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.
For a light, easy-to-make lunch, serve ham salad with Mom’s Best Egg Salad and Penne Pasta Salad.
Reader Comment
“Best ham salad we’ve ever had! This recipe is a keeper!”
Patti
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 or deviled ham spread so good is that you’re taking one recipe and making it into two. It all starts with baked ham normally served during a holiday like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. There’s always some leftover ham from a Southern ham dinner menu, 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.
- Of course, my favorite is saltine crackers with some pickles on the side!
Ingredients For This Recipe
- Leftover ham or store-bought cooked ham
- Egg
- Mayonnaise
- Sweet Pickles – sweet pickle relish can also be used.
- Pickle Juice
- Celery
- Black Pepper
How To Make The Best Ham Salad Recipe
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 small pieces.
- First, add the ham, eggs, pickles, pepper, and mayonnaise to the processor bowl and pulse about 12 to 15 times.
- Next, add finely chopped celery and fold everything together using a spatula. Taste and add more mayonnaise if needed, along with fresh cracked pepper.
- Chill in the fridge for about an hour before serving if you can wait that long!
Want To Change Up The Recipe?
This easy ham salad recipe can be changed to include all other ingredients. Here are a few ideas:
- Switch out the sweet pickles for dill pickles.
- Chopped green onions, or other fresh herbs like parsley or chives.
- bell pepper
- Dijon mustard or horseradish sauce
Donya’s Success Tip
If you don’t have leftover holiday ham and are hankering for Ham Salad, aka deviled ham, you can purchase cooked ham from the deli, either already chopped or thick-sliced.
How To Store Ham Salad
Keep Ham Salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
As a reminder, if you’re serving it as an appetizer, do not leave it out for more than 2 hours since it has mayo in it.
More Easy Salads You’ll Love
If you tried this Southern Ham Salad Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 – 3 ½ cups fully cooked ham
- 1 large hard-boiled egg
- 2 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ¾ 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.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have leftover holiday ham and are hankering for Ham Salad, you can purchase cooked ham from the deli, either already chopped or thick-sliced.
- 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 mayo in it.
Nutrition
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Can you freeze the ham salad. I made a lot.
Hey there Lou!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, it’s the perfect way to use up leftover Ham from Easter! You can freeze the extras, but I will tell you that the texture of the salad changes a little when you defrost because of the mayonnaise. If you want to freeze it, store it in an air tight container for up to 1 month, then defrost in the refrigerator. I hope this helps, if you ever have any other questions about a recipe please don’t hesitate to reach out!
~Donya
Made this today for myself and next thing…my hubby is helping himself!!! I guess that is testimony enough! Great recipe and not difficult!
Hey there Cheryl!
I am so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this recipe, I love it just because it’s easy to make, like you said, and it’s great for using up any leftover Ham from the Holidays! Thank you so much for your fantastic rating and your kind words of support! I hope you have a great rest of your day!
~Donya
Yum! I’m hosting a baby shower in a few weeks and I’m going to use this recipe to make ribbon sandwiches 🙂
Hey there Dawn!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe! This salad would be absolutely perfect for Baby Shower ribbon sandwiches. I hope you enjoy, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your support, I hope you have a great rest of your day!
~Donya
Haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds fabulous. The next ham, I will try this. I was wondering if it would freeze well. Do you know?
Hey there Tina!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, and for your rating! I wouldn’t freeze this Ham Salad simply because the texture would change so much with the mayo in it as it defrosts, but you can always freeze extra ham and then make a fresh batch of this salad when you want it, after all it only takes 15 minutes. I hope this helps, let me know what you think of the salad when you make it! Have a great rest of your day!
~Donya
I’ve been searching for a recipe similar to the deli I used to work next to back when I worked in a grocery store in my teens. I have yet to see anyone’s recipe with their secret ingredient 😆 The deli’s ham salad was the best I’ve ever had. I worked in the bakery department and the deli was next door… we shared a back room. Every time they made ham salad they always asked me to test it. 😅 They used a big meat grinder and would throw in whole deli hams, but also ends from other hams and I think bologna as well. Then a big ole container of relish and Mayo… followed by their secret ingredient of Raspberry jello powder. You couldn’t taste it, but the girl said that it added a nice color to it. I really enjoyed their ham salad because it wasn’t crunchy or chewy, it was smooth and spread nicely. The only other brand I’ve found to like is Heinen’s but I’m not sure if that’s just a local store.
Hey there!
Thank you so very much for sharing your story! It sounds like one heck of a Ham Salad, those dishes you’re still thinking about years later are always the best. Now I’m not sure if my Ham salad is exactly what you’re looking for, but I’d love to hear your thoughts if you end up trying the recipe. I might just have to try it out with a little bit of red jello powder, that sounds so interesting I want to experiment with it! Thanks so much for your support, and for sharing your sweet story! Have a great rest of your day!
~Donya
Stage secret to that ham salad was cherry jello and also it was made with a brine
Hey there Elaine!
That’s so interesting, I’ve never heard of putting cherry Jell-o in a Ham salad but it sounds like a great idea! Thank you for sharing, I’m definitely going to give that a try!
~Donya
Growing up as a kid in Ohio and eating alot of ham salad, this is a great recipe and it brough back alot of great memories. Thank you!!!!!
Hey Richard!
Thank you so much, my goodness what a lovely comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and found it nostalgic, I think those are the best ones. Thank you for your rating and support!
~Donya
I used to be able to buy ham salad at Honey baked ham but they closed a few years ago and have never been able to find a decent substitute. So grateful for your recipe- it turned out delicious!! I did not get a picture as it went pretty quickly!!
Hey there Gwyn!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, it’s a family favorite in my house! Thank you so much for your fantastic rating and sweet comment!
~Donya
Such a blast from the past! Thank you! Btw I love your haircut! God bless!
WOW! These are compliments I can get behind! 😉
Thank you so much Jody!
Have a great weekend,
~Donya
I love ham and this sounds delicious. I’m going to give it a try.
Hey Stacy!
I hope you make the recipe. I do believe you’ll love it.
Have a great weekend,
~Donya
One of my all time favorites. Good memories, too!
Hey Janet!
Thank you for your sweet comments and the great rating.
Enjoy the recipe.
~Donya