This Ham Salad is a flavor explosion! Diced ham in mayonnaise with sweet relish, mustard, and a host of other goodies. Great for an easy appetizer or sandwich filling.
What’s in this Ham Salad Recipe?
Let your leftover ham do more legwork with this super versatile and utterly delicious ham salad recipe!
- Mayonnaise: Holds the filling together and makes it creamy!
- Sweet Relish: Adds sweetness and crunch.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds a bit of earthiness and bite.
- Lemon Juice: Adds freshness and acidity.
- Cooked Ham: Cube up some leftovers for this easy salad recipe! I love honey baked ham or brown sugar glazed ham!
- Celery: Adds crunch and freshness.
- Red Onion: Adds a bit of bite.
- Parsley: Adds a pop of color and freshness.
Pro Tip: Swap out the red onion for diced yellow or sweet onion for a little less bite.
Variations on Ham Salad Spread
This spread is delicious as is, but you can take it up a notch by adding diced bell peppers or carrots for extra crunch or a few tablespoons of jarred pimentos or diced roasted red peppers for depth of flavor.
Add a little bit of pickle juice to turn it into more of a dip consistency, or toss it with some cooked rotini or macaroni to turn it into ham pasta salad.
This recipe is a great way to use up leftover cooked ham, so really any ham will work. I like to use leftover spiral-sliced honey baked ham for mine. I recommend buying a spiral-sliced ham because it’s easier to cut and remove from the bone.
You can definitely use canned ham. While canned ham has a different texture than fresh, its shelf life and convenience can’t be beat!
I really recommend using either a food processor or a high-speed blender to make this recipe. You can do it without one, but you’ll be mincing for a long time!
This is totally up to preference. Many recipes call for hard-boiled eggs, but it’s up to you whether or not you choose to include them.
An age-old question with an age-old answer! Ham salad is notorious for not freezing well, so I do not recommend that you freeze it.
How to Store
Store leftover ham salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing ham salad.
Serving Suggestions
This spread makes a great dip served with crackers, tortilla chips, wonton chips, or sweet potato chips!
Or serve it up on Hawaiian rolls or rye bread to make delicious ham salad sandwiches! Add a few slices of cheddar cheese and make a ham salad grilled cheese.
Make it a meal by serving it with Asian Cucumber Salad, Corn Pudding, Shoestring Fries, or Air Fryer Potato Wedges. Savory, creamy, and tangy – this is one addictive sandwich filling!
Ham Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise plus more if needed
- ¼ cup sweet relish
- 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 pound leftover cooked ham cubed
- 3 tablespoons diced celery
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Crackers, soft rolls, or bread for serving
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Whisk the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Set aside½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sweet relish, 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Add the ham, celery, onion, and parsley to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until it’s more finely chopped and combined, then transfer it to the bowl with the mayonnaise mixture. Stir, tasting and adding more mayonnaise or relish if desired to achieve a spreadable consistency, as well as salt and pepper.1 pound leftover cooked ham, 3 tablespoons diced celery, 2 tablespoons diced red onion, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, Salt and pepper
- Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving as is with crackers or on bread or rolls as sandwiches.Crackers, soft rolls, or bread
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Swap out the red onion for diced yellow or sweet onion for a little less bite.
- Add diced bell peppers or carrots for extra crunch.
- Add a few tablespoons of jarred pimentos or diced roasted red peppers for depth of flavor.
- Toss it with some cooked rotini or macaroni to turn it into ham pasta salad.
- Add a little bit of pickle juice and pulse it for longer in the food processor to turn it into a ham salad dip.
Nutrition Information
This is yummy! My husband is not a fan of ham salad and even he loved this. I’ll be making this often. Thank you for this recipe.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Nancy!
I only gave it 3 stars cause I’m not fond of sweet relish. I make mine with ham, onion, mayo, and jalapeno mustard. It’s so good.
Thanks for sharing, Stephanie!
We use dill pickle its the best. Make it the way you want to. I never follow a direction if I don’t like something I change it.