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My classic Baked Ham recipe with an orange mustard glaze is sweet, tangy, and super easy to make with just three simple ingredients. This ham is the perfect main dish for holidays and special occasions, especially Easter! Baked ham is an old Easter tradition, and there are many ways to give it some extra flavor. Some folks go for a brown sugar and butter topping, a dry rub, or even a root beer or pineapple juice glaze. But my personal favorite is a glaze made with orange marmalade and stone ground mustard, with whole cloves studding the ham’s surface. It’s seriously delish!
Marmalade-glazed ham is great for Easter but also works for all kinds of spring occasions, like graduation celebrations, family reunions, or an extra special Sunday dinner with loved ones.
Ham is also commonly served on your Christmas dinner table, making this recipe relevant for all special occasions and practically all year!
If you want more holiday-worthy recipes fit for Easter dinner, take a look at my Rosemary Garlic Broiled Lamb Chops, Citrus Herb Smoked Turkey Breast, or this Tender Smoked Brisket.
Key ingredients & substitutions for Orange Marmalade Glazed Ham
- Ham | For this recipe, you’ll need a fully cooked ham of about 6 to 7 pounds. I don’t recommend spiral-cut ham because you’ll need to score the surface to add the cloves.
- Whole cloves| You’ll stud the outside of the ham with whole cloves for a warm and rich flavor. Substitute with ground cloves mixed into the ham glaze, if necessary.
- Orange marmalade | Orange marmalade brightens the ham with a citrus sweetness. If preferred, swap the orange marmalade for strawberry jam, grape jelly, or my homemade blueberry jam.
- Stone ground mustard | Stone ground mustard gives the glaze a mild tangy taste. Dijon mustard has a more robust flavor but can be used in its place if necessary.
How to make The Best Glazed Ham Recipe
Making the best-tasting baked ham for your holiday menu is easier than you think! Just bake, glaze, and bake some more!
STEP 1 | Preheat and prep
First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line a shallow roasting pan or 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil.
STEP 2 | Score and bake
Next, unpackage and place the spiral ham in the pan with the fat side up. Use a sharp knife to score the surface in a diagonal diamond pattern and stud the ham with the whole cloves.
Then, wrap the ham with aluminum foil and bake in a large roasting pan for an hour and a half.
STEP 3 | Mix the ham sauce recipe
Take out a small bowl, and add the orange marmalade and mustard. Stir the dipping sauce until the ingredients are evenly combined.
STEP 4 | Glaze, bake, and continue basting
After the ham bakes for about an hour and a half, unwrap it and spread the glaze all over. Then, return the ham to the oven and continue baking, basting every 10 minutes.
Once the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, or after about 30 minutes, your glazed ham is ready to remove.
tips
- Once you remove the delicious ham from the oven to rest, take the whole cloves out of the surface. Keeping the cloves in can make the flavor a little too strong for some people.
- After unwrapping the aluminum foil to glaze the ham, keep the foil off for the remainder of the baking time. Then, tent with foil for the ham to rest after cooking time.
STEP 5 | Rest, slice, and serve
Finally, remove the ham from the oven and tent it with aluminum foil to retain the moisture. Let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing. Then, serve your delicious marmalade and mustard-glazed ham!
Frequently asked questions
A good rule of thumb is to bake your fully cooked ham for at least 10 minutes per pound at a lower oven temperature of 325 degrees. With today’s recipe, a 6 or 7-pound ham, we will bake it for around two hours.
It is critical to place the ham in the dish or pan with the fat side up and the cut side down if you want moist and juicy ham.
This recipe asks you to score the top of the ham to add the cloves and glaze. If this is your first time scoring a ham, here’s what you need to know. First, pat the surface of the ham dry after removing the packages. Next, place the ham in the pan or dish to keep it from moving, and use a sharp knife to cut into the ham no more than ½ inch deep in diagonal lines. Then, cut lines oppositely, creating Xs at the intersections. At the intersections are where you will insert the whole cloves. It’s that easy!
Everyone knows that leftovers are one of the best parts of a holiday meal! To store your glazed Easter leftover ham, wrap the extras in foil or place them in an airtight container to keep in the refrigerator for about one week. And if you have some of the pan juices left too, pour those in to keep the ham slices moist. To freeze leftovers, store boneless hams in a tightly sealed container in the freezer for about two months.
What size ham to get
The last thing you want is to leave your dinner guests hungry! If you’re unsure how large your ham should be, here are some excellent rules to stick by when shopping at the grocery store.
For a boneless ham, you want half a pound for each person. For instance, if you’re serving 12 to 14 guests, you’ll need a 6 or 7-pound ham, as this recipe calls for.
However, when you choose a bone-in ham shank, you’ll need to factor in the weight of the ham bone, too. About three-quarters of a pound per person should work.
Serving suggestions
Serve with sweet-glazed Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and easy Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes or a healthier alternative like this delicious Cauliflower Gratin Recipe!
And don’t forget the Easter dessert! Try getting extra creative by making this fun Oreo Ice Cream Cake with Easter Cookie Pops. Or choose a more traditional but just as tasty treat, like these Carrot Cake Muffins drizzled with a honey cream cheese glaze.
Behind the recipe: Baked Ham Recipe
The tradition of serving ham for Easter has its roots in sixth-century Germany. Nope– It has nothing to do with Christianity. In fact, Jesus, being a Jew, wouldn’t have eaten pork.
Instead, easy ham is the classic Easter main dish because pigs were in great numbers in the fall. During this season, farmers would slaughter the pigs for meat, and they hung until they were adequately cured and ready to serve in spring.
Albeit, this is probably not the reason for eating that Easter spiral-cut ham with the delicious sauce you were looking for. But it’s the truth!
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Classic Baked Ham with Orange Mustard Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 6 to 7-lb. fully cooked ham
- 1/4 cup whole cloves
- 3/4 cup orange marmalade
- 1 1/2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a roasting pan or 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil.
- Place the ham fat side up in the pan and score in a diagonal diamond pattern, then stud the ham with the cloves. Wrap the ham with the aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
- In a small bowl, stir together the orange marmalade and mustard.
- Unwrap the ham and spread the glaze all over. Return to the oven and continue baking for another 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until the internal temperature registers 140 degrees.
- Remove the ham from the oven and tent it with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- How to score a ham: If this is your first time scoring a ham, here’s what you need to know. First, pat the surface of the ham dry after removing the packages. Next, place the ham in the pan or dish to keep it from moving, and use a sharp knife to cut into the ham no more than ½ inch deep in diagonal lines. Then, cut lines oppositely, creating Xs at the intersections. At the intersections are where you will insert the whole cloves.
- Once you remove the delicious ham from the oven to rest, take the whole cloves out of the surface. Keeping the cloves in can make the flavor a little too strong for some people.
- After unwrapping the aluminum foil to glaze the ham, keep the foil off for the remainder of the baking time. Then, tent with foil for the ham to rest after cooking time.
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
