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This orange marmalade glazed ham is rich with flavor from fresh orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves. With easy heating instructions, glaze variations, and storage tips, this recipe ensures a foolproof, flavorful entrée for holiday gatherings or family dinners year-round.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
Glazed ham is a classic choice for holidays and Sunday dinners, but for small families like ours bone-in or spiral-sliced hams can leave you with more leftovers than you need. That’s why we opted for a small boneless ham in this recipe. Today’s boneless hams are far better than the canned versions of the past, making them a great option. Check below for more details if you’d like to give one a try!
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
- HAM: Our orange marmalade glaze works for boneless, spiral-sliced and bone-in hams, but nothing beats the simplicity of a boneless ham (see below), especially if you’re serving a smaller crowd. We recommend buying an uncured ham as they are preserved using a brine of natural ingredients. For bone-in hams, plan on 8 ounces per person; for boneless ham, 6 ounces per person should be plenty. Both quantities should allow for some leftovers.
- ORANGE MARMALADE: Choose a good quality orange marmalade made with all-natural ingredients. If you don’t care for orange marmalade, apricot preserves make a good substitute.
- ORANGE JUICE: Any type of orange juice you have on hand will work for this, but if you want to cut the sweetness a little, try substituting grapefruit or tangerine juice.
- BROWN SUGAR: We use light brown sugar for our glaze, but if you like a little more of a molasses flavor, go for the dark variety.
- WHITE WINE VINEGAR: The white wine vinegar adds a bit of acidity, which works to brighten the flavors of the spices. Acceptable substitutes are apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar.
- DIJON MUSTARD: Along with the vinegar, the tangy flavor of Dijon mustard adds a subtle contrast to the sweetness of the marmalade and brown sugar.
- ORANGE ZEST: Fresh orange zest simply adds a more intense orange flavor to the glaze. Tip: Cut a couple of thin center slices from a navel orange to use as garnish on your serving platter and zest the remaining pieces.
- SPICES: Our recipe uses cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and whole cloves to flavor the glaze. This combination adds complexity and serves as a contrast to the saltiness of the ham.
About Boneless Hams
As the name implies, boneless hams have had all the bones removed and are then firmly pressed into a uniform, easy-to-carve shape. With most brands of boneless ham, the salt used in processing will break down some of the proteins in the meat, causing them to rejoin and fill in the gaps left when the bones are removed. Most boneless hams fall into the 2 to 6-pound size range and take 15 to 18 minutes per pound to heat through.
The ham in our photos is a Boar’s Head Sweet Slice Mini Ham that weighed just under 3 pounds. It served four people initially, and we had enough left over for an additional meal for two, plus extra to dice and freeze for adding to dishes like soup, fried rice, scrambled eggs, and macaroni and cheese.
How to Make Orange Marmalade Glazed Ham
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
START HEATING THE HAM: Remove the ham from the refrigerator about an hour before you’re ready to cook. Preheat the oven and add orange juice, a cinnamon stick, and cloves to the bottom of the roasting pan and add water to a depth of about 3/4 inch. Position the rack in your roasting pan and add the ham. Cover the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil and seal tightly. Bake the ham until its internal temperature reaches 140°F (15 to 18 minutes per pound).
MAKE THE GLAZE: While the ham is in the oven, stir the marmalade, orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, and Dijon mustard together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar dissolves, then add the cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, then stir in the orange zest, remove from the heat, and set aside.
GLAZE THE HAM: Once the ham is heated, take it out and increase the oven temperature. Uncover the ham, brush on the glaze and return it to the oven until the glaze caramelizes. Allow the ham to rest before carving.
Notes On Leftovers
Leftover ham can be wrapped tightly in foil and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. We recommend slicing it first to use in sandwiches or for reheating in foil (in a 300° oven). To freeze leftover ham, place foil-wrapped slices in a zip-top freezer bag. Frozen ham will keep for up to three months.
To find some easy ways to use leftover ham, as well as more information about ham in general, visit: How To Cook And Glaze A Ham (And Shopping Guide).
