer that you will insert right into the center of the ham, taking care not to touch any bones as you do so. 

In a few seconds, when the temperature stops rising as you watch the dial, this will be the internal temperature. 

The ham should be 145 degrees at the center to be fully hot throughout for serving. 

Don’t cook the ham past 145 degrees or it will be dry instead of juicy and flavorful.

How do I know which ham to purchase?

You will likely find many options out there when shopping for ham, but this recipe calls for cured (smoked), pre-cooked ham.

This is the type of ham that most grocery stores sell in abundance. 

In short, if the ham’s label says it is cured, smoked, or baked, the ham is pre-cooked and packaged.

Always check the ham’s label to be sure it states that you are purchasing a fully cooked ham so you have that reassurance.

What to make with leftover Ham

I love having leftover ham for sandwiches, quiche, quesadillas, and skillet tortellini.…oh man!

We also love Ham and White Cheddar Crepes or Ham and Bacon Pastry Ring or Grandma Lucille’s Old-Fashioned Ham Salad. 

Other Easy Ham Recipes

• Easy Ham in a Electric Roaster Oven
• Instant Pot Glazed Ham 
• How to Make Cheap Oven-Baked Honey Ham