How to make Ham Salad
The tastiest use for left-over ham and so easy to make! This ham salad is great for sandwiches, as topping for crackers and chips or even on toast for breakfast and so much more.
The past holiday season we bought some ham for Christmas dinner. We had a lot of leftovers, the ham included, because we only have a family of four and couldn’t finish everything. Naturally, I had to think of many ways to use up any leftovers as I hate wasting anything, especially food.
After using ham to make some soup and a breakfast casserole, I just wanted to use our last portion for a very easy and simple recipe that doesn’t require much fuss or energy. After all, after Christmas who’s tired after weeks and week of excitement?
I just want easy….period. And thankfully, this ham salad was exactly that! This is how I make this delicious but crazy easy ham salad.
WHAT IS HAM SALAD?
Ham salad is a traditional American salad that resembles chicken, egg or tuna salad in that they all use copious amounts of mayonnaise as base for dressing along with some chopped vegetables and relishes.
It is typically served chilled, and commonly used as a sandwich filling, as topping for crackers or chips and very popular in potlucks, picnics and gatherings.
A good ham salad should be a combination of salty, sweet, zesty and even smoky flavors depending on the ham you use. I always add a little sugar to this type of salad to balance out all the flavors without necessarily making it sweet.
The addition of fresh celery provides that extra crunch with the sweet relish adding some extra flavor enhancement, too. A ham salad indeed is one of the tastiest ways on how to use leftover ham from Christmas or Easter!
FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS and to PRINT, SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW.
NOTES ON INGREDIENTS FOR HOW TO MAKE HAM SALAD
- Ham – use leftover ham from a holiday, or buy a good quality fully cooked ham.
- Hard-boiled egg – separate the whites from the yolks. The yolks are added to the mayonnaise dressing.
- Celery – adds some pop of color and crunch to the salad.
- Mayonnaise – acts as base of the dressing. Use an all-natural and good quality mayonnaise.
- Yellow mustard – just a little goes a long way and enhances the flavor of the dressing. You can substitute with your favorite mustard.
- Sweet pickle relish – always included when making a similar type of salad as it gives extra flavor.
- Sweet Onion – just adds the right amount of zestyness and slight bite that overall enchances the flavor of the salad. Don’t omit.
- Sugar – just a little bit. Not to sweeten the salad but to help balance out the flavors. I use this like a flavor enhancer.
PROCEDURE ON HOW TO MAKE HAM SALAD
Mix ground ham, chopped egg whites, celery, pickle relish, and onion together in a bowl. Combine mayonnaise, mashed yolks, mustard, and sugar together in a separate bowl. Mix both until well blended. Refrigerate until serving time.
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How to make Ham Salad
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 3 cups ground fully cooked ham, (use a food processor to grind the ham and measure about 3 cups)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, (separate the whites from yolks then finely chop them. Mash the yolks with a fork and set aside)
- ¼ cup finely chopped celery, (pulse the celery in the food processor until finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp sweet pickle relish, or to taste
- ¼ cup finely chopped sweet onion, (pulse the onion in the food processor until finely chopped)
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, or to taste
- 1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
- ½ tsp sugar
Instructions
- Mix ground ham, chopped egg whites, celery, pickle relish, and onion together in a bowl. Combine mayonnaise, mashed yolks, mustard, and sugar together in a separate bowl. Mix both until well blended. Refrigerate until serving time.
Notes
Nutrition
Last updated on April 1st, 2024 at 10:27 pm
I didn’t realize it was so easy to make ham salad from scratch at home! Can’t wait to try this soon!
What a great way to use leftover ham! I’m saving this recipe for Easter ham leftovers.
This salad is delicious! I made it for a potluck and everyone loved it!
My family really enjoyed this! Thanks for another wonderful recipe. 🙂
I always have leftover ham over the holidays that I don’t know what to do with. This looks like the perfect solution!! I am so excited to give this recipe a go after the next big holiday!