Julie Clark
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Ham Loaf Recipe
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This ham loaf recipe is one of the best ways to use up leftover ham. Baste with a sweet brown sugar glaze during baking for a delicious caramelized flavor. This works well with our oven roasted ham recipe and is a fun twist on traditional meatloaf.
Meat loaf is one of the foods that people love to hate. I’m here to say loud and proud that I can’t get enough of meatloaf. Hawaiian meatloaf, easy meatloaf in a skillet and even Mexican meatloaf. It’s just so good and makes an excellent leftover meal.
When you have leftover holiday ham, make this glazed Ham Loaf recipe. The whole family will love how the salty ham pairs so well with the sweet pineapple glaze. Just look how that glaze caramelizes around the edges!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Frank says, “I have been looking for this old fashioned ham loaf recipe for years. My grandmother made and I thought it was amazing. And thank you!”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kim says, “So good!!!!! ❤️ We all loved it!! I didn’t add the onion or paprika, because of personal preference but it was really good! Thanks 😊”
Ham Loaf Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for ham loaf. Most are pantry staples, and of course this recipe is perfect for leftover ham!
- Ground ham. Use leftover ham (such as our slow cooker ham) or buy sliced ham for the recipe. Either way, use a food processor to quickly process the meat. If you have a meat grinder, you could grind ham with that. I used to do that to save money when the kids were little.
- Ground pork. Buy plain, unseasoned pork, not ground sausage.
- Mustard. Some have used dijon mustard, but I prefer a standard yellow mustard.
- Graham cracker crumbs. Honey graham crackers give excellent flavors. Use bread crumbs if you’d like but the crackers blend in nicely.
✨ See the recipe card for the full recipe and ingredients. ✨
How to Make Ham Loaf
This is an easy recipe to make. If you’ve ever made meatloaf, it is very similar! It takes about 2 hours to make, but most of that time is hands-off and you can have it ready in 4 steps:
- Make the meat mixture. In a large bowl, mix together the ground ham, pork, eggs, mustard, ketchup, onion, graham crackers and milk. Mix the meat mixture well.
- Shape and bake. Shape the ham loaf mixture into a loaf, packing the meat firmly. (You can form two smaller loaves of if you prefer. They will take less time to cook this way.) Sprinkle the top of the ham loaf with paprika. Bake the ham loaf for 20 minutes.
- Make the brown sugar glaze. During this 20 minutes, make the glaze. Combine the brown sugar glaze ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the sauce comes to a boil, then boil for 1 minute.
- Bake and baste. Remove from the heat and set aside until the ham loaf is ready to glaze. After the initial 20 minutes of baking, brush the top of the loaf with the glaze. Bake again for 70 minutes, basting the ham loaf 2 or 3 more times during baking. Test the internal temperature of the loaf with a meat thermometer. It should be at least 165ºF. Season with salt and pepper as needed, but we find this perfectly seasoned!
Make it a meal.
Serve this ham loaf recipe with a couple of the following side dishes:
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make the ham meatloaf mixture a day in advance, cover and store in the fridge overnight. Then bake the next day.
Freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Pineapple Ham Loaf Recipe
This ham loaf recipe is one of the best ways to use up leftover ham. Baste with a sweet brown sugar glaze during baking for a delicious caramelized flavor.
Servings 15
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Ingredients
For the ham loaf:
- 2 1/4 pounds ground ham precooked ham
- 3/4 pound ground pork
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup 2% milk*
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
For the glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple with pineapple juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground ham, pork, eggs, mustard, ketchup, onion, graham crackers and milk. Mix the meat mixture well. 2 ¼ pounds ground ham, ¾ pound ground pork, 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, ½ cup ketchup, 1 medium onion, 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup 2% milk*
- Shape the ham loaf mixture into a loaf, packing the meat firmly. (You can form two smaller loaves of if you prefer. They will take less time to cook this way.) Sprinkle the top of the ham loaf with paprika. ½ tablespoon paprika
- Bake the ham loaf for 20 minutes. During this 20 minutes, make the glaze.
- Combine the brown sugar glaze ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the sauce comes to a boil, then boil for 1 minute. 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, ½ cup white vinegar , 1 teaspoon yellow mustard, 8 ounces crushed pineapple
- Remove from the heat and set aside until the ham loaf is ready to glaze.After the initial 20 minutes of baking, brush the top of the loaf with the glaze. Bake again for 70 minutes, basting the ham loaf 2 or 3 more times during baking. Test the internal temperature of the loaf with a meat thermometer. It should be at least 165ºF.
- Serve warm with any remaining glaze drizzled on top.
Video
Notes
- The original recipe (and video) called for ¾ cup milk. We’ve reduced that to ½ cup to help the loaf hold together better.
- Store leftover ham loaf in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 3-4 days.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
- The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 15, with 1 serving being 1 slice of ham loaf. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 380mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg
Leftover Ham Recipes
Try one of our popular leftover ham recipes:
So good!!!!!❤️ We all loved it!! I didn’t add the onion or paprika, because of personal preference but it was really good! Thanks 😊
Made this tonight. I haven’t had ham loaf in, dare I say, decades. It tasted wonderful but it completely fell apart. I followed the recipe to the letter, basting every 20 minutes. Baked it uncovered in a 9×13 pan as one loaf for almost 2 hours. Any suggestions?
Poor, poor turn out!!!! I think these internet cooks have never made the recipes they publish
Loved the taste of this ham loaf but, in my opinion, it needed more of something to bind it together better. Maybe adding more graham crackers would have worked or less milk. Also, next time, I will split into 2 separate loaves and freeze one. This makes a huge batch in a 9×13 casserole. It was delicious, no matter how big and loose it was.
I just made this ham loaf & it was super…however the glaze was burnt on bottom of my pan which I had sprayed according to instructions…it is now soaking. Did I do something wrong or is this expected?
When the recipe calls for ground pork is that COOKED pork, ground sausage, or what? Really looking forward to trying this recip
Made this last night for the first time. I have two kids – 7 and 10 years old. They’re very picky and they loved this! Asked that it be added to the rotation (which so far only includes 2 meals 😉 Thanks for a great recipe.
I have been looking for this thing for years. My grandmother made it like 2 times and I thought it was amazing. And thank you
Thus recipe doesn’t call for an egg or two?