Recipes Holidays + Events Easter Our 11 Best Easter Ham Recipes By Food & Wine Editors Updated on March 31, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford / Food Styling by Ali Ramee Ham is a classic menu choice for Easter, whether it's the anchor of your brunch spread or the main event at dinner. We've collected our favorite Easter ham recipes for your menu, from glazed hams to brined fresh ham. Impress your guests with this show-stopping Saba-and-Dijon-Glazed Easter Ham, a simple but flavorful Apple Cider Glazed Ham, or a Pomegranate-Jalapeño-Glazed Ham that pairs perfectly with a rich red Rhône blend. Want to serve ham steaks instead? Try serving them with a Sweet Pea-Leek Pan Sauce for a quick, springy dish. Whichever preparation you choose, you'll have a satisfying holiday meal. Read on for more of our best Easter ham recipes. 01 of 11 Saba-and-Dijon-Glazed Easter Ham Eva Kolenko This Easter ham recipe from chef Sarah Grueneberg uses saba—a sweet and slightly acidic syrup made from cooked-down grape must (similar to aged balsamic)—in the glaze, as well as Dijon mustard and salt. The ham is baked on a bed of carrots and shallots so the drippings flavor the vegetables in the oven. Get the Recipe 02 of 11 Spiced Brown Sugar Ham with Apple Jus © Marcus Nilsson The secret to this super-tender ham is keeping it wrapped in foil while it's cooking and resting, letting it reabsorb any moisture released during the cooking process. "If you can't pick up the foil-wrapped ham without burning yourself, then it's not done resting!" says pork pro Kevin Gillespie, chef at Revival in Decatur, Georgia. Get the Recipe 03 of 11 Guinness-Glazed Ham Caitlin Bensel In this ham recipe, a simple glaze of dark stout and brown sugar develops a malty, caramel-like bittersweetness in the oven. Irish ham is a bit less salty than American ham and has a thin layer of fat, which absorbs the flavors of the glaze. Get the Recipe 04 of 11 Apple Cider Glazed Ham Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford / Food Styling by Ali Ramee Pulling off an impressive holiday ham at home takes just a few simple steps. Start with a good-quality, bone-in spiral-cut ham—make sure it is unglazed. Coat it with this deliciously sweet apple cider glaze featuring light brown sugar, honey, and Dijon mustard. Brushing the glaze onto the ham in 15-minute intervals during the last 30 minutes of baking creates a wonderfully sticky and caramelized crust. Serve any leftovers on biscuits with a slather of mustard. Get the Recipe 05 of 11 Pomegranate-Jalapeño-Glazed Ham © Con Poulos To make the glaze for this ham recipe from chef Akasha Richmond, simmer store-bought jalapeño jelly with pomegranate juice and lemon juice. Then, add in some Dijon mustard, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger and simmer the mixture for a few more minutes. The glaze goes on the ham in two stages, pre-roast and then after the initial roast for a boost of flavor and some caramelization. Get the Recipe 06 of 11 Ham Steaks in Madeira Sauce Greg DuPree The legendary Julia Child was a longtime Food & Wine contributor—and a champion of ham. For this recipe, she was inspired by a dish called jambon à la morvandelle, the signature dish of Alexandre Dumaine, one of France's most famous chefs in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. Child called the dish, featuring ham steaks basted in a mushroom and Madeira sauce, one of her "fast entrées for fancy people." She recommended serving them with steamed spinach and mashed potatoes. Get the Recipe 07 of 11 Chile-Brined Fresh Ham © Con Poulos Chef Ryan Farr likes to brine fresh ham in a chile-spiked liquid. While it roasts, the pork skin turns wonderfully crackly in the oven. Pair the ham with a full-bodied white wine like a Chenin Blanc. Get the Recipe 08 of 11 Spring Ham Steaks with Sweet Pea-Leek Pan Sauce © Christina Holmes Ham steaks make a quick and low-key Easter dinner. Sear them until golden brown and dress them with a simple sauce made with peas, leek, fresh tarragon, and butter, with some salt and pepper for seasoning. Get the Recipe 09 of 11 Dr Pepper-Glazed Ham with Prunes © Keller & Keller Most smoked hams are sold fully cooked, so "why bake them again?" meat master Bruce Aidells asks, before answering his own question: to improve the texture and add a homemade glaze—in this case, one made with Dr Pepper soda and prunes—for extra flavor. After the ham is cooked, Aidells reduces the pan juices and tosses in prunes to make a sauce. "Glazes flavor only the outside of the ham," he says. "But you can spoon pan sauces over every slice." Get the Recipe 10 of 11 Smoky Glazed Ham with Red Pepper Jelly © John Kernick To achieve the perfect holiday ham, chef Jonathon Sawyer makes the sauce that becomes a sweet-sticky glaze and the spicy pepper jelly a few days in advance. On Easter Sunday, the only thing left to do is to bake the ham. Get the Recipe 11 of 11 Lemon-and-Pickled-Pepper-Glazed Ham © James Baigrie Any pickled pepper will work in this recipe, but former F&W editor Grace Parisi loves hot Peppadew peppers for their fruity flavor and sweet-and-sour brine. Since the heat level of pickled peppers can vary greatly, you might want to add them gradually while making the glaze. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit