Brown Sugar Ham (Glaze Recipe)
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Oct 20, 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.
Your recipe and method of baking this ham is the best i’ve come across. This is the only way I have made my ham since. I seriously couldn’t stop thinking of ham for the past 3 weeks. My ham is already baking. Thanks for sharing!
Followed this recipe for last Thanksgiving. The best ham I’ve ever accomplished by far! Everyone loved it and the leftovers had amazing flavor and the hock makes the best lentil soup.
I Just made this! It’s very delicious.
This glazed ham is perfect for the holidays! And the leftovers will be great for sandwiches!
These look so tasty and healthy. I’m very tempted to try making them. Perfect for Christmas! Thanks, Sommer, you did such a good job.
This is seriously amazing!! So perfect for the holidays!
I love how delicious and easy this recipe is to make! Perfect for Christmas!
Made it with Dr. Pepper instead of Brandy. I used what I had and it turned out awesome!
All I needed was a good recipe for the glaze, and you delivered. The ham is not even done yet, but I have tasted the glaze mix and can tell you I already love it. The smell of it cooking is making me happy! I know it will be delicious! Thank you!
Would an apple flavored whiskey work in place of the brandy?
Hi Courtney,
Sure, that’s a great idea! :)
Hello! If I chose to substitute the brandy for apple juice, would I use the same amount as listed for the brandy? And would this change the overall taste of the ham (1/2 cup)? I’ve also heard about using coca cola. Would that be an appropriate substitute as well?
Hi Sommer,
I plan to try this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. I am not a cook AT ALL so I have done a bit of research to ensure my results are the best possible. A lot of tips I have read mention covering the ham (tenting it with foil) to keep it moist. Do you recommend foil tenting using this recipe or would that affect the dark, crusty end results you achieved above?
Hi Marissa,
I usually only add a foil tent if the ham starts to get too dark. You can put in on half-way through baking if you feel you need it. :)