This copycat HoneyBaked ham glaze recipe is a thin coat of warm honey followed by a sugar and warm-spice mix, melted into a glassy, crackly crust with a kitchen torch or under a hot grill (broiler). You need a fully cooked spiral-cut ham, about 1½ cups of sugar, a quarter cup of honey and five pantry spices. If you serve the ham warm, heat it covered at 325°F to an internal 140°F first, as USDA food safety guidance advises, then add the crust just before serving.
This is our own home recipe, inspired by the sweet, crunchy crust on HoneyBaked hams. It is not the company’s recipe, and we are not affiliated with or endorsed by The HoneyBaked Ham Company.
Key takeaways
- The crunch comes from melted, re-set sugar, not a sticky sauce, so the sugar layer must be thin and dry.
- A kitchen torch gives the most even, glass-like crust; the grill (broiler) works but needs close watching.
- Reheat a fully cooked, plant-packaged ham to 140°F; reheat leftovers to 165°F.
- Spiral-cut ham dries out easily, so heat it wrapped in foil and add the crust at the end.
- Leftover spiral ham keeps 3 to 5 days in the fridge or 1 to 2 months in the freezer.
What makes the crust crackle
The famous holiday ham crust is closer to the top of a crème brûlée than to a typical ham glaze. A wet glaze of brown sugar and juice bakes into a soft, sticky coating. A crackly crust needs dry sugar that melts quickly, then cools into a thin sheet of caramel that snaps when you cut through it.
Three things make that happen at home:
- Mostly white sugar. Granulated sugar melts cleanly and sets hard. A smaller amount of brown sugar adds a molasses note without making the crust soft.
- A tacky base. A thin brush of warm honey helps the sugar cling to the cut surface of the ham.
- Fast, intense heat. A torch or a very hot grill melts the sugar before the ham underneath overheats.
The company behind the original has a long history with this style. Wikipedia’s entry on HoneyBaked Ham records that founder Harry Hoenselaar was selling honey-glazed hams to Detroit drugstores in the 1930s and founded the company in 1957. How they make their own crust is their business; the method below is simply one that works in a home kitchen.
Ingredients
For one fully cooked, bone-in spiral-cut ham of about 7 to 9 lb:
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp sweet paprika
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- ¼ cup (85 g) honey
- 1 tbsp hot water
Equipment: heavy-duty foil, a roasting tin with a rack, a pastry brush, an instant-read food thermometer, and either a kitchen torch or an oven with a top grill (broiler).
Step-by-step: copycat HoneyBaked ham glaze
- Make the sugar mix. In a bowl, rub the granulated sugar, brown sugar, spices and salt together with your fingertips until there are no lumps of brown sugar. Spread it on a plate for 15 minutes to dry slightly.
- Decide warm or cold. The USDA notes that spiral-cut hams are safe to eat cold, and that heating sliced hams can dry out the meat. For a cold or room-temperature ham, skip to step 5.
- Heat the ham (if serving warm). Heat the oven to 325°F. Put the ham cut side down on a rack in a roasting tin, wrap it completely in heavy-duty foil and heat for about 10 minutes per pound.
- Check the temperature. Insert a thermometer into the thickest part, away from the bone. Take the ham out when it reaches 140°F. Unwrap it and let it stand for 10 minutes so the surface dries a little.
- Brush with honey. Warm the honey with the hot water until runny. Brush a very thin layer over the outside of the ham, including the outer edges of the slices. Too much honey makes the crust soggy.
- Add the sugar. Working over the tin, sprinkle and pat the sugar mix onto the honeyed surface in a thin, even layer. Save about a third of the mix for a second coat.
- Torch the crust. Light the torch and keep the flame moving in small circles over one section at a time until the sugar melts, bubbles and turns deep amber. If an area darkens too fast, stop and move on; the Saveur guide to torching a sugar crust recommends simply switching the flame off if the sugar starts to get too dark, and going back over missed spots afterwards.
- Add a second coat. Let the first layer set for 5 minutes, sprinkle on the remaining sugar mix and torch again. Two thin layers give a thicker, crunchier shell than one heavy layer.
- Rest and serve. Let the crust cool for 5 to 10 minutes so it hardens, then serve. The crust is at its best within an hour or two.
No torch? Use the grill (broiler)
Heat the ham as in steps 3 and 4. Move an oven shelf so the top of the ham sits a few inches below the element and switch the grill to high. Brush on the honey, press on the sugar mix, and grill for 2 to 5 minutes, turning the tin as needed, until the sugar bubbles and browns. Do not walk away: sugar can go from amber to burnt in seconds. The grill gives a slightly less even crust, with darker patches, but it still crackles once cool.
