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How to heat a ham – whether you are heating a whole boneless ham or a bone-in ham, this is your complete guide for how to reheat a pre-cooked ham in the oven or slow cooker.
When you buy a ham from the grocery store, it is likely already fully cooked. Whether it’s a boneless ham or a bone-in ham, all you have to do is heat the ham before serving. The key is to heat the ham at the right temperature for the right amount of time so that the ham remains juicy and delicious!
Ham remains one of the most popular main dishes to make for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter and for good reason – it’s delicious and effortless!
How to heat a ham in the oven
Whether your ham is boneless or bone-in, the instructions remain the same for a pre-cooked ham. Here’s how to heat a ham in the oven:
- Oven temperature: Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Prepare the ham – unwrap the ham and brush it with a glaze if you choose.
- Place the ham in a roasting pan – select a shallow roasting pan that is large enough to fit your ham with a bit of room along the sides. Choose a roasting pan with a lid if you have one, or be sure to have aluminum foil available.
- Add liquid – adding liquid ensures that the ham stays juicy and moist. Our favorite liquid to use with ham is orange juice but you could also use broth or apple juice.
- Cover the ham – if your roasting pan doesn’t come with an oven-safe lid, cover the pan with aluminum foil. This helps ensure that the ham stays juicy and moist. You will need about ½ to 1 cup of liquid in the roasting pan.
- Place the ham in the oven – the time that it will take to heat a ham depends on the weight. A fully cooked ha will need about 10-15 minutes per pound. When the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140 degrees F, it is fully heated. If using a glaze, you can baste the ham with the glaze every 20-30 minutes while it is heating in the oven.
- Rest – Allow the ham to rest for about 15 minutes before serving it.
What temperature should ham be heated to?
When heating a pre-cooked ham, make sure that the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The best way to do this is to use a meat thermometer.
How to heat a ham in the slow cooker
Whether your ham is boneless or bone-in, the instructions to reheat cooked ham remain the same. Heating a ham in the slow cooker is so easy and convenient. Here’s how to do it:
- Prepare the slow cooker – ensure that the slow cooker is large enough to fit the ham.
- Prepare the ham – unwrap the ham and brush it with a glaze if you wish.
- Place the ham in the slow cooker – place the ham in the slow cooker with the flat side down.
- Add liquid – adding liquid ensures that the ham stays juicy and moist. Our favorite liquid to use with ham is orange juice but you could also use broth or apple juice.
- Cook time – place the lid on the slow cooker and begin heating the ham on low. For a bone-in ham, you’ll want to heat the ham for 4-6 hours. For a boneless ham, you will need to heat the ham for 3-4 hours. The internal temperature of the ham should be 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Glaze instructions – if using a glaze, feel free to flip the ham and baste it with the glaze halfway through the heating process.
Ham Glaze Recipe
A glaze is not required when heating a ham in the oven or slow cooker, but it is a delicious option and can add tremendous flavor to the ham.
The full instructions for the ham glaze are found below in the recipe card but here is a brief description about what is involved with glazing a ham.
The first step is to make the glaze which is done in a saucepan on the stovetop. The best way to get the glaze to penetrate the meat is to score the ham. If this is your first time scoring a ham, here’s hot to do it.
To score the ham:
- Place the ham on a stable surface and get out a sharp knife.
- Decide whether you want to make a diamond pattern or a crosshatch pattern. To make a diamond pattern you will make diagonal cuts just slightly below the surface. Cuts should be about ½ inch to 1 inch apart going across the surface of the ham. Then make another series of diagonal cuts going the opposite direction to create the diamond shape. To make the crosshatch pattern you will make parallel cuts across the surface going one direction, then make another set of cuts perpendicular to the first cuts that you made. This gives you a grid pattern, also known as the crosshatch pattern.
A spiral ham is most often a bone-in ham that has been pre-sliced in a spiral pattern which makes it easy to serve.
Ham Dinner Menu Ideas
Now that you know how to heat a ham in the oven, let’s talk about how to build your dinner menu. Here are some of our recommended side dishes that pair well with ham!
- The Best Mashed Potatoes – add freshly grated cheddar cheese to make cheddar mashed potatoes and thank me later!
- Fast and easy dinner rolls – a ham dinner is not complete without rolls. These Fast and Easy Dinner Rolls are always a hit, or you can opt from Hawaiian rolls from the grocery store.
- Green Beans – here’s my guide for How to make Green Beans. They are quick and easy to make, and pair perfectly with a ham dinner.
- Dessert – for dessert you can’t go wrong with our favorite Chocolate Lasagna!
If you are wondering what to make with leftover ham, try our ham and cheese sliders!
If you use this guide or try any of my other recipes, please leave a comment telling me what you thought! I love hearing from you!
How to Heat a Ham
Ingredients
- 1 pre-cooked ham (boneless or bone-in)
- ½ – 1 cup orange juice alternative options: chicken broth, pineapple juice
- *optional glaze
Glaze Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
Instructions
Oven Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Prepare the ham by placing it in a roasting pan flat side down. If using a glaze, score the ham with shallow cuts to allow the glaze to penetrate the meat. Brush the glaze over the ham.
- Add ½ – 1 cup of orange juice to the bottom of the pan.
- Cover the roasting pan with foil.
- Heat for 10-15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140 degrees F measured with a meat thermometer.
- If using a glaze, baste the ham every 20-30 minutes with the glaze.
- Allow the ham to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Place the ham in the slow cooker, flat side down.
- If using a glaze, score the ham with shallow cuts to allow the glaze to penetrate the meat. Brush the glaze over the ham.
- Add ½ – 1 cup of orange juice to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the lid on top.
- Heat the ham for 4-6 hours on low for a bone-in ham or 3-4 hours on low for a boneless ham.
- If using a glaze, flip the ham once while it heats and baste the ham with the glaze.
- Allow the ham to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Glaze Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and ground cloves.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved and the glaze is smooth. This will take about 5 minutes.
