The Best Ham Salad
The best ham salad recipe only requires leftover ham, mayonnaise, celery, onion and perfectly combined seasonings! My most requested recipe!
A TRIED AND TRUE HAM SALAD RECIPE
I’ve been making this salad for over 25 years. You just can’t top perfection. I actually tweaked this recipe based off a recipe I got from my very first Betty Crocker Cookbook. If you love my Potato Salad, then you’ll know that those old Betty Crocker recipes can’t be beat! I’ve only adjusted them slightly over the years to adjust to my taste and because I’m picky about my salad recipes! This recipe for ham salad all be the one you come back to over and over again!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
This recipe is perfect for leftover holiday ham. For this recipe, I used a small boneless cooked ham. Thick ham steaks would also work well.
No. You could certainly cut this up by hand. It will take a bit of work though because you want it finely minced. You could also do this in a blender. Just mince a little at a time.
Give this ham salad a taste test before serving. I didn’t add any additional salt to mine because my ham was salty enough so additional salt would have been too much. Adjust to your taste.
Serve on rolls, biscuits, as Ham Salad Pinwheels, in a sandwich or as a spread for crackers!
Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will last up to 4 or 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing ham salad. Sometimes the mayonnaise separates when it defrosts.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- boneless cooked ham – this recipe is perfect for leftover ham or you can purchase a small smoked ham.
- hard boiled egg – this adds more flavor than you realize and you don’t taste it as a separate ingredient but if you really hate eggs, just leave it out.
- celery and onion – adding layers of flavor here, use what you like and if you don’t like it then leave it out but I promise you, these ingredients are worth it.
- sweet pickle relish – relish is always controversial, I don’t know why but if you hate relish than leave it out – some folks like Dill Pickle Relish. Or even try making your own Homemade Sweet Pickle Relish.
- mayonnaise – I am a mayonnaise purist. It has to be Hellman’s or Duke’s (or JFG) for me. I do not like Miracle Whip at all but if it’s your thing – then go for it.
- mustard – some might think this is weird to add to ham salad but it adds a lovely bit of background flavor that you don’t taste as a separate ingredient.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HAM SALAD:
Put the ham, egg, celery and onion into a blender or food processor (season with a bit of salt and black pepper). Pulse (short, quick pulses) 20-25 times to mince.
Combine remaining ingredients into a separate bowl (sweet pickle relish, mayonnaise, mustard.)
Then stir it into minced ham mixture. Cover and chill. I like to chill ham salad for several hours. It definitely gets better as it chills for a while.
Serve on rolls, in a sandwich or with crackers!
CRAVING MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Originally published: January 2014
Updated photos and republished: March 2021
The Best Ham Salad (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless cooked ham, diced (leftover or purchased thick slab, trimmed of fat)
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon prepared mustard
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- assorted crackers and/or soft rolls (for serving)
Instructions
- Put 1 1/2 pounds boneless cooked ham, diced, 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped and 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion into a blender or food processor (season with a bit of fresh black pepper)
- Pulse (short, quick pulses) 20-25 times to mince. Scrape down the sides of the food processor to make sure it all gets combined evenly.
- Combine 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish, 1 Tablespoon prepared mustard, and salt and pepper (to taste) into a separate large bowl.
- Then stir in minced ham mixture.
- Cover and chill. I prefer to chill it for several hours. It definitely gets better as it chills for a while.
- Serve with assorted crackers and/or soft rolls.
Video
Notes
- This ham salad is perfect for that leftover holiday ham. I set about making my own version of a ham salad that combines all of my favorite flavors. I used a small boneless cooked ham.
- Ham steaks also work for this recipe
- You should end up with 3 cups ground ham after it is blended in the food processor or blender.
- Give this ham salad a taste test before serving. I didn’t add any additional salt to mine because my ham was salty enough so additional salt would have been too much. Adjust to your taste.
- Serve on rolls, biscuits or as a spread for crackers!
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Updated to add: The original post had a giveaway. That giveaway has now ended.
