Easy, quick deviled ham is the perfect savory sandwich spread or dip that everyone will love no matter the occasion! Tasty ham is blended with lots of spices and creamy mayo to make an out-of-this-world appetizer or lunch spread!
Deviled ham is intensely flavorful, creamy, and has just a hint of spice – it’s the perfect dip or sandwich spread!
If you’re familiar with deviled ham, you may be a little wary of this recipe. But not to fear! This isn’t the canned stuff. My take on this classic recipe turns it into the most delicious spread or dip ever!
My deviled ham recipe uses fresh, delicious ham, creamy mayo, savory spices and seasonings, and fresh celery and onion. It’s not only extremely delicious and flavorful, but it has ingredients you can feel good about eating!
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Did I mention how fast is to make this deviled ham recipe? It only takes 10 minutes from start to finish to come together! It’s such a fast and tasty recipe, you’ll want to make it all the time!
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
A Southern Classic! Southern folks might remember their grandma serving deviled ham for lunch or at potlucks. This recipe tastes just like grandma’s (or maybe just a little better, but let’s keep that between you and me)!
Perfect for Appetizers or Lunch! Quick to make deviled ham is the perfect easy appetizer to serve on game day! It also makes an amazing quick lunch served on your favorite bread.
Packed Full of Flavor! Ham is already so flavorful, but this recipe loads on the seasoning to make this dip over-the-top delicious!
🥘 Ingredients
Easy deviled ham is just so simple to put together! You can use leftover ham if you have it or get ham from your deli!
- 1 ½ cups Cooked, Cubed Ham – Ham is the star of the show in this recipe! You should use whatever your favorite style of ham is. Smoked, honey glazed, plain—it’s up to you!
- 3 tablespoons Mayonnaise – We want just enough mayo to bring the ham together, but not enough to overwhelm it! Use a good quality mayo like Duke’s or Hellman’s/Best Foods.
- 2 teaspoons Yellow Mustard – A little mustard gives the deviled ham a tangy bite! A little goes a long way here, so you don’t need more than 2 teaspoons.
- 5 drops Hot Pepper Sauce – You can use more if you’d like this ham a little more devilish! Use your favorite hot pepper sauce here—I like Louisiana brand!
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder – Garlic powder helps to season the mixture and gives a ton of delicious flavor!
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder – Onion powder also adds so much flavor to the deviled ham!
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper – I prefer freshly ground black pepper for the best flavor!
- ½ teaspoon Paprika – Paprika gives the deviled ham a beautiful color and savory flavor. You can sprinkle a little on top too if that’s your jam!
- ¼ teaspoon Celery Salt – In my opinion, celery salt or celery seed is a must in mayo-based salads like tuna salad, chicken salad, and this deviled ham! It gives a flavor that just can’t be matched.
- ¼ cup Onion – This is optional, but I recommend adding finely chopped or grated yellow or white onion for an added bite and extra texture!
- ¼ cup Celery – Like the onion, celery is optional. However, I recommend adding finely chopped or grated celery for extra texture and flavor.
Not a huge fan of ham? Try making this recipe with chicken or turkey for an equally delicious spread or dip!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 Instructions
Quick and easy-deviled ham comes together in 10 minutes! Let it chill for an hour or two to let the flavors meld before serving.
- Prep the ham. To start the deviled ham recipe, use a food processor to grind 1 ½ cups of cubed, cooked ham down to a finer consistency. Pulse the ham in short intervals until it reaches a dry ground ham appearance (but don’t process it so much that the ham turns into a paste).
- Add ingredients. Transfer your processed ham to a large mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients: 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard, 5 drops of hot pepper sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon celery salt. If desired, you can also add ¼ cup each of finely chopped celery and onion.
- Combine & chill. Mix the ham, mayo, and seasonings thoroughly until well-combined. You can transfer to a serving bowl if desired. Then, cover your bowl with plastic cling film and refrigerate to chill and combine flavors for at least 1 hour before serving.
