Apricot Ham Glaze Recipe (2024)

The best easy ham glaze ever! Made from brown sugar, orange juice, marmalade, mustard and brandy making this the PERFECT addition to any holiday ham and only takes 10 minutes to make!

This amazing ham glaze is something that my grandma has been making for as long as I can remember. It’s got a sticky tangy apricot sweetness.

The first time I ever had this ham was at my grandma’s house. She served this delicious ham one night and I could not stop eating it. The ham was cooked perfectly but the sweet sticky glaze took it over the top. It’s a holiday classic around her for good reason. It’s crazy easy to make and always gets raving compliments!

Let’s jump in!

What Ingredients Do I Need?

• Orange Juice: pulp or pulp free is fine!
• Brown Sugar: I prefer dark brown sugar if you can find it, otherwise regular is great.
• Marmalade or Jam: Grandma always used apricot marmalade, but any jam will work. Look for an orange style jam like citrus, apricot, peach etc. Not grape or berry jams. Pepper jelly is another interesting twist you can play with if you like some heat!
• Brandy: the alcohol cooks off but leaves an incredible flavor. You can substitute whisky or cognac or a splash of wine or juice.
• Dry Mustard: you can replace this with twice the amount of regular or brown mustard!
• Cornstarch: for thickening the sauce into a glaze.

How to make ham glaze?

Start with a medium sized saucepan. Add orange juice, brown sugar, marmalade, and corn starch and whisk until mix well. Cook that sauce well, whisking until it boils.

Add brandy and dry mustard and whisk until mixed well. Cook for two more minutes while whisking. Remove from the heat and add glaze to your cooking ham in the oven. Keep adding glaze every ten minutes of the last hour your ham is cooking.

Why do I need an awesome ham glaze?

A great ham glaze will add a ton of flavor to your already delicious ham. It makes your ham crispy and sweet while enhancing the salty flavor in a way nothing else can! We love our Apricot Ham Glaze because it makes an already amazing holiday centerpiece to the dinner table even more perfect!

You won’t be able to think about making ham for Easter this year without our delicious ham glaze after you give our recipe a try!

Try these other holiday recipes.

Maple Pomegranate Glazed Ham Recipe

Beer Brined Turkey Recipe

By Holli Butterfield on April 16th, 2019