Try this recipe for air fryer baked ham with a honey mustard glaze for your next holiday dinner. It’s a juicy honey-baked ham, with crispy charred edges and a wonderfully sticky glaze!
Baking a boneless ham in the air fryer is my go-to for holiday menus. It is easy, no-fuss cooking, and the delicious honey glaze has a hint of holiday spice that people LOVE (+ it’s easy to make).
Also saves oven space, which means you can make a showstopping ham centerpiece without occupying the whole oven.
Scroll down for the printable recipe card, or read on for all the details!
More Air Fryer Holiday Recipes
What do you need?
Pre-cooked ham
The key things to look for when choosing a ham joint for this recipe are: fully precooked, boneless, uncut ham. And, of course, pick one that will fit in your air fryer. I get a quarter-leg boneless ham which is usually around 3 lb/ 1.3kg.
If you already have your ham and it is a spiral-cut ham, then don’t worry, just check my guide to cooking times for air fryer ham below.
If your ham won’t fit in your air fryer, just carve a bit off so that it will fit. You can cook it separately (try making air fryer ham steaks), or save it for sandwiches.
Note
If you have a gammon joint to cook in your air fryer, you can use the same process for cooking it, but the cooking times will be much longer than in the recipe below. This is because gammon needs to fully cook, rather than just heat through as with pre-cooked ham.
Always use a meat thermometer to be sure it is cooked properly!
Glaze ingredients
If your ham comes with a packet of glaze, you can use that if you prefer, but I like to use this recipe to make a simple honey glaze.
- Brown sugar. you can substitute any other type of granulated sugar if you prefer.
- Liquid honey, or maple syrup.
- Dijon mustard. Wholegrain mustard is also good. You can skip this ingredient if you are not a fan of mustard, but I find that the savoriness of mustard offsets the sweetness of the honey for a perfect balance of flavor.
- Fruit juice. Pineapple juice, apple juice, or orange juice are all ideal for this recipe.
- Spices. This recipe just uses ground cloves, but you can add ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or any spices of your choosing.
How to cook a ham in the air fryer
- Remove the rind. If your ham has a rind, you will want to remove it before baking. Use a sharp knife to cut a zig-zag pattern through the skin, then use your fingers to gently loosen it from the fat. Try to keep the white fat on the ham, and just remove the rind, as this layer of fat keeps the ham moist (and very tasty!)
- Score the fat. Use a sharp knife to score the white fat diagonally at about 1-inch intervals to make a diamond-like pattern.
- Baste and air fry ham. Place the ham in a small baking pan that will fit inside your air fryer. Spoon or brush the glaze over the ham
- Baste, and baste again. Bake the ham in the air fryer for 45 minutes, basting generously every 15 minutes with the glaze and juices in the bottom of the pan, until the ham is sticky and golden. The air fried ham should be caramelized and golden when it is done.
- Rest. Once the ham is cooked, remove it from the air fryer, cover it with foil, and set aside to rest for about 10-15 minutes until ready to serve.
- Finally, collect the glaze and juices from the roasting pan, and pour over the ham just before serving.
How long to cook ham in the air fryer
Boneless ham requires approximately 15 minutes per pound/ 450g in the air fryer. However, as always, cooking times are an estimate and will vary according to a few factors, including the size and shape of your ham, the starting temperature, and how powerful your air fryer is.
In this recipe we are aiming for an internal temperature of 140°F/ 60°C (the recommended internal temperature for reheating ham). Check the internal temperature with an instant-read meat thermometer and air fry for a few more minutes if needed.
Tip
Use an instant read thermometer to measure the temperature in the center of the thickest part of the meat for an accurate temperature reading.
How long to air fry spiral sliced ham
The cooking time for spiral ham is much shorter than for uncut. Since it is sliced all the way through the center will heat much more quickly than an uncut ham.
Reduce the time for each cooking interval from 15 to 10 minutes (a total of 30 minutes for a 3lb ham), and check the temperature in the center before the final cooking interval to see how long is needed.
Serving ideas
To serve, thinly slice the ham. Some side dishes I like to serve with ham are:
- Instant Pot mashed potatoes
- Microwave steamed green beans
- Air fryer pineapple slices
- Cheddar cheese sauce
- Microwave steamed carrots
Storage and reheating
Store any leftover ham in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and use within 5 days.
One of my favorite things about having honey-baked ham for dinner is having the leftovers in a ham and cheese sandwich the next day (or sometimes later the same day!).
Or serve sliced ham for brunch in crescent rolls with your favorite cheese (try cheddar cheese or Swiss) melted on top.
If you want to reheat ham slices in the air fryer, see my air fryer ham steak recipe.
Air Fryer Ham
Ingredients
- 3 pound ham precooked
- ¼ cup water
Glaze ingredients
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons liquid honey or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup fruit juice pineapple, apple, or orange
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or nutmeg
Instructions
- Remove the rind from the ham by cutting it and then sliding your fingers or a silicone spatula underneath to loosen it. Try to leave as much of the white fat on the ham as possible.
- Use a sharp knife to score the layer of fat diagonally at about 2cm intervals.
- Whisk the brown sugar, honey, mustard, and juice and spices together in a small bowl.
- Preheat air fryer to 300°F/ 150°C (approx 3 minutes).
- Place ham in a small pan or baking dish, spoon the glaze evenly over the ham.
- Bake ham in the air fryer for 45 minutes, basting generously every 15 minutes with the glaze and juices in the bottom of the pan, until the ham is sticky and golden.
- Cover with foil, and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Collect the glaze and juices from the base of the roasting dish and pour over the ham just before serving.
Notes
- This is the temperature recommended by the USDA for reheating ham.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
