Thee BEST Apricot Glazed Ham Recipe (2024)

Jump to Recipe

This website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my disclosure policy.

If you are looking for the perfect ham to be the star of your Christmas dinner, this apricot glazed ham is it! It has a delicious apricot glaze drizzled on top and it’s baked to perfection.

If there is ever a time to go all out on a meal, this apricot ham is it! Try cooking these potatoes, beans, and rolls to go with them and your guests will keep coming back for more!

Thee BEST Apricot Glazed Ham Recipe (1)

Apricot Glazed Ham

We are all familiar with the classic honey ham but wait until you try ham with this apricot glaze! It brings an entirely new flavor to the table. And I promise you that it is one that will keep you coming back for more. This recipe is not only insanely delicious but it’s super easy. Most of the time it’s spent cooking in the oven. While it cooks, you can make all of your sides, and soon you will have a feast to remember!

Trust me when I say that this ham is the best that I have ever tried. There is just something about adding in the apricot and mixing it with some mustard and classic holiday spices like cinnamon. The taste is so good and you MUST TRY this recipe! Plus, it makes a lot so it’s the perfect entree for a holiday party! Invite lots of people over when you make this. They will all be asking you for the recipe before the night is over. Add in this Christmas wreath charcuterie board and you are going to impress everyone with your skills!

Ingredients in Apricot Glazed Ham

This recipe only uses SIX ingredients… that’s it! So snatch up a ham at the store and try this out. You won’t be disappointed. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.

  • Spiral ham: When you are picking out your ham make sure that it’s boneless and fully cooked (pre-sliced).
  • Apricot preserves: This fruit gives the BEST flavor to complement this ham.
  • Dijon mustard: This mustard will add in a tangy element.
  • Brown sugar: The brown sugar mixed in is what will create that great glaze for the top!
  • Ground cinnamon and cloves: These spices mixed in with the apricot and mustard are SOO GOOD.

Let’s Cook a Ham!

This apricot glazed ham is the perfect entree for any dinner. Especially ones during the holidays! I love the fresh taste that the apricot brings. It’s delicious and definitely a recipe that you will want to repeat.

  1. Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Put ham in pan: Place the ham in a roasting pan or 9X13 baking dish, cut side down.
  3. Whisk ingredients: In a saucepan, combine the apricot preserves, dijon mustard, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Whisk ingredients together and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it comes to a boil, remove from heat.
  4. Brush on glaze: Brush 1/2 of the glaze over the ham. Make sure the glaze gets between the slices.
  5. Cover with foil and bake: Cover the pan tightly with foil so the ham doesn’t dry out. Bake for 90 minutes or per the package instructions.
  6. Brush on glaze and bake uncovered: Remove the ham from the oven and brush the remaining glaze on top. Save a little for serving if you like. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Return the ham to the oven uncovered. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the ham gets a nice brown outer layer.
  7. Let it rest: Transfer the ham to a serving platter. Let the ham rest and slightly cool for 15 minutes before serving. Slice and serve with additional glaze if you saved some.
Thee BEST Apricot Glazed Ham Recipe (2)

Tips for Cooking a Ham

Glazed apricot ham is an easy main dish for any dinner. I’ve come up with a few tips that will help it turn out perfectly for you!

  • What if my ham is drying out? Spiral ham is already cooked so all that you will be doing is heating it up. You don’t want to overcook it! So make sure to keep it covered with foil at the beginning. This will keep all of the juices in. A ham is ready when the internal temperature is 140 degrees.
  • Thaw it: If you have a frozen ham then make sure to thaw it overnight in the fridge. Make sure not to start cooking it until it’s fully thawed!
  • Can I use something else instead of apricot preserves? Yes! You can also use apricot jam, jelly or marmalade.
Thee BEST Apricot Glazed Ham Recipe (3)

How to Store Leftover Ham

Leftover apricot glazed ham makes fantastic leftovers! Use it for sandwiches or reheat it for dinner the next night. Here’s how you can store it safely.

  • In the refrigerator: If you have leftover ham then place it in an airtight container (or wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil) and put it in your fridge. It can last 3-5 days!
  • Reheating: Place the ham on a baking sheet and cover it with foil. Cook at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the ham is heated through!

More Delicious Ham Recipes

Cooking a ham is the best for your main dish because it goes with everything! Plus, it’s so filling and just about everyone loves it. Here are a few more tried and true recipes that use ham. My family loves them all. They are all so good that I’m sure that you’ll find one that you love!

Dinner

Easy Ham and Swiss Stromboli

Side Dishes

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

1 hr 25 mins

Dinner

Ham and Cheddar Sliders

30 mins

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It

Thee BEST Apricot Glazed Ham Recipe (8)

Save

PinPrint

Apricot Glazed Ham

By: Alyssa Rivers

If you are looking for the perfect ham to be the star of your Christmas dinner, this apricot glazed ham is it! It has a delicious apricot glaze drizzled on top and it's baked to perfection.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 people

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.

  • Place the ham in a roasting pan or 9X13 baking dish, cut side down.

  • In a saucepan, combine the apricot preserves, dijon mustard, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Whisk ingredients together and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, remove it from heat.

  • Brush 1/2 of the glaze over the ham. Make sure the glaze gets between the slices.

  • Cover the pan tightly with foil so the ham doesn't dry out. Bake for 90 minutes or per the package instructions.

  • Remove the ham from the oven and brush the remaining glaze on top. Save a little for serving if you like. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Return the ham to the oven uncovered. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the ham gets a nice brown outer layer.

  • Transfer the ham to a serving platter. Let the ham rest and slightly cool for 15 minutes before serving. Slice and serve with additional glaze if you saved some.

