Salty, savory ham is a perfect match for a sweet glaze, and this Brown Sugar Ham Glaze is my favorite. Am I biased because it’s based on my mom’s recipe? Nope, Mom knows what’s up! With brown sugar, tangy apple cider vinegar, your choice of jam, and zippy Dijon, it truly is the best.
Why You’ll Love This Ham Glaze Recipe
A Balanced Bite. On its own, ham leans towards salty because it’s typically brined. Unfortunately, a lot of ham glaze recipes add so much sugar, you end up with a ham that’s cloyingly sweet. What I love about this brown sugar ham glaze is that it creates a balanced flavor by pairing the sweetness of sugar with acidity (vinegar), sharpness (mustard), and fruitiness (jam).
Five Simple Ingredients. You probably have them on hand in your kitchen right now. (My Salmon Seasoning and Chicken Marinade are also made with pantry staples!) A 5 ingredient ham glaze? SOLD!
Perfect for the Holidays. I use this brown sugar ham glaze with my Crockpot Ham, which is my go-to recipe when making a crowd-pleasing holiday main dish. Don’t forget the Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Ham Gravy!
How to Make Easy Brown Sugar Ham Glaze
The Ingredients
Jelly or Jam. Choose your favorite! My mom uses cherry, plum, apricot, or apple, but you can also combine a few if you’d like.
Brown Sugar. You can use light or dark.
Dijon Mustard. Dijon adds complexity and depth to this brown sugar ham glaze.
Apple Cider Vinegar. The acidity of the vinegar cuts through the sweetness, adding a pleasing tanginess.
Cornstarch. To make sure the glaze is thick and sticky so it doesn’t drip right off the ham!
The Directions
Combine. Stir all the ingredients together in a small saucepan.
Cook. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, stirring frequently.
Brush. Add it all over the oven-baked ham during the last 20 minutes of cooking or brush onto crockpot ham when it’s finished cooking. ENJOY!
Meal Prep Tip
You can prepare the glaze up to a week ahead of time to get a jump start on your holiday cooking.
Recipe Variations
Try Another Vinegar. White wine vinegar or champagne vinegar can be used instead of apple cider vinegar if you’d like; they both have a similar acidity.
Add Herbs. Cook the glaze with a sprig of rosemary or thyme to infuse some herbal notes into the glaze.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Brush Generously. This is how you get all that flavor onto your ham! If you have a spiral ham, the excess glaze with drip between the slices, giving every bite maximum flavor.
Warm It Up If Needed. As the glaze cools, it will thicken. If it thickens too much, you can reheat it on the stovetop until it’s brushable again.
Use Jam or Jelly. I don’t recommend preserves, which are excellent for PB & J Bars, but not so much for a glaze. The bits and chunks of fruit aren’t well-suited for brushing onto a ham.
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Brown Sugar Ham Glaze
This easy brown sugar ham glaze recipe infuses your holiday ham with so much sweet and savory flavor. Just 5 simple ingredients!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Cook Time 5 minutesminutes
Total Time 5 minutesminutes
Servings 1cup
Calories 58kcal
Author Erin Clarke / Well Plated
Ingredients
½cupjelly or jam of choicemy mom uses cherry, plum, apricot, apple, or even a mix
½cupbrown sugarlight or dark
2tablespoonsDijon mustard
1teaspoonapple cider vinegar
2teaspoonscornstarch
Instructions
In a small saucepan, stir together the jelly, brown sugar, Dijon, vinegar, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and cooking, stirring very frequently, until the glaze is thickened and darkened somewhat, about 3 minutes.
To use on oven baked ham, brush half of the glaze liberally all over the ham during the last 20 minutes of cooking (if the glaze has thickened up too much to spread, simply rewarm it on the stove).To use on Sow Cooker Ham, wait to brush until the ham has been removed from the crockpot.
Notes
Recipe is my Mom’s
TO STORE: Refrigerate brown sugar ham glaze in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
TO REHEAT: Warm up the glaze in a saucepan set over medium-low heat.
TO FREEZE: Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
