If you like recipes with minimal effort and big flavors, you will love this Keto Ham. With a delicious sweet and tangy sugar-free ham glaze, it is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Mother's Day. This easy recipe is a crowd-pleasing main course that everyone loves!
If you are looking for a holiday recipe, is that sure to please? This keto ham is perfect!
It has all the flavors of a traditional ham with none of the sugar. Thanks to the easy keto ham glaze, this is one you can make for the whole family.
Unless you tell them, they won't even know that the star of the show is keto-friendly.
This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free, making it perfect when serving those with food allergies.
Best of all, leftover ham is great for sandwiches on keto-friendly bread or in salads.
Make this keto thanksgiving ham once, and you will be hooked!
Ingredients for Making Keto Baked Home
- Bone In Ham: The timing of this recipe is for a 9 pound ham. If you get a larger or smaller ham, or use one without a bone, you will need to adjust the cooking time.
- Brown Sugar Substitute: I used Swerve, but feel free to use your preferred brand. Be sure to read the packaging as they may call it a substitute, but it might still not be keto-friendly.
- Mustard: I recommend using dijon mustard here. This gives the ham a "honey" mustard flavor.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter.
- Vinegar: This adds a hint of acid and provides a nice balance to the sweetness of the keto ham glaze.
- Cloves: Ground cloves add an unexpected richness of flavor.
Tips & Tricks
- If you have a larger or smaller ham, you'll want to adjust the cooking time. The general rule of thumb is 15-18 minutes per pound of ham. So, if your ham is 2 pounds smaller than the one I made, deduct 30 minutes from the cooking time. If it was 2 pounds heavier than mine, add 30 minutes to the cooking time.
- You can use water in place of apple cider vinegar if desired. However, do note that it will take a touch of the flavor away. Apple cider vinegar is great for keeping that moisture in so your ham is nice and moist.
- It's important your ham is thawed before cooking. It took two days for my ham to thaw out fully. Be sure you prepare in advance for this step.
- If you're having trouble with your ham splitting during baking or don't want to chance the ham splitting and looking strange, do the scoring after it cooks and before the last glazing. Some ham comes with extra thick skin, which will cause some wider splitting than most would like. It still tastes great; it just might not look the prettiest.
Serving Suggestions
Veggie sides are always a good option with keto baked ham. Great options include keto broccoli salad, asparagus, radishes, keto roasted vegetables, and green beans with parmesan.
If you are serving ham for Thanksgiving or Christmas, keto green bean casserole and stuffing make great sides.
Round out the meal with keto deviled eggs and garlic knots, and you have a delicious dinner that the whole family will love.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ham itself is keto, however, it is often prepared with ingredients sugar like honey, sugar, syrup, or jams that are not keto. So in this instance, they are not keto.
This recipe has a sugar-free glaze and is perfect for a keto diet.
If you don't buy a spiral ham which is pre-cut, you may wish to score the ham. This allows the glaze and flavors to soak deeper into the ham for a more widespread flavor. You can either do this before or after the ham cooks. If you do it after it cooks, be sure to slice it before the final glazing.
Tools Needed to Make Ham Keto
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- Baking Sheet or Roasting Pan
- Baking Rack/Grid
- Cutting Board
- Medium Boiling Pot
- Stirring Utensil/Spoon
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. Freeze sliced cooked ham in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Just be aware that depending on the keto sweetener you use, it can crystalize when chilled.
Leftovers are great tucked into keto biscuits for breakfast, or you can use sliced ham to make sandwiches on keto-friendly bread or chaffles.
How to Make Keto Ham
First, start by removing the packaging from the ham and ensuring that it is fully thawed.
Preheat your oven.
Place the ham in the oven with the flat side facing down and cook for 30 minutes.
While the ham is cooking, heat the sugar substitute, vinegar, cloves, mustard, and butter in a medium pot.
Cook for 10 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove the ham from the oven and use a large spoon or measuring cup to glaze the ham with ⅕ of the glaze.
Glaze the ham every half hour, until the ham has cooked for about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Do the 5th and final glaze and let the ham rest before slicing and serving.
Keto Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
Equipment
- Baking Rack/Grid
- Cutting Board
- Medium Boiling Pot
- Stirring Utensil/Spoon
Ingredients
- 9- Pound Bone-In Ham
- 2 Cups Granulated Brown Sugar Substitute
- ½ Cup Dijon Mustard
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
Instructions
- Remove all packaging from your ham and ensure it's fully thawed.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the ham in the oven, with the flat side facing down. Let cook for about 30 minutes.
- While the ham is cooking for the first 30 minutes, place the sugar substitute, Dijon mustard, butter, apple cider vinegar, and cloves in a medium pot, and cook over medium/low heat until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.
- After the ham has cooked for about 30 minutes, use a large spoon or measuring cup to glaze the ham with about ⅕ of the glaze.
- Glaze the ham every half an hour until the ham has cooked for about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Do the 5th and final glaze and let the ham rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Christy
Thank you! My son really wants a ham for Christmas, but I've been worried about how to keep on plan with the glaze. This will be perfect!
Wendy Polisi
I hope that you enjoy it!