Ham Salad
Give leftover ham new life with this easy Ham Salad recipe! You only need 4 ingredients and a few minutes to whip it up, and you’ll be rewarded with a creamy, flavorful salad for layering into sandwiches and scooping up with crackers.
Why You’ll Love This Old-Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe
- The Easiest Way to Use Ham Leftovers. While I do love Ham Casserole and Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, when I want a low effort way to put leftover ham to use, I turn to this old-fashioned ham salad recipe. Four ingredients, 10 minutes of prep, and boom: lunch is served.
- So Many Serving Options. Like Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad and Curry Chicken Salad, you can tuck ham salad into lettuce leaves or pitas, use it as a ham spread for sandwiches, or make it into a snack with crackers. You’ll love it for meal prep lunches too!
- Flavor and Texture in Spades. Ham is smoky, savory, and just a little bit sweet, so you don’t really need to add all that much to make it into a top-notch salad. Greek yogurt (or mayo) makes it creamy, celery adds a delightful crunch, and dill pickles are the pièce de résistance, giving our salad just the right amount of vinegar-y tang.
How to Make Ham Salad
The Ingredients
- Ham. Leftover Baked Ham or Crockpot Ham after a holiday is a natural starting point for this recipe, but if you’ve got a hankering and it’s nowhere near Easter, pick up a ham steak at the grocery store.
- Plain Greek Yogurt. My fave swap for those of you looking for a ham salad without mayo. For a more traditional version, go ahead and use your favorite mayonnaise.
- Celery. Adds crunch to everything from Turkey Salad to Italian Tuna Salad, but also a great addition for its fresh flavor.
- Dill Pickle Chips. For some sass without the sad texture of store-bought relish.
- Chives. An optional addition for a little bit of onion-y flavor without being over-powering.
- Crackers or Bread. Use bread for ham salad sandwiches, or crackers for a lighter lunch or snack.
The Directions
- Prep. Chop the ham, celery, and pickles.
- Pulse. Add all the ham salad ingredients to a food processor and pulse in 5-second bursts, scraping down the sides as needed. Serve and ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, as the texture of the celery will suffer and if you use mayo, it’s likely to separate.
How to Serve with Ham Salad
- In Sandwiches. Go fancy with a croissant (oh la la!), serve ham salad sandwiches on white bread, or stuff it into pitas.
- As Homemade Lunchables. Lunchables: The Adult Version. (Or Lunchables: For the Discerning Child.) Fill a bento box with salad, crackers, and other accoutrements like Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs.
- In Lettuce Leaves. A lower carb option similar to these Lettuce Wraps.
- On Cucumber Slices. Another serving idea if you’re watching your carb intake.
- As a Salad. A scoop of ham salad on a bed of Bibb lettuce feels retro in the best possible way.
- With Crackers. Go the extra mile and serve ham salad with Ranch Crackers.
- Inside a Tortilla. Roll it into tortillas and slice it into pinwheels.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- No Food Processor? No Problem. You can make a chunkier salad by simply tossing everything with the yogurt, or mince all the ingredients as finely as you reasonably can with a chef’s knife.
- Pulse, Not Puree. We’re going for ham salad here, not ham paste. (Blergh.) Pulse in bursts to achieve the perfect chopped—not pureed!—texture.
- Make It Your Own. Add some Dijon mustard for pep, fold in diced red onions for a more assertive onion flavor, reduce the ham by half and add some cooked macaroni for a ham pasta salad, add chopped hard-boiled egg for ham and egg salad—this is one of those recipes where you have ample room to customize.
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Ham Salad
This easy ham salad recipe is the best way to use leftover ham! Just 4 simple ingredients, a few minutes of prep and endless serving options.
Course Appetizer, lunch, Salad, Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes minutes
Total Time 10 minutes minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 77kcal
Author Erin Clarke / Well Plated
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ham diced into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or mayo
- 2 celery stalks 1/4-inch diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 5 dill pickles chips roughly chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives optional
- Crackers or bread for serving
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor: the ham, yogurt, celery, pickles, and chives (if using). Pulse in 5-second bursts, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the texture is chunky but spreadable. Blend less if you prefer a chunkier texture.
- Serve as a dip with crackers or use as a filling for a sandwich.
Notes
- You can use leftover spiral ham, or purchase a “ham steak”, which is often sold in 8-ounce packages.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate ham salad in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
- TO FREEZE: I don’t recommend freezing ham salad, as the texture of the celery will suffer and if you use mayo, it’s likely to separate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 8) | Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 46IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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