13 Best Ways To Use Leftover Easter Ham

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Buying the right amount of ham per person for your Easter dinner can be a challenge. How much you need can vary based on the type of ham you're purchasing, how many side dishes will also be on the table, and just how big the appetites are that are showing up at your door.

Most of us err on the side of caution and full bellies, and buy more ham than even double the amount of guests could eat in one sitting. And while you might initially be dismayed that half of the ham is still sitting on the carving board, no one will be sad about going home with some leftovers.

You could simply reheat the sliced ham and other leftovers for a slightly less appealing version of Easter dinner later in the week, of course, or toss it in a sandwich for a simple ham and cheese. But if you have a few other ingredients on hand, you can breathe new life into those porky slices and enjoy a number of delicious brunch or dinner recipes that elevate the leftover ham and make it exciting to eat again. Feel free to share your leftovers, but trust us, these recipes are worth keeping some of that ham for yourself, too.

A cold ham and cheese can hit the spot for lunchtime in a pinch, and we've likely all had our share of leftover ham slices in a slapdash sammie in the days after Easter. But if you're willing to preheat your oven and hunt down some pickles, you can get a much better meal in (almost) the same number of sandwich-making steps.

Our version will hit the spot and provide an easy weeknight dinner. A seemingly simple ham-and-Swiss combo is elevated with a mixture of mustard and pickle brine for extra zing, and topped with chopped dill pickles for added flavor and crunch. Slider rolls are brushed with melted butter before baking so each one has a golden, slightly nutty flavor that melds everything together.

Chances are you've had a version of these sliders at a game day party or family gathering: They're always a crowd-pleaser, and you'll rarely go home with any left over. The Easter ham will take these to new heights, since it's likely to be slightly thicker and have more juicy flavor than the thin slices of deli ham you'd normally use. Those slices will stand up well to the punchy acid from the pickles and mustard, giving you dinnertime sandwiches that everyone will be happy to scarf down.

Recipe: Ham and Cheese Sliders

Many ham recipes include a straightforward slate of ingredients to complement its flavor: You're about to see a lot of butter, cheese, and starch in recipes on this list, and for good reason. Why would we try to fix what's not broken? But if you're looking for a different flavor profile after your Easter dinner is over, try a spin on pork fried rice, substituting diced ham for the pork.

Adding ham to a dish flavored with ginger, oyster sauce, and soy sauce delivers a quick and easy meal that can use up other leftovers you also have in the fridge. Andy Hearnden, the online host of Andy Cooks, said sautéing diced ham into the mix with vegetables, rice, and eggs was one of the best ways he's found to use up leftover ham from holiday meals — and we can see why. The edges of the diced ham get slightly caramelized from your wok or skillet for a tasty take on a classic comfort food. If you're using our recipe, we'd suggest adding the diced ham to your hot pan instead of the ground pork, and then following the rest of the steps as written.

Recipe: Quick Pork Fried Rice

While a croque madame sandwich is commonly found in a French bistro or bougie brunch spot, you can easily make your own and take your normal meal up a notch or three. This is technically a ham sandwich, but in its fanciest, brunch-iest form. And while there are a few extra steps involved beyond a normal sandwich preparation, we promise it's worth it.

Croque madames set themselves apart with a béchamel sauce that only takes minutes to whip together. The sauce is ladled over the sandwich of crisped artisan bread, Dijon mustard, ham, and Gruyère cheese, then, the sandwiches are broiled for a few minutes until hot and bubbly. To make everything even more decadent, the sandwiches are topped with a fried egg, complete with a runny golden yolk. Hungry yet?

While these require some mild time management skills, the payoff is worth the indulgent brunch you'll dig into afterward. And, the thicker slices of leftover ham will stand up well to the rich sauce and eggy perfection they're surrounded by. 

Recipe: Croque Madame

Soup season is long and wonderful, and our recipe for ham and bean soup is comfort food at its finest. While you can use any ham you like for this recipe, it's especially useful if you have a leftover bone-in ham. Don't throw that bone away just yet — it can still add serious depth of flavor to your soup later in the week.

The original recipe calls for a ham hock, a cheap cut that's quite the flavor bomb when it's stewed in broth and aromatics. If you still have the bone from your Easter dinner, add that instead of ham hock, and simmer any leftover ham you've trimmed from it later in the cooking process. The bone and the meat still on it will flavor the broth as it simmers, and the ham pieces you add with the beans later will add the protein boost you're looking for.

Some ham and bean soup recipes take hours and use dried beans that cook in the broth over a long period of time. Our version used canned beans to cut down the cooking time and give you more mealtime flexibility. Whichever method you choose, the ham is bound to be the star of the show.

