There’s simply not a better way to use left over ham than this Old Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe. Technically a Ham Salad Spread, a beautiful combination of salty ham, sweet pickle relish and creamy mayo. With a bit of crunch from chopped onion and celery, it’s good old fashioned comfort food.
Quick Answer – What Is Old Fashioned Ham Salad
Old fashioned ham salad is a creamy sandwich spread made with finely chopped or ground ham, mayonnaise, pickle relish, and a few simple seasonings. It’s one of those old-school recipes that found a permanent place in American kitchens because it transformed leftover ham into something completely different.
If you grew up in the Midwest or South, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a bowl of ham salad at family gatherings, church potlucks, Easter dinners, or tucked between slices of soft white bread for lunch. It’s rich, tangy, a little sweet, and surprisingly satisfying for such a simple quick recipe.
What I love most is that it wastes nothing. After a holiday meal, when I’m tired of reheating ham, this ham salad recipe gives those leftovers a second life. Spread it on bread, pile it onto crackers, stuff it into lettuce cups, or eat it straight from the bowl. No judgment here, I’ve most certainly done it.
Ham Salad At A Glance
- Prep Time: About 15 minutes
- Main Ingredients: Ham, mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, vinegar
- Best Ham To Use: Leftover baked ham or a ham steak from the store.
- Chunky, medium-ground for classic deli style.
- Make Ahead: Yes, and honestly, it’s even better after a little time in the refrigerator.
- Best Served: Sandwiches, crackers, croissants, wraps, and picnic lunches.
Why Ham Salad Is So Loved
If you’ve got leftover holiday ham sitting in the refrigerator, you’re halfway there.
- This recipe comes together fast. No cooking. No complicated ingredients. Just a handful of pantry staples and a few minutes of chopping.
- It’s also one of those comfort food recipes that somehow feels familiar from the very first bite. Creamy. Tangy. A little salty. A little sweet. The kind of thing Grandma probably served with a bowl of potato chips and a pickle spear.
- I make ham salad several times a year, usually after Easter and Christmas. Every time I do, I’m reminded that some recipes stick around for decades because they’re practical and downright delicious.
- It’s budget friendly and filling.
- Great for meal prep lunches.
What Makes My Ham Salad Different?
I’ve made enough ham salad over the years to know that not all versions are created equal.
- Texture: Some are so finely processed they look like pink paste. Others are dry, chunky, and fall right out of the sandwich. Neither one is particularly exciting.
- Learning to pulse ham in a food processor, my ham salad lives somewhere in the middle with good texture and balanced flavor.
This recipe will show you how to make ham salad the easy way. I’ve been making this Old Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe for recipe for 40+ years. This is my mom’s recipe for ham salad, who must have made it a jillion times while I was growing up.
Ingredients To Make Ham Salad
- The Best Ham for Ham Salad: Leftover baked ham, smoked ham, or a purchased fully cooked ham steak
- Vegetables: Celery and onion.
- Sweet Pickle Relish
- Vinegar: Rich food needs something to wake them up. Using an acid like vinegar not only adds a tangy flavor but also brightens flavors.
Variations
- Devil it: Want to make your ham salad a little more devilish? Add a tablespoon of Dijon Mustard for a Deviled Ham Salad version.
- Heartier: Make ham salad even heartier making ham salad with hard boiled eggs. Add two hard boiled eggs, coarse chopped. I do this a lot and really like this version.
- Spice it up: A good portion of the recipes on my site are Southwestern in nature. So you bet I’ve tried this recipe with Colorado Pueblo Chile Peppers. Replace the sweet pickle relish with three tablespoons of chopped roasted chile peppers. I thought it was good, but still prefer classic ham salad.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1: Chop The Ham: No need to use one of those old fashioned meat grinders to get those chunks of ham into a manageable size. A food processor makes quick work to chop ham. Don’t have a food processor? You can also use a sharp knife to chop ham.
- Step 2: Use the pulse function to grind the meat into a chunky consistency. About 12 short pulses is all you need.
- Step 3: Place chopped ham, chopped celery and onions, pickle relish, sugar, vinegar and mayonnaise in a bowl. Practice those knife skills, evenly chopped celery and onion will distribute flavor better once ingredients are combined. Plus you’ll have pride in your craft.
Pro Tip Knife Skills: Always keep the hand that’s gripping the knife clean and dry. A wet hand could cause slips resulting in nicks or worse a nasty slice on your hand.
- Step 4: Use a large spoon to blend the ingredients. You’re ready to build those ham salad sandwiches.
- Step 5: Use your favorite sandwich bread. Add some lettuce, leafy green lettuce or iceberg lettuce work well here. Smear the ham salad spread on the bread. If you’re feeling fancy, use a toothpick and top with a little Cornichon.
Pro Tip: After years of making ham salad from leftover Easter and Christmas hams, I’ve learned that letting it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour makes a dramatic difference. The flavors blend together and the texture firms up for easier sandwich making.
Tips For Success – My Tested Method For Best Texture
- Over the years, I’ve tried every method imaginable. I’ve hand chopped ham. I’ve used a food processor. I’ve run it through a meat grinder attachment.(like my mom did) I’ve even made a batch so smooth it looked like pink mushy sandwich spread from a supermarket deli case.
- The sweet spot is a medium grind. Fine enough to hold together on a sandwich but coarse enough that you can still recognize it as ham. A food processor works great, but pulse carefully. One extra spin and suddenly you’ve got ham mousse.
- For best texture, only use the food processor to chop the ham. Trying to add the vegetables and condiments to the food processor will simply yield a mushy ham salad. You want to keep the crunch of the vegetables, so add them to a bowl with the chopped ham.
