This ham salad is a simple and traditional recipe that is perfect for making sandwiches or ham salad spread on crackers! It's fantastic for putting your leftover ham to good use! With just a few tasty mix-ins and a little time in the food processor, you’ll have an easy lunch in minutes!
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Hearty Quick Salad with a Savory Touch
Right up there in terms of taste and versatility with chicken or tuna salad. This is perfect for snacking and easy lunches! The old-fashioned method of making ham salad involves using canned ham, but here we are going to use diced or cubed ham.
Not to knock tradition, but I find that the texture of canned ham is too soft and tastes mushier than using the real thing. Plus, if we can avoid all the added preservatives, why not?
Perfect use for those holiday ham leftovers, ham salad, is one of my favorite go-to recipes in the weeks following Thanksgiving or Christmas! It's so simple and quick, which is exactly what I'm looking for after all that holiday cooking.
Scoop it onto a hamburger bun or some white bread with a handful of potato chips and lunch is served!
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- It's quick! This recipe requires no actual cooking and is done in about 10 minutes!
- It's great for serving! Ham salad is great for baby showers, luncheons, or get-togethers. Just offer it up with a few crackers!
- It's delicious! With a little mayo, dill pickle, and Dijon mustard, ham salad perfectly balances creamy, tangy goodness. Plus, a handful of celery gives it the perfect crunch!
🥘 Ingredients
Considering you already have the ham in your fridge, you only need a few more ing
- Ham - 1 pound of already cooked ham, diced up or cubed. It should equate to 1½ cups or 10 ounces.
- Celery - 1 cup of celery. I dice my celery fairly small so it mixes in well, but if you like bigger pieces that is perfectly fine.
- Mayonnaise - ½ cup of mayonnaise. I prefer the full-fat mayo for flavor, but if you have light mayo on hand (or prefer to use light mayo), it will work as well.
- Dill Pickle - ¼ cup of chopped dill pickles. If you've had ham salad before you have likely had it made with pickle relish. You can use pickle relish here, or just dice up some dill pickles!
- Dijon Mustard - 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Dijon is a tad bit more spicy and tangy than regular yellow mustard, and it helps balance the creamy sweetness of mayo.
- Ground Black Pepper - To your taste. This recipe has no salt because the ham is salty enough on its own!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Ham Salad
My creamy ham salad is made in just 3 easy steps! A food processor is the easiest way I've found to get your ham to the right consistency, but you can also use a food chopper or dice it up very small by hand if you do not have one.
With 1 pound of leftover ham, this recipe will yield 6 servings. Of course, you can scale this amount up or down depending on how much leftover ham you have!
- Prep. Put 1 pound of cooked, diced ham into your food processor. Pulse just until it breaks down, being careful not to overdo it as it can turn into a gummy paste.
- Mix. Transfer the chopped ham into a medium mixing bowl and add in all remaining ingredients (1 cup celery, ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup dill pickle, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and a pinch of black pepper to taste). Stir until everything is evenly distributed and you're left with a smooth ham salad mixture. Add more mayo if you'd like it creamier.
- Chill and serve. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill it in the fridge before serving it with some crackers or on a sandwich!
Ham salad is a great summer dish, but you can enjoy it any time of the year! It's a nice change of pace from the usual chicken or potato salad that you see everywhere around that time. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Make a deviled ham salad by adding in 1 or 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs!
- Sweet relish can be used in place of dill relish. If it is too sweet for your taste, add in a little more Dijon mustard!
- If you aren't working with holiday leftovers, you can purchase already-cooked ham steaks from the grocery store and they will work perfectly!
- Once the ingredients are combined, you should have about 3 cups of the ham salad mixture. This should make roughly 8 sandwiches, depending on how much ham salad you like per sandwich.
- Ham salad tastes best after you let it chill in the fridge for an hour or two prior to serving so all the flavors have time to meld together.
🥡 Storing
Serve ham salad chilled and avoid leaving it at room temperature for over 2 hours due to its mayonnaise content, as this can lead to spoilage.
For storing leftovers, use an airtight container and refrigerate the ham salad; it will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Avoid freezing ham salad, as the mayonnaise can separate and spoil the dish.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Sure! For a less calorie-dense version, switch out the mayonnaise for a full-fat Greek yogurt. Add in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), and a little salt and pepper to taste. Be cautious not to use too much salt!
Club crackers are traditionally served with ham salad but there are plenty of other tasty options. Crispy, crunchy Triscuits are great, but my personal favorite would have to be buttery Ritz crackers! Serve with a dip spreader because Ritz tend to crumble when dipped.
Ham salad is surprisingly versatile. Mix it with a little olive oil, lemon juice, and a cup of cooked pasta for a tasty pasta salad. You can also make a variation of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich by mixing in a little shredded cheddar and toasting it like you normally would a grilled cheese!
😋 More Easy Lunch Recipes
- Fish Stick Sandwich - Why enjoy fish sticks by themselves when you can make them into a tasty sandwich?
- Pinwheel Sandwiches - Customize these easy-to-serve sandwiches with any of your preferred toppings!
- Lil Smokies Pigs In A Blanket - Lil smokies and crescent rolls make up this incredibly simple snack!
- 4 Ingredient Potato Soup - With just 4 ingredients you can easily whip up some delicious potato soup!
- Air Fryer Grilled Ham & Cheese - Use your air fryer for a tasty and quick grilled cheese sandwich!
- Mexican Torta - This tasty sandwich is packed with flavorful carne asada and all of your favorite toppings!
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📖 Recipe Card
Ham Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb ham (cooked ham, cubed or diced - 1 ½ cups or 10 ounces)
- 1 cup celery (diced)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup dill pickle (chopped, or use relish)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ground black pepper (to taste)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Pulse the cooked, cubed ham in a food processor to reach a broken-down texture (but not too much as the ham will turn to a gummy paste).
- Transfer the chopped ham into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients (chopped celery, mayonnaise, dill pickle, Dijon mustard, and ground black pepper). Stir until evenly distributed and you have a smooth ham salad mixture. Add more mayonnaise for a creamier consistency if desired.
- Cover and chill before serving, then enjoy with some crackers or as a ham salad sandwich.
andree huet says
"Very good to make again when I have another ham for an occasion I gave the recipe to my friends, Andree"