This classic, very retro ham salad, also known as deviled ham, is a love it or hate it recipe – and I fall on the LOVE it side! Your guests, meanwhile, will either try and steal the entire bowl or politely stick to the Ritz crackers on the side.
This is a great way to use up leftover ham like my ham fried rice recipe!
Homemade Ham Salad
Alongside being incredibly delicious, this is a terrific way to use up any leftover ham in the fridge. With an uncomplicated ingredient list and an even simpler preparation, this is the recipe to go for if you need to make a party dish quickly. Mike & I enjoy making it for a light snack after Thanksgiving or whenever we have leftovers to use up.
Here’s how to make an incredible homemade deviled ham spread.
What is Deviled Ham?
Deviled ham spread might be considered a strange recipe outside of the USA, but despite its slightly “gooey” appearance, it is actually a super tasty way to not only use up extra ham but also provide a tasty side dish, party food, or snack!
Made from leftover ham and seasonings, this recipe is actually a fairly traditional method of pork preservation and was historically used as a way of using up poorer quality cuts of ham that people didn’t want to eat as a whole meal.
So, how do you make this strangely savory dip?
How Do You Make Ham Salad?
Making ham salad is very straight forward. There are a few simple steps but it’s something you can realistically complete within 15-20 minutes (including the dicing and chopping of the veggies).
Ingredients:
- Cooked ham, cubed
- Hard-boiled egg, chopped roughly
- Finely chopped onion
- Finely chopped celery
- Mayonnaise (don’t get the low-fat variety! This is where so much of the flavor comes from.)
- Sweet pickle relish
- Prepared mustard
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Paprika
- Caraway seeds
Directions
This recipe is incredibly simple and only has four steps.
- Place your ham, mayonnaise, mustard, hot pepper sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, black pepper, paprika, and caraway seeds in a large mixing bowl; basically everything but the onion and celery.
- Stir everything until completely homogenous.
- Using either an immersion blender or a food processor, puree everything until it reaches your desired texture. You can either go all the way into a fine paste or leave it slightly chunky for some textural contrast
- Stir in your onion and celery and then store it in the fridge until it is completely chilled.
This ham spread is best served with some kind of savory, salty cracker, like a Ritz or a saltine. If you happen to have some crusty bread you can use, that’s even better.
For an extra flavorful twist, try toasting your caraway seeds before you add them to your mixture. Just put them in a dry pan over medium heat, swirling and stirring them until they are toasted and smell amazing.
After giving them a minute to cool, add them to your spread and enjoy that extra special, slightly warming flavor that toasting your spices gives you.
I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Classic Ham Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked ham cubed
- 1 egg hard boiled & chopped
- 1/4 cup onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonaise
- 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pinch caraway seeds or to taste
Instructions
- Place ham, mayonnaise, mustard, hot pepper sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, black pepper, paprika, and caraway seeds in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the ingredients to your desired texture; stir in onion and celery. Chill before serving.
Nutrition
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Susan says
Count me in with the lovers!
This was an occassional treat in the late 60s and early 70s. It was called “ham spread” and was one of the spreads used in fancy sandwiches made for a variety of “teas” such as the church ladies’ tea and craft bazaar, WI meetings, funeral teas, or refreshments for whist night and other such gatherings. The day after the adult event, if you were lucky enough to have leftovers, you would have ham spread sandwiches in your school lunch box.
Just reading the recipe brought back the memories. Can’t wait to make it.