Ways To Use Ham Salad
- Ham Salad Sliders: Grab some Hawiian Rolls at the store. The saltiness of the ham salad is complimented by the sweetness of these buns. Everyone loves a sweet/salty combo.
- Appetizer: Use it as an party appetizer. Offer a bowl of ham salad with crackers. Triscuits or Wheat Thins work well here.
- Ladies Lunch: Serve it in lettuce cups. Buy a few heads of butter lettuce. Separate the leaves and spoon some of the ham salad in each leaf.
What To Serve With Ham Salad Sandwiches
Let’s keep the classic comfort food theme going:
- My mom always served it with potato chips. But Classic Potato Salad is a great option here.
- A pasta salad works well here. Take a look at my recipe for Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad.
- During cold weather months, serve this ham salad sandwich with Spicy Tomato Soup. A perfect combo.
How To Store Ham Salad
- How Long Does Ham Salad Last In The Refrigerator? Place any leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to four days. Take into consideration when the ham was cooked. If the ham has been in the refrigerator for two days, this may reduce it’s longevity in the fridge.
- Keep in mind, this is a mayonnaise based recipe. When serving, only leave at room temperature for two hours. Any longer you’re entering the danger zone, where bacteria will start to grow which may cause foodborne illness.
FAQ’s
You can and I have. I prefer to order deli ham straight from the deli counter. I ask for 8 ounces and ask them not to slice it. Thin sliced deli ham won’t chop as well in the food processor.
You can. But please keep in mind that once thawed, mayonnaise based salads may separate and seem watery. Just stir well. If it still seems watery, add a little more mayo.
Ham salad and deviled ham both start with ham, but they’re quite different in texture, flavor, and how they’re served. Ham salad is a chunky mayonnaise-based ham mixture traditionally served as a sandwich spread. Deviled ham is a finely ground ham spread seasoned with spicy “deviled” ingredients such as mustard, cayenne, and hot sauce and traditionally served with crackers. This difference in texture and seasoning is what sets the two apart.
Some commercial hams can be naturally watery, as they are injected with water or brine to increase their weight. But more than likely, once a fatty, oily product like mayonnaise sits for a bit, it naturally separates from any liquid. In this case, vinegar or moisture from the vegetables or ham. Just give it a good stir and you’re back in business.
This Old fashioned ham salad recipe is proof that some of the best comfort foods come from simple ingredients and a little kitchen know-how. It’s a delicious way to transform leftover holiday ham into something entirely new, whether you’re piling it onto sandwiches for lunch or setting it out with crackers for a casual gathering. After testing different chopping methods and ingredient ratios, I’ve found that the right texture makes all the difference. Not too chunky. Not too smooth. Just right for a satisfying bite every time. This is the kind of recipe that’s been passed down through generations for good reason. Easy to make, economical, and full of nostalgic flavor, it’s a recipe worth keeping tucked inside that family recipe box.
Explore More Left Over Ham Recipes
More Classic Comfort Food Recipes
And if you’re looking for more sandwich ideas, don’t miss my category for Sandwich Recipes. You’ll find lots of great ideas including the most popular on my site for this Club Sub Sandwich. A great way to feed a crowd.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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Old Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups Ham An 8 ounce ham steak = 1 ½ cups
- 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- ⅔ cup celery diced
- ¼ cup onion finely diced
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon cider vinegar
Instructions
- Use a food processor to chop the ham. Just a few pulses will do.
- In a large bowl, add the chopped ham and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well.
Notes
- Over the years, I’ve tried every method imaginable. I’ve hand chopped ham. I’ve used a food processor. I’ve run it through a meat grinder attachment.(like my mom did) I’ve even made a batch so smooth it looked like pink mushy sandwich spread from a supermarket deli case.
- The sweet spot is a medium grind. Fine enough to hold together on a sandwich but coarse enough that you can still recognize it as ham. A food processor works great, but pulse carefully. One extra spin and suddenly you’ve got ham mousse.
- For best texture, only use the food processor to chop the ham. Trying to add the vegetables and condiments to the food processor will simply yield a mushy ham salad. You want to keep the crunch of the vegetables, so add them to a bowl with the chopped ham.
Nutrition
Ham Salad Sandwich, It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
I haven’t had ham salad in ages! I was thinking about it a few months ago, and never got around to making some. Now I can’t wait to make a batch! Your recipe looks wonderful. Nice food styling on the photos, too. Thanks!
Thanks for that compliment John.
That was one delicious Ham Salad recipe. I used dill relish just my preference. I’ll be making more and maybe even try it by using half sour pickles or garlic fills. Thank you!
Hi Rich. Thanks so much for taking the time to rate this recipe. My mom used dill relish for this recipe, I think it’s good both ways.
Your ham salad sandwich brought back memories of home to me as well. If we had a ham on Sundays, I always knew that I would have a ham salad sandwich in my lunch bag on Mondays. The only difference was that my mother made hers with dill pickles otherwise, exactly the same. 🙂
Lea Ann, love this recipe AND the story behind it! I need to make a stack of these and have some people over for cards – and maybe start a trend!
Several years ago we moved to a community that’s very active. Cards, dominoes, game nights. Which is the inspiration for resurecting this recipe.
So I have to tell you I didn’t grow up on ham. Manservant loves it and I buy it for him. I’ve never made it! I know he would love these sandwiches!
You should make it for him. So easy – so delish.
This is exactly the way my Mom made Ham Salad – it is just the best! And she had the same meat grinder….Thanks for bringing back this memory and now I have a plan for Easter and the week after!
I still have that same grinder. I threaten to haul it out sometime and use it, but seems the food processor wins out.