Recipe: Ham and Bean Soup

Whisking eggs in a pan with butter and chives really shouldn't be that hard, but time and again we've collectively proven that it's very easy to make mistakes with an omelet. Thankfully, the simplicity of this breakfast dish means that they're relatively easy to fix. Use the right size pan, choose fresh ingredients, add some quality butter, and you're well on your way to an enviable meal.

The beauty of an omelet is that you can tuck almost anything into it for a savory, protein-packed start to your day. In the scenario of using up your leftover Easter ham, nothing sounds better to us than a delicious Denver omelet, which features diced ham, green bell peppers, and onion — not to mention copious amounts of cheese.

Is this the unadulterated French version of an omelet? Nope. But if you start with our classic omelet recipe and add in your toppings of choice, you'll get brunchy perfection, along with the satisfaction of using up those leftovers in a delicious way. The leftover ham that you dice will add a touch of extra salt and smokiness to the overall flavor, while the veggies and cheese will add a fresh and gooey element. It's hard to go wrong with that winning combination.

Recipe: Classic Omelet

You don't see many on menus anymore, but the origins of deviled ham sandwiches are over a century old. Though it might not be in vogue right now, clearly deviled ham has stood the test of time for a reason. Minced ham is mixed with similar components as deviled eggs to create a sandwich spread: The ingredient list often includes mayonnaise, mustard, and maybe some lemon juice with other seasonings.

It's possible to purchase a prepared deviled ham spread in stores, which often come canned for a long shelf life. However, these prepared spreads can be overly salty. Making a quick deviled ham salad recipe at home ensures you can control the salt levels to your liking, along with any other seasonings you want.

Our version uses celery, onion, and optional dill pickles for an extra flavorful blend. The leftover ham can be tossed into a food processor with the vegetables and blended just enough to mince everything — not so much that it loses all texture and becomes mushy. Then, you'll stir in the mayo and seasonings, including mustard if the pickles aren't zippy enough. All that's left is to pile it high onto bread of your choice for a quick and easy meal-prepped lunch.

Recipe: Quick Deviled Ham Salad

There are a million versions of ham and potato casseroles out there, especially if you hail from the Midwest. Our version goes the extra mile by making a flavorful, hammy broth using ham hocks that is then used to parboil potatoes for the casserole. This step adds a bit of time but also a ton of flavor. If you're looking to put your ham and potato casserole a step above the rest, this recipe is the ticket.

While it might be difficult to replace the depth of flavor from the ham hocks with just a bone-in ham, you could certainly try in this recipe. If you're committed to the ham hocks though — and we applaud those efforts — simply dice up your leftover ham and add it to the casserole when you add the shredded ham hock meat to the potatoes. You'll get an extra punch of flavor and some added protein to the dish, too.

That said, if making your own broth for the potatoes and your own roux for the cheesy sauce are a little too involved for your casserole plans, plenty of people on Reddit say they add diced leftover ham to their easy funeral potato recipes, and it's a smashing success. Since this recipe is much simpler — think five to 10 minutes of prep time — you're well on your way to a complete dinner with minimal effort.

Recipe: Ham and Potato Casserole

There are many fancy brunch sandwiches featuring ham. The croque madame has béchamel sauce, with an egg on top. If you take the egg off, you get a croque monsieur. Both of those sandwiches stay strictly in the savory category for brunch, even if they're over-the-top indulgent.

As for a croque monsieur versus a Monte Cristo, both are popular brunch dishes, and require a fork and knife to dig into properly. But a Monte Cristo sandwich takes things in a slightly sweeter direction. First, the creamy component in the sandwich comes from a mixture of garlic-infused mayonnaise and mustard, not a white sauce. While that sounds decidedly savory, the entire ham and cheese sandwich is dipped into an egg wash and fried. Our recipe doesn't include added sugar, but several recipes advise dusting the finished product with powdered sugar. Others add jam inside, too.

Both of those components are also present in our Monte Cristo-style ham and cheese pinwheel recipe, which substitutes bread for puff pastry for a flaky, sweet-savory combo that's hard to beat. You can use minced leftover ham in the sandwiches instead of sliced deli ham for a deeper, more complex flavor. If you have guests staying past the Easter holiday, this brunch-ready dish is sure to please.

Recipe: Classic Monte Cristo Sandwich

Who can resist a bowl full of macaroni smothered in cheesy, gooey goodness? While mac and cheese is a crowd-pleaser for any age in any sort of weather, this plan for your leftover Easter ham is likely to be an especially big hit if you have young mouths to feed at your dinner table.

