Glazed Christmas Ham 🍖

This maple-glazed ham with crispy sweet potatoes and savory pecan brittle is the kind of meal that feels perfect for the holiday season (but it’s fairly easy to make). You’ve got sweet, salty, crunchy, and savory all working together, with a punchy dressing that ties everything up neatly. Perfect for a holiday spread, dinner party, or just for a night you want to make something that feels a little “fancier”.

❤️ Why You’ll Love Glazed Christmas Ham

• Big Flavor, Low Effort: Most of the magic for this ham happens in the oven, so you can relax while your oven does a lot of the work.
• Textures: This Glazed Christmas Ham is tender and paired with the caramelized sweet potatoes, and the crunchy pecan brittle, you truly have so many textures that work perfectly together.
• Sweet & Savory: Maple syrup, cloves, anchovy, and garlic all play nicely together without overpowering each other.

🍲 Ingredients

Pecans – Finely chopped pecans bake down into a crispy, savory-sweet brittle that adds crunch to the dish. The maple syrup and olive oil help them caramelize, while garlic and pepper keep things from getting too sweet.

Anchovies – Don’t panic! Anchovies won’t make the dressing taste fishy. They melt right in, adding a depth that boosts all the other flavors and makes everything taste richer and more balanced. Anchovies don’t need to be a scary word in the kitchen!

👩‍🍳 How to Make Glazed Christmas Ham

Make the pecan brittle

1. Preheat the oven to 275F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. To a bowl add the finely chopped pecans, maple syrup, olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper and garlic powder and mix until combined. Spread on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until crispy. Set aside to cool.

Make the dressing

1. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a blender (or use a hand-held blender) and blend until fully combined. Start with 1 anchovy, taste and adjust with another if desired – alternatively you could use anchovy paste, start with 1 tsp.

Bake the ham and sweet potatoes

1. Remove the ham from the oven after 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 325F.
3. Place the ham on a cutting board and then skor the top of the ham with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern. Use the sharp knife to make lines about ¼ inch deep going one way across the top of the ham and then do a second set of lines the opposite way, to create a diamond / criss-cross pattern.
4. Gently push 40-60 whole cloves into the top of the ham, distributing evenly across.
5. Place the ham in a baking dish or roasting pan, pour the 1/4 cup chicken broth around the ham and cover the entire dish with foil or with the lid if using a roasting pan with lid. Set aside.
6. Prepare the sweet potatoes by adding the sweet potatoes to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp garlic powder. Toss to coat the potatoes and then spread out on the baking sheet.
7. When the oven is preheated, place the ham and sweet potatoes side by side in the oven. If they don’t fit side by side, place the potatoes on one oven rack and the ham on another and switch halfway through the baking time.
8. Bake for 45-60 minutes, tossing the sweet potatoes halfway through, until the ham is warmed through to 135F and the sweet potatoes are cooked to your liking.
9. Once the ham reaches an internal temperature of 135F and the sweet potatoes are done, increase the heat to 400F. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and the ham. Remove the foil from the ham and brush the ham with half of the dressing. Place the ham back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Chop the Pecans Finely: This helps them crisp evenly and prevents them from burning. Bigger chunks of pecans won’t get that proper brittle texture.
• Score the Ham: Shallow cuts help the cloves and dressing flavor the meat without drying it out.
• Leave Space: Give the sweet potatoes space on the pan so they roast instead of steam. Crowding leads to soggy spuds.
• Let Rest: Let the ham rest before slicing to keep it juicy and happy.

🗒 Variations

There are so many ways you can make this recipe and your Christmas Ham your own. Here is some inspo:

Flavor Swaps

• Honey & Mustard Glaze: Swap the maple in the dressing for honey and add whole-grain or Dijon mustard for a more classic vibe.
• Brown Sugar & Bourbon: Add a splash of bourbon to the dressing and use brown sugar instead of maple for deep, cozy flavor.
• Orange & Clove: Add orange zest and a little fresh orange juice to the dressing to brighten everything up.

