This easy Ham Salad recipe is perfect for leftover ham! It’s creamy and tangy, with crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs, salty ham, and sweet pickle relish. Learn how to make ham salad in a few simple steps.
This meaty Ham Salad recipe is similar in style to other creamy salad favorites like Curry Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, and Tuna Salad. It’s a classic, retro dish that’s popular in the Upper Midwest where I grew up; I remember my aunt Mary serving it at gatherings, and I always loved it! With this recipe, I took the super simple comfort of the old fashioned ham salad and kicked it up a notch with some modern flavor twists. It’s my #1 leftover ham recipe!
Why We ❤️ This Ham Salad Recipe
Whenever we have leftover ham, you can bet that we’re making this ham salad. It comes together in minutes, which always wins. Here are a few more reasons why we love it:
- So flavorful. Ham by itself is loaded with savory flavor, and I take the typical ham salad up a notch by adding fresh herbs, veggies, and pickle relish. There’s also a little Dijon mustard and a touch of cayenne pepper in the mix. It really is the tastiest, BEST ham salad recipe out there!
- Lightly creamy, with actual bites of ham. Ham salad is meant to be creamy, but I’ve ran across many that are just plain gloppy – with way too much mayo and ham that is processed until it’s soft and mushy. My goal with this recipe was a lightly creamy texture that didn’t outweigh the other flavors and textures – and ham that was chopped small, but still with a noticeable bite!
- Versatile. Enjoy this creamy salad atop crunchy greens, scoop it up with crackers or veggie sticks, or turn it into a hearty sandwich. You have a lot of options with this recipe!
- Great use of leftovers. I’ll admit it – sometimes I make a ham just because I’m craving ham salad. We always have leftover ham when we make it for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas meals – so this recipe is an easy way to revitalize leftovers and give the ham fresh, new life.
“Oh, my. My husband went nuts for this ham salad! I think we’ll have to bake up another ham soon just for the leftovers!!”
Liz
What You’ll Need
Here is a list of ingredients, what you’ll need to make this recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.
- Ham – You’ll need cooked ham. I recommend a good quality smoked ham, so there’s lots of flavor.
- Mayonnaise – I use a good quality mayonnaise like Hellmann’s or Kewpie.
- Pickle relish – I like to use sweet pickle relish, but dill pickle relish would also work. It’s really about personal preference.
- Dijon mustard – For a little sweet-spicy balance to the salad.
- Minced vegetables – These include green onion, yellow onion, red bell pepper, and celery. These add fresh flavor, crunch, and color!
- Fresh herbs – Parsley, chives, and dill make this ham salad extra special. But I won’t be offended if you don’t want to include them!
- Cayenne pepper – I love the bit of kick that cayenne gives. If you’re not a fan of heat, try just a pinch to start and adjust as needed.
- Salt & pepper – Simple seasonings finish off the salad perfectly.
What If I Don’t Have Leftover Ham?
While this salad is one of my back-pocket recipes for using up leftover ham, you can certainly still make it if you don’t have leftover ham. Just purchase a smaller ham or a thick ham steak to use for salad. Or, at the deli counter ask for ham, sliced ¾-inch thick, then chop it roughly at home and add it to the food processor.
How To Make Ham Salad
Here’s a look at how to make ham salad in a few easy steps. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Chop the ham. Place cubed ham in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it’s finely chopped.
- Mix, then chill. In a bowl, mix the chopped ham with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours – I definitely think it’s better chilled.
- Serve. Serve any way that you like; I offer many suggestions below!
Tips & Variations
One of the beauties of this ham salad recipe is that it’s so easy to make. Here are a few simple tips to help you make it perfectly, plus some other ingredient suggestions:
- Don’t over-process the ham. I aim for the ham to be chopped – but absolutely not mushy! Watch the food processor carefully as you pulse, to ensure the ham doesn’t get over-processed.
- Do I have to use a food processor? Absolutely not. You can chop the ham by hand, until it’s finely chopped.
- Drain the pickle relish. Make sure to drain the relish so it doesn’t water down the finished salad.
- Try different types of ham. My family loves a good ham with noticeably smoky flavor. But you can use different varieties of ham to make a sweeter or mellower salad, depending on how the ham was prepared.
- Add vegetables. Fresh minced vegetables already beautifully enhance this ham salad recipe. Increase the quantities if you like. Or add other crunchy vegetables, such as carrots – just mince them up, all the vegetables the same size.
- Hard-boiled eggs. Add one to two finely chopped hard-boiled eggs to the salad for more protein and flavor. Learn how to make the BEST Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs in this post!
- Swap yogurt. If you don’t care for mayonnaise, use plain Greek yogurt in its place.
