5 Seriously Delicious Hams for Your Easter Table

All the recipes you need to make an impressive Easter ham—sous vide, maple-glazed, mustard- and brown sugar–rubbed, and more.

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The Serious Eats Team
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Updated March 26, 2021
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J. Kenji López-Alt

No matter how otherwise impressive your spread of dishes might be, without a glossy, golden-brown ham at the center of the table, an Easter feast just doesn't feel complete. These seven recipes—for ham cooked sous vide, glazed with maple, rubbed with mustard and brown sugar, and more—will help you get the star player in your Easter dinner just right.

Need side dishes or desserts to complement your roast? You can find it all in our collection of Easter recipes.

  • Sous Vide City Ham With Balsamic Brown Sugar Glaze

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    J. Kenji López-Alt

    Cooking big roasts for the holidays tends to bring out two of our worst fears. First, of course, there's the worry that we'll overcook it, thus destroying the enormous chunk of meat we've invested in. Second, we dread the judgment we'd get from all those aunts, uncles, and friends for screwing up the holiday meal. With a city ham cooked sous vide, you can put all those concerns aside: Not only is the meat precooked and pre-seasoned, it can be dropped directly into the sous vide water bath, in its original packaging, to reheat. When the ham is warm all the way through, place it on a baking sheet, crisp it in the oven, and glaze it with a simple and tasty mixture of brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. It doesn't get much easier than this.

  • Maple-Glazed City Ham

    2:27

    How to Choose and Cook a City Ham

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    Natalie Holt

    This tender, juicy city ham gets finished off with a glaze of maple syrup and molasses for sweetness and whole grain mustard for a nice kick of spice. We recommend a shank-end, spiral-sliced, bone-in ham, which will come out of the oven crisp, shiny, and ready to impress.

  • Cherry Coke–Glazed Country Ham

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    J. Kenji López-Alt

    It'll take some foresight and patience to get this ham on the table, but it's well worth your time. The ham will need to rest in cold water for at least a day before it goes into a low oven, where it'll steam gently with a mixture of water and Cherry Coke. Once that step is done, crank up the heat to 400°F to crisp and brown its exterior, and glaze it with a sweet-spicy combination of Coke, honey, brown sugar, black pepper, cloves, and cinnamon.

  • Mustard- and Brown Sugar–Rubbed Ham With Balsamic-Roasted Onions

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    Jennifer Olvera

    This ham is a far cry from the way-too-sweet ones you may be used to. Glazed with a bright, punchy mixture of brown sugar and Dijon mustard, the ham absorbs plenty of flavor during its slow cook; balsamic-coated cipollini onions, added to the same pan, roast and caramelize in the sweet drippings.

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  • Grill-Roasted Coke- and Pineapple-Glazed Ham

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    Joshua Bousel

    Since most hams come precooked and pre-seasoned, it can be a challenge to make one that really stands out, but this one does just that. We cook it on the grill for a deep smokiness that can't be replicated in an oven—even under the broiler. While it's grilling, we glaze the ham with a Filipino-inspired barbecue sauce that combines Coca-Cola, pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, and honey.

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