This Old-Fashioned Ham Salad recipe is a savory sandwich spread with ham, hard-boiled eggs, green onions, celery, and pickle relish in a creamy dressing. It's a classic recipe with simple ingredients and the perfect way to use leftover ham.
Jump to:
What's better than a succulent holiday ham dinner? The leftover ham!
It's easy to use in so many different ways, like baked beans, macaroni salad, Hawaiian pizza, rolled up into pinwheel sandwiches ...
One of our all-time favorites is this homemade ham salad recipe.
It's a simple recipe, and it makes the perfect ham salad sandwich. But we also love it on crackers, sliced veggies, and in a lettuce wrap.
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
- Great way to make the most of leftover holiday ham
- Perfect recipe for baby showers, bridal showers, and entertaining
- Easy ham salad recipe to make ahead and keep in the fridge for a quick lunch or snack
- Versatile ham salad spread -- serve with bread, crackers, lettuce wraps, or veggies
Looking for a great ham recipe for your next holiday meal? Try my Roaster Oven Ham with pineapple brown sugar glaze or Slow Cooker Maple Bourbon Glazed Ham.
Ingredients
Ham. This is our favorite way to use up leftover holiday ham, but you can use any kind of ham, like ham steak or precooked boneless ham from the grocery store.
Hard-boiled eggs. The hard boiled eggs are divided in this recipe -- the whites are mixed into the ham mixture, and the yolks add rich flavor to the dressing.
Dijon mustard. Dijon has a distinct sharp flavor that's delicious in the dressing.
Green onions. Green onions brighten up the flavors in this salad.
Celery. Celery adds freshness and a little crunch.
Sweet pickle relish. In this ham spread, sweet relish is the perfect complement to the salty ham.
Variations
Miracle Whip. You can use Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise if you prefer the sweeter, spicier flavor.
Mustard. Try yellow mustard or one of these Dijon mustard substitutes.
Onions. Red onion, sweet onion, or any of these substitutes for green onion will also work well.
Pickle relish. You can also use dill pickle relish or chopped-up dill pickles or sweet pickles.
Other mix-ins. Create your own ham salad recipe with mix-ins you love, like diced bell pepper, pimentos, fresh herbs, shredded cheese, a squeeze of lemon juice, or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
How to Make The Best Ham Salad Recipe
1. Chop the ham.
Place the ham and egg whites into a large food processor or blender and pulse until the ham is finely chopped to your desired consistency. About 25-30 quick pulses worked perfectly for me in my food processor. Be careful not to over pulse, or it will turn to mush.
If you don't have a food processor or high-speed blender or prefer a chunkier texture, finely chop the ham and egg whites into small pieces with a sharp knife.
2. Make the dressing.
Mash the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise and mustard and stir until combined.
3. Stir the salad together, chill.
Add the celery, green onions, pickle relish, and ham mixture. Stir until combined. Season with black pepper.
Chill for 1-2 hours to allow the flavors to meld and the consistency to firm up a bit.
Serve on Ritz crackers, slider buns, plain ol' white bread, or scoop up with sliced veggies.
Store leftover ham salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
More Leftover Ham Recipes
Success Tips
Be careful not to over-process the ham or it can turn to mush.
For a chunkier texture, chop the ham and egg whites with a knife.
FAQs
Absolutely! Ham salad is a versatile dish, and you can customize it to your personal preferences. You can add or omit ingredients based on what you enjoy. For example, you can add diced bell peppers, grated cheese, or different herbs and spices to create your own unique variation.
Store ham salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Ham salad is similar to chicken salad, egg salad, or tuna salad, but it's made with ham that's been finely chopped, mayonnaise, sweet or dill pickle relish, and other vegetables. It's typically served cold as a sandwich spread or on crackers.
Stuff I Use
My Cuisinart food processor is great for chopping ham for this amazing ham salad recipe, grinding graham crackers for pie crusts, and making chocolate banana ice cream.
These are my favorite storage containers. They're freezer, microwave, and dishwasher safe and stack perfectly in my fridge and cupboard.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
Let's Stay in Touch
Follow Midwestern HomeLife on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of the latest recipes!
Old Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups fully cooked ham, chopped
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, divided
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped about ⅓ cup
- ¼ cup sliced green onions 3-4 green onions
- ¼ cup sweet pickle relish
- black pepper
Instructions
- Place the ham and egg whites into a food processor. Pulse 25-30 times until the ham is finely chopped. Don't overpulse, or it will turn to mush. For a chunkier texture, finely chop the ham and egg whites with a knife.
- Mash the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise and mustard and stir until combined.
- Add the celery, green onions, pickle relish, and ham mixture. Stir until combined. Season with black pepper.
- Chill 1-2 hours before serving.
Leave a Reply