This air fryer glazed ham recipe is a quick and easy way to make ham! Learn how to make air fryer ham along with a delicious homemade glaze. This ham is the perfect holiday dinner for Easter and Christmas, but easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
Cooking ham in the air fryer is a fabulous way to make this classic family favorite! With this easy glazed ham recipe, you can have ham all year long, not just for holidays.
This recipe uses simple ingredients and is easy, even if you’ve never cooked a ham before! With an air fryer, you can cook your ham in less than an hour – fast enough that it can be an easy weeknight dinner.
Why You Will Love Air Fryer Ham
- Ham is traditional for Easter and Christmas, but it is a great dinner choice year-round. It is filling and feeds a crowd.
- You can serve ham even in the heat of summer since you don’t have to use the oven for hours to cook it.
- If you are cooking for a holiday you will have the oven free for favorites like green bean casserole or zucchini casserole.
- Ham is versatile and there are many delicious ways to use leftovers.
Key Ingredients
Ham – This recipe is for heating up and glazing a precooked ham. Most ham is sold precooked and if you have a fresh ham this recipe won’t work! Other than that the most important criteria is that your ham fits in your air fryer. Sliced, unsliced, bone-in, or boneless doesn’t matter.
Glaze – A ham glaze adds color, flavor, and texture to the ham. Added during the last few minutes of cooking it caramelizes on top of the ham and makes it extra delicious. I made a mango ham glaze for this ham recipe because I love the sweet flavor of mango combined with salty ham. But you can easily use your favorite brown sugar glaze or just use the packet that comes with ham. You can find more suggested variations below.
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How Big a Ham Can I Air Fry?
You are limited only by the size of your air fryer. I have a 5.8 quart air fryer and had no problem fitting a 3 pound ham inside it.
It also depends on the shape of the ham. Some air fryers are deeper than others which will allow you to cook a taller ham.
It is important that the ham doesn’t touch the heating element at the top of the air fryer. You also need to have some holes in the bottom of the basket not covered so that the air can circulate around.
If you end up with a ham that doesn’t quite fit you can always trim it a bit to make it fit. With some experimentation, you will have a pretty good idea of what size ham will work with your air fryer.
How to Make Ham in Air Fryer
1. Prepare the Ham
The ham will cook more quickly and be easier to serve if you slice it before cooking. So if your ham is unsliced slice it into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices before heating it up.
When making ham in my air fryer I wrap it in aluminum foil for most of the cooking process. The foil keeps all the juices inside so that the ham stays moist and juicy.
In addition, an unwrapped ham will get pretty messy. Drips of glaze will caramelize on the air fryer basket and be a pain to clean off.
So line the basket with foil and put the ham on top. Then cover it up with another sheet of foil. You will want to peel back the aluminum foil to add the glaze later, so make sure it is easy to remove.
2. Air Fry the Ham
As a general rule of thumb, you can assume it will take about 10 minutes per pound of ham to heat it up. Use this to determine an initial cooking time.
Based on this my 3-pound ham needed 30 minutes. Set the air fryer at 300 degrees F and cook the ham for 30 minutes.
3. Make the Sweet Glaze
Make the glaze while the ham cooks. See below for more glaze ideas.
Combine 1 cup of frozen mango (or peaches) with 1/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low.
Simmer until the mangoes lose their shape and the sauce thickens. Add more water if it gets too thick. It takes about 30 minutes for the sticky glaze to thicken, which works out perfect for the air fryer ham.
4. Glaze the Ham
Once the initial cooking process time is up peel the foil back from the ham and use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature. The ham needs to reach 165 degrees F before serving.
Brush about 1/4 of the glaze on the ham at this point, making sure to let some drip down between the slices. Close the foil up and cook the ham some more.
If the ham is at 160 degrees F or higher then cook it at 300 degrees F for another 10 minutes. If it isn’t that warm add some more cooking time, based on how far away from 165 degrees F it currently is. My 3-pound ham only needed an extra 10 minutes.
Once the second cooking time is up and the ham reaches 165 degrees F internally, peel the foil back up and brush another 1/4 of the glaze on top. Then cook it uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
This browns the top and crisps the skin of the ham.
Serving Ideas
Serve the ham with additional glaze on the side. I love to serve ham with potatoes, and usually make either my Mom’s easy potato salad recipe or our local favorite – salt potatoes.
But almost any side dish works with ham, it is one of the most versatile main dishes around.
How to Store
If there are leftovers the ham keeps in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days. You can reheat it in the air fryer or make some easy leftover ham recipes.
These ham and cheese muffins or Instant Pot black eyed peas or Crock Pot ham and potato soup are great ways to use up leftover air fryer ham.
Glaze Variations
Here are some simple glazes you can use instead of the mango glaze. All of these can be quickly made while the ham air fries. You can also just use the included glaze packet.
Brown Sugar Glaze: Combine 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Bring to boiling and then cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring.
Pineapple Glaze: Combine 1 cup fresh pineapple, 1 cup pineapple juice, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. Bring to boiling and then cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring.
If you want a little bit spicier try this mango jalapeno ham glaze which has a spicy kick!
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Air Fryer Ham
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound boneless sliced ham
Optional Mango Glaze
- 1 cup frozen mango or peaches
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
Optional Brown Sugar Glaze
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons butter
Optional Pineapple Glaze
- 1 cup fresh pineapple
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Make sure your ham will fit in your air fryer including checking to make sure it doesn't hit the heating element in the top. Trim it to fit if necessary.2-3 pound boneless sliced ham
- If the ham is not sliced slice it into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch slices.
- Wrap the ham completely in aluminum foil. Make sure you can easily peel back the foil to add the glaze later.
- Set the air fryer at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes and cook the ham. See note below for adjusting time for a smaller/larger ham.
- While the ham cooks make the glaze. Combine your chosen ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the ham cooking time is up. Add more water to the glaze if it thickens too fast.1 cup frozen mango, 1/4 cup water, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup fresh pineapple, 1 cup pineapple juice, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter
- Peel back the foil. Use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the ham. It needs to reach 165 degrees F before serving. Brush 1/4 of the glaze on the ham and close the foil back up.
- If the ham was at 160 degrees F or higher cook it at 300 degrees F for another 10 minutes. If it was lower than that add more cooking time.
- Once the cooking time is up check the ham's temperature again. If it is at 165 degrees F peel back the foil again and brush another quarter of the glaze over the top. Cook it, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. This will caramelize the glaze and brown the edges of the ham.
- Serve with the remaining glaze on the side.
Video
Notes
Size
- My 5.8 quart air fryer will easily fit a 3 pound ham. If you have a smaller air fryer you might need a smaller ham.
Cooking Time
- As a general rule of thumb it will take 10 minutes per pound of ham. Use this time for your initial cooking time in step #4 if your ham is larger or smaller than 3 pounds.
Glaze
- You can substitute any glaze you like on this ham, either your own recipe or a packet that came with the ham. Peaches work well in place of the mango and you can use fresh fruit instead of frozen if you have it.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
