Creamy Old-Fashioned Ham Salad
If you have five minutes to spare, make this creamy Old-Fashioned Ham Salad recipe, and you’ll know exactly why it’s a go-to lunch in the South! Savory chunks of ham and boiled eggs are coated in a rich, tangy mayo-based dressing, then piled high between two slices of soft bread. Simple, filling, and delicious!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Old-Fashioned Ham Salad
- Serves: 3 cups
- Main Ingredients: chopped smoked or baked ham, mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, peeled and chopped boiled eggs, spicy brown mustard, pepper to taste
- Why You'll Love It: If you have five minutes to spare, make this scrumptious and creamy old-fashioned ham salad recipe and you'll know exactly why it's a go-to lunch in the South.
A Simple Ham Salad You Can Make Your Own
Similar to chicken salad and tuna salad, this ham salad is one of those old-timey recipes that use up leftovers and scraps of ham to make an easy, satisfying meal.
There are as many ways to make a ham salad spread as the day is long! So if you don’t have your own old-fashioned ham salad recipe, feel free to take this one and customize it to your taste or make it up with what you have on hand. Don’t have spicy brown mustard? Use a bit of regular mustard and add a little more pepper. Prefer a different mayonnaise than what I use? Go for it. Tweak it, mix it up, taste it, and make it your own.
Fact is, I can think of very few recipes as simple as this one! But while we’re at it, my Classic Southern Tomato Sandwich, Pimento Cheese Sandwich, and Fried Bologna Sandwich are definitely worth a mention!
Recipe Ingredients
- Spicy brown mustard
- Sweet pickle relish
- Mayonnaise
- Boiled eggs
- Black pepper to taste (I usually don’t add salt because the ham is salty, but add it if you like)
- Chopped ham
Tasty Variations To Try
- Swap out the mayo for sour cream or non-fat Greek yogurt if you prefer.
- Not a fan of spicy brown mustard? Dijon or yellow mustard work just as well.
- Toss in a rib of chopped celery for a satisfying crunch.
- Pecans or walnuts make a great addition if you love a little nuttiness.
- Pickle lovers, don’t be shy! Throw in 1/2 cup of chopped dill pickle.
- A handful of fresh chopped parsley can really brighten things up.
- For a bit of a zesty kick, a dash of lemon juice goes a long way.
- Shredded cheddar cheese is always a welcome addition!
- Like a bit of bite? Chopped green or red onion does the trick.
How to Make My Old-Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe
1. Chop Ham & Eggs
First, chop up your cooked ham into cubes. You’ll want to do the same for your boiled eggs too.
Note: You can use a food processor if you’d like – it depends on how fine you want the salad to be!
2. Make Your Salad
Next, place your chopped ham in a mixing bowl.
Then add the mayo, pickle relish, mustard, and black pepper to taste.
Stir all this until well blended. Then add your chopped boiled eggs, stirring gently.
3. Serve & Enjoy
Your ham salad spread is now ready! This recipe makes about three cups of delectable ham salad. You can refrigerate it for a while (an hour is best) to let the flavors blend, or you can eat it right away.
Serve it on sandwiches, homemade dinner rolls, or crackers – whatever’s calling you!
Storage
Store leftover ham salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Because it uses mayonnaise, I don’t recommend freezing. Lucky it’s super easy to make from scratch!
Old-Fashioned Ham Salad FAQs
Yes, store-bought ham works perfectly! I usually pick up whatever’s on sale at the deli counter or throw in some leftover holiday ham. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite ways to use up those holiday leftovers… beats eating the same ham dinner three nights in a row!
Your eggs should be fully hard-boiled for this recipe. I usually boil mine for about 10 to 12 minutes, then pop them straight into an ice bath to stop the cooking. This also makes them way easier to peel!
Yes, and honestly, I think it tastes even better the next day! Making it the night before gives all those flavors time to really come together. Just cover it tightly and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with potato chips and a fresh green salad. The crunch of the chips and the tang of the pickles are a great match for the rich, savory flavor of the ham salad!
Did this recipe hit the spot? Give it a star rating and leave a comment below. Bonus points if you tell me what you served it with!
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped smoked (or baked ham) diced as finely as you like
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sweet pickle relish
- 2 peeled and chopped boiled eggs
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop up the ham with a knife or food processor (however fine you want it to be).2 cups chopped smoked (or baked ham)
- Place the ham, mayonnaise, relish, mustard, and pepper in a bowl. Stir with a spoon until well blended. Gently stir in the chopped boiled eggs.2 cups chopped smoked (or baked ham), ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sweet pickle relish, 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard, pepper to taste, 2 peeled and chopped boiled eggs
- Serve on sandwiches, rolls, or crackers.
Oh, but your family doesn’t like onions…I remember now. Guess you’ll just have to sneak some grated onion in *your* sandwich somehow. And, the Southern Plat spread looks awesome…can’t wait for my copy to arrive in the mail, followed shortly by my Southern Plate cookbook!
This does look delicious! I would definitely add onions and use a hot Chow-Chow instead of sweet relish. I have some ham steaks I bought off of the clearance meat that would be perfect for this!
Thanks again, Christy! Looking forward to October 26th!!
Denise in Dallas
When I was small, during WW2, my mother made this often using bologna since it was cheap at 10 cents a pound. Apparently other housewives did the same. Great site you have here Christy.
Hiya Christy, I agree with an earlier post about the onion, but I put mine on the cheese grater and add GRATED onion…just a touch to give it a bit of heat and zing. Yum!
This looks sooooo good. I guess great minds think a like because we’re having ham fried rice for dinner tonight ;o) what kind of ham did you use??? I have a ton of sandwich sliced ham and need to get it used up. Do you think that would work or would that been too thin? Thanks for the great post and this will be a lunch for work tomorrow. P.S. I’m on the lookout for Southern living
Nat, I used some sandwich ham on biscuits for breakfast they other day. I just heated it a little in the microwave and folded it up and put on a biscuit with a little jelly(and egg).
I do throw my ham in the food processor because I try to hide veggies. I will throw celery, onion and a piece of carrot and get it fine then add the mayo, mustard and pickle relish. So good on a piece of rye bread.
Super idea!
Just got some ham yesterday, definitely think I’ll be tryin this recipe!