- Add lemon juice. Squeeze in a bit of fresh lemon to the salad. It adds a lovely bright flavor. I especially recommend this if you’re using yogurt instead of mayo.
- Fold in cheese. Grab some shredded Swiss or cheddar and fold that into the mix.
- Use pickle slices or spears. While sweet pickle relish is on the ingredients list, you could make a batch of my Bread & Butter Pickles, chop them up, and add them to the salad. For a more mouth-puckering pickle flavor, chop up some refrigerator Dill Pickles!
Ways To Serve Ham Salad
Ham salad is a wonderfully versatile dish that can be served on its own, as a sandwich, or in a more classic salad. Here are a few easy ways to serve this cold salad:
- With other salads. A scoop of ham salad is lovely on top of fresh greens or alongside a more robust salad. Try it with my recipes for Roasted Beet Salad, Arugula Beet Salad, or Winter Apple Salad. It would also be great alongside my simple Cucumber Salad!
- As a sandwich. As you can tell from the photos, one of my favorite ways to serve this salad is on a buttery croissant (I like to toast the croissant first!). Ham salad is also delicious on soft, fresh rolls, such as Rhodes Rolls or on Biscuits. If you prefer a bread with more structure, that’s excellent when toasted, give my easy homemade English Muffin Bread recipe a go!
- Make pinwheel sandwiches. Similar to my Italian Pinwheels, use ham salad instead. Just spread the prepared salad over the tortillas in a thin layer, roll up, and slice!
- On crackers. For a simple appetizer or snack, serve ham salad with crackers – we like to use buttery Ritz crackers or Club crackers, but use whatever you like.
- With fresh veggies. Offer fresh cut veggies like carrot sticks, celery sticks, and thick cucumber wheels for scooping. You can also make a “fancy” appetizer, like the photo above, with ham salad spooned onto cucumber wheels – this is lovely for baby and bridal showers!
- Make it into a pasta salad. Try a version of my mom’s Macaroni Salad with Ham & Cheese, using ham salad instead: just stir prepared ham salad into cooked macaroni or rotini pasta.
- Add fruit. A simple side of sliced seasonal fruit including apples and pear is wonderful with a hearty serving of this salad. Or, make my juicy mojito fruit salad.
Proper Storage
Place the salad in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing the salad because it will lose its lovely creamy-crunchy texture. But you CAN freeze leftover ham in a freezer-safe container or baggie for up to 3 months, and then make ham salad whenever you want! Thaw the ham completely in the fridge overnight before making the salad.
More Salad Recipes To Try
Ham Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound chopped cooked ham (I recommend a good smoked ham!)
- ½ cup good quality mayonnaise
- ½ cup sweet pickle relish, drained from the jar with a slotted spoon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 green onion, minced
- 2 tablespoon minced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoon minced red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoon minced celery
- 2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill (use more if you really like dill)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne (if you don’t like heat, try just a pinch to start out with)
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Using a food processor, pulse the chopped ham until you have very small pieces. Take care to not over-process into a mushy texture. Transfer ham to a medium bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, folding to combine.
- Serve chilled. Serve as a sandwich spread or a topper for crackers or cucumber slices. Also good served on a plate of fresh greens.
Nutrition Information:
This post was previously published in 2015. Some of the photographs and some of the text were updated in 2018 and 2025.
A dear friend of mine just had her other hip replaced so for this Memorial Day I made your ham salad and it is delicious!! The lunch is tomorrow and I am sure her and her husband will love it!! I also made some coleslaw and lattice cut potato chips and a watermelon salad for dessert
That sounds like such a great lunch! So glad to know you like the ham salad!!
I love ham salad, I used to just go and buy it at the deli – you get a small tub for about $5.00. No more – now I make this, it’s delicious.
So glad to hear you like this!
This brings back memories of my mom’s ham salad she used to make for us kids growing up in the Midwest. This ham salad recipe; however, this is an upscale version and just what I was looking for to compliment the menu I am serving for a beautiful bridal shower i am hosting in June. I’ll serve it on mini flakey croissants. Can’t wait to make it!
Wonderful! I’m looking forward to ham leftovers soon, so I can make this again. Enjoy – and best wishes with the bridal shower!
I love this recipe. As a child I HATED meat with few exceptions. One of those exceptions was my aunt’s ham salad. I have not tasted it for decades but both my father and I crooned about it. I followed this recipe. It was late at night so I just chopped all the veggies and pulsed them in the processor also. This was not my aunt’s salad but just as delicious. Loved the fresh herbs and cayenne. There was such an amazing layering of the flavor. I used a scallion as well and had to use dried dill as no fresh available. I may try and put a jalapeno in next time. LOVE this. Thanks for sharing.
The best leftovers ham sandwich I have ever made!