10 Minute Ham Salad Recipe
This easy 10-minute ham salad recipe is one of my favorite ways to turn leftover ham into an entirely new meal. Finely chopped ham, hard-boiled eggs, celery, relish, mustard, dill, and a touch of seasoning create a creamy, savory spread with plenty of texture and flavor.
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Serve it on sandwiches or soft buns, spoon it onto crackers, tuck it into lettuce wraps, or use it for quick appetizers. It also keeps well in the refrigerator, making it especially useful for easy lunches and entertaining.
Planning an afternoon tea? See my Easy Ham Salad Tea Sandwiches for complete bread, assembly, make-ahead, and garnishing instructions.
What is Ham Salad?
Ham salad is an old-fashioned sandwich spread made with finely chopped cooked ham, mayonnaise, relish, mustard, and seasonings. Many versions also include hard-boiled eggs and celery, as this recipe does.
The combination gives the salad a creamy texture with a little crunch, while dill, stone-ground mustard, and a hint of Creole or Cajun seasoning add extra flavor. It's simple, versatile, and especially useful whenever you have leftover ham.
What I Love About Ham Salad
- It takes only 5 to 10 minutes to prepare.
- It's a delicious way to use leftover holiday ham, ham steaks, or deli ham.
- One batch can become sandwiches, easy lunches, appetizers, lettuce wraps, or a savory spread for crackers.
- It can be prepared ahead, and the flavor becomes even better as it chills.
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Ingredients
The complete list of ingredients and measurements is in the recipe card below.
- Cooked ham: When you have leftover ham, this is a delicious way to enjoy it!
- Eggs: This salad uses hard-boiled eggs. For tips on making hard-boiled eggs, see pro tips for boiling eggs.
- Celery: This brings a delicious, crunchy texture to the ham salad.
- Relish: We love sweet pickle relish, but you could also use chopped dill pickles or a dill pickle relish.
- Mustard: Stone-ground mustard brings a delicious depth of flavor to the salad but Dijon mustard can also be used.
- Seasoning: A hint of Creole or Cajun seasoning brings an unexpected surprise to this salad and one that will have you reaching for seconds! We'll also use either fresh or dried dill.
- Mayonnaise, which binds the salad together!
How to Make Ham Salad
There are three easy steps to making this ham salad recipe:
Step 1: Mince the ingredients
Add the ham, hard-boiled eggs, and celery to a food processor with the metal chopping blade. Season with salt and black pepper, if needed, and transfer to a large bowl.
Step 2: Make the sauce and mix it into the ham
Combine the sauce ingredients-relish, mustard, seasoning, dill, and mayonnaise-in a small bowl. Fold them into the ham mixture.
Step 3: Chill
Cover and chill the salad in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The Ham Salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. It's not recommended to freeze this salad as mayonnaise tends to separate during the freezing and thawing process, leaving a watery texture.
Ham Salad Recipe Tips
This recipe is exceedingly easy to make. Here are a few quick tips:
- When you have leftover holiday ham from Easter or Christmas or even a surplus of deli ham, whether freshly cooked or frozen, it is perfect for this salad. Ham steaks work great, too.
- As hams vary in saltiness, be sure to taste the ham prior to adding additional salt. I very often add no additional salt, but a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper is delicious.
- Using a food processor or blender is the easiest way to make this salad in minutes. If making by hand, be sure to finely mince the ingredients and stir well.
How to Serve Ham Salad
Ham salad can be served casually for lunch or dressed up for a party. A single batch gives you plenty of easy options.
Serve it as a spread with crackers, sliced bread, and crisp vegetables for a simple lunch, snack board, or casual appetizer.
For afternoon tea, use the filling to make these Ham Salad Tea Sandwiches. That separate recipe includes bread choices, cutting, assembly, make-ahead tips, and the cucumber-and-dill garnish.
For bite-size appetizers, spoon small portions of ham salad onto water crackers and garnish them with fresh dill.
For a fresh, bread-free option, top thin cucumber slices with spoonfuls of ham salad and finish each one with a small sprig of dill.
For an easy lunch, spread it between slices of homemade bread, layer it with lettuce on rye, or pile it onto a soft sandwich bun.
Simple Ham Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound cooked ham leftover or deli, minced or cubed
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 stalk celery roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
- 3 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon creole or Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill fronds minced (½ teaspoon dried)
- 1 /2 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
Food Processor Method
- To use a food processor or blender (which makes this process exceedingly quick and easy), add the ham, eggs, and celery. Season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper if needed. Taste the ham for saltiness before adding additional salt.
- Pulse the ingredients until they're minced. For me, this is about 5 to 7 medium pulses. I look for pea-size chunks of ingredients. Scrape the bowl or blender as needed to combine ingredients evenly. This mixture should result in about 3 cups of minced ham.
- In a small bowl, combine the relish, mustard, creole seasoning, fresh dill, and mayonnaise. Fold it into the minced ham.
Mixing by Hand
- Be sure to finely mince the ham, eggs, and celery. In a small bowl, combine the relish, mustard, creole seasoning, fresh dill, and mayonnaise before folding it into the minced ham.
- Cover and refrigerate the ham salad until ready to use.
Video
Notes
Ham
- Leftover ham is perfect in this recipe. But ham steaks also work great. You can even use deli ham, but be sure to get the thickest slices you can. Otherwise, the mixture and resemble pate instead of salad.
- Before adding additional salt to the Ham Salad, be sure to taste for saltiness. Most often, I add no additional salt to the recipe.
Ways to Serve Ham Salad
- Ham Salad is so versatile, that it's delicious served as a dip, or on sandwich bread, buns, or slider buns. They also make incredibly delicious tea sandwiches
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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