I had leftover ham in the freezer that I took out to have for dinner tonight. Then I thought of ham salad that I haven’t had in years and searched the internet for a recipe. This popped up and sounded good. It has simple ingredients that I had in the ‘frig. Since it had 5 stars and rave reviews I decided to give it a try. It is delicious, will be making again. I agree with all the other reviewers. Thank you!
This was perfect, I had to taste it before chilling and I loved it. My mom would make ham salad but she did it by taste so I never knew how to make it. And you’re right about the salt, good without any added amount!
So happy you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for commenting!
I am not a fan of ham salad, but I made this recipe for a family function. My mother-in-law said it tasted like her mothers and she loved. She raved about it. Only thing different I did was double the amount of onion and dill pickles.
This is delicious! I took it to a church brunch & it’s was a big hit. I used a stone ground mustard that has a bite to it & Lovage from my garden instead of celery. I made it the night before & put it on the little rolls in the morning. Yum!
made this with my leftover Easter ham. I remember my grandma used to make it and I lived hers so much. I chose your recipe because it was so close to an old Betty crocker recipe I used to make with tiny adjustments and it did not disappoint!!
thanks for sharing your recipe. It’s a keeper for sure!
Regina 🙂
Made this but scaled it down to 4 servings… The only thing that I can add is that the food processor should be a rough chop.
This Ham salad is absolutely delicious. The only change I made was to add more boiled eggs. I had never made Ham Salad before, but I will be making it again. So good in Sandwiches and on crackers. I knew favorite. You will not be disappointed.
I made this with my leftover, double smoked spiral ham from Easter. I smoked my 10lbs. ham with a honey mustard glaze. I had about 2lbs of ham left. Followed the recipe for the most part but added 2 eggs instead of 1. Turned out amazing. Very tasty. Glad I picked your recipe! Thank you!
This was a great idea for my Easter leftovers. Came out a tad funky just because of the glaze I used on the ham. I added some pepper. Tasted great, spreads easy. Tossed on some sliced cheddar, served on good oldfashioned fashioned homemade white bread. Happy belly. Perhaps on saltines tomorrow. Thanks.
Excellent flavor!
Thanks so much Camille!
I missed having this from a young age and I thank you for helping me relive my childhood.
What a sweet comment – thanks so much James! There’s no memories quite like food memories.
This was a hit with my family. It was my first time ever making ham salad and it’s going to be my go to forever now.
This might be the best ham salad I’ve ever eaten. Be aware your ham salad will reflect the ingredients you use. I baked a pre-cooked, smoked, bone-in (not spiralized )ham. I made the ham salad for a baby shower & served it on mini-croissants. it was so delicious. I made wraps out of the leftovers.
*****Ty for the recipe!!
Made this for lunch today and it was delicious. Hubby commented how good it was. We just had it for sandwiches. Will definitely make again!
I made this last night in a small batch just to try, and it was a hit with me and family. so my mom asked me to make some more with the rest of the ham♥️. we will definitely keep this one in the recipe box. Thanks so much for sharing it’s exactly how we remembered our Grandparents making it. DELISH
Thanks so very much Nikki!
Made this Ham Salad recipe from our leftover Christmas ham. Followed the recipe and it turned out wonderful. I remember my mom making ham salad, she is deceased now and apparently had the recipe in her head. I will definitely make it again during the holidays ❤️
Made it today. I had already ground ham in a meat grinder, so I just added everything else and skipped the food processer. It was delicious. I will make it again and change nothing.
The best ham salad I ever made. I left out the relish, and used a little powdered mustard. This is now my go to recipe for left over ham. Thank you verKpy much.
Great recipe! I like that it does not have a ton of mayo. The only thing I did differently was added a little more than a teaspoon of hot pepper relish. I also added 2 tablespoons of chopped onion, as my husband loves onion!
Stumbled across this recipe and made for my hubby! Only thing I did different was add a bit more mayo as he likes it a bit “wetter”. Definitely a save and make again!
Thanks so much Stacy – so happy it was a hit!
The only thing I changed was I used my grandson’s old grinder instead of the blender. It’s the best and one of those childhood comfort foods!
Seriously the best I have ever made! I have always used my Nana’s recipe but saw yours on Pinterest and read all the great reviews that I thought I would give it a try. This will be my go-to recipe from now on!