Garnish & Crunch Options (instead of pecan brittle)

• Swap the pecans for candied walnuts or hazelnuts for a slightly earthier crunch. If there is a nut allergy you can also swap them entirely for fried breadcrumbs with butter, garlic, and herbs.

Sweet Potatoes

• Spicy Sweet Potatoes: Add smoked paprika, chili flakes, or chipotle powder for heat.
• Herby Version: Finish with fresh rosemary or thyme straight out of the oven.
• Citrus Maple: Add a splash of orange or lemon juice before roasting for brightness.

🍽️ Best served with

• Kale & Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Sunflower Seed Brittle
• Greek Barley Salad
• Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Salad

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Let the ham cool to room temperature, then wrap it tightly in foil or store in an airtight container. In the fridge, it will keep for 3–5 days, or you can freeze slices for up to 2 months. Reheat gently in the oven or microwave to keep it juicy and tender.

🤔 Common Questions

Glazed Christmas Ham

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This Glazed Christmas Ham with roasted sweet potatoes and crunchy pecan brittle is a show-stopping holiday dish that’s surprisingly easy to make. Sweet, savory, and full of texture, it’s perfect for festive dinners or special weekend meals.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American-Inspired

Servings 8

Calories 930 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the pecan brittle

• 1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic powder

For the dressing

• 1 tbsp grainy mustard
• 3 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• 1 small shallot
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 anchovy

For the ham

• 4.2 lb pre-cooked ham
• 40-60 whole cloves
• ¼ cup chicken broth

For the sweet potatoes

• 4-6 small sweet potatoes, skin-on, cut into 1-inch wide wedges
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

For serving

• 2-3 Red or Green firm pears sliced

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Instructions

 

Make the pecan brittle –

• Preheat the oven to 275F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. To a bowl add the finely chopped pecans, maple syrup, olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper and garlic powder and mix until combined. Spread on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until crispy. Set aside to cool.

Make the dressing –

• Add all of the dressing ingredients to a blender (or use a hand-held blender) and blend until fully combined. Start with 1 anchovy, taste and adjust with another if desired – alternatively you could use anchovy paste, start with 1 tsp.

Bake the ham and sweet potatoes

• Preheat the oven to 325F.
• Place the ham on a cutting board and then skor the top of the ham with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern. Use the sharp knife to make lines about ¼ inch deep going one way across the top of the ham and then do a second set of lines the opposite way, to create a diamond / criss-cross pattern.
• Gently push 40-60 whole cloves into the top of the ham, distributing evenly across.
• Place the ham in a baking dish or roasting pan, pour the 1/4 cup chicken broth around the ham and cover the entire dish with foil or with the lid if using a roasting pan with lid. Set aside.
• Prepare the sweet potatoes by adding the sweet potatoes to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp garlic powder. Toss to coat the potatoes and then spread out on the baking sheet.
• When the oven is preheated, place the ham and sweet potatoes side by side in the oven. If they don’t fit side by side, place the potatoes on one oven rack and the ham on another and switch halfway through the baking time.
• Bake for 45-60 minutes, tossing the sweet potatoes halfway through, until the ham is warmed through to 135F and the sweet potatoes are cooked to your liking.
• Once the ham reaches an internal temperature of 135F and the sweet potatoes are done, increase the heat to 400F. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and the ham. Remove the foil from the ham and brush the ham with half of the dressing. Place the ham back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
• Remove the ham from the oven after 15 minutes.

To serve –

• Line a large cutting board with parchment paper. Place the ham on the cutting board and slice into thin slices. Then add the sweet potato wedges around the ham. Nestle sliced pears in between the sweet potatoes and break up pieces of the brittle to nestle in as well. Drizzle the remaining dressing over everything on the cutting board.

Notes

• Make sure you use a PRE-COOKED HAM in this recipe.
• If you love holidays dinners that aren’t turkey, you’ll love our Salmon with Dill Sauce or French Onion Pot Roast

Nutrition

Calories: 930kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.6g | Protein: 75.3g | Fat: 53.2g | Saturated Fat: 11.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 29.2g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 820.5mg | Fiber: 9.3g | Sugar: 16.5g

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