Notes

It helps to take the ham out of the refrigerator an hour before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 388kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 43gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 2634mgPotassium: 655mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 25IUVitamin C: 54mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Alyssa Rivers and the food blogger behind The Recipe Critic. The blog launched in 2012 as a place to share my passion for cooking. I love trying new things and testing them out with my family. Each recipe is tried and true, family-tested and approved.

Read More About Me

More Ideas

Dinner

Homemade Shepherd’s Pie

1 hr 10 mins

Salmon

Air Fryer Salmon Bites

31 mins

Sandwiches

Cuban Sliders

40 mins

Thee BEST Apricot Glazed Ham Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is apricot glaze made of? ›

In a saucepan, mix sieved apricot jam, sugar, and cognac. Cook over moderate heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened and sticky.

Do you cook the ham before you glaze it? ›

The idea is to wait until the ham is almost fully heated, then add the glaze as one of the last steps. You don't want to add it too early or the sugars in the glaze could cause it to burn, and you don't want to add it too late or you won't get that caramelized coating.

What makes ham taste better? ›

Peach preserves, hot pepper jelly, and maple syrup work as sweet bases for glazes that add sheen as well as distinct flavor. Tasty additions such as aromatics, herbs, and spices switch up a traditional ham and make it truly memorable.

What is in the glaze packet that comes with ham? ›

Because most hams come with a glaze packet that typically contains added sugars and preservatives, all you have to do is add water and let it cook until thickened (per MyRecipes). However, sometimes the easy route does not yield the most delicious results.

What are the 3 basic ingredients in glaze? ›

A BASE GLAZE is a mixture of these three basic groups: SILICA, FLUX AND ALUMINA.

What are the three basic ingredients in a glaze What does each ingredient do? ›

Glazes need a balance of the 3 main ingredients: Silica, Alumina and Flux. Too much flux causes a glaze to run, and tends to create variable texture on the surface. The texture may vary from shiny, where the glass is balanced, to matte where the excessive flux oxides may form visible, possibly lumpy, crystals.

How do you get glaze to stick to ham? ›

About 20 minutes prior to the end of cooking time, begin glazing the ham but applying it with a silicon brush. Continue to glaze every 5 minutes until the ham is done. The ham is ready when a thermometer reads an internal temperature of 135-140f.

Do you cook a ham at 325 or 350? ›

Heat oven to 325°F. Remove all packaging materials. Place ham, cut/flat side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Heat approximately 18 to 23 minutes per pound until heated through.

Should a glazed ham be covered when baking? ›

If you don't cover your ham while cooking it will quickly dry out. Instead: Put some aluminum foil over your ham while it's cooking. It is recommended that the ham is covered for at least half of the cooking process and only removed during the last half when you glaze it.

What is the tastiest ham in the world? ›

The story of Jamón Ibérico ham is steeped in mystery and romance. The ancient oak pastures of Spain, the noble black Ibérico pig, the mountain air which caresses each ham as it magically is transformed into one of the world's most exquisite foods - all play a part in this uniquely Spanish phenomenon.

What keeps ham moist? ›

Put Liquid in Your Pan

The best way to keep your ham from drying out is to utilize the drippings that come in the package. Pour the juice from the package onto the ham. If there isn't a lot of juice in your package, you may want to add your own liquid.

What can I add to ham for flavor? ›

Popular glaze ingredients for smoked ham include brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, pineapple juice, Dijon mustard, and cloves, among others. Glazing can be done during the final stages of cooking or reheating the ham, allowing the sugars in the glaze to caramelize and create a tasty, flavorful crust.

Do you add water to ham glaze packet? ›

Glazing: Empty contents of the glaze packet into a small saucepan. Add 22 mL (1 1/2 tbsp) warm water. Heat glaze mixture on high, stirring constantly, until glaze begins to boil. Remove immediately from heat.

What is the black stuff in ham? ›

A similar alteration consisting of the appearance of black spots in dry-cured ham throughout salting or post-salting stages has been reported with bacteria (Carnimonas nigrificans, Pseudomonas fluorescens) as the causative agents (Andrade, Rodas, Durbán, Moya, & Córdoba, 2012; Garriga, Ehrmann, Arnau, Hugas, & Vogel, ...

What is the point of glazing ham? ›

Cook's hint: To speed things up, you can score and stud the flesh 24 hours ahead of time then cover with the removed skin. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to glaze and cook. Cooking: As the ham is already cooked, the purpose of glazing is to add your own flavour notes and to caramelise the fat.

What is the main ingredient in glaze? ›

Silica (or industrial sand) is the key ingredient in glass, raw clay, and ceramic glazes. Silica can be obtained naturally from quartz, sandstone, sand, or flint, or it can be manufactured as silica oxide. When making your own glazes, products like quartz, flint, and pure silica can be added as the glass-former.

What are the ingredients of glaze? ›

Glaze: there are more than 3 basic components in glaze, these are: silica, alumina, flux, colourants and modifiers. The common ingredients in glaze colours are, “ copper oxide", “copper carbonate", “cobalt oxide" and “ iron oxide.”

What are the 4 main ingredients in glaze? ›

All standard ceramic glazes contain the following components:
  • Glass former- silica (SiO2), melting point 3119 degrees Fahrenheit. (RO2)
  • Flux- lowers the melting point of silica; provides the great variety of surfaces in ceramic glazes. ...
  • Stabilizer- alumina, keeps the glaze on a vertical surface; stiffens the melt. (
Jul 15, 2019

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Annamae Dooley

Last Updated:

Views: 5976

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (45 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Annamae Dooley

Birthday: 2001-07-26

Address: 9687 Tambra Meadow, Bradleyhaven, TN 53219

Phone: +9316045904039

Job: Future Coordinator

Hobby: Archery, Couponing, Poi, Kite flying, Knitting, Rappelling, Baseball

Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.