✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos, torch and broiler methods and HoneyBaked's own ham description
This copycat honey baked ham is a spiral ham warmed gently under foil, then coated in a cinnamon and clove sugar mix and torched until it sets into a sweet, crackly shell. It's the holiday ham with the crunchy edges, made in your own oven.
How Do You Make Copycat Honey Baked Ham? (Quick Answer)
Warm a fully cooked bone-in spiral ham cut side down, covered tightly with foil, at 275°F for 10 to 12 minutes per pound, until it reaches 140°F. Pat the outside dry, brush it with honey butter and press on a thin layer of sugar mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, paprika and cloves. Caramelize with a kitchen torch or under the broiler until it bubbles and turns amber, repeat twice more, and rest 15 minutes until the glaze is crunchy.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: The crunch comes from dry sugar caramelized in thin layers, not a sticky brushed-on glaze. Press each layer on lightly, torch until it bubbles and darkens, and let the last layer cool before carving.
Why You'll Love This Ham
- That crackly sugar shell sweet, lightly spiced and crunchy against the salty, smoky ham.
- Built on HoneyBaked's own description a smoked, spiral-sliced bone-in ham with a sweet, crunchy glaze, torched by hand.
- Low and slow warming 275°F under foil keeps the slices juicy instead of drying them to jerky.
- Torch or broiler both methods are here with times, so no special gear is required.
- Feeds a crowd with leftovers 16 servings, plus the bone for soup and the ends for breakfast.
What Is in HoneyBaked's Ham?
On its bone-in half ham page, HoneyBaked describes the ham as slow-smoked for up to 24 hours, spiral-sliced right to the bone, and handcrafted with its sweet, crunchy glaze. The company also says the ham is meant to be enjoyed straight from the refrigerator and doesn't recommend heating it.
The glaze recipe itself isn't published. What you can see and taste in the stores is a thin, hard, caramelized sugar shell with a little warm spice, torched after slicing. This copycat builds the same thing: a supermarket smoked spiral ham, a honey butter base, and a spiced sugar coating torched in layers until it crackles.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Bone-in spiral-sliced ham: fully cooked and smoked. Look for a shank or butt half, 8 to 10 pounds, labeled "ham" or "ham with natural juices" rather than "ham and water product". Toss the glaze packet that comes with it.
- Honey and butter: brushed on first so the dry sugar has something to grip. Any runny honey works; clover is what's usually in my cupboard.
- Granulated sugar: the whole crust. White sugar caramelizes clear and crisp. Brown sugar tastes lovely but stays softer and burns faster, so I keep it out of the shell.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice: the warm spice note under the sweetness. Go easy on the cloves; 1/8 teaspoon is plenty across a whole ham.
- Sweet paprika: a small amount for color and a hint of smoke. Not smoked paprika, which fights the ham's own smoke.
- Water or apple juice: half a cup in the pan makes steam under the foil and keeps the bottom slices from drying out.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Buy the right ham. You want a fully cooked, bone-in, spiral-sliced ham, ideally hardwood smoked, 8 to 10 pounds. Skip the ones labeled "ham and water product"; they leak and the glaze slides off.
- Warm it low and covered. A spiral ham is already cooked and already sliced, which makes it easy to dry out. At 275°F under tight foil with a little liquid in the pan, the slices stay juicy. My guide to reheating a smoked ham has times for every size.
- Dry the surface before the sugar goes on. Wet ham dissolves the sugar into syrup that drips into the pan. Pat it with paper towels, brush on the honey butter and the sugar will cling.
- Thin layers beat one thick one. A thick coat of sugar melts unevenly and scorches on top while staying grainy underneath. Three thin layers, each caramelized before the next, is how you get an even, glassy crust.
- Keep the torch moving. Small circles, 3 to 4 inches away, and move on as soon as a patch turns amber. Black spots taste bitter, and I've made a few. I torch ours on the back porch because our smoke alarm is touchy.
- Broiler users, stay put. Sugar under a broiler goes from pale to burnt in under a minute. Rack 6 to 8 inches down, oven door cracked, and rotate the pan every 60 seconds.
- Let the glaze set. Straight out of the oven the sugar is molten and soft. Fifteen minutes uncovered on the counter and it hardens into the crackly shell you're after.
- Save the bone. It makes the best split pea or bean soup you'll have all winter. I freeze it in a zip-top bag with a handful of the end pieces.
Copycat Honey Baked Ham (Crunchy Torched Sugar Glaze)
16
servings15
minutes2
hours390
kcal2
hours45
minutesA copycat version of the HoneyBaked ham: a fully cooked bone-in spiral ham warmed low and slow under foil, brushed with honey butter, coated in a cinnamon and clove sugar mix and caramelized with a kitchen torch or the broiler in three thin layers until the glaze sets into a sweet, crackly shell. Serves 16.
Ingredients
- For the Ham
1 fully cooked bone-in spiral-sliced ham (8 to 10 pounds)
1/2 cup water or apple juice, for the pan
- For the Honey Butter
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- For the Crunchy Sugar Glaze
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Directions
- Take the ham out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and heat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Set the ham cut side down in a roasting pan, pour the water around it and cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty foil.
- Warm the ham for 10 to 12 minutes per pound, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for a 9-pound ham, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part, away from the bone, reads 140°F (60°C).
- While it warms, stir the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, paprika, cloves and allspice together in a wide bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the honey into the melted butter.
