Baked Ham with Cranberry Orange Glaze

This easy baked ham recipe makes the perfect juicy ham that is tender on the inside with a hint of sweetness on the outside from being brushed with a homemade Cranberry Orange glaze. It is perfect for a holiday dinner, including Easter and Christmas, but easy enough to make as a weeknight meal.

Baked Ham with Cranberry Orange Glaze

Baked ham is a holiday item for us on just about every holiday. It doesn’t matter if we are making prime rib or a turkey, each holiday we also make a ham as well because that is what Tom grew up having as his main dish for all holidays. There are lots of different ways to cook a ham, but my most recent favorite is this Glazed Baked Ham with Cranberry Orange Glaze. Using a precooked ham (which is what most grocery stores sell) this ham recipe couldn’t be easier to make.

This glazed baked ham is so easy you can make it for a week night meal, then use the leftovers to make other meals, or for a holiday main dish. Juicy ham baked in the oven with a sweet glaze made with cranberries and orange juice, this will quickly become your go to baked glazed ham recipe.

For this baked ham recipe you will be using a precooked ham, which if you are buying them at the store that is most of the hams that you will find. A precooked ham has been smoked so it is already cooked and the cooking process at home is basically just reheating the ham.

When you are buying a ham at the store, be sure to check the packaging to see if it is fully cooked or not.

How to Bake a Ham

Baking a ham is not hard, but it can be overcooked easily so I highly suggest that you use a good meat thermometer to check the temperature of the ham and start with the lower cook time and up the cook time after checking it because ovens can vary and change the cook time a bit.

When baking a precooked ham you will preheat the oven and then place the ham cut side down in your baking dish or baking tin.

Then coat it with the glaze and bake until the internal temperature reaches 140°F.

To keep the ham from burning you will “tent” aluminum foil over the ham.

How Long to Bake a Ham?

A precooked ham is already cooked, so when you are cooking it you are actually just reheating it. You will need to cook it for 10-14 minutes per pound. A fully cooked ham needs to be cooked to 140°F (as it is already cooked) and a “cook before eating ham” needs to be cooked to 160°F.

Why do I need to tent the ham with aluminum foil? 

Tenting the ham with aluminum foil will help to keep the ham moist and juicy and infuse it with the orange juice flavors. It will also prevent the ham from burning while cooking.

How much ham do you need per person?

When you are planning your meals you will want to have 1/2 a pound of ham per person if you are cooking a bone-in ham and 1/3 a pound per person if you are cooking a boneless ham.

It is also important to keep in mind if you are going to be making a lot of side dishes or not. If you do not plan on having a lot of sides plan for more meat per person.

What to serve with ham?

If you are making this glazed ham as a dinner main dish for a week night dinner then you can make any of your favorite sides. If you are making this ham as a holiday dinner main course then you will want to make some traditional holiday side dishes to go with it. There are lots of options for pairing with ham as the main course for a holiday meal, be sure to check out some of our favorites.

• Cornbread casserole
• Cheesy Potato Casserole
• Baked Macaroni and Cheese
• Lemon Roasted Asparagus
• Green beans with bacon
• Cheesy Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
• Pearl Onions In Cream Sauce
• Apple Cider Roast Brussel Sprouts
• Whole Roasted Cauliflower
• Oven Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
• Homemade Stuffing

Tips for making the Best Baked Ham

• Place ham cut side down in the baking pan. Baking the ham cut side down will help keep it juicy when. baking it.
• Tent tin foil. You want to keep the ham from drying out and the glaze from burning and the best way to do so is to tent tin foil on the top of the ham while it is baking in the oven.
• Add more glaze when you are done baking it. It is great to bake the ham with the glaze, but for even more flavor add extra glaze when you remove it from the oven.
• Allow the ham to sit after baking, not just to cool a bit before eating it, but also the ham needs to rest for a few minutes just like any other meat before carving it.
• Use a bone-in ham if possible. A bone in precooked ham will give you the juiciest baked ham.

Can I make the glaze ahead of time?

If you are planning on cooking this baked glazed ham for a holiday meal and do not want to make the glaze while you are busy making other things for the meal you can make the glaze up to 2 days in advance and then store it in the fridge to use when you bake the game.

Do I have to use the immersion blender on the glaze? 

No you do not have to use an immersion blender on the glaze. Using the immersion blender gives you a very smooth glaze, or you can keep it a more chunky glaze / sauce.

How to keep the glaze from burning? 

To keep the glaze from burning, add it to your ham toward the end of the cooking cycle. Keep an eye on your glaze especially if you choose to use broil. The sugar content in glazes can make it more susceptible to burning at high temperatures.

Baked Ham with Cranberry Orange Glaze Ingredients

• 8 – 10 lb fully cooked ham
• Orange juice – For pan – 2 cups and For glaze – 1/2 cup divided
• 16 ounce bag of fresh Cranberries
• 1 Orange
• 1/4 cup Orange marmalade
• 1 cup Brown sugar
• Pinch of salt

How to Make Baked Ham with Cranberry Orange Glaze

Remove the cooked ham from the refrigerator 90 minutes prior to baking. Place ham (do not remove plastic wrap) inside a large pot add hot water and cover with a lid. Let sit for 45 minutes, then replace the water with fresh hot water.

Add the full bag of fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup of orange juice, and brown sugar to medium sized sauce pan on medium heat. Stir to combine and bring to boil, then reduce to low heat.

After about 5 minutes the cranberries should get soft and break apart, add the orange marmalade, salt, and the rest of the orange juice. Turn heat to medium-low and bring to a gentle boil.

Let reduce for 5-10 minutes, adding more orange juice or water if glaze gets too thick.

Blend the glaze with an immersion blender for a smooth glaze or you can leave as-is for a chunky glaze.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Slice the orange into slices about 1/4 inch thick.

Add 2 cups of orange juice to the bottom of a roasting pan, plus add the slices of 1 orange to the orange juice. Place a small cooling rack in the bottom of the pan to elevate ham slightly.

Remove the ham from the plastic and then add ham flat side down to rack and tent with aluminum foil.

Cook the ham until it reaches an internal temp of 140 degrees; time will depend on the size of your ham, check the packaging.

Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Spread 1/3 of glaze on ham return to oven for about 25 minutes. Keep an eye on the glaze and cover with foil if you see any parts starting to burn.

Check on the glaze and spread more glaze if needed, cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Remove ham to a cutting board and let the ham rest for 5 minutes.

Slice ham to desired thickness and serve with remaining glaze.

Holiday Main Dish Recipes

• Oven Baked Prime Rib
• Oven baked whole turkey
• Roasted Turkey Breasts