Baked Spiral Ham with Apricot Mustard Glaze

Baked Spiral Ham gets taken to a new level with an easy Apricot Mustard Glaze which adds an incredible sweet and tangy flavor. It’s the perfect addition to your holiday table.

​Baked Ham is Great Any Time of Year

I know many holiday food traditions revolve around a family ham recipe. Ham is a pretty popular choice for special occasions. Whether it’s the centerpiece of the Easter table or Grandma’s famous Christmas ham, it seems to be a focus for holiday meals.

But, let’s not limit ourselves to just a holiday ham! There’s a case to be made for eating ham year-round.

• Ham is easy to find in the local grocery store. 
• It’s relatively inexpensive. 
• You almost always have leftovers (for those next day ham sandwiches on these delicious homemade sandwich rolls!).

And, most importantly, baking a ham is pretty easy – especially if you aren’t using any type of glaze. Just put it in the oven and bake. A general rule of thumb is 15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees.

Making the Apricot Mustard Glaze

For this recipe, I thought a sweet and savory glaze would be a great compliment to the saltiness of the ham. I happen to have a great recipe for an apricot mustard glaze that I use in some of my other recipes (see links below) that’s perfect for this ham recipe.

I start with apricot jam. That gives the glaze its sweetness. Then, I add in some balsamic vinegar.

The balsamic vinegar does two things. First, it add a tanginess to the glaze so it isn’t quite as sweet. Second, it helps thin out the glaze which makes it easier to pour over the top of the ham and in-between the slices.

The final ingredient is the dijon mustard. That adds in some spiciness. Now, if you happen to like things spicier, simply substitute in something like a spicy brown mustard to bring up the heat.

And just like that, you’ve just made yourself a delicious apricot glaze that also has a tanginess and a little heat. Pour onto the ham and in-between the slices and you are ready to go!

Which Type of Ham to Use

There are a lot of different types of ham out there. There’s the spiral-cut ham I used in this recipe. But, there’s also bone-in ham, boneless ham, even a smoky ham.

I like using spiral-sliced hams for this recipe as I can cover more of the ham in the apricot mustard glaze. However, if you don’t happen to have one on hand, you certainly can glaze the outside of pretty much any ham. Just make sure to save any leftover glaze so you can drizzle it on your ham slices (so good!).

What To Do With Leftover Ham

Any leftover ham that you have is great for making either these Brunch Enchiladas with Ham or Ham Tetrazzini. If you have leftover apricot mustard glaze, it’s a great dipping sauce for either these Mini Pretzel Dogs or Garlic Summer Sausage Pretzel Bun Sliders.

Tips and Tricks

• If you like a spicier glaze, use spicy brown mustard rather than dijon mustard.
• Make sure you get some of the glaze in-between the slices for maximum flavor.
• If your ham is more than 4 pounds, add an extra 15 minutes of cooking time for each additional pound.
• Save any remaining glaze to drizzle on the ham slices at the table.
• The leftover ham makes incredible ham sandwiches and the leftover glaze makes a great condiment to spread on the sandwiches.
• If you don’t have a rack to put the ham on, a plate turned upside down works great.

Ingredients Needed to Make Baked Spiral Ham with Apricot Mustard Glaze

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Apricot jam – Adds a sweetness that compliments the ham perfectly.
• Dijon mustard – If you’d like the glaze to be a little spicier, you can substitute spicy brown mustard.
• Balsamic vinegar – Adds tanginess to the glaze and thins it out for easier drizzling.
• Spiral cut ham – This is my preference for getting the maximum flavor of the glaze on each slice.

How to Make Baked Spiral Ham with Apricot Mustard Glaze

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. In a small bowl whisk together jam, mustard and balsamic.
3. Place ham on a rack or a small plate turned upside down in a baking dish.
4. Brush glaze generously on the ham, getting some of the glaze down into the slices.
5. Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the baking dish.
6. Cover ham with aluminum foil.
7. Bake ham for 15 minutes per pound (see notes below).
8. After 40 minutes, remove foil.
9. Brush glaze generously onto ham, getting some in-between the slices.
10. Bake for an additional 20 -30 minutes, until glaze is starting to caramelize, and the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140 degrees.
11. If ham is not caramelizing to your liking, turn the broiler on for a couple of minutes, making sure to watch carefully so the ham doesn’t burn.

What to Serve with Baked Spiral Cut Ham with Apricot Mustard Glaze

• Roasted Asparagus Salad
• Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
• Roasted Broccoli
• Sautéed Sweet Peas with Bacon and Onion
• Perfect Dinner Rolls