We suggest starting with our simple one-pot mac and cheese recipe that's made on the stovetop in less than 30 minutes. While prepping your shredded cheese for the sauce, dice up some of your leftover ham to toss in at the end. We recommend adding it after the cheese is melted just to warm it through, since the ham is already cooked. Adding ham to your favorite mac and cheese is comfort food at its finest, and it's a great way to boost the protein content in each bowl.

If you're looking to make this a more balanced meal, simply add a green vegetable into the mix. You could add peas directly into the macaroni — we're all more likely to eat our veggies when they're smothered in cheese sauce, after all. Or, serve another vegetable like roasted broccoli on the side. Either way, you have the makings of a complete and fan-favorite weeknight meal at your fingertips.

Recipe: One-Pot Mac and Cheese

As warmer spring weather approaches, you might find the idea of a salad more appealing than heavy soups or stews. However, if you don't add enough hearty ingredients, your bowl of lettuce won't be nearly as filling or enticing to eat. Adding chopped leftover ham is a great way to pump up the protein while also adding flavor to most salads.

You can choose to empty your vegetable drawer in a DIY quest for salad greatness: The ham will pair well with most raw vegetables and add a salty component as well. It will also go well with a variety of dressings you probably already have languishing in your refrigerator. If you want to step up your salad game, you could also add the ham to a robust and refreshing Italian chopped salad. It comes together quickly, but making your own quick vinaigrette with pantry staples really brings this salad to life.

The ham will be a great addition to the salami that's already included in our Italian salad recipe, and will also go well with the creamy mozzarella, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, and other fresh ingredients. You'll have a little bit of work to do to chop up your ingredients, but the end result will be a crisp, refreshing salad you'll actually want to eat. If you keep the dressing separate, this recipe would also work great as a meal-prepped lunch.

Recipe: Refreshing Italian Chopped Salad

If the previous glaze on your ham has all but disappeared, bring leftover slices back to life by creating a new and interesting sauce. You can enjoy a different flavor profile, and keep your leftover ham from drying out when you reheat it. While recipes abound for ways to do this, we recommend trying our honey mustard ham steak recipe.

Simple ingredients like brown sugar, honey, mustard, and vinegar are stirred together for this basic but flavorful sauce, which you can brush over your leftover slices of ham. Since your ham has already been cooked, all you'll need is a quick pan fry or flash on a griddle to reheat the ham and add some caramelization from the added sauce. The end result will still highlight the ham, but add a tangy component to keep the leftovers from becoming ho-hum. The best part is you'll be able to serve this with any other Easter leftovers still hanging out in your fridge, while avoiding overly dry cuts of ham as the centerpiece of your plate.

Recipe: Honey Mustard Ham Steak

If you grew up in the Midwest (or Midwest-adjacent communities), you're no stranger to ham balls baked in a sweet and sour sauce. These pork-based meatballs are a distant cousin to the more common meatballs you see in Italian dishes, but are decidedly sweeter. They're balanced with the slightly acidic sauce they're baked in, and are a truly unique way to use up some leftover ham from your Easter dinner.

Ham balls use a combination of minced ham and ground pork, which is mixed with cracker crumbs, milk, eggs, and onion to bind them together. They're topped with a sauce of ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and other ingredients that amplify the sweeter profile of the ham while adding a tangy flavor to the party. Ingredients like salt and paprika keep these ham balls in the savory dinner category, and they go great with sides like mashed potatoes and vegetables — which you might still have leftover from Easter, too.

Recipe: Classic Midwestern Baked Ham Balls

Starbucks' lunches are flavorful, but expensive. A fan-favorite ham and Swiss panini can add an extra $8 to your coffee tab — and maybe not be big enough to curb your afternoon appetite. Instead of overspending at the drive-through, treat yourself to a similar sandwich from the comfort of your own home.

Starbucks' ham and Swiss panini recipe is fairly simple to recreate, and you'll get an extra flavor boost by substituting regular deli ham for slices of your Easter ham instead. All you'll need besides that is bread of your choice, Swiss cheese, butter, and mustard. Bonus points if you have a panini press, but in our experience, pressing the sandwich down as it's cooking with a spatula or burger press will get the job done in a pinch. 

This sandwich is just a smidge more effort than a cold ham and cheese, but cooking it will meld the flavors of the Swiss, ham, and mustard together perfectly, with the melted butter adding extra richness to each bite. The thick slices of ham won't get lost against the thicker panini bread, and are exactly what this sandwich needs to become lunchtime perfection.

Recipe: Starbucks Ham and Cheese Panini Copycat