Air Fryer Ham

Name: Air Fryer Ham with Bourbon Glaze
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2-3 pound boneless (fully cooked spiral ham); 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup bourbon; 1/2 cup maple syrup; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 tablespoon dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon salt

This Air Fryer Ham is juicy, delicious and generously basted with a homemade maple bourbon glaze. Once you learn how easy it is to make in the air fryer, you won't go back! Have this main dish ready for your holiday tables in under 1 hour.

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Christmas and the holiday season are just around the corner and you can't go wrong with putting this air fryer ham on the menu. It pairs well with classics like Air Fryer Green Beans, Instant Pot Garlic Redskin Mashed Potatoes, and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Quinoa. Plus, it's so easy to make, you can do it with a Holiday Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail or Thanksgiving Margarita in hand!

I'd also highly recommend trying my Dutch Oven Apple Crisp with Cranberries for dessert. It's the best, festive way to round out a holiday meal.

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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
📖Variations
🔪Instructions
💭Recipe FAQs
👩🏻‍🍳Chef Tips
🥗Serving
More Air Fryer Recipes You May Like
🍳Recipe
💬 Reviews

🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe

It's fuss-free! Making a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas is a holiday classic, but it's no secret that it's not easy. Ham, on the other hand, is commonly sold completely pre-cooked, requires minimal prep and can be cooked in under an hour. Once you try this ham recipe, you won't be intimidated by being in charge of the main dish!
Makes for great leftovers. The only thing better than holiday dinners is holiday leftovers. Turn leftover air fryer ham into sandwiches, hot ham and cheese sliders, Denver omelettes, split pea soup, or a breakfast casserole. The options are endless.
Complete with a homemade maple bourbon glaze. Take your spiral ham to the next level and baste it with a homemade maple bourbon glaze. All you need to make it is 5 simple ingredients!

🥘Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients for spiral ham labeled and measured.

Ham - This recipe uses a pre-cooked, 2-3 pound boneless spiral ham. If your ham is larger, a longer cook time will be required.
Bourbon - If you're new to cooking with Bourbon, check out this Guide to the 15 Best Bourbon Brands for Cooking. As a general rule of thumb, use a sweeter bourbon that's not too expensive (save the expensive bourbon for sipping!). Sweeter bourbons are easier to caramelize and make into syrups.
Maple syrup - When making a glaze, it is better to use maple syrups that are darker or amber grade. These syrups are richer in flavor and typically dark in color.
Dijon Mustard - Dijon mustard balances the sweetness of this bourbon glaze and gives it a depth of flavor. Use extra Dijon mustard to make Pan Seared Chicken with Dijon Mustard Sauce.

See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.

📖Variations

Use another ham glaze - I prefer a homemade glaze over store-bought, but if you happen to have a pre-made ham glaze, go ahead and use it! Or, if you avoid alcohol and prefer not to use it in your cooking, try this bourbon-free easy ham glaze.

🔪Instructions

To start, allow your ham to come to room temperature for 1 hour. When the hour is almost up, preheat the air fryer to 325 degrees F.

Air fry the ham. Line the air fryer basket or air fryer baking pan with foil. Lay the ham on top of the foil and air fry for 20 minutes.
Make the maple bourbon glaze. To a small saucepan, add the brown sugar, bourbon, maple syrup, cinnamon, dijon mustard, and salt. Heat over medium-high heat and stir until the brown sugar is dissolved and the maple bourbon glaze is well combined and thickened. Set aside.
Glaze the ham. After the ham has air fried for 20 minutes, remove the ham and brush with ⅓ of the maple bourbon glaze. Make sure to cover and get in between the slices. Cook for another 20 minutes and baste with more glaze. Cook for a final 5-8 minutes, or until caramelized.
Let the ham rest. Let the air fryer ham rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve with remaining glaze if desired.

💭Recipe FAQs

How long does it take to cook a fully cooked spiral ham?

It takes about 45-50 minutes to warm through a fully cooked ham in the air fryer. If you put ham directly from the refrigerator into the air fryer it will take longer because the ham was not brought to room temperature.

Can spiral ham be frozen after cooking?

If the ham was thawed in a safe manner (preferably in the refrigerator), it can be refrozen after cooking. To freeze, tightly wrap in plastic wrap, then wrap in foil. Make sure the packaging is airtight to prevent freezer burn and allow the ham to retain its moisture and freshness.

How much spiral ham do I need per person?

With a boneless ham, plan on about ⅓ pound of ham per person. This means a 2-pound boneless ham should comfortably serve 6 people and a 3-pound boneless ham should feel 8-9.

Are all spiral hams precooked?

In most cases, spiral hams are precooked but always read the label. Some spiral hams can be partially cooked or even fully raw. Read carefully! The cook time for this air fryer ham is for fully cooked ham.

👩🏻‍🍳Chef Tips

Use a pastry brush. A pastry brush makes it significantly easier to brush the maple bourbon glaze between each slice and make sure the glaze is evenly distributed.
Make sure to give the ham time to come to room temperature. This helps the ham cook quickly and evenly. Plan accordingly!
Use the foil! In most of my air fryer recipes, I typically recommend skipping the foil because it can prohibit air circulation. However, when air frying ham, it is helpful to have the foil on the bottom to catch all the juices and ham glaze and prevent the ham from drying out.