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Classic Southern Ham Salad is so delicious and easy to make! It’s perfect for sandwiches, on crackers, and makes a yummy dip. Turn leftover holiday ham into something amazing with this simple recipe.
Ham Salad is one of those simple recipes that never needs to be messed with. The reason. It’s great…just as it is. Like my homemade Pimento Cheese, some things are wonderful just as they are.
One of the things that makes this Ham Salad so good is that you’re taking one recipe and making it into two. It all starts with ham that’s normally served during a holiday like Easter or Christmas. There’s always some leftover and what better way to use it than in Ham Salad.
Ways To Serve Ham Salad
- It’s delicious served as an appetizer with an assortment of crackers.
- Pile it high on toasted bread with crispy lettuce.
- Serve it alongside your favorite soup for a great twist on Soup and Salad Night.
- My favorite, of course, is with saltine crackers with some pickles on the side!
Ingredients For This Recipe
- Leftover ham or store-bought cooked ham
- Egg
- Mayonnaise
- Sweet Pickles
- Pickle Juice
- Celery
- Pepper
How To Make Ham Salad
I’ve found the best way to make this recipe is to use a food processor. If you don’t have one, chop the ham into as small pieces as possible.
First add the ham, eggs, pickles, pepper, and mayonnaise to the bowl of a processor and pulse about 12 to 15 times.
Next, add in finely chopped celery and fold everything together using a spatula. Make sure to taste and add more mayonnaise if needed along with fresh cracked pepper. Chill the Ham Salad for about an hour before serving if you can wait that long!
Want To Change Up The Recipe?
Ham Salad can be changed up to include all kinds of other ingredients. Here’s a few ideas:
- chopped green onions
- bell pepper
- Swiss cheese
- mustard or horseradish sauce
Pro Tip: If you don’t have leftover over holiday ham and have a hankering for Ham Salad, you can purchase cooked ham from the deli either already chopped or thick sliced.
How To Store Ham Salad
Keep Ham Salad stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
As a reminder, if you’re serving it as an appetizer, make sure not to leave it out for more than 2 hours since it has mayonnaise in it.
More Refrigerator Salads You’ll Love!
Last but not least…
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Ham Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 – 3 1/2 cups fully cooked ham
- 1 large hard-boiled egg
- 2 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 stalk finely chopped celery
Instructions
- To the bowl of a food processor, add ham, egg, sweet pickles, pickle juice, pepper, and mayonnaise. Pulse for 12 – 15 times until ham is finely chopped.
- Place ham mixture in a medium-size bowl. Fold in chopped celery. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and place ham salad in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour before serving.
- ***a sharp knife can be used to chop ham, egg, and pickles if no food processor is available.
