30 Best Christmas Ham Recipes For Dinner 2022

Whether it’s your first time cooking a ham for Christmas or you’re just looking to find a tasty new holiday ham, we’ve got you covered with these 30 best Christmas ham recipes that range from glazed to honey baked.

Which Type of Ham Should I Buy for Christmas?

Before we get into the various recipes and methods to cook a ham, we should talk a little about which ham is best for your needs. Here are the three most common holiday ham options:

Bone-In Ham, Unsliced

This is a ham, as the name suggests, that has the bone intact. A bone-in ham is less likely to dry out with cooking. A bone-in ham that has not been pre-sliced makes a beautiful presentation but have a good carving knife at the ready, because you’ll have the added task of slicing the ham yourself. Don’t forget to save that ham bone for use in Split Pea Soup.

Spiral-Sliced Ham

A spiral-sliced ham takes away the difficult task of carving. Typically, this sliced ham comes “ready to eat”, although reheating is recommended. Most often, these hams come with a glaze or spice packet, but feel free to toss that packet out, as it is so easy to make your own glaze. The spiral-cut ham is the most recognizable around the holidays.

Boneless Ham

This ham has had the bone removed and the meat has been formed back into shape. This is typically the most convenient type of ham, and usually the most economical choice as well.

Honey Baked Ham

We all hear the commercials for the “world-famous” Honey Baked Ham as soon as November rolls around. Sure, you could order one of those and warm it in the oven but you are going to pay a big premium for that shortcut. Save money and make your own Honey Baked Ham. It can be as easy as slathering a ham with a butter-honey mixture before baking and then adding a sugary-spiced glaze to finish. Don’t worry, we’ve got recipes for these Honey Baked Hams below.

How to Cook Christmas Ham

Now that you have your ham picked out, it is time to figure out how you want to prepare it. Take a look through all the recipes below and you might find yourself surprised at some of the cooking methods. Options include classic glazed hams, spiced hams, oven-heated hams, as well as Instant Pot and air fryer hams.

How to Cook Ham in the Oven

For raw and fresh ham, you’ll need to bake the ham in the oven at 325F until a food thermometer inserted in the ham reads 145F.

How to Reheat Cooked Ham

If you’re planning on using cooked ham instead, simply reheat the cooked ham at 325F until the inner temperature reads 140F.

What to Serve with Christmas Ham

The showpiece of Christmas dinner may be the ham but what is a showpiece without the best side dishes? Here are a few of our favorite, most-delicious side dishes that go well with Christmas ham.

Cheesy PotatoesStuffed MushroomsSweet PotatoesMashed PotatoesAsparagusGreen Beans