Old Fashioned Deviled Ham
Old fashioned Deviled Ham is a true Southern classic and a great way to use leftover holiday ham! It consists of cubed ham combined with a host of zesty flavors including mayonnaise, diced celery, onion powder, garlic powder, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and a dash of hot sauce. Serve as a sandwich or as a spread with crackers or celery.
You probably remember your Grandmother or great Grandmother serving this Southern staple at just about every occasion, along with chilled cucumber salad, egg salad, pimento cheese or tuna salad. It’s one of those refrigerator staples that you can pull out of the fridge and snack on at any given moment. My grandmother used to serve deviled ham with plain ole’ saltine crackers and maybe a cube or two of cheddar cheese. If she was trying to be fancy, she’d stuff celery stalks with it!
The William Underwood company first introduced this canned meat spread back in 1868 and even today, you’ll still find this canned meat in grocery stores!
Just the facts
This deviled ham recipe isn’t really a new way to make this spread – but it is a little different from others in that it doesn’t contain any cream cheese. So, there’s really no processed foods, other than the mayonnaise.
- Quick and easy – the total time to make this takes less than 10-minutes
- Versatile – serve as a dip with crackers or vegetables, or spread some on a slice of bread and make a deviled ham sandwich
- Flavorful – make it as mild or spicy as you like!
- Affordable- a great way to use leftover Easter holiday ham
- Healthier than the canned stuff – no sodium nitrite, additives, preservatives or stuff you can’t pronounce
- Homemade keto ham salad is also an easy appetizer!
Another vintage recipe you might remember from your childhood is the pineapple cream cheese spread that used to come in a little jar!
Ingredients
Ham (cut into small cubes with a sharp knife), mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, diced celery, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, white vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Some folks add sweet pickle relish (or dill) to their ham spread – it’s really up to you!
How to make deviled ham
I’ve found that deviled ham tastes better after its rested in the refrigerator a while, but you can certainly enjoy it right after you make it!
- Use canned ham, leftover cooked ham (or ham steaks), or buy a package of diced ham cubes.
- In a food processor, pulse the ham about 3-8 times (you want coursely ground-not a smooth or pureed texture); transfer to a large mixing bowl and add in the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, diced celery, onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
- Combine well and season the ham mixture to your liking – add more Tabasco sauce, hot sauce or an additional teaspoon cayenne pepper if you want it spicier; add more vinegar if you want it more tangy
Tips and substitutions for ham salad spread
- Use uncured diced ham if possible; uncured is less salty and ham is always salty enough! If you use canned ham, you might want to rinse it first to remove any extra sodium and/or canning brine.
- Don’t over pulse in the food processor- a few quick pulses will get the right texture; semi-chunky, but still spreadable
- Add a little salt last – taste it first before adding more sodium to the salty ham
- If you choose to add pickle relish, drain it first; (squeeze it in a paper towel)
- If you don’t have Dijon, use whole grain mustard
- Out of celery? Use a little celery salt instead!
FAQ’s
“Deviled” refers to foods that are zesty and somewhat spicy. These foods usually contain cayenne pepper, hot sauce, paprika or mustard. Common foods such as deviled eggs, deviled pickles, deviled shrimp and deviled oysters.
You can, but the texture will change due to the separation of the mayonnaise during the freezing process. For best results, do not freeze deviled ham salad.
Storage and make ahead
Old fashioned deviled ham can be stored up to 3 -5 days in an airtight container. When you’re ready to enjoy it, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes!
Ham spread is a great way to use extra ham. I keep a small bowl in the refrigerator during the summer so I can snack on it at any given time!
More spreads and related recipes
- Southern Pimento Cheese
- Classic Egg Salad
- Tzatziki Greek Yogurt Dip
- Seafood Cobb Salad
- Homemade Lemonade with no-cook simple syrup
- Southern Sweet Tea
- Original Texas Sheet Cake
- Crunchy Asian Salad
- Smoked Salmon Spread
Homemade Deviled Ham Recipe
Equipment
- Food Processor (or a sharp knife or meat grinder)
Ingredients
- 12 ounces diced ham See recipe notes
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup celery , finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar , or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce See recipe notes
- pepper white or black, to taste
- salt , to taste
Instructions
- In food processor, pulse chopped ham 3-8 quick times until it's finely ground, but not pureed; transfer to medium size mixing bowl12 ounces diced ham
- Add remaining ingredients and combine well½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup celery, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Add salt and pepper to tastesalt, pepper
- Garnish with chopped parsley and a light sprinkle of paprika or cayenne pepper
- For best results, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving
Notes
- This recipe makes about 1 ½ cups of deviled ham spread.
- Use uncured diced ham if possible; uncured is less salty and ham is always salty enough!
- Don’t over pulse in the food processor- a few quick pulses will get the right texture; semi-chunky, but still dippable and spreadable
- Add salt last – ham is inherently very salty; wait till you’ve combined all the ham spread ingredients before adding salt
- If you choose to add pickle relish, drain it first; (squeeze it in a paper towel)
