Bourbon Maple Glazed Ham 

Baked maple glazed ham looks good, smells heavenly, and tastes even better. Baked ham is mouthwatering on its own but add a homemade glaze and it becomes downright delectable! 

The bourbon maple glaze has just the right amount of sweetness and is the perfect complement to the saltiness of the ham. It caramelizes in the oven, creating a yummy crust that makes this the best glazed ham recipe EVER! 

The sweet, spicy, savory notes all come together in the oven, making this one of my favorite things to make for special occasions. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner are incomplete without this family favorite. And luckily, learning how to make glaze for ham is so simple! Your holiday table isn’t complete without this beautiful spiral cut ham. 

Why You’ll Love This Maple Glazed Ham Recipe

• Beautiful Presentation! Holidays are all about the food but aesthetics are important too! Impress your guests with a glossy bourbon glazed ham with uniform slices.
• Easy Prep! This recipe is perfect for those hosting a holiday meal for the first time. After 10 minutes of prep, this ham bakes in just over 1 hour. So if you have a list of duties and more recipes to make, this one doesn’t hog the oven for too long. 
• Simple ingredients go a long way! This recipe uses nothing but pantry staple items making your holiday dinner prep super easy and painless!
• A Crowd Pleaser! If you need to feed a large group, you’ll definitely want to serve this ham as a main course. It’s hearty, satisfying, and makes for delicious leftovers!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Cooked Spiral Cut Ham – This is the best ham to buy for glazed ham. Pre-cooked ham is so much easier to work with because it cuts the cooking time down significantly. Using bone-in ham has more flavor too. Spiral-cut ham is also presliced which makes serving it a breeze! You should be able to find this at your local grocery store. 

Ham Glaze Recipe ingredients:

Brown Sugar – This helps the glaze caramelize. You can use a dark or light brown sugar. I used dark brown as it has more molasses which gives this recipe a deeper flavor.

Pure Maple Syrup – This natural sweetener has a rich buttery, caramel undertones and subtle smoky notes. Please use real maple syrup! 

Butter – This enriches the glaze for a creamier consistency. 

Bourbon – Bourbon whiskey is sweet, smooth, and adds a distinct warm quality to the glaze. It also adds a subtle smoky flavor that I just adore.

Spices – I use a trio of cinnamon, ground cloves (some recipes add whole cloves but I find it makes it harder to dig in), and allspice. These enhance the ham’s natural flavor and give this recipe that holiday flavor.

Orange zest – This adds a bright, unexpected citrus twist that complements the warm spices. Some use orange juice but I’ve found that orange zest imparts more flavor.

Dijon Mustard – for a little tang to balance out all of the other flavors. The mustard adds sharp, tangy taste that deepens the overall flavor. Avoid using yellow mustard. 

Substitutions

• Honey Glazed Ham: Don’t have maple syrup? Swap it out for honey.

• Maple Glazed Ham with Pineapple: Add pure pineapple juice to the glaze mixture for a sweet tropical twist. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place ham onto a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Pour pineapple juice or water on the bottom of the pan, then coat the ham in dijon mustard.

Step 2: In a small bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, brown sugar, black pepper, and kosher salt.

Step 3: Coat the ham in the seasonings, liberally, ensuring all of the ham is seasoned. Cover with aluminum foil and baking in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Step 4: While the ham is baking, make the maple bourbon glaze. Combine bourbon, maple, and brown sugar over medium heat. Whisk together and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes, until the glaze thickens to a caramel-like texture. Remove from the heat and add orange zest, cinnamon, and clove. Set aside to cool.

Step 5: Remove the ham from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Use a pastry brush to coat the ham in the glaze (use about 1/3 of the glaze). Insert the temperature probe on your meat thermometer (if using) Once the oven is heated to 425, bake for an additional 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140 degrees F.

Step 6: Allow the roast to rest for 20 minutes, then coat the ham in the pan drippings and and any remaining glaze. Be sure to pour the glaze in between the slices.

Pro Tips 

• If your ham still has the rind on it, remove it. The rind doesn’t crisp up or allow the glaze to sufficiently penetrate the meat underneath it for flavorful maple glazed ham. 
• Calculate your ham’s cooking time properly! This recipe is based off of a 10 lb spiral ham. Cook the ham for 10 minutes per pound at 325 degrees F, then subtract 30 minutes (this is for the time that it’s cooked at 425 degrees F).
• Let the ham rest for about 15-20 minutes once it comes out of the oven. This allows the moisture to redistribute, resulting in a juicier ham.
• The internal temperature of a cooked ham is within the range of 140°F – 160°F.

Store leftover maple glazed ham in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze leftover ham for up to 3 months.

Reheat leftovers in the air fryer, oven, or microwave. Repurposing leftover ham is economical and fun. Add it to omelets, sandwiches, casseroles, fried rice, and more!