Timing for a spiral-cut ham
The USDA’s Hams and Food Safety guide says to cover a spiral-cut ham with heavy foil and heat it at 325°F for about 10 minutes per pound. The FoodSafety.gov meat and poultry roasting chart gives a wider range of 10 to 18 minutes per pound for a 7 to 9 lb spiral-cut ham. Start checking at the shorter time and go by the thermometer.
| Ham weight | Start checking (10 min/lb) | Upper end (18 min/lb) | Target internal temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 lb | About 1 hr 10 min | About 2 hr 6 min | 140°F |
| 8 lb | About 1 hr 20 min | About 2 hr 24 min | 140°F |
| 9 lb | About 1 hr 30 min | About 2 hr 42 min | 140°F |
| Leftover slices | Skillet or microwave | Until hot throughout | 165°F |
Allow another 15 to 20 minutes for resting, glazing and letting the crust set. If you are cooking for a crowd, a printed timeline helps; our guide to mise en place explains how professional kitchens plan prep so everything is ready at once.
Food safety: reheating and holding temperatures
Most spiral hams sold for the holidays are fully cooked. The USDA’s ham guide says cooked hams packaged in USDA-inspected plants should be reheated to 140°F, measured with a food thermometer, in an oven set no lower than 325°F. Leftover cooked ham, and cooked ham that has been repackaged outside the plant, should be reheated to 165°F.
Once the ham is on the table, the usual buffet rule applies. The FDA’s guidance on serving safe buffets says to discard perishable food left at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour if the room is above 90°F. Our checklist of pro habits for home cooks covers thermometers and clean-as-you-go habits that help on a busy cooking day.
Variations
- Maple: swap the honey for pure maple syrup and replace the cloves with a pinch of allspice.
- Orange spice: rub the finely grated zest of one orange into the sugar mix and let it dry on the plate for 30 minutes before using.
- Smoky: use smoked paprika instead of sweet and add ¼ tsp mustard powder.
- Less sweet: halve the sugar mix and apply a single layer. You will get a thinner crust with patches of bare ham.
- Boneless or half ham: the crust works the same way; just scale the sugar mix to the surface area and use the thermometer for timing.
Storage and leftovers
The USDA ham storage chart gives spiral-cut hams and leftovers 3 to 5 days in the fridge and 1 to 2 months in the freezer. Frozen ham stays safe indefinitely; the time limit is about quality. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of serving, wrapped tightly or in shallow containers.
The crust will soften in the fridge as the sugar absorbs moisture. To bring some crunch back, sprinkle a little fresh sugar mix on cold slices and torch them briefly just before serving, or warm slices in a skillet to 165°F and add the sugar after.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a HoneyBaked-style ham glaze?
Copycat versions, including this one, use a mix of sugar, honey and warm spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. The sugar is melted on the surface to form a hard crust rather than brushed on as a sauce.
Can you make the crust without a torch?
Yes. Use the oven grill (broiler) on high for a few minutes, watching constantly. The result is less even but still crunchy.
What temperature should a fully cooked ham be reheated to?
140°F for a ham packaged in a USDA-inspected plant, and 165°F for leftovers or ham repackaged elsewhere, according to the USDA.
How do you heat a spiral ham without drying it out?
Wrap it completely in heavy-duty foil, heat it cut side down at 325°F, and take it out as soon as it reaches 140°F. Or serve it cold, which the USDA says is safe for spiral-cut hams.
Can I glaze the ham the day before?
It is better not to. The sugar crust softens overnight in the fridge. Mix the spiced sugar ahead and store it in an airtight jar, then torch the ham shortly before serving.
How long does leftover spiral ham last?
Three to five days in the fridge or one to two months in the freezer, according to the USDA’s storage chart.
Before you start: a quick checklist
- Check the label says “fully cooked” and note the weight.
- Mix the spiced sugar up to a week ahead and keep it dry.
- Have a food thermometer ready and work out your heating window from the table above.
- Test your torch fuel, or check that the grill element works, the day before.
- Plan to add the crust no more than an hour or two before serving.
If you are cooking the ham for a holiday crowd, our walkthrough on hosting a restaurant-style dinner party has ideas for plating and timing the rest of the meal.
Featured photo: Spiral Glazed Ham by @joefoodie, CC BY 2.0.
