Transform leftover holiday ham into this classic and easy-to-make ham salad, perfect for sandwiches, crackers, or a light lunch.
The Best Ham Salad
This quick and easy ham salad recipe is the perfect way to use leftover holiday ham. Ready in about 15 minutes, this is a versatile spread ideal for making sandwiches, serving atop a bed of crisp lettuce, or with crackers for dipping.
“Waste not, want not,” is something that Granny instilled in her children and grandchildren. Leftovers were always used to make another meal. We all have fond memories of Granny’s “leftover lunches.”
Since the hams we use for our big family get-togethers always seem to have leftovers, I wanted to create the best ham salad recipe to use those leftovers up! The prep time for our ham salad is minimal and the whole dish comes together in about 15 minutes.
Ham salad combines your leftover ham with ingredients you probably already have on hand and creates a very satisfying sandwich spread that you can use for sandwiches or as a dip with crackers or cut up vegetables.
I feel like I cracked the ham salad code here to get a traditional taste and texture. Ham salad is best when it has a finely chopped spreadable texture. The best way to achieve this is with a food processor and the pulse function.
The combination of salty ham, with crunchy onion and celery, and a dash of savory and sweet is delicious and satisfying.
Because it has so much flavor, it partners perfectly with bread, crackers, or chopped crudities. This recipe makes amazing ham salad sandwiches or a tasty dip.
Ingredients
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- 1 cup chopped baked ham
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 TB sweet pickle relish
- 1 TB chopped sweet or white onion
- 2 TB chopped celery
- 1 tsp brown mustard or Dijon mustard
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Instructions
- Chop ham, onions, and celery into small chunks and add to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until ingredients are finely chopped.
- Add sweet pickle relish, mayonnaise, and mustard to the ham mixture.
- Pulse a few more times to combine all ingredients.
Prep Tips
- Yield – This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled. I made four batches and it made about one quart of ham salad.
- Variations – The ingredients can also be customized. I wanted my ham salad a little sweeter so I added more sweet relish and extra celery. If you don’t have sweet relish on hand but have some sweet pickles, chop them up and use instead. Since ham is already salty, I did not add any extra salt.
- Egg – Some recipes add a chopped hard-boiled egg to the salad but that isn’t my preference, so I stuck with the simple classic recipe here.
- Ham – This recipe works best with a baked ham rather than deli ham. The thicker slices of a thickly sliced baked ham provide the taste and texture we love in our ham salad.
- Mustard – Mustard adds just a little something extra without adding any significant mustard taste. However, it gives this what I would call, the traditional ham salad taste. If you hate any mustard, just leave it out.
- Storage – Store ham salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
More Recipes To Use Leftover Holiday Ham
Classic Ham Salad Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Old-Fashioned Ham Salad
Equipment
- Food processor
- Covered storage container
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped baked ham
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 TB sweet pickle relish
- 1 TB chopped sweet or white onion
- 2 TB chopped celery
- 1 tsp brown or Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Chop ham, onions, and celery into small chunks and add to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until ingredients are finely chopped.
- Add sweet pickle relish, mayonnaise, and mustard to the ham mixture.
- Pulse a few times to combine all ingredients.
- Store ham salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Notes
- Yield - This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled. I made four batches and it made about one quart of ham salad.
- Variations - The ingredients can also be customized. I wanted my ham salad a little sweeter so I added more sweet relish and extra celery. If you don't have sweet relish on hand but have some sweet pickles, chop them up and use instead. Since ham is already salty, I did not add any extra salt.
- Egg - Some recipes add a chopped hard-boiled egg to the salad but that isn't my preference, so I stuck with the simple classic recipe here.
- Ham - This recipe works best with a baked ham rather than deli ham. The thicker slices of a thickly sliced baked ham provide the taste and texture we love in our ham salad.
- Mustard - Mustard adds just a little something extra without adding any significant mustard taste. However, it gives this what I would call, the traditional ham salad taste. If you hate any mustard, just leave it out.
- Storage - Store ham salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Nutrition
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Pretty good recipe. I doubled it and added an egg. Used my own canned sweet relish. Hubby loved it. Had to learn to make this and pimento cheese. I didn’t grow up with it, but hubby is a Midwest transplant 😂 Thanks for sharing
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Sara
I made it using a half slice of a thick ham steak that I had leftover. The other ingredients are pantry staples in my house. It was excellent! Putting the ham, celery and onion in the food processor first was a great idea. Would definitely make this again. A great use for leftover ham.
Thanks for sharing your experience with our old-fashioned ham salad with us. This is one of my favorites and reading your comment makes me want to make it today. Sara
What if I don’t own a food processor how can I still make it .
You could finely chop the ham with a chef’s knife.
This recipe rescued me. I’m vegan, and bought a “vegan ham roast” that was pretty nasty. (Who knew?) So I used this recipe (with vegan mayonaisse) and it actually came out tasty.
So glad it worked out for you!
This is just like the local deli near me it’s very tasteful
So glad you liked it!
Ended up with one lonesome samwich bag of ham slices left from Christmas Day. Perfect for this recipe today with a minor swap: green salad olives for sweet relish. It was not a ‘salty’ ham and adding olives & a splash of jar juice made it superb. We love it on plain white bread or pita chips! Thanks for your recipe.
I’ll have to try it with olives sometime!
Thank you,thank you and thank you again. This is the ham salad of my youth. Had this at my childhood friend’s home. My mother never made it. But her mother did.
Loved it then and love it now.
I’m so glad it brought back good memories for you!
Can you use an old fashioned meat grinder that’s what my mom used and I have one no food processor.
I think that should work!
This turned out excellent!!
Can you freeze this. I have a lot of ham left from easter. Love ham salad sandwiches. or is it best to just freeze the ham once it is chipped up?
Ham salad won’t freeze well due to the mayonnaise, so I’d recommend freezing the ham itself, then thawing and making the salad when ready.
Great Ham Salad! Brought back great childhood memories of post holiday treats! Sara Garska is the best and I’ pretty sure Stacey is as well. We look forward to trying more of your favorites. Mary and Jim
First time ever making AND eating ham salad and my hubby and I both loved it! So glad I still had two bags of ham leftover so I can make it again soon!
Can you freeze this!
Ham salad doesn’t freeze well due to the mayonnaise, so if you’d rather, you can freeze ham itself, then thaw and make the salad when ready.