Ham Salad Recipe

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The best Ham Salad recipe…how to make ham spread with leftover ham. Plus, three other recipes with ham leftovers including potatoes, sandwiches and rollups!

A plate of food, with Ham Salad

Ham Salad Recipe

Thanks to the Ohio Pork Council for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are mine.

Did you grow up eating ham salad sandwiches? The first time I remember eating ham salad spread was at my grandma’s house. I think she had often served it, but when I was younger I never wanted to try it. When Maddie was little, she tried it and LOVED it. It was then that I finally tried it for myself. Ham salad is versatile, easy to make and serves up an excellent snack or lunchtime sandwich.

How to Make Ham Salad

Ham salad is really easy to make. Simply take leftover cooked ham (or buy ham specifically for this purpose!) and run it through the food processor. If you have a food grinder, you could run the ham through a grinder, but I like the texture of the processed ham. It’s smaller than diced ham, so works well as a “spread”. You’ll want about two cups of chopped up ham.

Add shredded swiss cheese. I’m a cheese-lover, so this step is a must. Ham & swiss just go together, right?

Add mayonnaise or whipped salad dressing. The choice is yours. Go with whichever you like on a sandwich, or you can even use half whipped dressing and half mayo. It’s your choice!

The last crucial ingredient is a touch of dijon mustard. The mustard adds a little zing of flavor that you’ll love.

Ham Salad with Cheese

As I said above, I LOVE adding cheese to ham salad. Not all ham spreads call for cheese. You can leave it out if you choose. Or you could even add cheddar cheese for a different twist if you’d like.

Ham Salad with Eggs

Some people add hard-boiled eggs to ham spread. At Easter time when you are trying to use up leftover ham and eggs, this recipe is perfect!

Ham Salad with Relish, Onions and Celery

If you like a crunchy texture to your sandwich spreads, add a touch of relish (either dill or sweet), finely diced onion or even chopped celery. These are all optional add ins. I choose to leave them out, but I’ve had ham salad with a touch of sweet pickle relish and it’s given it a nice touch of flavor.

ham salad ingredients in a bowl

Serve this ham salad on crackers or a sandwich. It makes cute finger sandwiches for brunches, showers and afternoon tea parties.

Scroll down for leftover ham recipes!

ham salad recipe
ham salad recipe

Ham Salad Recipe

4.77 from 34 votes
The best Ham Salad recipe…how to make ham spread with leftover ham. Plus, three other recipes with ham leftovers including potatoes, sandwiches and rollups!
Servings 6
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

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Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups chopped ham (finely chopped with the food processor)
  • 1 cup shredded swiss cheese
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)

Optional Ingredients

  • pickle relish (sweet or dill)
  • diced onion
  • diced celery

Instructions
 

  • Combine the ham, cheese, mustard and mayonnaise in a bowl.
  • Mix well.
  • If you’d like, add in a few tablespoons of relish, onion or celery according to taste or preference.
  • Serve on crackers or a sandwich bun.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 716mg | Potassium: 147mg | Vitamin A: 160IU | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Calories 309
4 leftover ham recipes title image

Leftover Ham Recipes

If you are looking for what to make with leftover ham, we’ve got three ideas for you!

  • Hot Ham & Swiss Sandwiches: Take a bakery-style bun (we like pretzel buns). Spread about a tablespoon of dijon mustard on the bottom half of the bun. Place slices of ham and two slices of swiss cheese on the bun. Top it with the other piece of bun to make a sandwich. Wrap the sandwich in aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the sandwich is heated through. Serve warm.
A half eaten sandwich sitting on top of foil
  • Ham, Swiss & Pineapple Rollups: Take a tube of refrigerated pizza dough (13.8 ounces) and unroll it onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough gently with your fingers to even it out. Sprinkle ¾ cup finely chopped ham over the dough. The sprinkle ½ cup shredded swiss cheese and ⅓ cup drained crushed pineapple overtop. Roll up the dough starting at the short end as you would a jelly roll. Cut the roll into 8 or 9 slices. Place the slices cut side down in a greased 8×8 pan. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown and baked through.
ham, swiss and pineapple rollups
  • Ham, Cheese & Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes: To make the potatoes, bake or microwave the potatoes until they are soft. Slice off the very top of the potato. Scoop out the potato pulp, leaving about ¼ of an inch of potato attached to the skin. Place the pulp in a bowl and add about ¼ cup of diced ham, ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese and ¼ cup chopped broccoli. Mix well and stuff the mixture back into the potato. Sprinkle the top with a little bit more shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are heated through.
ham and cheese stuffed potatoes
About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Ponygirl
1 year ago

5 stars
Thanks, ham salad sandwich spread just like grandma made….but never wrote it down! LOL

Gretchen Kalhust
3 years ago

About how much ham did you need to use to yield 2 cups of chopped ham? 2-1/2 cup pre-chopping, maybe?

Christine @ My Blissful Mess
3 years ago

5 stars
This recipe was perfect to serve at a get together. It’s easy and quick to make and very tasty! I did not put relish in it, but I think next time I will try a little dill pickle relish. I set this out along with some slider buns so guests to make their own ham salad sliders. Thank you for this delicious recipe!

Anonymous
4 years ago

Never thought about adding cheese to the mix,very smart!

Bee
4 years ago

5 stars
What a beautiful light salad that is perfect for spring!!! Delicious!

Billy
5 years ago

5 stars
This looks fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing! I love the addition of dijon mustard. Definitely one of my favorite ingredients of all time.