I’ve been making this for a very long time and it is the best.
so good!
Better than my Moms (please don’t tell her I said that- ha!)
delicious, just like my mom used to make on the sixties, but she used to make it with old fashioned hotdogs she would buy on a rope of them. ohhh they were so good, these are also
Great recipe for perfect ham salad. Simple and Easy. Thanks for sharing.
Yum!!! Very easy to make and so delicious
Wow!! This is so close to my mom’s recipe. It took me back to my childhood. Followed recipe except, like some others, used left over holiday ham and DILL pickles as that’s all I had. Turned out fabulous and will be a regular addition to our collection of ‘goodness’. Thank you for sharing.
Easy-to-use instructions for a very tasty result!
Thanks so much
Everyone is right YUM! I bought a chunk of ham from the bone. The only thing I added to the food processor with this is Tony Packo’s spicy sweet pickles and peppers. Super addicting!
YUM! YUM! YUM! YUM! No need to say anything else!
I will take “YUM!” all day, every day – ha! Thank you Gloria!
came across this recipe because I was looking to use up 1/2 a leftover ham steak. super simple, most fridges have all the ingredients. altered it to fit my taste and the amount of ham I had, just great, it’s going to be a regular for game days!!!
Gurrrrrl..lol All these are makin me hungry…I used to make a lot of these recipes and still do once in a while…health reasons make it harder…A lot of them are what I make too…I sent them to myself in e-mail , so I can have a great reminder of what I’m missin…and so I can push to make them more..lol Thanks for all the wonderful reminders…Great cook…Keep it up sweetie..hugs
I made this salad using Boars Head Tavern Ham, Dukes mayo, and otherwise followed the recipe as shown here. Both my wife and I really like it and will make it again. Neither of us has ever tasted a ham salad this good.
awesome ham spread. Best I’ve had yet! thank you!
Thanks so very much Linda! So happy you enjoyed it!
Superb recipe and so easy to make with a food processor. This is exactly the ham salad I remember growing up with in Buffalo, NY. Thank you very much for giving me a delicious option for leftover ham.
Tom… thanks for your review… as a Buffalo Ex-Pat, this is the convincing that I needed to settle on this recipe! Here’s hoping it takes me right back to Federal Meats!
I followed the recipe except I used 2 cups of diced leftover ham and 1 teaspoon of mustard. It turned out great!
This turned out awesome. Reminds me of childhood only with a grown up taste. Followed the receipe to a tee with some home cured ham and house blended mayonnaise I did recently. I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you!
You are so kind Rodney – thank you! I aprpeciate you coming back to comment!
My favorite ham salad! Simple ingredient perfection!
Very good! I bought a precooked, smoked ham from a local company, on sale. I followed the recipe except I added ¼ cup of minced onion and didn’t add any salt. Next time I’ll add some fresh dill.
This is the best ham salad I’ve ever had. Have made it several times. Followed the recipe exactly. Everyone loves it. Thank you for sharing it
hands down the best! I made a double batch with a precooked small ham. Great for summer on-the-go meals. Double batch lasted four days.
I’m 99.9% sure that is the best ham salad that I’ve ever had!!!!….
good
Made this exactly as written. It’s outstanding. Sandwiches on whole grain toast, or spread on Triscuits so far. This will be my go to for leftover ham chunks for now on.
I tried to follow the recipe and it came out terrible. Everyone else seems happy with their results, so I must have done something wrong.
This is by far the best Ham salad I have made. I used dill relish, 2 tbsp. of onion and Dijon mustard and it was perfect.
This looks fabulous. I have thought about making ham salad for years but just never have made it. Usually ham and bean soup with leftover ham. I will make this shortly and get back with my review.
I had been looking for a good recipe for Ham Salad!
also thank you so much for allowing to print this so easy. the other recipe sites are a pain.
Thanks so very much Mary! I really appreciate you taking the time to come by and leave a comment – it really does mean so much!
This recipe is absolute perfection.
I’m only ever making this ham salad from here on out.
Thank you so much for sharing it!!
This makes the best appetizer put on top of a cucumber slice with a sprig of dill on top!