Learn how to cook a spiral ham and wow your family and friends with this easy orange glazed ham recipe! Juicy, tender and infused with incredible flavor from fresh oranges, garlic and herbs, this stunning ham will be the star of your holiday table.
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Why You’ll Love This Orange Glazed Ham Recipe
This recipe is guaranteed to be one of the easiest on your holiday list. Yes, really! The prep usually only takes me about 20 minutes or so, then the oven does all the heavy lifting. On crazy busy days like Christmas Eve, you need all the time you can get! While your orange glazed ham is baking in the oven for about 2.5 hours (and making the whole house smell divine in the process), you can focus on all of your sides and desserts. Here’s why this ham has become a Christmas tradition in my home:
- Perfect Holiday Dish: There’s nothing quite like a sticky, sweet holiday ham, to bring comforting elegance to your holiday meal.
- Sweet and Savory: The recipe uses classic ingredients such as brown sugar and Dijon mustard, but adds a layer of complexity with the addition of orange marmalade, fresh herbs, garlic, and real orange slices. Its stunning appearance and magnificent flavor create the perfect ham recipe.
- Easy and Impressive: An easy, foolproof showstopper, this easy tutorial for how to bake a ham requires minimal prep time. Once it comes out of the oven, your guests will ooh and ahh!
- Serves A Crowd: This ham recipe generously glazes a 10 pounder, but the time can be adjusted for a larger ham. (See Tips & Variations below.)
Need to save space in your oven? Learn how to cook a spiral ham in the crockpot (crockpot ham) or try this smaller air fryer ham!
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for glazed ham. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Spiral-Sliced Ham: This recipe makes one bone-in ham, about 10 pounds in weight. Different sizes of ham will require a different cooking process, so it’s important to try to get your hands on a 10 pound one.
- Orange: Choose a large, fresh navel orange. No need to peel!
- Garlic: Use a few large garlic cloves pulled from the bulb.
- Rosemary: Fresh sprigs of rosemary perfectly accent the ham, however thyme can be used for a milder flavor.
- Marmalade: Orange marmalade gives the glaze its unique flavor. Usually sold on the jam/jelly aisle.
- Mustard: Dijon works or whole grain mustard best, but yellow mustard or spicy mustard may be substituted.
- Honey and Brown Sugar: The sweetness balances all the savory flavors. You can use all honey, or all brown sugar, if preferred. I find a mix of both to be the best!
- Orange: You’ll use both the orange zest and orange juice from one orange.
How to Cook a Spiral Ham
Learning how to cook a spiral ham may seem overwhelming, but don’t stress – it is super easy! Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Tuck slices of orange, garlic, and sprigs of rosemary in between the slices of ham. Line a roasting pan with foil and place a roasting rack on top. Lay ham on rack, cut side down.
- Bake: Place roasting pan into preheated oven. Bake for an hour and 45 minutes.
- Prepare Glaze: Just before ham finishes baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, until sugar dissolves.
- Glaze Ham: Uncover ham and glaze generously. Return to oven and bake uncovered for an additional 45 minutes to set the glaze.
- Rest: Remove and cover the baked, glazed ham loosely with foil. Let ham rest in pan for 15 minutes.
- Enjoy! Transfer to a serving platter. Slice around the bone with a sharp knife and serve!
Chefs’s Tips & Variations
- Foil: Covering the ham with foil for the first half of baking time keeps it moist. Uncovering for the last part allows the glaze to set and sugars to caramelize, creating a deeper flavor and added texture.
- Larger Ham: A fully cooked ham should be warmed until the internal temperature reaches 140°F as measured by a meat thermometer. It takes about 20 minutes per pound at 325°F. For a larger ham, add time accordingly.
- Type Of Ham: Look for a spiral cut ham labeled smoked or cured. These are fully cooked and easily located in local grocery stores around the holidays. Stay away from country or black forest hams as they require a different preparation and cook time.
- Apples: For a fun fall version, try stuffing your ham with thinly sliced apples instead of oranges.
- Glaze Packet: Discard the premade glaze pack or save to use on a weeknight pork dish. The glaze in this ham recipe is far superior!
- Ham Bone: Reserve the ham bone and leftover meat to make rosemary ham and bean soup or a big pot of charro beans!
What to Serve with Glazed Ham
Now that you know how to cook a spiral ham to juicy perfection, you just need a few of your favorite sides to round out the meal. Try these family favorites to complete your festive holiday dinner:
- Casserole: You can’t go wrong with this best green bean casserole, extra cheesy baked mac and cheese or easy corn casserole!
- Potatoes: From garlic mashed potatoes to a sweet potato casserole with pecan topping, you can’t go wrong. Or save space with my crockpot sweet potatoes with marshmallows!
- Veggies: These sautéed green beans with garlic are a family favorite, but we also love candied carrots or this best creamed spinach!
Yield: 12 – 14 Servings
How to Cook a Spiral Ham (Orange Glazed Ham Recipe)
Learn how to cook a spiral ham and wow your family and friends with this easy orange glazed ham recipe! With fresh oranges, garlic, and herbs, this glazed ham will be the star of your holiday table. It's simple to prepare and each slice is tender, juicy, and infused with incredible flavor.
Ingredients
For the Ham
- 10 lb spiral sliced fully cooked ham, bone-in
- 1 orange, sliced thinly
- 5 large garlic gloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary, cut into 1 inch pieces
For the Glaze
- 6 oz orange marmalade
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- zest and juice of 1 large orange
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In between the slices of ham, insert the thinly sliced orange, thinly sliced garlic and sprigs of rosemary. Line a large roasting pan with foil. Place a roasting rack on top of the foil. Carefully place ham cut side down on the rack and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes.
- When the ham is almost done baking, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the orange marmalade, mustard, honey, brown sugar, orange juice and zest. Whisk on medium-low heat, until sugar is melted, and the glaze barely starts simmering.
- Uncover the ham and spoon or brush it with the glaze. Bake for another 45 minutes. (If desired, reserve 1⁄2 cup of the glaze and brush the ham one more time during these last 45 minutes.)
- When done baking, cover the ham loosely with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.
- For serving use two wide spatulas to transfer to a serving platter. To carve, start slicing around the bone with a thin carving knife and it will easily fall apart. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Store: Leftover ham can be covered with foil, or placed in an airtight container, and stored in your fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat: Reheat slices of ham in the microwave, a skillet, or the oven.
Freeze: Take the ham off of the bone, and pack it into freezer bags. Mark with the date, and store in your freezer for 1 to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Larger Ham: A fully cooked ham should be warmed until the internal temperature reaches 140°F as measured by a meat thermometer. It takes about 20 minutes per pound at 325°F. For a larger ham, add time accordingly.
Type Of Ham: Look for a spiral cut ham labeled smoked or cured. These are fully cooked and easily located in local grocery stores around the holidays. Stay away from country or black forest hams as they require a different preparation and cook time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 625kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 84g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 242mg, Sodium: 3850mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 27g
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