Make It Your Own: Glaze Flavor Variations
You can easily switch up the flavors on our orange marmalade glaze by following the same ratio of ingredients:
- 1 cup of your favorite marmalade, jelly, or preserves
- 1/3 cup of fruit juice (or other liquid)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
- Your choice of spices and/or citrus zest
Here are some suggestions:
- PINEAPPLE: Pineapple jelly, pineapple juice, grated fresh ginger, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- CHERRY: Sweet cherry preserves (puréed), ruby port, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
- APRICOT: Apricot preserves, apricot nectar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- APPLE: Apple jelly, apple cider, bourbon, and cinnamon.
- JALAPEÑO: Mild jalapeño jelly, orange juice, lime juice, and lime zest.
Note: Many preserves have chunky pieces of fruit in them. We recommend that you mash or purée them to create a smooth spreading glaze.
Side Dishes and Wine Pairings
If you’re looking for a classic side dish to serve with glazed ham, scalloped potatoes are a great choice, however, we’re partial to our recipe for scalloped pineapple, an easy side dish with a rich, buttery flavor and tangy sweetness that pairs perfectly with ham.
Glazed carrots and coleslaw are additional options as are our Hungarian Cabbage and Noodles, a savory combination of green cabbage sautéed in butter and egg noodles. As a bonus, all of these side dishes can be made in advance.
As far as drinks are concerned, try a dry rosé, dry riesling, or pinot noir. For beer lovers, keep it light with a nice lager.
Orange Marmalade Glazed Ham
Ingredients
- 2 to 4 pound boneless ham, (see notes about larger hams)
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cinnamon stick, (optional)
- 4 whole cloves, (optional)
For the orange glaze:
- 1 cup orange marmalade, or apricot preserves
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 10 whole cloves
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 navel orange, sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Remove the ham from the refrigerator about an hour before you're ready to cook.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Add the orange juice, cinnamon stick, and cloves to the bottom of the roasting pan and fill with water to a depth of about 3/4 inch.
- Position the rack in your roasting pan and add the ham. Cover the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil and seal tightly. Bake the ham for 15 to 18 minutes per pound or until its internal temperature reaches 140°F.
Make the orange marmalade glaze:
- While the ham is in the oven, stir the marmalade, orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, and Dijon mustard together in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook until the brown sugar dissolves, stirring frequently, then add the cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the orange zest, remove from the heat, and set aside until ready to use.
Glaze the ham:
- Once the ham temperature has reached 140°F, remove it from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F.
- Uncover the ham and brush it liberally with the glaze. Return it to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the glaze is lightly caramelized. Allow the ham to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Notes
About Larger Hams
Our glaze recipe makes about 1-2/3 cups of glaze. For larger hams, we suggest increasing the ingredient quantities by 1/2 to make about 2-1/4 cups of glaze.Storing Leftovers
Leftover ham can be wrapped tightly in foil and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. We recommend slicing it first to use in sandwiches or to reheat in a 300° oven. To freeze leftover ham, place foil-wrapped slices in a zip-top freezer bag and it will keep for up to three months.Ham Glaze Flavor Variations
You can easily switch up the flavors on our orange marmalade glaze by following the same ratio of ingredients:- 1 cup of your favorite marmalade, jelly, or preserves
- 1/3 cup of fruit juice (or other liquid)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
- Your choice of spices and/or citrus zest
- PINEAPPLE: Pineapple jelly, pineapple juice, grated fresh ginger, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- CHERRY: Sweet cherry preserves (puréed), ruby port, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
- APRICOT: Apricot preserves, apricot nectar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- APPLE: Apple jelly, apple cider, bourbon, and cinnamon.
- JALAPEÑO: Mild jalapeño jelly, orange juice, lime juice, and lime zest.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Really easy and delicious. Thank you!
Thank you, Franni. Glad you enjoyed it.
I picked up a small boneless ham right after Easter, followed your instructions, and made the glaze with one adjustment. I used grated fresh ginger instead of ground ginger. It was delicious. Next time I’m going to try the apple cider and bourbon variation. Thanks for posting this.
Hi Carolyn,
You can’t go wrong with fresh ginger. Thanks for sharing!