Savory, creamy deviled ham is amazing as an appetizer or spread on sandwiches for lunch! If serving as an appetizer, serve with buttery crackers and vegetables like celery, baby carrots, sliced bell peppers, and sliced radishes!
If you’d like deviled ham as a sandwich, spread it onto your favorite toasted bread and top with lettuce and tomato! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can finely chop your cooked ham to your desired consistency!
- You want to process whole ham for this recipe! Don’t use pre-sliced deli ham as that won’t yield the same result.
- Want to try a vegan deviled ham? Either use well-pressed, crumbled tofu or tempeh, slightly mashed chickpeas, or vegan ham (if you can find it) in place of the ham. When seasoning, use vegan mayo and add a few drops of liquid smoke and/or vegan Worcestershire sauce to the mix for a meatier flavor. Let me know if you try it!
- A pinch of caraway seeds is another great addition to the deviled ham seasoning if you’re a fan of caraway flavor! If adding, try spreading the deviled ham on toasted rye bread!
🥡 Storing
My deviled ham will keep in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days! Make sure to transfer the ham to an airtight container. Alternatively, you can wrap your serving bowl well with plastic cling film and/or aluminum foil. You can eat leftovers straight out of the fridge!
I don’t recommend freezing deviled ham. When thawed, the mayo in the recipe has the tendency to separate and become oily.
If you’d like to make this recipe more often, try freezing ham and keeping the rest of the ingredients stocked in your fridge! This way, all you need to do is defrost the ham and you can whip up a batch of deviled ham whenever the craving hits!
🐷 More Great Ham Recipes
❓ Recipe FAQs
The term “deviling” food (think deviled eggs) originated in the 1700s to describe food that was highly seasoned. Typically, these foods have lots of spices and hot pepper sauce added. Like in this deviled ham recipe, the seasonings make this spread extra delicious and just a little spicy!
This deviled ham recipe is very similar to the canned deviled ham you might have seen your parents or grandparents eating back in the day! My quick deviled ham recipe uses fresh ingredients—so not only is the flavor better, but there is much less sodium and no unfamiliar preservatives!
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📖 Recipe Card
Deviled Ham
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups ham (cooked, cubed)
- 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 5 drops hot pepper sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ cup onion (optional - yellow or white onion, finely chopped or diced)
- ¼ cup celery (optional - finely chopped or diced)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Use a food processor to grind the cubed cooked ham down to a finer consistency. Pulse until the ham reaches a dry ground ham appearance (but not so much that it turns to a paste).
- Transfer the ham to a large mixing bowl and add the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, hot pepper sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, paprika, and celery salt. *Add optional ingredients if desired.
- Mix until well combined then cover with plastic cling film and refrigerate to chill before serving.
Notes
- If you can finely chop your cooked ham to a desired consistency, then go right ahead and skip using a food processor to break up the ham.
- A scant pinch of caraway seeds is another optional addition.
CharlieJ says
This recipe is fabulous! I had some leftover ham thawed from freezer that needed to be used. So good-the only substitution was lemon juice for the pepper sauce (because of grandchildren that will not eat anything with even a hint of heat). Thanks, Angela!
Pam says
Love this recipe. It has the perfect amount of mayonnaise. The hot pepper sauce adds a whisper of heat in the background.
Jo says
Loved this recipe! I loved the hint of heat, the crunch of onion and celery and the spice brought the devil to a new, flavorful level. Muey excellante! I did add a little fresh Dill and some sweet pickle relish. This can be modified in so many ways.
Patricia says
I made this but added a little more mayo used green onion and parsley, it was delicious on crackers! Yummy!
Daniel Lane says
I made this recipe using leftover holiday ham and it was fabulous! I used all ingredients listed, optional included, to make plus I added 1 tablespoon of sweet relish and 1 tablespoon of dill relish. I will be making this again.