- Lift the ham onto a foil-lined sheet pan, cut side down, and pat the outside dry with paper towels. Brush the honey butter over the whole surface, then press a thin, even layer of the sugar mix onto it with your hand, about a third of the bowl.
- Torch method: hold a kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from the ham and move it slowly in small circles until the sugar melts, bubbles and turns deep amber. Broiler method: broil 6 to 8 inches from the element for 2 to 4 minutes, turning the pan, until the sugar bubbles and browns. Watch it the whole time; sugar goes from amber to black in seconds.
- Press on a second layer of sugar and caramelize it the same way, then a third. The surface should look glossy and dark gold with a few darker spots. Let the ham rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes so the glaze hardens into a crunchy shell.
- Carve along the bone to release the spiral slices and serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat slices to 165°F (74°C).
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HoneyBaked Ham vs This Copycat
Here's where the store ham and the homemade one line up, and where they don't. The biggest difference is temperature: the store serves it cold, and I serve mine warm.
| HoneyBaked (per its own description) | This copycat | |
|---|---|---|
| Ham | Bone-in, slow-smoked up to 24 hours, spiral-sliced to the bone | Supermarket bone-in spiral ham, usually smoked 12 hours or less |
| Glaze | Sweet, crunchy glaze applied by hand after slicing | Honey butter plus spiced sugar, torched or broiled in 3 layers |
| Serving temperature | Cold, straight from the fridge | Warm, after gentle heating to 140°F |
| Time | Ready when you pick it up | About 2 1/2 hours, mostly hands-off |
| Crunch | Thin, even, glassy shell | Slightly thicker shell with some darker spots, which I like |
Torch, Broiler or Oven
Any of the three gets you a caramelized crust. The torch gives the most control and the closest match; the broiler is faster but needs constant watching.
| Method | Setup | Time per layer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen torch | Ham on a sheet pan, torch 3 to 4 inches away | 3 to 5 min | Best control, even crackle, slight smoke |
| Broiler | Rack 6 to 8 inches from element, door cracked | 2 to 4 min | Rotate the pan every minute; burns fast |
| Hot oven | 425°F, middle rack | 8 to 10 min | Easiest, slightly softer glaze |
What to Serve With Honey Baked Ham
A sweet ham wants a creamy starch, something green and a soft roll to mop up. This is our Christmas and Easter table most years.
- Potatoes: a big bowl of creamy mashed potatoes, or scalloped potatoes if the oven is free.
- Sweet potato casserole: my sweet potato casserole with the pecan topping is the side everyone asks about.
- Rolls: warm copycat steakhouse rolls with cinnamon butter, which also make the best ham sandwiches the next day.
- Something green: roasted asparagus, green beans with almonds or a sharp, lemony salad to cut the sweetness.
Leftovers, Storage and Make-Ahead
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, wrapped tightly or in an airtight container, for 3 to 5 days. The glaze softens a little in the fridge but still tastes right. Freeze slices flat in bags for up to 2 months.
To get ahead, warm the ham the day before, cool it, wrap it and refrigerate. On the day, bring it to room temperature for an hour, then glaze and torch; the sugar shell is at its crunchiest within a few hours of torching. Reheat leftover slices in a covered skillet with a splash of water to 165°F.
More Holiday Copycats and Mains
Find the rest of the table in our Christmas recipes and Thanksgiving recipes collections, and more restaurant favorites made at home in our copycat recipes roundup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the glaze on a honey baked ham made of?
HoneyBaked describes its ham as handcrafted with a sweet, crunchy glaze, but does not publish the recipe. Copycat glazes, including mine, use granulated sugar with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and a little paprika, pressed onto a honey-brushed ham and caramelized with a torch or broiler.
How do you get the crunchy glaze on a honey baked ham?
Dry sugar, not a wet glaze. Brush the warm ham with honey butter, press on a thin layer of spiced sugar, and melt it with a kitchen torch or under the broiler until it bubbles and turns amber. Repeat two more times, then let the ham rest 15 minutes so the sugar hardens into a shell.
Do you have to heat a spiral ham?
No. A fully cooked spiral ham is safe to eat cold, and HoneyBaked recommends serving its ham straight from the fridge. For this copycat I warm the ham gently first so the honey butter and sugar stick and the slices are warm at the table. Keep the oven at 275°F and cover it tightly.
How long do you heat a ham per pound?
At 275°F, covered, allow 10 to 12 minutes per pound. A 9-pound bone-in spiral ham takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Go by temperature rather than the clock: USDA guidance for reheating a fully cooked ham is 140°F in the thickest part, measured away from the bone.
Can I make this with a boneless ham?
Yes. Use a 4 to 6 pound fully cooked boneless ham, warm it the same way for 10 to 12 minutes per pound, and use about two-thirds of the sugar mix because there is less surface area. Bone-in tastes better and gives you a soup bone, so it is my first choice.
Can I glaze the ham without a kitchen torch?
Yes, use the broiler. Set the rack so the ham sits 6 to 8 inches from the element, broil the sugared ham for 2 to 4 minutes per layer, and rotate the pan every minute. A 425°F oven also works, 8 to 10 minutes per layer, with a slightly less crackly result.
How long does leftover honey baked ham last?
Refrigerate leftover ham within 2 hours of serving. It keeps for 3 to 5 days in the fridge, well wrapped, or up to 2 months in the freezer. Reheat slices to 165°F, or eat them cold in sandwiches, which is honestly how most of ours disappears.
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