After a huge feast during the holiday season, it’s common to have some leftover ham or even a ham bone. The last thing you want to do is let it go to waste! These 35 tasty leftover ham recipes are the perfect way to make the most of your extra ham.
Ham is a common centerpiece on dining tables during holidays such as Easter and Christmas. Since these are huge feasts with a ton of yummy side dishes, it is very likely that you will have quite a bit of ham leftover.
Fortunately it can be repurposed for other meals the following day, or even months if you freeze the leftover ham.
Cooking A Spiral Cut Ham
Everything you need to know to cook a Spiral Cut Smoked Ham, from cooking and glazing to cutting and serving.
These are curated leftover ham recipes that don’t suck!!! You can choose any of these and know that you will have a great recipe for your leftover ham.
Here are 35 of my favorite recipes to use up your leftover ham.
Breakfast and Brunch Recipes for Leftover Ham
1. Leftover Ham and Cheese Waffles
2. Leftover Ham and Egg Breakfast Casserole
3. Leftover Ham and Egg Cups
4. Eggs in a Hole with Ham
5. Smoked Ham Breakfast Hash
6. Croque Madame Bake
Main Dish Leftover Ham Recipes
7. Shrimp Carbonara (sub ham for the bacon)
8. Chicken Cordon Bleu
9. BBQ Hawaiian Pizza
10. Ham Tetrazzini
11. Creamy Cajun Pasta
Things to Make with Ham: SOUP!
12. Leftover Ham and Potato Chowder
13. Split Pea Soup
14. Ham Soup
15. Quick Ham and Bean Soup
16. Creamy Ham and Pea Salad
17. Corn Chowder + Ham
Sandwich and Roll Recipes with Leftover Ham
18. Bake Ham and Cheese Rolls
19. Ham and Cheese Sliders
20. Pressed Italian Sandwiches
21. Monte Cristo Sandwich
22. Hawaiian Toast
Ham Leftover Recipes: Appetizer/Sides Edition
23. Ham Balls
24. Ultimate Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
25. Green Beans and Potatoes with Ham
26. Ham Salad
27. Hoppin’ John
28. Cobb Salad (sub ham for the chicken)
29. Mac and Cheese + Ham
30. Ham and Potato Croquettes
31. Ham and Cheese Dip
Rice Recipes for Ham Leftovers
32. Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
33. Dirty Rice and Beans
34. Ham Fried Rice
35. Ham + Cheesy Rice
How to store leftover ham
Let the ham cool a bit, then slice it, cube it, or cut it off the bone (and absolutely save that bone for soup!). Transfer the meat to an airtight container or a sturdy zip-top bag, pressing out as much air as you can. It'll stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze ham?
Ham freezes beautifully. Just portion it out, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil or seal it in freezer safe bags, and it'll keep for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat Ham
From the Fridge:
Place the ham in a baking dish and cover it with foil to keep the moisture in. Optionally add a little water or broth to the pan. Warm it in a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or just until heated through.
From Frozen:
For the best texture, thaw the ham in the fridge overnight, then reheat using the instructions above.
If you need it straight from frozen, place the ham in a covered baking dish with a splash of liquid, cover tightly with foil, and heat at 300°F for 25-35 minutes, checking that it's hot in the center.
If you're tossing frozen ham into a soup, just let it sit at room temp while you get the pot going. The heat of the simmering soup will finish thawing it as it cooks.
What is a ham hock?
A ham hock is a small, flavorful cut of pork shank or bone that's usually smoked and packed with rich, savory flavor. It doesn't include much meat, but it brings incredible smoky depth to anything you cook with it. You'll almost always simmer a ham hock in liquid; like broth, water, or a pot of beans or soup, so it can slowly infuse the dish with flavor and tenderizes the little bit of meat it has.
If you've got a spiral-cut ham bone left over, it works perfectly in place of a ham hock. It still has plenty of smoky, salty flavor clinging to it, plus little bits of meat that will loosen and fall into the pot as it simmers.
You'll see ham hocks used in all kinds of cozy recipes, like:
- Split pea or bean soups
- Collard greens or other slow-braised greens
- Pots of beans or lentils
- Hearty dishes like ham and beans or jambalaya
- Red Beans and Rice
I hope you love all these leftover ham recipes. Leave a comment below and let me know which one you chose! Or if you have your own way to use up leftover ham, share that too!
Edwina says
I made the ham and kale egg cups and we all enjoyed them for breakfast. Usually when I’m using leftover ham I think of dinner recipes so I was pleased to make a breakfast recipe instead. They were delicious. I love the look of those little ham quiches as well, I’ll have to make them sometime soon. Thanks for so many great ideas to use leftover ham.
Jo Thrasher • Jo Eats says
Um is it weird that I’m hoping for a cold front to roll through so I can make the ham chowder? Yes please.
Susie says
LOL… I know!! It is such a good recipe, but not sure it is worth having cold weather again. I am SO done with winter.
Deb @ Cooking on the Front Burner says
I love all these recipes – thanks for including mine!
Susie says
Of course.. thank you so much for contributing. I appreciate it : )
Rose says
Leftover ham is a post holiday perk, look at all the great recipes to keep the yummy dinners going in the week after the party.
Susie says
Definitely! A lot of these recipes are worth making a larger ham to have leftovers.
Traci says
I lovvvve leftover ham! It’s the best excuse to make any one of these gorgeous dishes! Thanks for the roundup…ALL the yummy recipes are right here in one place! 🙂
Susie says
I LOVE it too! There are some really great recipes in here! Don’t forget to pin it for easy access later.
Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says
Such a great collection of recipes and some really good ideas for using leftovers. I don’t like to waste food either so having other ways to use food in different recipes is always good.
Susie says
Food waste kills me! Especially if I had to toss my leftover Easter ham! I use everything down to the ham bone. YUM
Kathy says
So many wonderful and delicious options! Definitely saving and pinning this roundup! Love all those great ideas!!!
Susie says
There are a lot of wonderful bloggers who contributed to this list! Thank you so much for pinning.
Dannii says
What a great idea. We hate wasting any food, so there are some great ideas here. Love the sound of the egg cups.
Susie says
I HATE throwing away food, especially any protein! The egg cups are so easy and delish. They are a great “make-ahead” dish for the week. They warm up perfectly in the microwave.
Dana Sandonato says
This is *such* a useful compilation. I mean, I always loved eating ham cold out of the fridge, but creating new and exciting meals out of leftovers definitely seems better.
Susie says
Also.. my kids can be finicky when I say “leftovers for dinner”, so if I say “mac and cheese with ham” they are less likely to scoff. Always a bonus!
Laineey says
What an absolute great round up! One of my favorite meats is ham and I could eat each and every one of these recipes! Now the question is, where do I start?
KalynsKitchen says
Looks like a great collection of recipes! Thanks for including some of my favorites.
Susie says
Yes! Thank you for checking it out.