This Easy Spiral Ham with Apple Cider Glaze is the perfect holiday dinner table centerpiece! It’s so easy to prepare and results in tender, juicy, sweet, and salty ham.
You can ask pretty much any member of our family whether they prefer turkey or ham on the holiday table, and it’s going to be ham every single time.
Now, don’t get me wrong, we love our Roast Turkey, but there’s something about the tender, juicy texture and incredible flavor of this Spiral Ham with Apple Cider Glaze.
This recipe takes just 15 minutes to prep and makes the perfect Easter ham, Thanksgiving ham, Christmas ham, Monday ham, Tuesday ham…Okay, you get it. 😉
I’ve included options to bake the spiral ham or to make Slow Cooker Spiral Ham, so pick whatever works best for you! The result is tender, juicy, flavorful, and finished off with a sweet apple cider glaze.
Be sure to serve it with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Honey Glazed Carrots, Cheesy Baked Asparagus and Mom’s Homemade Buns to round out your holiday dinner!
Not a fan of apple cider? Try my Honey Baked Ham.
Ingredients Needed:
- Spiral Sliced Ham: I use a 3-4 kg/7-9 pound ham for this recipe. Keep in mind that a ham of a different size will cook at a different rate.
- Spiced Apple Cider, Light Brown Sugar, and Cornstarch: makes up a simple, sweet, perfectly spiced apple cider glaze for the ham.
- Salt and Pepper: just add these to the glaze to taste.
How to Choose a Spiral Ham
Here are a few of my tips for choosing a spiral ham:
- Find a butcher you trust. The key is quality for a good price. Thankfully, hams go on sale all the time, especially around the holidays.
- Plan ahead. The standard recommendation is ½ pound of ham per person. However, this depends on who you are feeding or how many sides you have. If you’re feeding kids or have a lot of other food, you can likely plan on less.
- Pick the right cut. Not all spiral hams are cut the same. Some are cut thicker, while others are thinner. Once you find one that your family loves, stick to the same brand every year so you know what you’re getting.
How to Make Spiral Ham with Apple Cider Glaze
This baked ham recipe takes just 15 minutes to prep!
- Bake the ham: Wrap the ham in tin foil or place it into an oven-safe roasting bag. Bake until heated through, then remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
- Make the glaze: In a saucepan, whisk together cider, sugar, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened.
- Serve: Slice the ham and serve drizzled with apple cider glaze.
How to Make Crockpot Spiral Ham
This Spiral Ham with Apple Cider Glaze is great in the oven, but can also be cooked in the crockpot!
To cook your ham in the crockpot, pour some apple juice or apple cider in the bottom of the slow cooker, add in the ham, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
If you don’t have quite that long, you can give it a head start on high for roughly 4 hours, depending on the size of your ham.
Spiral Ham FAQs
While this depends on the size of your ham, the rule of thumb is roughly 40 minutes/kg. The best way to tell that it’s done is to use a meat thermometer. It should have an internal temperature of 140ºF.
Covered! Wrapping the ham in foil or placing it in an oven-safe roasting bag keeps the moisture in so the ham comes out beautifully tender and juicy.
There really isn’t much prep involved in this recipe, so not a ton can be done in advance. However, you can prepare the glaze 2-3 days before you cook your ham. You can also cook and slice your ham and place it into a large rimmed baking dish. Cover with glaze and store in the fridge, then warm in the oven, covered and on 275ºF, for an hour or until warmed.
Leftover ham will last wrapped tightly in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen, then warm in the oven or microwave until heated through.
To freeze the ham, place leftover slices in large freezer bags and flatten to the best of your ability to allow for quicker thawing. I recommend freezing in single-meal portions so you can thaw only as much as you need.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your sliced ham drizzled with apple cider glaze and with any of your favorite side dishes!
I love Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Creamed Corn, Baked Mac and Cheese, Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls, or Roasted Green Beans.
Got leftovers?
Try these recipes:
- Ham and Bean Soup — so cozy on a cold day!
- Easy Leftover Ham Recipes — everything you could possibly need.
- Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole — pure comfort food!
More Ham Recipes You’ll Love
Spiral Ham with Apple Cider Glaze
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 3-4 kg spiral sliced ham 7-9 lbs
- 2 cups spiced apple cider (not apple juice)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
- Wrap ham entirely in tin foil or place in an oven-safe roasting bag — this keeps it moist!
- Bake ham for 2.5-3 hours, or roughly 40 minutes per kg. Remember that the ham is fully cooked (be sure to check your label), so you are simply heating through. You don’t want to overcook and dry out your ham!
- Remove the ham from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving. While the ham is resting, make the glaze.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cider, sugar and corn starch.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to simmer until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Serve over ham.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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