Brown Sugar Ham (Glaze Recipe)
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Apr 11, 2025 
Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Ham Glaze – Our easy baked ham recipe is made with a flavorful brandy and brown sugar glaze. It’s the perfect main dish for celebrating Thanksgiving or any occasion!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
We Love Brown Sugar Ham
Our Glazed Ham Recipe with Brandy and Brown Sugar Glaze is one of those dishes that has a reputation for being hard or complicated to make, but nothing could be further from the truth.
I’m not sure who first started spreading these nasty rumors… I have a feeling part of the responsibility goes to marketers at certain national pre-baked ham shops, but who’s to say?
A good holiday ham needs only a sweet, flavorful glaze (or rub) and some time in the oven.
With just a little bit of effort, you wind up with a beautifully baked ham that is perfect to enjoy with family. Plus, leftover ham is delicious for eating cold or reheated for several days, and in so many different ways!
I like to start my oven-baked ham with a simple brown sugar ham glaze recipe, then spruce it up with a whole lot of flavor, like whole-grain mustard, brandy, cumin, and coriander. The sweet boozy note of the brandy enhances the brown sugar and complements the spicy twang of the Dijon mustard.
It’s a heavenly blend to rub over the ham before baking.
Ingredients You Need
- Large bone-in smoked ham – Hams found in the grocery store are pre-cooked. This means you don’t have to worry about undercooking. You are just trying to rewarm the ham to the center, while creating a crispy exterior.
- Brown sugar – Necessary for a brown sugar ham glaze. *wink*
- Brandy – Adds depth of flavor to the sweet glaze.
- Whole grain mustard – Tangy mustard balances the glaze so it’s not overly sweet.
- Cornstarch – For thickening the glaze.
- Ground cumin, coriander, allspice, and cayenne pepper – Spice up the Ham seasoning, baby!
- Salt – Even though ham is salty, the glaze still needs a little salt.
How to Make Brown Sugar Baked Ham
Find the full Baked Ham with Glaze recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Tips & Tricks
- Don’t throw out your ham bone! After you have eaten most of the ham off the bone, use the bone to make a savory and delicious navy bean ham bone soup!
- Bake the ham uncovered! Every ham recipe is different, and sometimes you want to make the ham covered with aluminum foil. In this case, bake the ham uncovered to get a lovely caramelized crust!
- Use any leftover ham in a ham and cheese panini or a slow cooker quiche!
Frequently Asked Questions
Smoked ham will warm through the center, and create a crispy crust on the outside in about 1.5 to 2 hours. This breaks down to approximately 10-12 minutes per pound.
You can use your roasting pan and a rack to cook ham in the oven, instead of a baking sheet.
To be sure your ham is warm in the center, use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature. It should reach 130 degrees F to warm, or 145 degrees F for uncooked pork.
The brandy’s alcohol content cooks out during baking, but you can still substitute a non-alcoholic ingredient to make the glaze. For a flavorful swap, try a sweet fruit juice, such as apple juice or white grape juice.
Be sure to use 100% pure juice, though, so that your ham glaze isn’t too sweet.
If you’d like to use alcohol but don’t have brandy on hand, you can substitute for whiskey or cognac for a similarly sweet and smoky flavor.
The glazed ham leftovers can stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days in an airtight container.
There are so many types of ham: bone-in ham, boneless ham, spiral-cut ham, ham butt, and whole ham. I chose to use a smoked ham, uncut, then scored a diamond pattern on top.
Of course! The sweet ham glaze recipe crusts over the top, making this a fabulous centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner or as a Christmas Ham recipe. You can also serve this brown sugar-glazed ham for Easter dinner!
Serving Suggestions
A simple baked ham with brown sugar glaze is just what I crave for Sunday dinner with my family. With a thick slice of juicy baked ham and some southern sides, no one is ever disappointed.
We recommend trying this Thanksgiving ham recipe with our favorite side dishes like Perfect Southern Collard Greens, Air Fryer Green Beans, Famous Corn Pudding, and, of course, the Best Macaroni and Cheese for a complete comfort food-filled family meal!
It is also a gorgeous centerpiece to have for a holiday dinner. For a perfect Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter meal, serve with yeast dinner rolls, hasselback potatoes, and mashed potatoes!
Looking for More Holiday Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Ham with Honey Mustard and Apples
- Standing Rib Roast
- Coca-Cola Spatchcock Chicken
- Almond Crusted Baked Ham with Apricot Glaze
- Top Round Roast
- Deep Fried Turkey
- Best Turkey Brine
- Pumpkin Chili
- Easy Swedish Meatballs
- Spatchcock Smoked Turkey Recipe
- Spicy Southwest Pumpkin Soup
- Cranberry Jalapeno Honey Ham
- Cornish Game Hen
- Pan Seared Duck Breast
- Stuffed Flank Steak
- Florentine Steak
- Brown Bag Baked Ham – from Iowa Girl Eats
Check out the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, fiber, vitamin c, and calcium percentages. Nutritional values are calculated with all fat intact.
Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Ham Glaze Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 8-10 pounds smoked ham
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay the ham on it flat-side-down.
- Score the ham with cuts one inch apart and 1/4-inch deep. Do this in two directions creating a grid pattern over the entire surface of the ham.
- In a medium bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients for the glaze. Rub half the glaze over the surface of the ham and bake for 45 minutes.
- Pull the ham out of the oven. Rub the rest of the glaze over ham and place it back in the oven for another 45-75 minutes, or until the exterior is dark and crusty and the ham is warmed through.
I made this and found the cumin to be out of place, if that makes sense. I do think the glaze would be wonderful without it though.
Can I make my glaze before the holiday? How long does the glaze last in fridge?
Hi Stephanie,
Sure, you can! I have made it 2-3 days in advance. Just cover it well and refrigerate. :)
Hi, is the whole grain mustard a powder or a paste?
Omgosh…I loved the glaze for this ham!!! For my leftover ham, I added some chicken stock, corn starch to make more gravy from the drippings…delish!!!!
Amazing recipe! Everyone loved it, big hit
Do you simmer the glaze? Or can it go right on?
Hi Scott,
You can use it as-is. However, if you personally find it too thin, you can definitely simmer it to thicken the glaze.
This is a great recipe. I love to cook but can’t really cook that well. This is the first time I have not murdered a ham. When I told my husband I planned on making a ham for Easter he suggested we eat out instead 😂. I made this the following Monday but backed off on the spices for the kids. He was very pleasantly surprised! Thank you for this recipe.
Well well well…. easy, fast and delicious! Did not have brandy so we used whiskey instead. I also modified the recipe a bit by inserting whole cloves in the cuts, about two or so inches apart.
This is how our holiday ham will be prepared from now on! Thank you!